Wednesday Morning Mournings and Ramblings.

Wednesday Morning Mournings!
That was so clever, it impressed even myself.
***
Yesterday.
Yesterday was a day filled with frustrations, irritations, and sweat.

1) I woke up terrified about this Fat Tuesday nonsense. I don’t know how to Mr. Linky things. I don’t know about codes and buttons. And, there I was . . . about to attempt it all. Thankfully, it all worked out fine and people actually linked up.

2) Let us have a moment of appreciation for the kind souls who met the acquaintance of my Mr. Linky yesterday.

*Thank you*

Interruption:  I think I need a proof reader.  Why doesn’t anyone tell me when I have a big ol’ blunder out there for all of you to see? 

Did you know that on Monday, I wrote that I was going to miss the way my children felt while, “smuggling in my laps?”

And yesterday, I was good on my “low cholesterold diet.”

Seriously.

3)  After I posted, I needed to write out my camping grocery list.  This is a feat in and of itself.

4)  Why, yes! We are going camping. 

Again.

Surprise!

5)  I have heard from a few very reliable sources that the area we are camping in is having a “bear” problem these days.

This discourages me.

Bears+death+anywhere near the vicinity of my babies does not equal a good time in my book.

6)  According to my in-laws, there are some super fun “rock slides” we will be sliding down and we need to bring garbage bags to sit in while we slide down these rocks into a river.

Does anyone else think I should make my kids wear helmets?

Who are these people I married into?

7)  Shoot!  I was talking about yesterday, and now I am droning on and on and about camping. 

8)  My goal yesterday was to leave podunkville by 11:15, in order to get all the items accomplished that I must get accomplished.

9)  Things were going according to plan when my day was interrupted by a caller who would like to book our other house for a vacation rental. 

 And, because we need money to live, the call had to take precedence over all the things I needed to be doing.

10)  She asked me to email her a rental agreement immediately so she could book for next week.  So, I hop on my computer.

11)  Do you recall when I mentioned that I forgot to enter in my Microsoft Office trial key when we bought our computer?  Well, guess what!  If you don’t enter it, eventually the computer gets mad at you.  And then, when you are really stressed for time and you need to edit a document entitled, “Vacation Rental Agreement,” the computer will sense that you are stressed and rushed and deem that the most opportune time to FREEZE all documents saved in Word so that you cannot edit, copy&paste, save . . . nothing.

So, I , in all my professionalism, email her back that my computer is acting stupid and I will have to email her later.

Go, me!

12)  It is now noon.  While I was on the phone with the Would-Be-Renter, my darlings got into the Red Vines and got all their bikes out.

Raise your hand if your kids get uber naughty while you are distracted whilst on a phone call.

13)  So, it is hot out.  I must switch car seats from my ginormous Ford Excursion to the tiny gas-friendly Honda Accord.

Have you ever tried to shove a large cooler into the trunk of a Honda Accord?

It is not fun.

But I do it all merely in hopes that when my husband comes home and inquires of me which car I used, he will be pleased with my frugal-efforts and deem me his help-meet.

14)  The air conditioning does not work in this car. 

15)  The CD player does, though.  And we are listening to “Charlotte’s Web” on our long drives to and fro. 

Delightful!

16)  First stop:  Costco.

First purchase:  Microsoft Office.

So much for frugal.

17)  Next stop:  Walmart.  We are way behind schedule.  I am going up and down the aisles muttering things to myself, such as:

“Shoot.  I forgot butter.”

“Where is the cheese?”

“Do we need more bread?”

The kids are doing their best to keep up and Little Dude, who is sitting in the cart, is poking my belly-chubs and giggling hysterically.

And I didn’t even have time to stop him.

I suspect, dear readers, that yesterday, me and my clan embodied everything that people make fun of Walmart Shoppers for.

18)  My trunk is too full and the cooler is too big and I can’t get it out and the ice won’t break up and the kids have sacks of potatoes, diapers, and boxes of waterbottles under their feet.

Note to self:  The Honda is not a good choice on the Costco/Walmart combo day.

