picnics, ears and chainsaws......

My memory pictures.....

Maddie and Lauren brushing their teeth and getting their hair fixed in 2005. That is how I distracted them while doing their hair....they loved brushing their teeth!

Maddie in 2006. Gotta love them eyes!!!!

It is Sunday morning.... Sunday: the day I have been waiting for!!!!!!!!! Parker and Patrick are coming over today!!!! They are staying with us for 2 weeks! I am beyond excited.  Got the menu and meals all planned out.  Dylan is coming over and spending the night tonight.  He is pretty excited too! Tomorrow we pack up and go camping for a couple days up to Fort Flagler. We love it up there!  Dylan and I have been planning out games like Capture the Flag, Fear Factor, Baseball, etc... lots of stuff.  All the meals are planned.... just have to make some potato salad and brownies today!!!  And, of course, pack.  Going to miss Maddie.... she doesn't get to come this trip. :(

Didn't do anything the past couple days. Literally nothing. Oh that is not true. I broke my high score on solitaire. I cleaned the den, toy room ready for Parker, dining room table off again, the living room is clean and so is my desk.  There isn't much to do. Keeping it clean helps. I have no recordings left on my DVR. Papa went to a memorial service for his cousin-in-law yesterday.  He got to visit with all his cousins. That was good. I am having major ear problems.... that is why I didn't go.  Stuff has been leaking from my ear, it hurts, I am dizzy a lot, and it is popping and crackling.  I hate it. Going to the doctor tomorrow.

Been chatting with a friend from my high school days while doing this...Cindy Beck.  We had so much fun together....and did so many things we shouldn't have done! lol!  I miss her.  She lives on the other side of the state. :(

Andrew and Lauren came over and he helped papa cut down the tree that was leaning on the fence.  Papa taught him how to use the chainsaw. He did good. The old man across the street came over and supervised too.  He reminded me of my dad.... that is what he would have done.  And put his two cents in. My dad was a great supervisor! lol!  It bothered Andrew that the guy was there pointing things out.  Teenagers.  We were very thankful Andrew helped.... I took him and Lauren with me for a ride.... had a picnic in the van and went to Falls View Campground and swung by Seal Rock where Karla and the family was suppose to be...but they were off hiking to the Elkhorn.  It was fun.... Andrew and I got to really talk....we haven't done that in a while!  Lauren watched cartoons.

You can kind of see Andrew in there!!!!

Meanwhile.... Lauren playing on computer!

Papa and Andrew behind the ferns!

Later.... checking out the waterfall!

Well... I should go make some stuff for camping and take a shower. I hope you all have an awesome day.... may God bless you!

Movies, memorial, and memories!

I really can't believe it is Thursday already! What a fast week!  It was a good week too!
Tuesday me, Papa, Lauren and Andrew went to the $2 movies and saw Puss in Boots. It was a good movie.  It used to be free movies at the theater...then it went up to $1.00...this year it is $2! Stupid inflation has even hit the kids summer movies.

We stopped at the school after the movie. I got soooo many hugs and squeezes from my kids.  They will always be my kids!  Teresa and Sarah were having taco lunch with them. The kids were loving it. Monica and Priscilla showed up when we were there! So good to see them!  Most of the center was gone... they were having a Memorial service for Scott Kagawa.... he was the Human Resource director at the home....here is his story in case you forgot.
http://blog.thenewstribune.com/crime/2012/07/09/spanaway-man-charged-with-killing-ex-wife-found-dead/

That night papa and I went to Yank-a-part's softball games....double headers. The first game was bad.... we lost and our team basically fell apart. People were mad at each other over plays and it was not a good thing. Then there was a break between the second game. Most of the people got over the first game... we were behind most of the game and in the top of the 7th and last inning...we were ahead by 1! They had the last up.... the quickest guy on their time was running to home, Karla was catcher and caught the ball! The look of shock on his face as he back peddled to head back to 3rd was priceless. Joel was there and Karla got it to him....Chad backed up home and they put him out. Classic and so exciting!!!! We won 13-12!  That made for a happy night.

