Random Thoughts Thursday

I cannot wait for school to be out. That extra 1/2 hour of sleep will be awesome. Not to mention that I often feel like my life revolves around 3:45 pm. Waiting for her to get home and then go from there.

I dreamt(dreamed?) of spiders 2 nights ago and of scrapbooking last night. Both were terrifying.

The Raccoons seem to be alternating between ours and the neighbors garbage's. Last night was their turn.

We have been invited to 7 graduation Open Houses. 3 on my side, 3 on Jason's and then our next door neighbors. I am pretty sure I didn't even go to 7 open houses the year I graduated.

In the past couple days I have learned some new Grady words. "Ucha" is Ketchup and "Anka" is spanking. And that's not naughty spankings. In our house we have something called "rumble spankins" which is just chasing around the house and swatting bottoms in a playful way. OK, that sound weird, but its not. Just pure silliness.

Its 11am and I and I still have on cupcake pj pants. Kelly will be here in 20 minutes(edit-its now 12:30 and I am still sportin' the cupcakes). In my defense, I have brushed my teeth, cleaned the house, loaded the dishwasher and dressed the kids for the day.

Teagen slept on Summer's bunk last night and no one knows how she got down.

Jason took it upon himself to give Grady his 1st clipper haircut over the weekend. I admit that its better than it hanging in his face but its terribly uneven and the kid has a million cowlicks. I think I need to take him in to get it fixed. Sorry Jay.

All the mirrors at work are telling me I need new clothes. and also that I should cut about 700 calories a day. And get on the treadmill. And wear more makeup. Hey ,I'm just happy the mirrors haven't mentioned Botox.

Jason rocked out the yard this weekend. Weeded and spread nearly 20 bags of mulch. Split plants. worked hard. Love you.

I washed and dried a tube of lipstick with a load of my clothes. It only got on my shabby wheatland hoodie and my Jimmy Buffett tee. I think the universe is telling to stop wearing these things. I am certain Stacy & Clinton would.

Best kept secret- Apparently the DMV in Grand Haven is awesome. Apple Ave., horrific. Jason got a tip to check out Grand Haven's because there is never a line and they even have flat-screen TVs. He waited at Apple last week for almost 2 hours. Yesterday in GH-walked right up to a nice(what?) person!

and 1 more...

I just left the bathroom with Teagen(she requires a friend) and this is what she tells me," Ok, Mama, I gotta go poo-poos and pee-pees. Alright, Poo-poos leave my body, CHECK. Pee-pees out my body, CHECK. Mama, I gotta keep a list!"
How do you respond to that?

Papa Rocky's

This is why we never go on vacations. What's the point? We can go here any time we want. I am considering "camping" at my Dads for a week this summer. I seriously cannot think of a better place to be.
I believe Calloway was licking Grady here, that's her back in the corner. Can you see all the sand on this kid? He is the dirtiest kid in town.
And here is the cleanest kid in town. Teagen just plays sweetly by herself, inventing little task she must do(like water everyones feet)
This is the only time Summer stopped moving. She is a water lover and is constantly jumping all over the place, throwing sticks for the dog, searching for stones and throwing them. She is such a busy girl.
Jason took them out for a little paddleboat ride. They love it but Summer couldn't wait to jump in the water again. My Dad wants to teach her to sail this year but I don't think he will get her out of the water!

But wow, what a good weekend. I am so happy to get summer time off to such a great start!

I love a Parade

Monday morning was our sweet little Lakeside Memorial Day Parade. I so love it. Its very old fashioned and traditional. And it draws big crowds for little ol' Lakeside. We walk down to Dune Glass. its our favorite spot because the sun shines there and it keeps us warm and protected against the wind off the lake. The kids got balloons and 2 flags each!
The kids love the Big Reds marching band. They are so good. Even the 2 middle school bands are really good. They put my 1 pathetic year of band to shame. Ughh...those are some bad memories....
And the Parade always wraps up with a bunch of motorcycles following. Of course the kiddos LOVE that! There was even a little boy on a tiny motorcycle that was just SO cute...and I dont care for bikes!
My poor pale children. They just kinda glow out in the sun. Thank goodness for sunscreen. Otherwise I don't think we would ever leave the house!

Long time gone..

Wow, this is the longest I've gone without posting. But that head cold turned into a full blown sinus infection and I have been miserable. Still trying to kick it.Thanks everyone that came the the purse party last week. It was a blast. I had a really hard time choosing! But it was great. Maybe a new annual thing. I cannot wait until they all come in! I am dying to see them!