No matter how much gas I save.

19)  We are now 15 minutes late to our first meeting with our homeschool contact teacher.  We walk in sweaty and cranky, for no one has had a nap.

Not even me.

Here are some events that occurred during that meeting:

*The kids wanted a snack

*The kids were thirsty

*The kids wanted to color

*The boys fought over a train

*Little Dude start whacking Handsome Dude in the head with an airplane in hopes of acquiring the aforementioned train

*Little Dude needed a time out

*The contact teacher is now shouting the information I need over the wails of Little Dude, who is protesting his time out.

*Handsome Dude keeps trying to escape

*The girls interrupted us with 4.2 billion pictures they created for me with love

*I was really, really, really, really sweaty

*While I was completely engrossed with the information the contact teacher was relaying to me, Little Dude wandered off, found the contact teacher’s office, and began playing on her computer.

I suspect that I impressed the socks off my contact teacher and I would not be surprised, dear readers, if she has full confidence in my ability to rear my four children adequately all while giving them the education they need.

20)  Next stop: playdate.  I plan to leave by 5, yet I leave by 5:30.

Aren’t I rude?

21)  Get home at 7pm to find my husband falling a tree on our very own land.

It was only a matter of time, friends.

It was only a matter of time.

22)  I inform my husband that I simply cannot take the Honda on days like today and can we please look for a minivan instead.

23)  He told me I had to find one that gets 30mpg.

So, dear readers.  Help me.  Are there any minivans that get good gas mileage?

And where can a sweaty mom like me find one for a super-smokin’ deal?

Please advise.

Posted in Uncategorized | 39 Comments

Fat Tuesday

 

Photobucket

Oh!  Lookie there!

 

It’s a real, high-class, blog button you see up there!

We are getting pretty fancy here over at Lumberjack’s wife, if I do say so myself.

Lest any of you think I am “putting on airs” and whatnot, allow me reiterate that I knoweth not what I am doing.

Special thank you to The Musician’s Wife who created that uber cute button for me.

My goal is to look as cute and happy as that little bird does while weighing myself.

Speaking of weighing in . . .

Weighing in is tricky business over here.

Allow me to elaborate.

I get on the scale and it weighs me in kilograms.  So, then I get off and switch around all the buttons.

Then it weighs me 2 KG higher.

Switch buttons.

Another random KG weight.

Switch buttons, stomp in place, call the scale a questionable name, get back on.

It weighs me in so high a pounds number, that I find it to be an atrocity.

Get off.  Take a deep breath.

Get back on.

Now, the scale reveals a pounds number that I choose to believe is my weight, merely for convenience and sanity.

So, according to the weight I choose to accept, I have lost one whole pound this week.

Holla!

And now, dear readers, for your reading enjoyment, I now present to you:

My Week, in Sentences.

I ate nothing with beef.

Win!

I believe I stuck to a low-cholesterold diet all week long.

Win!

Ok, I lied.  I did have an ice cream cone and ice cream would not be considered a low fat dairy product.

Fail!

But, hey!  I had a delightful ice cream cone and I still lost a pound!

Win!

I exercised three whole times this week!

Win!

Two were with my good friend, Leslie Sansone-

 

 

she helps me walk, power walk with her in-home walking DVDs.

Win!

I like her workouts because they are easy to do, especially when you have four ruffians running about.

Win!

My 3rd “workout” was really just an hour walk with the kids down yonder country road . . . I probably burned 8 calories total since I had to keep a pace that was feasible for Little Dude.

Workout-Fail!

Mommy-Win!

We walked past a bunch of large animals, of which I informed my children were buffalos.

Soon-to-be-Homeschooling-Mom-Win!

Seconds later, I saw a large sign that said, “Bison Ranch.”

Soon-to-be-Homeschooling-Mom-Fail!

I actually followed the Weight Watchers plan this week, although I used all of my weekly points allowment.

Win!

So, how did you do this week?  Did you meet your goals?  Do you need to revise your goals?  Did you see any buffalo and/or bison? Did you exercise?

