The good thing about the weather changing

I much prefer spring and summer.  I like the longer days and the sunshine.  That being said, the best part of fall is having my slow cooker back out and working.  Dinner tonight will be a version of my beef stew, using soup bones with tons of meat on them instead of stew meat.

I have discovered that the color blue and all complimentary colors tend to rule in my house, but my recipe card box definitely is not falling into that color scheme.  I believe I got it forever and a day ago for a shower or wedding gift.

It works and it's familiar (and lives in the cupboard, so I only see it when I need to take it out).

And, since I haven't had a kitty picture in the last few blogs, thought I would share one today.

Be Happy! Be Healthy! Be sure to enjoy the last of the good weather!

Let's hear it for the weekend!

It was quite the week last week and appeared that the weekend was going to fall in the same way...

Wednesday afternoon, Dizzy had to pull out of her first cross country race with more back pain. Same thing happened Thursday after school and so it was off to the doctors Friday morning.  ITB muscles are inflamed and causing her pain.  This means 7-10 days of rest to let them calm down and see how she is doing.  Unfortunately, there is only 10 days left of her season.  Aaaannnnndddd, this mom forgot her camera, so has no pictures of her daughter in her first XC season.  Feeling awful here.

So, in late to work Friday, left early to head north to Bean's XC meet.  It was the Great Falls Invitational, located in Black Eagle on the Anaconda Hills Golf Course...A bit confusing if you don't know the area!  He had another good time, improving from last year and seems to be running well.  His only comment after the game was that he hates that course.  You have to like running hills (and steep hills) to enjoy this meet.  He does not.

We went home and after dealing with some issues with Dizzy and letting us know what she is doing, went over to a friends home to enjoy a bonfire and time with friends. Had a great time and managed to get home earlier that we would have liked, since we had a full Saturday.

Bean had to be at XC practice (yes, on a Saturday) at 8, we had to drop Dizzy off at the gym for a gymnastics clinic (they are learning their routines) and then to the XC family brunch.  It rained. I'm not saying it sprinkled a little while we were there.  It rained steadily, the I should have not bothered doing my hair today rain. Back to pick up Dizzy at 11 and off to Bozeman to enjoy Homecoming at MSU.  

The rotten rain ended before we got there, but we were all wet from brunch and didn't look our best.

Thanks to one of the Boss's coworkers, we managed to score a pair of extra tickets and attended as a family.

The rain quit, the wind started and I was left wishing I had packed winter jackets instead of rain gear.  Oh well, it was a chance to celebrate Homecoming at our old college and enjoy(?) the throwback 1984 uniforms.

The zebras were not the best officiating team I have seen, I spent the game trying to encourage the girls to find less offensive ways to show their displeasure than they were hearing from the crowd. The Bobcats won, so at the end of the day, it was a good day.

Soccer today, Tater was the goalie for a half. Mom was scared to death, but she did great. So very proud.

No goals scored on her watch, she rushed the ball when she had to and has a great team who helped wear out the other goalie.

The rest of today is football, homework and laundry. Hoping for a quieter week next week.  Off to Butte to see my brother and niece (my sister-in-law is up north helping harvest sugar beets) and watch Bean run his favorite course in XC.

Be Happy! Be Healthy! Be sure to take time to smile!

What a week!

The last 7 days have been exhausting, and by the faces of my friends and patrons at work, I wasn't alone in that situation!

Last week we receive an email that Dizzy  needs to order not only a new leotard, but new pants and the money was due by Friday...In case you didn't know, gymnastic leotards are expensive.  Add the pretty bling so they pop while competing and I almost need a second full-time job! We lucked out that her warm-up jacket will work for another year, it's short in the body, but she only raises her arms occasionally and the new leo is dark colored and shouldn't be as obvious as the old ones.

Saturday went something like this...

