The Pestilence Continues!

October 12, 2010

Ok, so when Dad comes home again he has to go to Lowes and buy me some better pestilence fighting tools!  I had to use the vacumn to catch a lizard, who then promptly figured out how to get out of the vacumn. I had to brush him out from behind the toilet tank with a wooden spoon, and he ran across the wall.  So then I had to hit him off the bathroom wall with the plunger!  He got flushed this time.  AND, when we came home from dance, there was this hugh grasshopper on the glass part of the back door.

The only tool I had to attack him was the mop!  So I hit him, and OF COURSE, he flew.  The girls were screaming that he was on me, but they didn't tell me where.  SO, then I was jumping around like some deranged person!

I think sanity reigns supreme at the moment, but who knows what lurks just outside the back door tonight!

It's time for Dad to come home....I'm just saying!!!!!

PS  I hear you all laughing!!

Goopy Scissors! CAPTURED Lizard!!!

October 10, 2010

So now I had to wash the scissors with goo gone because we used them to cut the sticky back velcro pieces to put on the file folder games for the grandbabies.  That stuff makes your hands stink!  And there isn't much I have found that takes away that smell on your hands, but the stuff works great at getting sticky stuff off scissors. 

We have now finished several sets of the file folders games....Cymbre will be displaying them next weekend for YW in Excellence program.  We still have some more to do for the value project, but she has a good start.  And the best part, is the Grandbabies will have them for Christmas.

I caught a lizard in the vacumn tonight....of course, Dad is NOT here when I need to catch the dumb thing!  So we got the vacumn out, and sucked him up...then I left the vacumn running for a few minutes to make sure he was good and in the canister....and now I will wait a day or so until he is dead, and then empty him into the OUTSIDE trash can.  I sure hope that canister opens from the bottom instead of having to shake the stuff out from the top....that could be bad!

I have our home teachers on call this next two weeks while Dad is gone....who knows what's going to go wrong, but something ALWAYS does!

We have to take Cymbre down to the medical center in the morning early.  Her eye still goes out, so the doctor wants to make sure that everything is still stable.  I think he just wants some more information to share at his next medical convention where he goes to teach.  Seems to me, they should pay me for her to be a case study.  Who knows, maybe they will take some more of those really cool pictures of the inside of her eye.

I FINALLY have the two tap costumes done and rhinestoned.  MAJOR accomplishment...now on to the jazz one.  I am still waiting for some of the parts to get here, so I have been crocheting on the baby blessing blankets for the coming grandbabies.  My hands are certainly letting me know how they feel about all this crocheting....I pack them in ice some nights.  I really should cave in and go back to the doctor.  They have hurt me for over a year since the locker incident the beginning of last school year.  The physical therapist gave me the name of the best hand guy in Houston, but I think they will just tell me a steroid shot, and I am not sure that I want to peel myself off the ceiling!  And those shots will really mess up the blood sugar stuff that is finally getting to be where it needs to be most of the time.

Dad is in Norway and Liverpool this week, and then home just for a day or two and off to the SEG convention for another week.  I am bracing myself for no sleep, and trauma!  You would think after almost 32 years, the trauma would have stopped by now, and I would have learned how to sleep when Dad is out of town.  I guess it's just knowing his body is in the house that makes it so I can sleep.  I even set the alarm, but still spend most of the night watching TV or sewing, or on the computer.