It’s time for your weekly check-in.

And don’t think you can get away with ignoring me.

I’m watching you.

(Name that movie)

Yes.  If you don’t check in, I’m going to be so on you.

Like white on rice.

Here are your options:

1)  Check in by leaving a comment.

2)  Write an update in a blog post and enter it in my friend Mr. Linky, of whom I will introduce to you in mere seconds.

3)  Link up any sort of post that would fit into our parameters into Mr. Linky.

Suggestions:  healthy recipes, snacks, favorite healthy treats, favorite ways to exercise, weight loss stories, things that have worked for you, etc.

Even if you have a post from awhile back, feel free to link it.

Please try to include my super cool button, if you could be so inclined.  Or just link back to this site.

Also, you may join in Fat Tuesday at any time you see fit.

Thanks, everyone and Happy Fat Tuesday!

<

 

To see the links people have entered, you need to click on the Mr. Linky.

Go check them out for some encouragement or great ideas and leave them a comment, please!

Posted in Fat Tuesday | 42 Comments

Not Consumed

I am feeling a little overwhelmed today.  You will probably not get a laugh from this site today, I am sorry.

I don’t think this post will make any sense, either.

And for that, I am also sorry.

Yet, here I am.  Publishing it anyways.

Today is one of those days.

It is one of those days where several, random, cluttered thoughts are running through my head.

Thoughts like:

I miss my old house.  This new one does not feel like home.

Am I ready to homeschool?

Why is there penmarks all over Handsome Dude’s forehead?

How come my house is messy?  Again?

Why is there a ziplock bag full of smashed raspberries in my diaper bag?

Why are all my walls peach?

Where are Sweet Pea’s glasses?

Why are my kids growing up too fast?

Why do the days drag on?

Why do the years fly by?

Why is there pee on the toilet seat?  Again?

Why?  Why?  Why?

I think that sometimes being a mom is pretty tough.  It feels like everything you do is for the benefit of people who do not seem to notice you are doing anything at all.  The days are overwhelming.  The tasks seem unending and pointless.

Why pointless?

Because everything I do today will need to be done again tomorrow.

See?

Pointless.

The days seem to slowly drag on and on and on.

baby k

Yet, I feel like there is not enough time in a day.

baby h

And I feel like the years have flown by.

IMG_0468

And I have to wonder if I am even being a good mom. 

IMG_3104

Am I loving enough?  Am I patient enough?  Am I fun? 

Will my children have happy memories?

What will they remember?

Yes.  Today is one of those days for me.

Not a good day . . . not a bad day . . . just a day.

A blah day.

It is amazing, though, the love that I feel for these children.  These children can drive me absolutely insane.  They can make me want to hide in the corner and suck my thumb.  They can exhaust me, annoy me, frustrate me, and anger me.

And yet, my heart aches with love for them.

And this is a day where I yearn for something different . . . a change of pace . . . a challenge . . . freedom . . . something new.

Yet, I want to cling to these days. 

I want to savor them . . . breathe in the smell of my children . . . remember how tiny their hands are . . . . always hear how cute their voices are . . . recall the warmth of them snuggling in my lap.

It seems like everyday is so full of life . . . full of things that must be done.  I am afraid that I am so busy and I am missing out on all the blessings motherhood can bring.

Just a blah, blah, blah, blah day.

“Yes this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:  Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.  I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him”

Lamentations 3:21-24

Posted in Uncategorized | 35 Comments

Weekend Update

Holla!

This is just a quick reminder that Tuesday is fast approaching.

And I would like to remind all of you that just because I am heading up this Weight Loss Accountability Group, this does not, I repeat, does not, mean I am sailing through this with flying colors.

Remember those pies I made this week?

They were kind of yummy.

So, I would now like to submit that pies, along with exercise, are the devil.

But the pies are a much more pleasant devil.

So . . . Torturous Tuesday is going to be renamed as Fat Tuesday.

Fat Tuesday!

Do you get it?  Do you get it?

Kind of like Mardi Gras?  Huh?  Anyone?  Hello?