Andrew brought Lauren over yesterday. That was awkward to have him pull up in the driveway. Too weird. We went grocery shopping after he left. We have to buy for the month now.  I had done a menu for the month and the list. We spent $600 on food!!!!! Crazy! We have Parker and Patrick coming over for 2 weeks, going camping Monday and then again the 21st. So I had to plan for all that. I think we'll have Lauren for a week while Andrew is at camp too....and I am sure Maddie and hopefully Dylan some in August too!  It is hard planning but I think we are pretty set on food. Our cupboards and freezers are stuffed. Will let you know how it worked out. We may be losing a lot of weight come the end of August! lol
Lauren and I went on a bike ride last night. About kills me but she loves it I should get a helmet and body armor. Haven't fell yet.  Hope not to because if I do...it is going to really hurt.   Last night we had baked chicken for dinner..thank you papa. It was really good!  Then the 3 of us played 2 games of Skip-Bo... Lauren won both. So then we played the game she picked....Sorry. I beat them! Lauren was so excited she came in 2nd.  Papa would never Sorry her!!!

Today we are suppose to go to Marcey's pool but I am having a indigestion problem and don't think we are going to make it :(  Maybe next Thursday? Woke up at 8 and no papa. He went to Bremerton to get our oil changed in the van. It is cheaper for him to go there than do it himself.... with the type oil we use and then having to get rid of the old oil etc.... plus easier for him. :D  Whatever makes his life better I am down with.

Well...I was going to get my hair cut...but I think I will have to hold off. Not getting a paycheck hurts a bit... but being home with NO stress and I literally have NO headaches and my blood pressure went down!  Good things.

Well.... I will see if I have memory pictures to post or some misc pics. Love to all and have a great day!

Papa loves these flowers because his mama did. They always remind him of her.

Toby hates it when papa is away.

I love the concentration on Gabe's face as he draws!

The team

Our drive home over the bridge. I love it.

1987 Kevon and Ryan flexing their muscles...Tara in background riding bike!

1985....27 years ago today....the girls (Karla and Heather) with their bunk beds in their bedroom!

That's all folks!

Bathing suit beauties!

I was going to write "boring day yesterday" ....but it really wasn't. It was more relaxing. We did nothing but chill. We walked. I cleaned. Then we chilled. At least that is all I can remember. It rained here almost ALL DAY! Pretty nasty.

I couldn't go to sleep again last night. Used to have no problem when I worked. I was always exhausted.  Now I am not and that is a good thing and a bad thing. I ended up sleeping in my recliner falling asleep watching Ice Road Truckers. Went to the bed around 6 and slept in until 8:30!  My schedule has changed so much in a few weeks. I am so happy.  If I start missing work.... all I need to do is go there. Seeing the person who took my place makes me glad I am not there. She really was the final straw that pushed me out the door.  What is amazing is the letters and emails I have gotten telling me how much I am missed, how much sunshine and brightness my smile and presence brought to the place. Things like that.... mean so much to me!  The parents and kids I miss the most....and Sarah. People think they blew it letting me go so easily. 

Memory picture of Lauren from July 22, 2003!

And a memory picture of Maddie a year later in our pool!

Love those two pictures of our beauties....they would rival anyone in a swimsuit competition!!! xoxo

I am watching Four Weddings. Such an interesting show. I hope you all have a great day!  God's blessings!

Walking, rocking, painting...and,oh, and napping!

Good morning....almost afternoon!  What a great day. Not sunny, but walked with Toby and Papa this morning. Always makes a person feel good to start their day off that way. Inviting myself every day to go with papa and Toby.  They have been walking together for over a year every day. Now I am going to disrupt their walk and join them. :D  They are calling for rain today and tomorrow. Papa is out back mowing the lawn. Hope he can get it done before the rain starts.  He is the busiest guy I've ever met. He mows once or twice a week, washes the vehicles that often, and works out in the garage as often as possible....I don't know what he is doing out there. lol!  I already have the house clean.  Making pork chops for dinner tonight. Not sure how I will cook them. hmmmm

Yesterday we went and looked at recliners.  Papa knows what he wants. He is being very picky. He doesn't want it too low in the back. He doesn't want it too long in the upper legs (he has short legs), he doesn't want one that glides, he wants a rocker, he doesn't want the button on the side...he wants the arm that pulls the recliner. Material is important. Told you...he is picky.  The kids all put in some money for his to get one in June....but he still hasn't found one. And he isn't paying over $1,000 for one...that's for sure.  We'll find one soon, I hope. His is so broken and old. lol!  I want the one from Costco for $400.  I love that one. Not him. Didn't know it was so difficult!
We also looked at paint.  Trying to decide what to paint our house and inside rooms is not easy.  We did find this to do our decks with....
http://www.homedepot.com/Paint-Exterior-Paint-Stain/h_d1/N-5yc1vZbbbr/R-202533129/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&storeId=10051#customer_reviews

It is called Restore...looks like a lot of work but a very good idea!  Papa the painter is impressed.  Also looking at interior and exterior paints.  May do interior in the fall and do the outside before.  We'll see.... all these crazy ideas with limited income.  Yep... a bit crazy.