So, what do you think that lizard thinks about being inside the vacumn canister?  Do you supposed his Mom is out there somewhere in the dark of night looking for him?  Is there some sort of lizard police that she would call to help her.  Do you suppose she even knows he has met his final demise?  And that I don't feel bad about it either?  Is she camping outside my front door waiting to run inside the very next time the door is opened?  Maybe he has a little family of baby lizards waiting for their Daddy to come home, maybe bring some dinner.  Maybe he has a baby girl waiting for a princess tea party, but her Dad will never show up....TOO BAD little lizard! (I know, somewhat harsh, but I don't put up with the little things in my house!)  Do you suppose that he is allergic to the dust in the vacumn with him?  Does he like to live in see through houses?  Did he eat dinner before he was captured?  (I don't care if he is starving!)  I know, harsh!  Maybe he was sucked through those dyson wind tunnels and lost conscienceness, and doesn't really know where he is...I don't think I have a lizard hospital in my vacumn, but this isn't the first one I have sucked up either....who knows what they may have going in the the hoses!  And why do lizards like to come in my house anyway...they live OUTSIDE!!! Not in a house with carpet, air conditioning, and furniture.  I mean have you every really seen a little house outside with all the comforts of home and lizards coming in an out?  Come to think of it, why would you even look for a house like that outside?  I have never seen them carrying brief cases, and looking like they were actually doing anything worth while either....they just like to hang around the doors and invite themselves in at the MOST INCONVENIENT times!  And if you don't see them come in and catch them right away, they like to hide in the moss in my ficus tree right by the front door, and then when I am dusting the thing, they suddenly decide that it's time to come out of hiding and SCARE the CRAP out of ME!!!  Do you know how hard is it to keep your wits about you and catch a fast lizard when you are scared to death because the thing just tried to walk up your arm or your leg?  Speaking from experience....it's NOT EASY!!!  I usually am jumping around making sure the thing is not on my person anywhere.  And DAD is never here when it happens to be my protector.  What is with that anyway??  Maybe we should build a little one way lizard door so that they can only get out!  I have tried sweeping them out the door once or twice, but the vacumn is a more reliable form of capture.  And when was the last time you saw lizard spray at Lowes?  I have not seen a lizard trap by the mouse ones at the store either!  So I use the only form on LONG HANDLED capture that I have at my disposal...gotta love that vacumn!

And on a more serious note:  I have heard this song twice now this week, and both times I cannot sing along because I feel the Spirit so strongly.....so I want to share the words with you once again.

It's called:  Lord, I Would Follow Thee

Savior, may I learn to love thee,
Walk the path that thou hast shown.
Pause to help and lift another,
 Finding strength beyond my own.
Savior, may I lean to love thee--Lord, I would follow thee.

Who am I to judge another
When I walk imperfectly?
In the quiet heart is hidden
Sorrow that the eye can't see.
Who am I to judge another?  Lord, I would follow thee.

I would be my brothers keeper,
I would learn the healer's art.
To the wounded and the weary,
I would show a gently heart.
I would be my brother's keeper--Lord, I would follow thee.

Savior, may I love my brother
As I know thou lovest me,
Find in thee my strength, my beacon,
For thy servant I would be.
Savior, may I love my  brother--Lord, I would follow thee.

I love this song, and I think about it often as I am helping someone who needs my help.  Most of the time it is a stranger I help.  I cannot sing this song, at least not the whole thing because the Spirit touches my heart so deeply and I am overcome with that wonderful warm feeling I get when I am close to my Heavenly Father.  I sat in the lobby the other night and heard 17 stakes of YW and some General Authorities singing this song...needless to say, the tears were filling my eyes as they are now just thinking about this experience.

Feeling the Spirit, just like at this moment, is something that comes very easily for me when I am out doing something for someone else....it has always been that way for me, and my hope is that my children might have a little glimpse of that feeling each day as they are out in the world hopefully helping someone that they see needs some help.  Just this past week I was in the grocery store and saw an older lady struggling to reach a thing off the top shelf....I stopped and asked her if I could help her.  With tears in her eyes, she said that no one ever asks her that.  I felt the Spirit so strongly at that moment, and then I just had a thought about that scripture that goes like...."if you have done it unto the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me" and my mind could picture the Savior standing there in the grocery store.  Had I not stopped to help, I would never have had that experience that day.  A simple act of getting something off the top shelf brought my Savior's Spirit so close to my heart.  These kinds of experiences happen to me often....sharing a happy meal with a street person, giving a water bottle to some hot road construction workers, helping an older woman put her groceries in her car.  I guess I learned how to do these things when I served as the RS president while we lived in England all those years ago.

