Taking a break....& ramblings of the week...

Wow, what can I say - I love being a mom!! Today was a fun & busy day, & I wish I had about 3 more months of them just the same! (I will add pictures to this tomorrow!)

I have to laugh as I have been painting & just being busy as we haven't had much time this summer to get things done around the house, besides unpacking since we moved... I would find myself taking a break & sitting down at the computer wanting to know how everyone else was doing & I swear... every blog I went to... nobody had posted anything (FOR DAYS.. some weeks!!) So I was starting to hate that Twilight series - thinking all my friends who are bloggers were busy reading their latest book (Don't have time to read them - but I am sure they are swell)!! So Whew!! When I sat down tonight before I retired for the evening... many have updated their blogs!! I was about to have withdrawals!! I love reading all your blogs & keeping up on how your families are doing!! (Come on friends who aren't blogging yet - jump aboard!! - Let me know when you start so I can keep up with you too!) Here is a picture of a simple table I keep by my front door. I decided to paint it this week too & make it BOLD. I love it!!

P.S. for all those faithful readers... (I am surprised when I run into people from town who ask me questions about things I only talk about here, so I have to post an update on the most asked question...) What happened to our Magpie? There has been no sign of the blackbird/magpie... no smell, no body, no nothing... so either he miraculously healed & flew away or something found him & took him away? We have no idea & we are o.k. with that! :) I still tippy toe around looking for more snakes - Yikes!

O.k... back to my day, or my week so far! Today the 2 older boys had school registration!! I think it really hit me that I have exactly 2 weeks till I start watching kids for the teachers headed back to work!! Aaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!! Don't get me wrong - I will be o.k... but man I love summer & I LOVE HAVING MY KIDS WITH ME 24/7! (Well, o.k.... I like having little breaks now & then!) But I really do love them home! I don't look forward to fall nor winter coming either & that is what happens once school starts YUCK!!

Anyway Monday after cutting all the kid's hair, I broke down & hit ACE & bought paint to finally get Madison's room painted, so that I could pull her decorations out of the boxes in her closet & get them up on the walls. UGh... I forget how much I don't like painting!! Well then as I sat on the floor painting over spots that were showing through the past color... advice I often give my children came back into my mind as I start getting tired & bored of painting... "Just do the job right the first time, then you don't waste time & then have to do it over!!" Well, me being one of little patience at time & one who loves to see results fast ... I didn't prime her walls & yes it made probably 3 times the work! So a job that probably would have only taken 1 day took me 2 LONG Days!! Oh, well - it is done!! (I am being lazy as I can't do the long wall with her name on it & above her closet as I don't have a ladder that will get me tall enough - so the original paint will have to do for now... does that look dumb?) I had purchased vinyl lettering a while back too to put fun messages on the wall & to write words that describe her. I had some good ideas at the time - but have changed those over & over (nice they are removable!) But thought it would be fun... So we will see!

Then one of my REALLY Crafty friends, Jodie (You are going to be proud of me!!) is a total inspiration to me (& her house is just A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E!!!)...Although I don't let that inspiration come out of me very often (anymore), I decided after working with Jodie a lot on girls camp stuff, that I was going to do something Crafty again!! So when I went to UT for my sister's wedding last month I bought the letters to spell out Madison's name & FINALLY got those decorated - (as Jodie had done some in her home for her girls & it was so cute!)! Not sure mine turned out as nice (As I swear I am not good at picking out colors anymore - that talent has left me... or maybe I never had that as a talent!) So anyway - the colors I chose might be a bit spazzy... we will have to give it some time up on the wall & I will see! Anyway she likes it - it is pretty bold & bright - but for a 5 year old, it fits her personality!! (I just laugh cause I know when something is a bit radical as Dave will poke his head in & he gets this look on his face like "Oh my goodness" & tries so nice to look happy.... I tried to get him to tell me what he thought yesterday & he wouldn't say much... so you know it is a little out of his league - especially for a man who loves white walls! ~ Love ya babe!

So - then today after registration - we had time to spare & I still had a large to - do list at home - so we decided to dash to the early show of the summer matinée ... (It is so nice our theater offers summer movie passes through the schools at the end of the year. So with a pass you get to see like 13 shows for $7.50 for the whole summer - no matter the age, so I buy a pass for all of us & we go with friends, family, alone, etc.) Well since summer is winding down - the last 2 movies are "Mystery Movies!" So we always look forward to those as they are usually good movies!! It ended up being Kung Fu Panda today - which none of us had seen, but had heard it was pretty good. (We all thought it was a fun show & got a kick out of it!)