Here is how Lauren spent the time going to Silverdale....playing on my laptop.

I spent my time telling papa how to drive. 

 Silverdale is about 20 miles from our house.  Poulsbo is only 12.  Some people have a hard time with where we live.... like it is in Nebraska or something. It is only across a bridge...that is why is seems so far.  It really isn't.

Any way.... Lauren went to a birthday party with Amanda and I spent the rest of my afternoon watching old family VHS movies... mom and dad's 50th anniversary when they renewed their vows, my aunt & uncles, time in South Dakota with family....precious memories. Made me sad but happy. I took a couple of these to from them....

Not great quality but these are of mom and her baby Snowball, and mom and her grandbaby Alyssa....who now looks like this!

(she looks like my mom) Our star softball player.... she is down in California right now in the Semi-Regionals!!! Good luck to you Aly!!!!

Well... the ran is here, Papa is napping in the chair....which sounds like a plan. Neither one of us could fall asleep last night. Ended up watching a movie last night until midnight. Then couldn't sleep. I hate that when your body is tired but the brain won't shut down.

Had a long phone chat with daughter, Heather, today. I wished she lived closer. She would come over and visit us. As it sits....the local kids don't do that. Don't know what I've done to discourage them....or they are just too busy for us...but it is what it is.

Have a great day...and I am taking a nap. :D

window shopping.....and another blessed anniversary!

It is Saturday. We're trying to think of something to do. It is almost 1 p.m.  Washed the bedding, cleaned the house, now kind of bored.

Lauren playing a game on the computer. She is bored but comfortable. lol

I think Papa, Lauren and I will go look at recliners again.... so Papa can find one he likes and can afford.  Also we are talking about painting inside and outside.... so we may go to home depot to look at paint colors and see if we can make some decisions.

Today is Ryan and Amanda's anniversary.... HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to them!!!  They probably won't read it....and I texted them anyway.

Well.... papa is ready to go....and he means NOW! lol!  Just want to say....sorry so short...have a great Saturday!!!! He is driving away....gotta goooooooo

Little girls, little girls, everywhere I look....I can see them!

Does anyone know where the title of my post comes from?  They invaded yesterday and spent the night! What a wild bunch they are!  Loving it!

Beauty pageant... given their trophy and flowers!

Given their crowns...they all came in 1st place!

They had a beauty pageant last night. Here are some videos if I can bring them up of the talent portion....

That was our entertainment for the evening.  That and I watched Big Brother. It is really good this year.  Fast.  I like it.
Well.... need to shower and then do nothing.
I am going to Azteca's with Sarah from work tonight. Looking forward to it. Miss her!
I am a bit frustrated that I can't change my layout... it doesn't have the thingy where I can scroll down to rearrange my stuff or to put on a different background. poop. 
Plus I have to clean the toy room. I lost a bet with Lauren.  I tried to correct her on words of a song. Dumb thing to do. She was right. I don't get my back and foot rub...and I have to clean that messy toy room. :(
Thunder and lightening again this morning....I was sleeping but papa heard it. Toby hasn't been out today and it is 11 a.m.  He's not liking it much... papa just went outside... Toby will go out now.   It is raining..... fun summer.
Have a great weekend!

Girls, crows, and tats!

 I am very excited.... the triplets will be together tonight! Their mom's NEVER have had all three girls together for a night. In nine years.... the only time they have had sleepovers is at Mam's!  Which I just love having them!  Pictures of them growing up together....

Riley, Lauren and Maddie!

Lauren and Riley seeing Maddie for the first time!

One of my favorite taken on my birthday at the ball park years ago.

Last sleepover together at mams!

I just witnessed such a cool thing. I was on the front deck and there were two crows on the telephone wire across the street. One was feeding the other....I could only assume it was mama and baby although they were almost the same size. She fed him mouth to mouth.... and then set some on the wire and moved away. Then he ate what was on the wire.  I watched this go on a couple times and then she couldn't find food. So, I got some graham crackers and crumbled them up and threw them in the yard. Sure enough she came over and got some and took to her baby.  I had just never saw this happen before and thought it was so cool. Crows are actually fascinating birds. They are incredibly smart.  I watched a documentary on them and how they can recognize people and remember things.  One day I was parked waiting in my car and I watched a crow use a leaf to cover up food he had found so no one else would take it.  That is pretty smart. Here are some crow facts:

Facts about Crows

• Crows are omnivorous and eat whatever is available—insects, spiders, snails, fish, snakes, eggs, nestling birds, cultivated fruits, nuts, and vegetables. They also scavenge dead animals and garbage.
• Crows are known to drop hardshelled nuts onto a street, and then wait for passing automobiles to crack them. Similarly, along the coast they drop mussels and other shellfish on rocks to crack the shells and expose the flesh.
• Outside of the breeding season, crows travel as far as 40 miles each day from evening roost sites to daytime feeding areas.
• Crows usually post “sentries,” who alert the feeding birds of danger.