So, get out there are serve someone...step out of your comfort zone.  You don't have to put yourself in any danger to find someone who could use your help.  In all the years I have been doing things like this, no one has every yelled at me or threatened to call the cops.  Just do something today.

Love you all, especially my GRANDBABIES!!!

Mom

A Busy Week!

October 1, 2010

My goodness, it's been a busy week around here.....Cymbre has been down with bronchitis, Cooper has been at dance until her knee began hurting to much....she hurt it at solo rehearsal on Saturday, and now she can't dance for a week. She did something to the tendon right by her kneecap! I still think dance will kill her one of these days! When she dances, it's all or nothing, and that is sometimes what hurts her I think.

Dad finally didn't have to put Cymbre in the car and drive her around for an hour freezing her out with the air conditioner last night. She just managaed to sit in the steam in the shower, do her medicine, and slept in the recliner. We also put vicks on her feet and socks, and never heard a cough out of the kid. THANK YOU ANITA!! We all got some rest last night!

We have gotten to skype our Baby Eden a couple of times this week, and Baby Jack was with her once....It's always VERY EXCITING to this Grandma to see those cute little babies. I am so looking forward to going to play with them when Shyla has her baby! However, I just don't think it's fair that she stays at the computer and talks to Grandpa, but crawls away to play when it's Grandma. What is the deal? We so enjoyed hearing Baby Jack sing us songs and tell us the alphabet!

They have adjusted my insulin yet again....and this time it is working, but some days now my blood sugar gets way to low! It's a fine line to balance everything, but I am feeling better most of the time.

Dance costumes are coming along, and Cymbre's tap one is finally down to just finishing up the jewelry. It's even rhinestoned. TOOK FOREVER! I am thinking about entering it in the costume contest to see if I can win again. We'll see. I am working on Cooper's now, but hers is mainly taking in a top, and hemming pants, and rhinestoning. Parts of the jazz solo are beginning to arrive, so that will be the next one. Then the duet. We have the dresses for those, and the feathers for the hair, so hopefully, that one won't take to long either. After all, I do have to take time out to go play with the GRANDBABIES!!!

Cooper is doing much better at driving, but we haven't really gone out to practice this week....Dad needs to take her this weekend.

We are glad that it is jammie church this week. We love General Conference weekends!

I must get the jacket made for Cooper for her homecoming dress....and hem the dress.

This sounds like all I do is sew! That's not true most days, but lately it is the truth!

The girls want to do their solos in the ward talent show....that should be interesting. No one at church has ever really seen them dance, so they will be a hot topic of discussion I am sure. Oh to be a fly on some peoples wall! Particularly those who love to gossip!

Cymbre's eye hasn't gone out in the last couple of weeks....guess we are doing a good job not bumping her around. THANK GOODNESS! She sees the neuro opthamologist this month. He will probably want to take some more pictures of her eye insides to show at his meetings. They talk about her all the time from what he says. Too bad they don't pay us to see her.

Well, must get busy...have to get my Halloween goodies in the mail to those lovable GRANDBABIES! Maybe this time I might put something in for their parents too....we'll see.

Everyone needs to get out there and do some service today....pick up some trash, give a worker a water bottle, buy a happy meal and share it with a homeless person, take a cookie to a teacher, but do something.

Love you all bunches and bunches.

Mom

PS.. The fire truck just pulled up in front of the house....am I on fire? Better go!

Today!

September 21, 2010

So TODAY is the first day the I just pulled up in front of the school and Cymbre signed herself out! It was WONDERFUL! No parking, going in to sign her out, sitting and waiting with all the mom's who just like to complain and don't want to fix help anything, then back out to the car to leave. THANK GOODNESS! And, I don't have to go to school at 1:10 anymore to try to attempt to find a place to leave the car so I can go in to sign the kid out! I WON! Go Mom, Go Mom!!!!! I guess this proves that a well sent email to people who can solve problems works out in the end. There were some other moms who said that they were going to email the principal, but I don't think they did....she answered me within 20 minutes both times I contacted her. The other moms keep telling me that she never answered them yet. I have the problem solved, so she probably isn't going to contact them either. Probably didn't hurt that I had some suggestions on how to solve the problem in my email either. She went for Dad's solution, but they were already thinking about that solution anyway. She said that great minds think alike. Dad claims that it isn't rocket science. Of course, he would think that....