So here comes a good laugh!! Many of you know I am pretty frugal, rather make it myself - or do it myself, love clearance, love a good deal, & I hate to see money go to waste...so all summer, actually all the time I hate buying a box of candy for $3.50 at the movies, or I hate paying upwards of $10 for a pop & popcorn. So I usually will feed the kids lunch, bribe them with a 3/$1 candy bars, or a Popsicle & head to the afternoon show... Well, being the kids had won some money at Dave's company picnic over the weekend I got the bright idea & told them all (being that it is the end of the summer & we only had 2 shows left) that if they wanted, they could take some of their money & buy their own "Kids Pack" at the movie... as now we were going before lunch & I didn't have time to grab a snack for each of them!! (Kids packs are only offered at the summer matinee & consists of a really small pop & popcorn for $2.50... so my thinking - great item to let them use their own money on a treat if they want.)

So, Brady & Madison buy their Kid Packs & they are so proud to hand the cashier their money & carry their items. I order mine & then I hear out of the corner of my ear... I will have the "Double Feature" please... I turn & look at Garrett all proud as he hands the cashier a $10, to pay $8.95 for a huge drink & huge popcorn. I am about to die.... then I realize in the back of my mind that yes, helping him to manage his lawn mowing money is still a very good idea on my part... or there will be no mission/college fund when he gets older!! So as I am trying not to say anything... 1/4 way through the movie he leans over & says mom, please help me out with this... it is way to much for me!! (WHAT??? YOU wasted $9!!! Is what I wanted to say) But no... a kind, "Eat up big boy, with a bit of a laugh is what I mustered"!! I died the rest of the day as he continued to work on his popcorn! (It all went well with the movie... as now he has earned the nickname "Panda" or "Po".) Then shortly after we arrived home - some of his friends from Fiddler on the the Roof called & asked if he wanted to go to lunch with them!! To bad he already had a gut ache!! Well, he still managed to put down a chimi- changa or burrito he told me (good thing he still had some money)... but a good lesson in managing his money. He had a good time though & after they ate lunch - they went to a park & met up with some of their other friends & played tag (a big group of them!) Many fun memories of my younger days came flooding to my mind as he got the call to go "hang-out"!! What would I have done without my wonderful friends when I was that age!! (I could have got in a bit less trouble... but man, what awesome examples & friends they were to me!)

So as he went out with his friends, Tyler & Madison decided they wanted to try to fly their kites, while Brady played inside, then they just did misc. things throughout the day. I love it when they play nice together & have fun! I love this age to where they can so entertain themselves! They can get their own snacks when they are hungry, they can clean up after themselves!! I love it all!

So as they went about their activities - I still had all my painting equipment out from the night before & decided I better get to work as once again - only 2 WEEKS left till school. So I broke out a can of paint from the other house I hadn't ever used and went to work on Brady & Garrett's room! 4 hours tops & covered up the light yellow paint & took down the flowery curtains!! Much easier as the trim & closet doors were already white - so a lot less work! One more thing almost done!! I am glad!! (Here is a picture also of the top of their closet/loft area... it isn't finished like Madison's is - so I decided to put all his trophies up there - as putting up a ton of shelves would have been a pain.. so then I ran a string of rope lights up there & put it on a timer so it turns on while they are getting ready for bed & shuts off when they need to sleep & turns back on when his alarm will go off to get up in the early morning & shuts off when Garrett heads to school! So just a fun touch to a Boy's room!) Then on this wall above his closet we hung his many other scout/football/4-h awards. I am thinking I might dig out the fishing decorations from my family room I had in our basement & decorate their walls - besides all the trophies & awards - we will see what they want to do!

Tonight we had Tyler's Soccer game! He did a great job! Vic & Steve were in town with their little boys & came down to watch the game with Doreen. Wow!! Are they dynamite!! I couldn't believe how fast & busy they are!! I am grateful my kids are on the slower side!! :) Smiles!! I got a kick out of Caleb as he told me on his like 5 lap around... "I got some new running shoes in the clearance"!! (My kind of man!) Then on his like 16th lap he runs up to Steve & says "Dad, I don't have any breaths"... like he was out of breath! It was so funny! Then he just went on running his 17th lap!! Brady went a lap or 2 & then heck with them... I'd rather hang out with the older folks!! :) Madison kept him busy though... but fell asleep quickly tonight!! Thanks for wearing her out Caleb!!

Then after soccer the little kids & I walked down to see the new bench that the city installed & the tree that was planted in Grandpa's memory at the site where he collapsed. All was well, the site is beautiful, what a calm & pretty place... not sure I was quite ready to go back yet... but I do need to go back more often & to take the kids!

The boys had scouts, Dave got a hair cut, I put the boys room back together, bathed the kids, got them to bed, did the dishes, vacuumed some here & there, tidied up the house a bit,... oh a full day!! I love it!! I Love being home, love being busy (without a huge time line hanging over me), I love being a mom, I love being a wife, love doing all the many things I can physically do! I am so grateful for my health, my family, & for the things I have been able to accomplish this week & for all my many, many blessings!