Drop off Bean at 5:52am at school to catch the bus for a meet out of town.  Gas up car, change audiobook cd, grab a doughnut and soda and hit the road.  7:50am I met my dad for breakfast and we drove through campus to the Golf Course to watch Bean run against 60+ other teams (not runners, teams and he's on a team of nearly 25 and they were not the largest). I escaped after that and had lunch with my mom and inherited some more yarn and pictures from my gramma. Then it was dessert with a friend who is just starting college and I think a bit homesick. Bean called when he was getting on the bus to head home. I headed out, finally found a grocery store to get a soda for the trip home (and some cheddar rice cakes...) and beat the bus back to town by twenty minutes.  Therefore, I decided dinner was pizza, grabbed some and got the the school five minutes before the bus (they arrived at 5:52pm).  The kitties were not impressed by all of us being gone for the day (the Boss and the girls were out of town as well, watching our beloved Bobcats play an amazing game against the #2 team in the nation)

Sunday was church, a meeting after church to vote on calling a new pastor (it's been almost a year, so I'm hopeful), off to the Carnival Classic that the school district coordinates so Dizzy could perform with her teammates in a gymnastics exhibition. She chose to hang out with friends afterwards, so the Boss went grocery shopping and told her to call when she was done.  Bean had an adoption party he wanted to attend for a friends family, so the Boss dropped him off on the way.  I met up with Tater, as she had a sleep-over with a friend, for her soccer game and watched her team play a very evenly matched team.  It was a lot of fun and I was able to visit with some friends.

Sunday night, we were wiped out and the older two and I watched a movie. Watching movies based on books with my middle child (who just finished the book) is not fun.

This week started out slower, Tater was sick Monday, so we missed the Brownie meeting and went to bed early.

Dizzy is progressing very well in gymnastics and has her first cross country meet today.  Bean's meet this week is on Friday, so I'm trying to work out a way to attend the Bobcat game this weekend.

Well, I've squandered my day off recovering from training at work and prepping for the kiddee programs I'm helping with this week.  Time to get out the door and cheer on my HMS Bobcats.

Celebrating routine

Last weekend was Dizzy's 12th birthday.  My little girl, born on a Friday the 13th is almost a teenager.

She chose to spend it with the Boss, her uncle and grandpa at a Bobcat football game. We made her a t-shirt to commemorate the day.

Gramma, Auntie, baby cousin, Tater and I went to Bean's Cross Country meet.  I learned that little nephews do not like it when their auntie yells at their cousin while he's running.  Waiting at the finish line with babies on a blanket is a bad idea as well...

I had photography assistance...

We did cake and presents in the motel after the late afternoon game and dinner.

It was a fun weekend and we all are happy to get back into a routine now that the first couple of weeks of school are behind us.  Bean is doing better this year with homework, Dizzy is settling in a new school and enjoying cross country and doing very well in coming back in gymnastics and Tater is having a blast with a new team in soccer.  She's being pushed by a new team who is much more competitive this year.

No cute kitty pictures this week, but here's an adorable nephew shot, he was waiting for us to finish dinner...

Be Happy! Be Healthy! Be sure to enjoy the sun while its out there!

Mites

And today, I'm not talking about the mini-mites, aka my niece and nephew.  They're welcome in my home anytime (and I'm getting in some auntie time this weekend and can't wait......)

No, took Bitsey to the vet for her vaccinations this week, only to discover she had ear mites.  Aaannnddd, any animal she has been in contact with also will have said nasty creatures hiding in their ears (aka Mickey of the big ears).

The vet nicely treated her ears for me, walking me through the process.

Step #1: Set out the paper towel

Step #2: Open the 2 tubes

Step #3: Immobilize cat (easier said than done--no pictures , things were a bit tricky)  Bean tried to hold down the 4 pound creature.

Step #4: Pour contents of tube down ear canal, massaging each when done. Don't let cat shake head (are you kidding me???)

Step #5: Before letting go of cat's head, hold paper towel over head. (This prevents extra meds (it is a liquid after all) from spraying all over room and into face.

Easy enough?  Not so much.

First of all, 15 year olds get very nervous when said 4 pound kitten begins growling and tend to let go of said small creature.  This gives mom a face full of ear mite meds.

Mom's have the ability to immobilize said small creature with one hand and body and pour meds down ears.  Problem is when said ears are flattened back to the head.  15 year olds feel ears are too close to sharp teeth.  

We survived, I am sufficiently grossed out by the process and hoping never to have to go through it again.  The Boss will be on call to assist in the future, or failing that, leather gloves for nervous teens.

On that disgusting note, have a great weekend!

Be Happy! Be Healthy! Be thankful your cat doesn't have ear mites you have to treat!

Family

This has been a tough week.