Today is also the day that I FINALLY finished sewing those silly peppermints on Cymbre's tap costume for this year! Everybody should be celebrating at this point!

Today is also the day I tried to figure out why the computer doesn't want to hook up to the right internet provider.....talk about frustration! Of course, it would help if the power didn't keep going out....I think we FINALLY have it back on the right one...but I won't let anybody sign off until Dad looks at the dumb thing!

Today is also laundry day! Now that the dryer actually dries the clothes, I am getting it done in one day! EVERYBODY CHEER!!!

Today is also a day I heard from two cousins that I had lost contact with. It's nice when someone you love finds you on facebook!

Today is the day I had to prove how old I was to buy cough medicine. Come on, anyone who is using cough medicine to get high is just stupid! Thank goodness I only needed one package because if I wanted more than that I probably would have had to hand over my blood, and my firstborn! I don't think that Britni would have been too happy with me! Maybe she would have liked living at the pharmacy, but I doubt it!

Today is the day that I decided to make another file for Dad to put on my keychain of photos of my GRANDBABIES! Cymbre made half the front of the frig with just all the photos I have printed of my babies! YEAH! Now I get to see their smiling faces ALL THE TIME! I LOVE THOSE BABIES!!! And I have decided that when I come for Shyla's baby...just the GRANDBABIES and me are going to do something together...all 4 of us. NO MOMMIES OR DADDIES! There may be ice cream involved! And Mommies and Daddies can't come home until Grandma says! And we are not promising to pick up the toys! Or take bathes!

Today is the day I finally figured out this border on this baby blanket. It has been making my CRAZY! But I got it now!

Today is the day that I spent over an hour on the phone with one of my very best friends. We both feel better now!

Today is the day that I have actually folded the clothes as they came out of the dryer....a true miracle at my house. However, I still have just as much ironing, so I'm not sure it was really worth the effort. Maybe what I really need is to not have all cotton clothes. But considering where we live, that's probably not the best option.

Today is the day I finally decided on the pattern to use for the baby blessing dress...however, I do reserve the right to change my Grandma mind!

Today is the day that I love my kids, and my GRANDBABIES!!!!!

Get out there and make today a day that someone will remember because of something you did for them.

Love you bunches and bunches. Kisses to those GRANDBABIES!

Mom

Lockdown!! What??

September 14, 2010

So today was the day the Cooper FINALLY got her top braces off. She is SO EXCITED. She says they sparkle like diamonds. She texted Caleb, and then Ms. Andee! Ms. Andee told her she would wear her sunglasses tonight. I just don't know what these two would do without their Ms. Andee! She is certainly more than just a dance teacher to them. We all love her so much...

AND, I go to school to pick Cooper up for off campus PE, and no kids are coming out of school. All the parents are just parked out there waiting. We waited for a few minutes, and then a whole group of them came out together. Cooper was telling us that the school was on lockdown! Great! Another time, lockdown, and nothing is said to parents. There were sheriff cars out in front parked in the fire lane, but they always park there. I really think the school has an obligation to let parents know what is going on. I realize they can't just come out and tell everyone, but how about an email? After all, they are supposed to be keeping our kids safe, and we keep going to get our own kids, and can't get them because the school is locked down. No kids, no explanations, no nothing! I think I will start by complaining to the school superintendent's office. That will probably get me called in for some meeting somewhere....but then maybe they will at least use the key communicators that they make some parents sign up to be, aware of these types of problems at the school. Last year, the fire trucks came, news helicopters, the whole deal. NOTHING was sent out to parents. So, why when the parents are paying the taxes that pay these peoples salaries, are we not informed of security issues at the school? And for that matter, why aren't the actual kids in the school informed of the situation at least the next day? Some days I think my tax dollars are totally wasted when it comes to school! And we pay enough each year to practically finance a year of college! And don't get me started on the list of school supplies I have to send even after I pay my taxes!!!!