The Musician’s Wife is making me an html button and I am going to try to figure out who this Mr. Linky is and we are going to pretend we are all fancy-like over here at Lumberjack’s Wife.

Do I know what I am doing?

No.  No, I do not.

But it also took me about 6 months to figure out how to rotate pictures, and that didn’t refrain me from posting nonsense like this:
IMG_3991

So . . . for Tuesday.

Here are the options:

1.  Just leave a comment to check in.  Let us know how you did-Did you meet your goals?  Are you changing your goals?  Did you eat pie when you shouldn’t have?  Did you lose weight?

2.  Write a post to link up into this Mr. Linky, if I can figure out how to meet his acquaintance. 

Post Ideas to Link Up:

*Your check-in, or update

*A recipe you like that is healthy

*Snack ideas

*Your favorite foods when you are on a diet

*Your favorite ways to exercise

*How many calories are in pie and a few reasons why one who is feigning to be on a diet should not eat pie right out of the pan at 11pm while making a chocolate cake.

Simmer down, now!

The cake was for a friend.

*And now, for a Weekend Update*

1)  I don’t have a mullet.

2)  I had to wear a swimsuit yesterday.

3)  I have not had chocolate raspberry creamer all week.

4)  I am reading Gone with the Wind.  And I love it.

5)  I miss my dearheart friend, Bimlissa.

6)  I miss all my friends.  I live out in the middle of nowhere now.  The Lumberjack has seen my bosom-buddy Amanda more than I have lately.  That’s just wrong.

7)  I have been walking some this week.  “Walk, walk.  Power walk.  Walk, walk.  Power walk.”  Name that exercise guru!

8)  We are off to clean our darn other house after church today.

9)  Sweet Pea’s glasses are still missing

10)   My parent’s drove 4 hours one way to go to a store that has a good deal on clothes.  Can anyone else see the humor on this?

Later, dudes!

Posted in Weekend Updates | 16 Comments

Dude Looks Like a Lady

Alright, peeps.  We’ve got to keep this short and sweet.  I am currently sitting in the truck as my husband is driving us into town so we can join his sister and her family for a day of fun in the sun on his sister’s boat.

There is only one problem with this scenario:  There is no sun today.

Does this stop my crazykin in-laws?

No.

No, it does not.

We had plans to go boating, and boating we shall go.

On the upside, it is so chill-some that I might just be able to get out of changing into my swimwears.

Only time will tell.

***

Well . . . hello there, Gladys!

This week’s COW (comment of the week) goes to Brenda with her comment on Darn this Blog:

Of course the vest pic is funny, and it is my choice as Jason’s pic because this is the type of thing one brother does to another brother…HOWEVER….the funniest thing about the pic is the look on Holly’s face in the background…you can almost hear her thinking, “am I REALLY sure this is what I want in my life, I mean, sure, I can fake liking huckleberry picking with the best of them, but this, THIS, might just be a glimpse into my future!”

(AAAAANNDDD going along with my music theme this week, this pic would (of course) be…Dude Looks Like A Lady – Aerosmith.)

That gave me a chuckle.  Yes, it did.  Only becausee the expression on Holly’s face is the same expression I get often when witnessing my husband participate in activities that are . . . odd.

Of course she is referring to this picture:

here it is sorry it took so long. i did have any internet access

Now, a lot of you got slightly confused and I must rectify your bewilderment immediately.

That picture is of ALEX.

Alex is The Lumberjack’s older younger brother.

The above picture was supplied by JASON, but is not of JASON.

Jason is The Lumberjack’s younger younger brother.

This is Jason:

Focus, people!

Happy Weekend.

Posted in Uncategorized | 10 Comments

The Pie Incident.

The following post will be brought to you picture less.

For I have none.

***

Wednesday Night

On Wednesday night, I got my haircut.  I told you all this on Wednesday morning and none of you seemed to notice.  Therefore, I will not show you a picture of the new me.  For all you know, I am now sporting a mullet.

And

You

Can’t

See.