So Since I've been a bit down, I have not pulled out my camera all week. But I did take some pics of a couple layouts I made for a design team submission. They are both 8 1/2x11. I ALWAYS do 12x12 so this was different, but I love it. Totally brought out my creativity. I think you can click on them to enlarge.
1st, my littlest girl...

And a fresh baby boy...
Photo credit goes to my "aunt" Jan Granger. She came for a shoot a couple weeks after Grady was born and took some of the most amazing photographs.
These are my favorite layouts ever. The pics don't do them justice. I was in the zone. But my studio is a total nightmare, AGAIN.
Tomorrow we go to the parade that is in front of our house. Seriously, they line up on our street. Then maybe to my Dads for some lake time. I really hope we don't get rained out, but I wouldn't be surprised.
Hope you are having the greatest weekend ever!

cake-o-rama

I worked so hard on Friday! And I felt like garbage. I got Grady's cold and my head felt like it could pop. Motrin is my life saver. I had a house to clean and decorate, make a store run with the babies, and a cake that was nothing more than 2 rectangles!
So here is my cake version of a guitar. So it looks more like a violin or even a ukulele but I am pretty happy with the result.
The Hannah Montana tablescape. Missing from photo: Banner and tons of balloons. FYI- Great party theme. You can find cheap Hannah stuff anywhere! Even the dollar store. I likey that!
And the Party goers. These were some sweet girls. They totally included Teagen in everything. Very good friends!
Summer's friend Emma got her Twister Dance DVD Game. They had fun taking turns playing. Teagen even tried it and did good too. This will be tons of fun for the kids(maybe me too)

We met the grandparents Saturday at Summer's game. Then went for ice cream at the Frosty Oasis. Great day if you stayed in the sun. Later that day Summer and I went shopping and had a great time. Its been a while since her and I went and did something fun and alone. She impressed me with her shopping abilities. I was sure she would be whining but not at all. Even helping me shop for "boring stuff". She had a gift card for KB Toys and bought 2 Webkinz. When we got home, she decided to give one of them to Teagen. She amazes me every day with her kindness.

My Spring Flowers

My girl with her special daddy-made birthday sundae. He even gave her 7 cherries for 7 years old. I'm doing the cake for Friday when her friend come over. I still have no clue how many will be here. Only a ouple RSVP but they all keep telling Summer that they will be here. Can you really trust a 7 year old on that? So I will be totally winging it. My luck 1 girl will show up! (not that I am complaining...)

playing with my camera and some settings I've never used. not bad.
Dang...I can see the future young woman inside this girl. wow.
This is the 1st year I have done tulips. The problem is that our squirril population in the city is INSANE. They are everywhere and love to eat tulips and thier bulbs. But I still ended up with lots of flowers and plan to put in more this fall. I love tulips so much. I cant believe it took me so long to plant some here.

Today is crazy busy! This is good because it takes my mind off something crazy my husbad did. If I stay busy I may forget to CHOKE him. more on that later. gotta clean, gotta make a guitar cake, and Leighton will be here soon. Grady is totally cranky and working the only nerve I have left after my husband destroyed the others. I drank way too much coffee and I am zipping through this like a maniac. Enjoy the typos and spelling because there is no time for a spell check!

Seven Years Gone By

Today is Summer 7th Birthday. I cannot wrap my brain around it. Even when I see pictures like this...
I just feel amazement. All that has happened since that day.We were so young( I was 23) and had NO baby experience at all.
So in blogging tradition, here is Summer's story.
Jason and I had been married for almost a year. I had become good friends with Kelly at work(the Vet Clinic) and she convinced Jason and I to go to Wheatland in September(2000). We were very excited and couldn't wait to go! But when we got there I was miserable. Hot, felt ill, and alcohol was just disgusting to me.Needless to say, I was not impressed with the experience.WARNING TMI AHEAD: When we got home and I got back to work, the girls were talking about their "cycles" and they were all getting over theirs. Like what often happens when you have a lot of women together in one place, we were all kinda on the same cycle. I realized I was very very late. While Jason was playing pool that night, I took a test. Freaked out. Alone. Cried. and then wrapped it up and gave it to him as an anniversary gift. We had no plans for a baby but it wasn't a bad time either. I proceeded to read anything I could get my hands on.