And the middle school is having parking issues....for two years they have told the off campus PE parents to park in the fire lane in front of the school, run in, sign the kid out, and return to your car in case you have to move. So this year, the sheriff is out there making 28 parents figure out how to park in 8 visitors spaces! You can't park where it isn't marked for parking, you can't use the handicap spaces, and they don't want you to leave your car parked in the middle of the parking lot behind cars. OK, SO WHERE DO I PARK MY CAR??? It seems to me, they need to make the front office people park on the side of the building where the teachers are supposed to park, and label some more of the spots for parents. If there is a parent coming to pick up a sick kid, they are having the same parking issues when the off campus parents are trying to get our kids. Maybe I will just park in the principles spot! Her car is never there when I need to park...she must be out to lunch. That will probably get me in trouble with the sheriff too! Come to think of it, my taxes pay him too, so why can't he come up with a place for me to park my car?

Maybe, my whole issue stems from paying so many taxes!

On a lighter note, I am almost done with Cymbre's tap costume. Just have the over skirt left! And more peppermints to sew on. Then I have to buy tights, but I am going to order them online. I think I have a coupon somewhere. And she needs tan tap shoes...which I will also order online since I know her size.

Now, I just need the UPS truck to bring the rhinestones that were supposed to be here last Friday, so I can add the bling!

The girls got their new dance company bags, hanging bags, and sweat suits last night. Hopefully, they will hold up better than some we have had in the past. Cooper still needs her jacket, but they tell her that it is coming.

Dad has gone to the high school tonight for the open house. It's a general see the teacher for 5 minutes, get the emails, get the class lowdown, and go to the next class. He will probably be home before I get the girls home from dance.

Cooper started her jazz solo, and it's HARD! If she can get it, I am sure she will win something with it. Now I just need a costume idea.

Cymbre's eye doctor wants to see her again, because since Denver when her eye went out, it has gone out several times. He wants to make sure that everything is stable. I don't really know what happens if they don't think things are "stable". At any rate, because I made a big fuss about her getting run into in the hallways with this kids who likes to run, they have given her a permanent 5 minute pass. So she leaves all her classes 5 minutes early to avoid the crowds in the halls. AND, teachers are now posted in the halls watching for the running kids. I basically told the school that if she ended up with a detached retina because they didn't stop the running, the school would be paying for surgery. They didn't like that so much. However, it says in the handbook that they make the kids sign every year that running in the halls is a NO NO! So, why are they letting them run in the halls? They found on the security tape where the kid runs into her, so figure out who he is, and issue some punishments. I realize that what she has is very rare, but she is supposed to be safe at school. Oh goodness, there's my soapbox again!!

Well, I must go take Cymbre to dance, and take Cooper her dinner.....we are warming up the mac and cheese that Cymbre made for us for dinner. I'll write again later....

Remember that Dad and I love you bunches and bunches, and get out there and do something wonderful to help someone you don't know. It will make you feel good!

Mom

Another Week Again!

September 6, 2010

The girls are home from school today since it's Labor Day, but we aren't really going to do anything special. Cooper wants to go start looking at Homecoming dresses. I am not paying more for a dress than I can make it at home for....guess we will start at Dillards at the mall. I hate the mall!

Dad is here today...he's out in the garage cutting out the pieces of PVC pipe that I need to make a skeleton. I found a pattern in a magazine that I thought was really cute....then we have to glue everything together. I have to save 4 gallon mile jugs to make the hands and feet, so you better get busy drinking the milk!

So, I bought some cute baby prints flannel to make jammie pants for the babies this year....now I just have to figure out sizes....it has cute little zoo animals on it! Also have some pink plaid for all the other girls in the family, and I think I bought the dinosaur for the boys. I just think....I have to look for it. Dad claims that we have a years supply of fabric....I keep telling him I could trade some for something if the need arises. However, I have been busy lately just sewing things up that I have had cut out for a while. And I have been sewing the peppermints on Cymbre's dance costume. It is taking FOREVER! This may be a costume that I enter in the costume contest at competition.