While getting my haircut, I pleaded with my darling hairdresser-friend to please wax my eyebrows, seeing as how I have not had time to maintain the beasts since our move.

She did.  And that was that.

After the haircut, I went to the grocery store to get some items to make some pies.

Yes, that’s right.

Pies.

We were attending dinner at our friends’ house and I was in charge of dessert.

And who doesn’t like pie?

As I am checking out, the Checker Man stops what he is doing and gasps, “What happened to your eyes?!”

Me:  Nothing.

Checker Man:  Oh. 

*awkward silence*

Checker Man:  So, Sweetie, are you expecting company?  Look at all this fresh fruit!  Bananas!  Strawberries!

Me:  Oh, I am just making some pies.

Checker Man:  Get out!  Do you mean to tell me there is a modern lady out there who actually cooks?  You are amazing.  Most women would just buy frozen pies!

Hmmm . . .

1.  Can we not agree he was weird?

2.  This was my first sign that I was not destined to make pies.

3.  When I got in the car, I looked at my eyes.  It looked like someone beat me.  I think my sensitive-accutane skin did not appreciate the hot wax/ripping paper combo.

Thursday

In order to get to the dinner on time, I needed to leave my house by 3:30.  You see, we live out in the middle of NOWHERE, and I had to pick up my handsome Lumberjack, plus we had to run some errands before going to dinner.

So . . . 3:30 was my departure time.

I pulled my 2 refrigerated pie crusts out of the fridge.

Fact:  Lumberjill cannot make her own pie crusts.

I get one into the pie pan, but the other rips.  So, I smoosh it all into a ball and try to roll it out.  It is not happening.  Finally I get the crust to kind of spread around the pie pan and pop them into the oven.

One works.  One completely fails.

Who messes up refrigerated pie crust?

Apparently, me.

This, my friends is a problem. I must make 2 pies, for then I won’t have enough.  I don’t live close enough to a store, plus my boys are napping.

And Mommy Rule #1:  Don’t interrupt naptime!

So, I had an epiphany.

I am 29, for the love of Pete.  It is time I made a stupid pie crust.  I start making the pudding for the chocolate cream pie and trying to find the recipe for a pie crust.

Here are all the events that happened in the course of about 20 minutes:

1)  My boys got out of bed and were playing the piano.

2)  I found a recipe for PW pie crust.  But I was out of vinegar.  Who is ever out of vinegar?  Honestly.

3)  I discovered I had been reading the wrong recipe for pie filling and had been creating banana cream instead of chocolate cream.

4)  This is a problem because the other pie I was making was Fresh Strawberry and one of the people eating tonight does not eat bananas or strawberries.

5)  Guess who is now making 3 pies?

6)  Who makes 3 pies?  Excessive, is it not?

7)  The boys have gotten out of bed and are now playing puzzles.

8)  I find a recipe in the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook for “Easy Oil Pastry”  Easy!  I like it!

9)  It was a hideous excuse for a pie crust.

10)  I am sweating.  It is like 90 degrees and the oven has been at 450 for like ever now because I keep messing up pie crusts.

11)  Threaten my boys again.

12)  Summon my girls to come help me.  I start Sweet Pea on slicing 4 pounds of strawberries and put Daisy Mae in charge of stirring the pie filling on the stove.

13)  As I am separating the eggs, I kept getting confused and dumping the whites with the yolks and the yolks with the whites.

Oh, the humanity!

Throughout all of this, I just keep laughing and saying, “Mommy is so stupid!”

Finally, I manage to make two pie crusts that somewhat resemble pie crust.  True, they do not reach the entire perimeter of the pie plate.  True, there are holes int he bottoms from stretching.  True, they look awful. 

But can they contain a pie?

Yes.  Yes, they can.

3pm.  My sister calls.

Meagan:  What’s up?

Me:  Oh, I am just having pie drama.

Meagan:  Pie drama?  You make pie?

Me:  Nope!  Sure don’t.  It’s not like its “my specialty.”  It’s not like anyone cares if I bring pie.  But I decided to make pie today.