For the most part, I enjoyed the pregnancy. I knew that things with work were not going to go well. No one else had kids(well the receptionist had 1) and I never felt that there would be much understanding for a new mother, and I was right. After a horrible bout of morning sickness that made me late(I called ahead)the Vet chewed me out saying he didn't want me here if I was sick. I actually had to explain how morning sickness works and about morning hormone surges. Idiot. He made me feel like a leper, I think he was disgusted by pregnancy. Strange guy, for sure.
My water broke at 4am on Mother's Day. I had gotten up to pee for the 15th time that night. I labored for ever. I took any drug offered to me. It was unreal. It was terrifying. At about 8pm I was allowed to push. It was the hardest thing I have ever done in my entire life. I think back and can barely remember any of it. I do recall that at about 11pm Dr. Karnes said that if this baby is not out in the next couple of pushes that I would be in the OR. Well she was born at 11:36pm with out a scratch and with out a rip or cut for me. I was so relieved. she was so beautiful. Just an amazing baby.
Summer is the perfect child to learn to parent. She is such a bright,sweet and forgiving kid. She is nurturing,creative,sensitive and has a great sense of humor. I sometime cannot believe that God chose us to be her parents. I worry about dropping the ball, and not helping her reach her full potential. I worry about doing or saying something stupid that she NEVER forgets and never fully gets over. I worry about making bad decisions. I worry that I worry too much and we might miss out on something!

I so love this girl. The best Mother's Day gift anyone could ask for. Today we are celebrating Summer turning seven but I also celebrate for me becoming a Mother. And I'll never be the same. Thank God!

FYI

I have had a few people comment on the lovely lavender color on my walls. I too have thought maybe that is a possibility. But in reality, Its actually a specially formulated primer designed to cover(fill) imperfections on our ancient plaster walls! But I keep catching myself squinting at the walls trying to imagine the combo...who knows.

Oh yeah, and if you haven't heard...I QUIT!!! Yeah!

I live in a zoo

Well, I don't actually live in the zoo, but I do often feel like I live with zoo animals.
So this weekend I screwed up. actually I screwed up several weeks ago but it became apparent Sunday afternoon. You see, we planned on doing the Meijer Garden thing Yesterday. We have gone every year since Summer could walk. She also goes with Gramma Donna a lot too because they live close and she often buys the annual pass. This is Summer's "thing". She loves everything about the experience.
So this is where I totally bombed. The butterflies were gone as of April 30th. I swear we always go in May but think I am just confused because the weather has been so cold and we always wait for it to get warmer. Luckily I got on the website and found out. But when we broke the news to Sum, she fell apart. She was devastated that she wouldn't see the African Moon Moth. (what?) Jason and I had one of those we-suck-as-parents moments, seeing that our child just wants to learn and we let her down.We suggested the Zoo as an alternative. We have never done the zoo, Summer had gone with Donna but didn't remember much. So after breakfast at "Ba-Bevins" (say it out loud and you'll get it) off we went.
I also have realized that my son should have a leash. And be wrapped in bubble wrap. And wear a helmet. And possibly a life jacket too. He is wild. He is exhausting. This was Grady's total favorite. The Big Fish. He also LOVED the Black Footed Cats, which I swear, are nothing more than regular Tabby house cats behind glass.
I liked the bears, but I didn't feel that there was adequate protection from them. You know, because I know all about bears and design zoos for a living... And an $8 camel ride. What I loved about this is that they are walked through the "woods" and not some sad,dusty, dirt path in a parking lot. However, after thinking about that, I realize that a camel probably feels more at home in the dirt and dust that in a forest. go figure.

I have a REALLY good picture of this but it is going sideways and I still haven't figured out how to turn my pictures for blogger.

****And if you are still reading....THANK YOU thank you,thank you for all the supportive comments,emails, phone calls and conversations about my horrible job. I think over time I got very used to the treatment and just dealt with it. You all helped me see the truth and I am so grateful for you. I am so excited to move on! more later on that...

Sunday...