Dance is going pretty well so far this year...the girls are liking their new teachers, and the classes seem to be ok. The only problem is how much solos are costing....and I have told them we have to work something out. I have already paid more for a solo than ever before, and we are only half done, so we have to put some sort of a cost cap on it. I'm sure Ms. Andee will think of something.

The girls are getting excited to go to Mark Goodman workshop in Phoenix. We are only there for a few hours, and then we have to come home again. He turned it into a one day thing, so we have to leave before it's over because we couldn't change our flight. He is going to work with them privately though, so I guess that's ok.

Cooper will start her Jazz solo with the master teacher, Terrill this weekend. He sent her a song to listen to, and she liked it. Don't know if that will be the song they use in the end, and they are both still looking. Maybe after they figure out the song, I can come up with the costume. I need to get these done before babies come.

Found some lace to make baby blessing dresses, but still need the pattern and the under material. Also have a crocheted blanket to the edging stage. So, Dad had to figure out how to space 119 stitches on the edge of 78 stitches evenly. He drew me a picture, so we'll see how it loooks. That's just for one edge....I haven't told him he will have to do another smaller edge. I also found another pattern for the other baby blessing blanket....why do I always like the ones with the fancy edges? And why do those edges always have stitches that really follow no sequence?

Shyla: How much money do I owe you?

Must get dressed and busy...we have dress shopping to do. And I guess I have skeleton parts that will need gluing! Remember, drink the milk!

Have a great week, and get some apple cider to share with friends!

Love you all

Mom

We Survived The First Week!

August 27, 2010

We have survived the first week back at school with just a minor dance injury. Cymbre went to dance class on Monday, and strained her back! The kid just can't win. On Wednesday when it wasn't feeling better, I took her to the doctor. He put her on muscle relaxers, perscription motrin, and a numbing patch to wear at night. She did all her stretching before class, but obviously, she over stretched something.

I spent today just puttering around the house...getting rid of papers that have been left on the kitchen counter, sending wedding cards to people we got announcements for, making doctor appointments for the allergist, and then doing some mending and working on dance costumes. I still haven't figured out why the washer fills up with hot water when I set it to cold, but sometimes it fills up with cold. It isn't because the hoses are connected wrong...Dad already checked that. So today, if I wanted cold water, I just set the thing to hot! It is kind of confusing to my feeble sleep deprived mind though!

Cooper is going to be able to work with the Master Jazz teacher she wanted to work with on a jazz solo this year.....he is just as excited as Cooper is! He had her go downtown last night to his jazz class, and she had a wonderful time. Guess I have to come up with a jazz costume this year! Great!

Ms. Andee came today to work on hard tap steps upstairs. I think there was more giggling than tapping, but those girls just love her. Thankfully, she loves them back!

I got half the sewing room organized again...actually, Dad didn't do to bad getting things back where I had them....I just have to do a bit of fine tuning of things. Dad and I sorted through my elastic drawer and wound it all up in little bundles with elastics...so now, my drawer is VERY organized! We will see how long it lasts. And I found the clear elastic for making costumes that I needed! We did the velcro drawer too! (There must be a blog post in here somewhere...there are stray pieces of velcro that don't have the matching oposite side....)

The dryer is drying the clothes much better since Dad had the vent cleaned out....it was worth the money to me....I actually can get the laundry done in one day again!

I think we finally have all the school supplies bought for now....we will need more before the end of the year....I think they eat map pencils!

Cooper's Game of Life YW/YM activitiy is this next Wednesday....guess I am doing the decorating during the day as there won't be time after school with homework and dinner. We almost have everything ready...she still has to work on the program, and then I guess I will take it to Kinkos to run off. Don't know if I can do it by myself though, and Shyla was always the one who pushed the copy button!

We are skyping Baby Eden....back later.

Cooper has gone to the football game with her friend....it's not even for her school. But there will be kids she knows. It is the first football game she has gone to.

Enough for now...Eden is ignoring us, but we are talking to her anyway!