Monday, I spent time with my Law Enforcement family, saying good-bye to a great man.  It was a reminder to love and tell those you love that you love them.  The irritations I felt with my family seemed silly after sitting at the funeral.  

It was amazingly powerful, from pulling up to the intersection to see the officer working traffic saluting the family as they entered the fairgrounds (probably the only place large enough to house the number of people who came to pay their respects).  Then to see the two ladder trucks that had hosted the large American flag for everyone to walk or drive underneath.

I knew the Boss was the last car in the group arriving with the family, so I parked and walked up to the building to see the entire side of the building full of people paying their respects and across the street was a line of law enforcement, emergency services, fire fighters, Fish Wildlife and Parks, etc, all standing and saluting.  I later learned some had been there in the sunshine for an hour standing and waiting for the family.

It made me realize life is short and we need to live it to the fullest.

Tuesday was day 2 of a migraine, the kidlets were awful and by the time the Boss was home at 8:30 that night, all three were in bed and I had control of all forms of electronics.  My children have seemed to learn that those gadgets are not just something they should expect to have, but privileges.

Wednesday I met a friend for lunch, did some serious cleaning in our basement and then went to meet the kiddos that I will be teaching in our church education program this year.  My church family is amazing and I look forward to a great week with them.

Hoping today isn't day 4 of the migraine, or I will have to go visit with my doc to get something to kill the sinus infection that is threatening.

Looking forward to the weekend, where I get to spend time with over half of my extended family and get away for a night (and hope the weather warms up a little).

No pictures today, wasn't that kind of a week, but as always...

Be Happy! Be Healthy! Be sure to hug a loved one today!

Fall?

Darn it, I wanted summer to last longer.  Hopefully here in MT, it will be a short s*&^ and be gone for a bit of late summer this week.  (And yes, snow is a four letter word)

In honor of the Boss finishing the house painting, I was creative today and made him an apple pie.  I used  a friends little apples from her tree (bad idea, takes forever to peel that many) so I'm curious how it tastes.

We're also bidding farewell to our electric griddle, as it was taking 12 minutes a side to cook pancakes today.

In other news, the kittens are great fly killers, although they aren't fast enough to keep up with the little buggers.

Think we're going to paint the front door a bold color, more to come on that later...

Began soccer season today, Tater actually played better than she did last year, she seems less afraid of the ball.  She also was grinning from ear to ear as she brought the ball up the sideline today, all on her own, no backing away from defenders or stepping back for her teammates to take the ball.  Our poor girls only had 1 sub, while the other team was able to sub all but the goalie every so often.  New age group, bigger field and more competition, but she is stepping up to the challenge.

I sadly have a funeral to attend tomorrow of one of the Boss's co-workers, who passed away last week.

Be Happy! Be Healthy! Be sure to hug your loved ones!

Holy Saturday, Batgirl

So, you just have to know how my day went as I'm checking email at 9:07 this morning and discover that I am supposed to be at a meeting, across the valley, in 23 minutes.  

Due to a series of texts the night before, I knew there was a good chance I would be going in to work today to work noon to five for a sick co-worker.

I flew out of bed, dove into the shower, and was walking out the door by 9:27.  Made it to my meeting by 9:37, spent the next hour in a great meeting with three other ladies I respect very much.

Yours truly is teaching first and second graders Bible skills for our church this year.  I can't believe how excited I am about this...Have my class list and my teacher's manual ready for Wednesday night.

I was feeling frustrated by the fact that I am rarely asked to help out at our church, and figured that part of it was that we have three very busy children and my church family decided I didn't need anything extra.

I had just over an hour before I had to be at work and all I needed to do is eat lunch.  I hit Target, scored some great study aids for a little gal I work with in math, amazing soccer socks for Tater for her first soccer game tomorrow and a bottle of water.

Ran to my favorite lunch stop and snagged a clubfoot sandwich (and learned lettuce is a no-go for my stomach anymore) and then headed to work.

Not only was I working a Saturday, but I was working at our Information Desk for an entire shift (I only ever work half shifts).

Quiet day at work, picked up my allergy meds (Rx and OTC), gathered up Tater who had spent the day with a friend and am at home, happily watching my beloved Bobcats dominate their game.