Meagan:  What kind?

Me:  Chocolate Cream, Banana Cream, and Fresh Strawberry

Meagan:  Dude.  Why so many?

Me:  I don’t know!  It’s been a stressful day!

Meagan:  I am sure no one would care if  you picked up a pie from the store.

Me:  I know, I know.  I got to go.

It is now 3:30, my boys never went to bed, I am covered in flour, cornstarch, and berry jiz, and I have yet to figure out how I am transporting the pies that must chill for 3-6 hours.

I am brilliant, am I not?

I try to find the cooler.  It is nowhere to be found.  I call my husband.  It is in the back of the camp trailer and I don’t know how to open the back of the trailer.

He has to talk me through it.

I try to find ice.

My husband, unbeknownst to me, used all the ice this morning for his lunch cooler.

I try to find things to transport these stupid pies.

I used a cake carrier, a canning pot, and a frying pan.

It is now 4:15.  I look afright.

I take off my shorts and put on a jean skirt.

Feels too tight, which reminds me that I am supposed to be actually following Weight Watchers.  Next, I put on some capris.  They are funky at the bottom and need to be ironed. 

There is no time for ironing!

So, I put the shorts back on and give each of my girls a wet washcloth and instruct them to “Wash Mommy.”

As Sweet Pea is scrubbing my bum, she looks at me and says, “Mommy?  Why didn’t you just make cookies?”

***

Seriously.

Did it have to be that hard?  We were 1 hour later than we originally planned.

So here is your mission if you choose to accept it:

TELL ME HOW TO MAKE A DECENT BLEEPITY-BLEEP PIE CRUST!

I apologize.  I don’t really ever say anything bleepity-bleep.  But, seriously.

Seriously.

Yesterday.

Yesterday was a day.

 

Posted in Uncategorized | 36 Comments

Darn this Blog.

Salutations!

This is my camping recap that I know you are all dying to read.

Special “thank-you-shout-out” to my super cool bro-in-law, Jason, for sending me the picture necessary to complete this post.

100 (meaningless) points to anyone who can guess which picture Jason sent me.

Hint:  I find it to be the funniest.

Are you ready?

Hold on to your pants, folks.  We’ve got a lot of ground to cover.

***

We arrived Friday night and set up camp.  Lumberjill hates setting up camp.  Lumberjill talked Lumberjack out of setting up his giant parachute. 

Remember the parachute?

 Lumberjack was sad.  But Lumberjill found it quite unnecessary seeing as there would absolutely be no rain and our campsite had several trees that provided ample shade.

We had a delightful dinner prepared by yours truly.  I made Chicken Taco Salad and Cornbread. 

Holla!

We then sat around the campfire talking about jolly good times and the days of yore until MIDNIGHT and then we went to bed.

I would like to inform you that my boys alternatively woke up at 1:30am, 3am, 4:15am, 6am, 6:02am, 6:05am, and 6:15, for no other reason than to make you feel badly for me.

***

Day 2

Huckleberry Picking.

(groan)

I.  Hate. Huckle. Berry. Picking.

Why?

Because you have to drive up windy, mountain roads to try to find the stupid berries, teeter on the side of a mountain while bushes scratch at your delicate legs, fear for your childrens’ lives as they keep falling down the side of the mountain, and fear that a bear might get perturbed that you are taking their berries and come eat you.

You pick berries for 5 hours and you come home with a harvest of 1 cup.

You know what you do with 1 cup of berries?

You put it in the freezer and then you have to go back for more joyous picking so you can attempt to get a gallon.  Then you roll your eyes at your husband all year long as he can never decide which food items are “huckleberry” worthy, so they sit in your freezer getting freezer-burned because everyone is too afraid to consume them.

That is why I hate huckleberry picking.

Plus its boring.

Nevertheless, I have married into the strangest family known to man and they live for this sort of thing.  We piled up into our “rigs” and head up the mountains in search of those tiny berries that bring me so much grief.

My in-laws are quite strategic about this process.

David (LJ) and Alex.