Since Jason and I both took Monday off (I will explain later) Sunday was very productive! You see, this Thursday, me and my kids and Rachael and her kids are taking off for Mason for a few days to spend time with my mom's side of the family. While I am gone, Jay is supposed to paint my dining room, living room and foyer. I believe all we have done is paint the living room cream, due to my fear of change and commitment to style and color. On X-mas day, Jason started peeling the horrible disgusting wall paper that has hung in the top portion of the dining for maybe 20 years(ugghhh...) So we have been living with the "crack house" look since then.Sunday was supposed to just be picking colors. It ended up with me helping him paint until nearly 2am. At which point the house was so dark I could barely see what I was doing and starting to think we made a terrible decision on color.(by morning I loved the green again)
The photo really is not a great representation of the color, but you get the idea.The plate rail is about my height, so after the taping, the painting was not a ton of work. but too much repetitive motion(squatting) has left me miserable. my quads ache so badly that that night at 2am when I am heading downstairs for a shower, I seriously considered sliding down on my rear like the kids do. I just could.not.lift.my.legs. Ouch. I'm still whining. I should just try to get to the gym more often.
BTW- We are still working on a top color for the dining. this color will also be the main color in the living room, to tie it all together. I want the perfect shade of gold, but its tricky. The dark gold in the pic is very very ugly. the light is a bit too light. I originally wanted a color in between the two of them but Jason kept convincing me otherwise. I still think I am right.

Look out babe, I'm "Bloggin' it up"!

Inside joke between Jason and I about my computer time. I doubt anyone else would think its funny but since I understand Jason's weirdness, I think its hysterical. An example comment would be," So how long you gonna be doin' that bloggin' and ipodin'?"( spoken in a perfect hillbilly accent) And according to him, I often spend my days "bloggin' it up" .


Couldn't resist a couple of action shots from Saturdays game. It was kinda cold. Thanks Joan and Owen for keeping me company!
Back at Bob and Joan's. Why are coasters always the favorite toy everywhere we go?? I don't get it but I love how silly stuff like that can spark the creativity...Everyone loves Mickey Mouse!!

Decisions and Confusion

This is me taking a very deep breath....
I am a little overwhelmed with decision making right now. I seem to have some big issues with change, always thinking negatively. And in the whole scheme of things, this should not really be a big deal. I have been at my job for only a year and a half, but in that company that is a lifetime. Huge staff overturn in that place. Mostly because, as I have explained before, we are "graded" based on our per person sales and only make bonus on product(lotion) sales. But if you grade is low, you don't see the decent bonuses. And they are VERY strict. I understand they are a big company with lots of very young girls working there, but they make no exceptions for emergencies. For instance, if I am 1 min. late because there was an accident blocking the road or even if I get into an accident, I would lose a dollar an hour for every hour worked that week plus lose much of my product bonus. If you drive to Allendale for a meeting and are a minute late, they lock you out and you lose your entire bonus check for the month the $1 and hour for the week and you can not be on the schedule until the next meeting a month later. They will not accept any excuse. Last year when my Grandma died, I lost all kinds of $ just so I could attend her funeral. I even had to stay at work once I found out she had passed. Now this is the only time I ever lost any $$ mostly because I have just plain old been too scared to miss work and I usually show up 20 mins. early for meetings! So this is really just the tip of the iceberg with this place but it gives ya an idea why I am unhappy. What I love about it is the people that come in, and the fact that I get the hours I want because my sales are good. But if they drop, I'll be in big trouble. Another bad thing w/MSC is that they do not have a "the customer is always right" attitude. That is very hard for me. I will usually go to great lengths to make something right with people when I am working customer service. Needless to say, every day is a bit of a challenge for me there...did I mention that the 21 year old manager of the salon actually lives next door(attached)? Yeah, she's on a bit of a power trip....we cannot have any outside reading materials or cell phones.This is a pretty slow tanning salon. Lots of down time. She had our refrigerator removed and also just took out a couch because we might sit on it....we are not allowed to sit. ever.
So another opportunity has presented itself. Its about the same $$ (per hour)but less hours. VERY much less stress. But the income will be lower, and right now Jason and I are trying to get some "stuff" taken care of. So I am just so torn. And to top it off, I am going back to school. I need to talk to a councilor asap. I really want to get into the public schools, just not as a teacher. A friend told me you can do a lot with a child development associates degree, and that seems about right to me. A lot of positions would allow my kids to be with me(or at least free daycare). So I am very serious about getting into that. I try to keep in mind that if I don't like it, I can go back to school again and try something else! It's OK. I am not trapped unless I just sit here. But I've been idle for too long. It just that fear of change, or really, a fear of making the wrong decision and regretting it.
I wish someone would just TELL me what to do!

The picture has nothing to do with the post, its just there to keep me grounded and remind me what it's REALLY all about:)