The Boss finished the house today, next step is to sand and paint all the trim and we're golden.  I found a front step configuration that I love, so will be taking the boss to see it and see what he thinks.  We want a bigger landing and railings on the steps to help when we have injured kiddos...I figure if we do it, the kids will stay healthy!

And of course, another kitty picture...just cause!

Be Happy! Be Healthy! Be sure to watch some football (and yell LOUD!)!

And it begins!

Today did not find me at work attending the staff meeting.  Thanks to the generosity of a co-worker, I was able to spend my morning standing in the sunshine on a golf course on a beautiful Montana day.

The whole reason for this round of "escape from work for a 3 day weekend" was Bean.  He became interested in running as a 6th grader and is now in his second year of high school running.

We (the Boss and I and all the other parents) stood on the course and watched our kidlets run circles around us 3 times.

We lucked out that Bean wore bright neon green compression shorts under his running shorts.  Made him easy to find in the crowd.

By the end of mile 3, he had given his all and was in a blind sprint for the finish line.

And he ran all the way through, not slowing down near the finish just because there was no one behind him.

He's not thrilled with his time, but after nearly 8 months of no running, he's coming back strong and has great promise for the end of the season.

And, because I'm me, here is a long sought after picture of Mickey, pretending he's a dog.

This particular toy has been carried all over the house, including being brought to my bed one night when he wanted to sleep with me.

Be Happy! Be Healthy! Be sure to get some sunshine time in this weekend!

Updating part 2

The house update is coming along very well.

I found a new doorbell ringer that lights up to make it easier to find.

An updated light for by the door, lantern-style and a new color.

Both colors up, just trim to finish up in front.  

Then on to landscaping.  Patio, 2 flower beds and a pond are yet to come. Come spring, we hope to redo the front steps and add railings.

Things look great, with the new look to the house, I think some interior remodel projects might have to be done over the winter.  Wonder what the Boss will think???

Be Happy! Be Healthy! Be sure to smile!

An odd week

It began with a long weekend, so it's a short week.

Work was crazy yesterday, we were closed for 3 days and there were a lot of books to deal with....A lot! Thanks to some great co-workers, it was a fun day.

The kitties are growing like weeds. Bitsey doesn't fit in my hand anymore, she overlaps on every angle.  We head to the vet next week to see if she's caught up at all for her age.

Mickey is a terrorist, but he's so darn cute. He's also my cuddle bug when he's not psycho kitty.

I'm off to work today, then Pt for Dizzy then we're all home tonight.  Kind of a rare occurrence for us!  Bean has his first Cross Country meet this week and Dizzy is back to gymnastics for a partial practice. Tater begins soccer this week, first game is Sunday!  

Found a new light for outside the front door, new doorbell covers and I think the boss is painting the main color (boring beige, but had to coordinate with the garage) tomorrow and Friday. More pictures to come!

The curtains being closed is not a problem for them...They like to see outside!

Be Happy! Be Healthy! Be sure to smile at a random stranger!

Updating

Instead of the fun options for this weekend...we chose to celebrate Labor Day weekend at home with a much needed round of watch the Boss paint the house.  We had some damaged siding and knew we had to quit putting off this project (we've spent 3 years talking about it).  The good part of this is I had just enough time to wear down the Boss on the colors I wanted.

 House was stripped to insulation, forgot that picture.  Here we are with house wrap and new siding going on.

 New version of work table.  Somehow we can't get to his in the garage...

 Pictures of the evil rose plants (grafts are dead, these are just the root stock left) which were having a great time cutting up his legs.

 Extermination of evil rose plants begins...

 and a mass weeding/dead-heading session in the other bed...

 Out with the old...

In with the new!

Labor Day

Today is Labor Day.

A day to thank the American workers who make our country run.

This was always the day I helped my dad put on the annual IBEW Labor Day picnic in Missoula.  These men and women were hard workers and yes, they played hard too.

Without them, we are lost.  I don't know how to properly drywall, wire a home or put up roofing or trusses.

I lean construction here, as my dad spent most of my life working as an electrician, so these are the people I grew up around.  They don't dress up in nice clothes to work, their vehicles are often full of that stuff they need for work the next day and often come home very dirty and sweaty.

They're also the folks who were there to help when we needed them. I knew I could call on any of them and know they would be there for me.

They were worth their weight in gold.

Thank you to all you who labor.