Looking a little “matchy-matchy” there, aren’t you boys?

You may ask, “Taylor.  What is your husband doing?”

More on that ridiculousness later.

David:  Hey, Alex!  Did you bring your gray Carhartts?

Alex:  Of course I did, Bro!

David:  Did you bring your white t-shirt?

Alex:  You know it!

David:  Let’s wear them for huckleberry picking!

Alex:  Sounds good, big bro!

David:  Did you know that I have the most wonderful wife in the world?

Alex:  Yes.  You are truly a lucky guy.

My Ma-in-Law and Daisy Mae, searching for berries.

There’s my Lumberjack in all his Tom Foolery again.

He’s trying to relay to us in his “secret-code” that he sees deer tracks.

Daisy Mae showing off the bounty.

Disappointing, is it not?

After about an hour of searching, my in-laws are feeling discouraged and dismayed.

The Tribal Council meets to determine our next strategic step.

Notice how I am not a part of this Tribal Council.

This is because:

A)  I am not blood.

B)  I could care less.

C)  I loathe huckleberry picking.

D)  I am too lazy to get out of the car.

Do you see that girl in the black?

She’s an imposter.

That is Alex’s girlfriend, Holly.

She is not blood.

Look at her trying to show me up by feigning to care about those trivial berries.

Boo, Holly.

Boo.

But, really.  I heart Holly.

Sadly (not), we were unable to locate an ample huckleberry harvest, so we went back to camp.

GoshDarnIt.

***

And now, a few, random pictures.

Sweet baby and her daddy.

Do you see that look?

I fear I see that look often.

Do you see that boy?

The one laying flat in the dirt?

Whose boy is that?

Certainly not mine.

Ok.

He is mine.

I am just going to try to con his father into cleaning him up.

Now, Jason has just recently moved to far, far, away.

My girls did not take this news well.

Me:  Jason is moving.

Sweet Pea:  What?  Why?

Me:  So he can live in the same state as Amy.

Sweet Pea:  Doesn’t Jason know that family is much more important than a girlfriend?

Luckily for my girls, we will still see Jason, along with Amy, quite often.

Hooray for Uncles!

Hooray for Uncles who humor little girls like Daisy Mae and listen to them prattle on and on about who knows what.

Can we not all agree that Daisy Mae’s dimples are uber precious?

And hooray for the girlfriends of uncles who agree to be penpals with little girls who will plan on writing letters daily.

Have fun, Amy!

***

Next, we floated the river.

This goes on for hours and I can’t bring a camera.

So.

Hmmmm . . .

Well, Jason jumped off a bridge and cut his foot.  Then, he ripped the toenail off of his other foot.  We suspect he did all of this so he could get doctored up by Nurse Amy.

So, that’s about all that happened on the river float.

When we were done floating, Alex and David decided that they just had to have an ice cream cone at a convenience store nearby.  David walked in and was immediately kicked out because he was not wearing a shirt.

Apparently the convenience store clerk is not interested in attending the “gun show.”

Did this deter those boys from getting their ice cream?

No.

No, it did not.

Alex stole a puffy vest from Daisy Mae . . .

here it is sorry it took so long. i did have any internet access

Apparently the convenience store clerk found that ensemble acceptable.

***

This post is long.

My apologies.

Are you still here?  Hello?  Hello?

Ok.  So, then we celebrated Jason’s birthday:

Happy Birthday, Jason!

Please, Mom.

Enough with the pictures.

***

Before I sign off, I wanted to share with you a campfire discussion between my father-in-law and I.

Father-in-Law (FIL):  Taylor.  Do you still write that “Wife of a Lumberjack” Facebook Internet Story Thing?

He is referring to my blog.  Of which he does not read.  Because he knoweth not where to find it in the tricky web world.

Me:  Yes.

FIL:  Remember that contest it was in a while back?

Me:  Yes.

FIL:  How many votes did your blog receive?

Me:  I’m not sure.

FIL:  Well, I told our friends you won.  I guessed you received about a hundred thousand votes.