• Hawks and owls inhabit old crow nests; raccoons and tree squirrels use them as summer napping platforms.

• The female incubates four to five eggs for 18 days, at times being fed by her mate or sometimes by offspring from the previous year.
• The chicks grow quickly and are out of the nest at around four weeks after hatching, although they continue being fed by the adults for about another 30 days.
• Adult crows have few predators—eagles, hawks, owls, and human hunters—with humans being their main predator.

• The causes of death of young crows still in the nest include starvation, adverse weather, and attacks by raccoons, great horned owls, and other animals.
• Mortality in the first year is about 50 percent, but adults live six to ten years.

Crows mob owls, hawks, and eagles throughout the year and are in turn mobbed by smaller birds. The loud, excited calls of crows are very characteristic and may lead you to sighting a local bird of prey.

When the nesting period is over, the family group usually joins other groups of crows in communal night roosts. Roosts reach their highest numbers in late winter and may contain hundreds or even thousands of birds. Roost sites are generally located in groups of trees, often near water, and are used for many years if they aren't disturbed.
Communal roosting helps crows exchange information and find mates.

More information on crows: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/crows/crowfaq.htm#mateflife

Well.... I try to learn something new every day.  That was it. Now my brain is tired. lol!  I know I am strange.

Karla's nightmare:

Back to my life.  Yesterday I cleaned my house.... then started going through pictures to give to my brothers and sisters and cousins from mom's photo albums. Then Libby came to visit.  That was nice. Mom would be upset that we don't see each other very often. :(  I haven't seen Lois in awhile either!  Douglas called yesterday.  It was nice to talk with him!  Mom was definitely the glue that held us together. Don't know who will now.

Oh, my mean Karla Jean marked up her body again.  When she was 18 her and Joel went and got tattoo's on their ankles.... she got the sun and he got the moon. Well, needless to say I wasn't happy with my baby girl marking up her perfect body that God gave her. Well....28 years later I still don't have any control over her. lol!  She got another one....but I think I actually like this one. Did I say that??? I am not a tat fan.  However.... she got two stars with the initials for Dylan and Maddie.  That was sweet.

I told her I was going to get one of her and Kevon on my butt...one on each cheek. lol! I was only kidding.  I think this is quite touching. Now if she gets a "mom" one... I would really be touched. haha!

Well.... gotta go get my day started.  Should be a good one.

Mondays aren't so bad anymore. :D

I feel like I always start my posts out with "Well...."  I would make a terrible book writer.  lol!  Papa just left for his morning walk with Toby. Alone time for them. They really love it. Lauren and Maddie are arguing because one wants to play Monster High dolls and the other doesn't. Really?  It is interesting to hear them in there crying and trying to comfort each other now... they are such girls.  They hardly ever argue.  I think they are tired. Maddie was up sleep walking last night. She crawled from the foot of my bed onto my legs crying...then got off and I followed her into the bathroom and back to bed. She remembers nothing. Shades of her mother and brother.  The girls took showers and I am taking Maddie in to get a filling at the dentist...KJ has to work. Then not sure what we're going to do. Doesn't look like we are going to the pool today...weather stinks. Got a game tonight in Poulsbo.  I love the games in Poulsbo.... they are closer, funner, and we kick butt. 

Last night the girls made Teriyaki Chicken Breasts, Rice, and corn on the cob for dinner. It was nummy. Then for dessert they made a Yogurt & Huckleberry parfait topped  with a strawberry. They loved it! They did awesome!

I don't have much time to write... We leave in 45 minutes and I need to get ready.   Here are some memory  pictures....

Here is Maddie, Lauren, Dylan and Andrew camping with us at Flagler...this is the day papa  went to the hospital and didn't come out for 3 weeks!  Game changing day....July 16, 2007

Lauren in her new dress July 16, 2005.

Hope you have a wonderful day today!  God bless!