Me:  Oh, no.

FIL:  Actually, I believe I said, “Hundreds of Thousands of Votes”

Me:  Definitely not.

FIL:  Really?  That’s surprising.

Me:  Yeah.  My blog doesn’t get that many hits.  Ever.

FIL:  Hmm  . . . Are you sure?  I thought it was bigger than that.

*awkward silence*

Me:  Nope.

FIL:  Hmmm.

***

Darn this blog.

Darn its’ embarassment.

Darn it all.

Happy Thursday!

Posted in Camping | 35 Comments

By George . . . the house is Peach.

When we were in the market to buy a new house, we looked at a lot of houses.

A.

Lot.

Some of the houses started to run together and I couldn’t remember which house had what.

We looked at the Ruralville house in February.

I distinctly recall it having a large loft, generous living room, and 5 bedrooms with a 6th “spare room.”

Turns out I have 4 bedrooms with a 5th “spare room” and a cute, but tiny loft and a narrow living room.

Don’t lose heart!

I am not disappointed in my new house.

Nor am I dismayed.

I am, however, getting a little fatigued with the paint color.

Allow me to expand on that thought:

When we first looked at the house, I noticed the house had a lovely tan color painted throughout.

I am not the biggest fan of tans, but they are neutral and not awful, so it was fine.

Personally, I am a big fan of blues and greens.

But that’s just me.

So, we looked at the house in February and I didn’t see it again until we bought it in June.

As the days have come and gone, I have begun to notice that what I once thought was tan looks oddly like . . . peach.

Tan I can do.

Peach . . . not so much.

And the previous peeps liked them some peach paint.

Every single inch of this house is tan/peach.

Case in point:

Peach.

Peach.

Peach.

Peach.

Peach.

Peach.

Peach.

Peach.

And, lest there be any confusion, even the ceilings are . . .

Peach.

My apologies to you if you love this color.  It is just not for me.

I usually go neutral in furniture color and then go crazy with a blue or green wall.

So, I am currently living in a peach house with tan furniture.

I need me some contrast!

I need me some color!

Sadly, my Lumberjack is a little burnt out on house projects and has informed me that he doesn’t want to paint ever again.

Some of you have suggested in the past that I should just tell The Lumberjack we are moving, therefore rendering him helplessly into his hyper-speed-super-do-it-yourself-er guy.

I have bad news.

The Lumberjack informed me that he would like to live in this house for the rest of his life.

My Lumberjack loves this house.

As soon as he gets home from work, he doesn’t come in and say “hello,” “howdy,” nor “how do you do?”

He hops on his 4-wheeler and heads across our vast plantation to retrieve the memory card from his Trail Camera.

100 (meaningless) points to anyone who knows what a trail camera is.

Attention “Young-Taylor-Who-Has-Yet-To-Be-Married”:  You think you like going clothes-shopping and out for coffees with that boy David Mal-i-blah-blah?  Well, my foolish young girl . . . he is going to do a complete 180 on you and shop for things such as chain saw blades, Rotozips, various forms of artillery and weaponry, shirts with pearly buttons, Carhartts, camouflaged clothing, special laundry soap for the camouflaged clothing, CW McCall albums, and Trail Cameras once you marry him.

So, my main man returns from our rolling hills and pops the card in the computer, shouts with glee . . . yes, glee, at the number of pictures he has on said camera, and begins to pore over each and every one.

“Look, hon!  A buck!”

“Turkeys!”

“Oh, that’s a nice one.”

“Too many does.”

“You know what we need?  More trees and more deer.”

 

.

Yes.

That’s exactly what we need!

Looks like he has other projects that must be completed before we can tackle this peach problem.

GoshDarnIt.

Happy Wednesday!

PS- Lumberjill is getting her haircut tonight!

PPS- I did good on WW yesterday . . . The Fiber!  Oh, The Fiber!

PPPS-Did you vote for the new name?

PPPPS-Still waiting on that picture from Jason.

PPPPPS-HURRY UP, JASON!

Posted in Uncategorized | 23 Comments