ROFLOL!

My kids have watched The Simpson movie at least a dozen times. In fact they have watch it so many times they grew bored with it - Until an hour ago.

I was flipping through the ON DEMAND channel listing and saw the Simpson Movie was on and hit the button for it. I walked away to try to catch up on some email when laughter thundered from the living room.

The Simpsons are not my kind of humor in the first place and I was pretty sure none of the kids had every laughed that hard at the movie before. I decided to listen in to see if there was more to the bursts of giggles, when I noticed that I had inadvertently turned on the Spanish channel.

Seems The Simpson movie is hysterical in a different language. But WHY?? Mikaela (14) and Keegan (6) where actually rolling on the floor laughing out loud!

I guess I now know what to do when I need a quick pick me up - Turn on a cartoon and watch it in Spanish.

~Just Me!

Never enough time

I have to sit back and laugh at my statement from the other week. I really did think that once school started back and all but one of the kids were gone all day, that I would have more free time. HA HA HA!

If anything I seem to have less time to do anything.

All those appointments that I put off all summer are attacking me. If at all possible I refuse to take all the kids out to the doctors, dentist or eye doctor at the same time. They just don't get along in the car and waiting to be seen is no fun. I wait and do all those appointments in September or May.

This year I have already jammed in 5 eye doctor appointments, 4 physicals, and 2 dentists appointments Since school restarted. Not to mention the 22 YES 22 home appointments that the kids have had here at the house.

We have also thrown in two rabbit shows, a BBQ and having my 14 month old grandson stay here while his sister was in the hospital for 4 days.

Ray has my engine torn apart and spread throughout the garage, and if you have kept up on my blog you know my fear that it will still be sitting there this time next year. So far it has been 4 1/2 weeks for a job that was to take longer then a weekend. Our truck is also broke down so Ray and I have had to share his blazer.

We both need to be out of the house at the same time tomorrow and I told him yesterday that he can not eat, sleep or pee until my van is put back together. He did sleep, eat and pee but has been at it pretty much non-stop for the last two days now. Hopefully he will get it running before he comes to bed tonight.

So, where ever I got the idea that once school started I would be able to accomplish more in my day??? I guess I am, it is just not the stuff I wanted to do. Yes well, come next September, all my kids will in school all day. Then I know I will be able to get MY things done, of at least that is the plan.

~Just Me

AVON

So I have been an Avon Representative (again) for 4 days now. I can not believe how good it feels being back with such a wonderful company. 6 years away was too long. I was welcomed back in such a way that I have had that warm fuzzy feeling all week.

I am loving the response that I am getting from the people that I have been talking to when I let them know that I am back to business and the reactions from people that I am talking to for the first time about Avon. Seems that everyone LOVES AVON!

I have been hearing such neat stories from people of their memories of Avon from when they were a child. Women in my age group always remember the cute little pins that Avon sold for little girls that had the solid perfume in it. The men remember the decanters of after shave and cologne that their dads had and that they snuck a little from.

Avon has changed in a lot of ways but yet has kept the core of itself intact. I still can't believe I stayed away for so long.

YES it is true that ANYONE from ANYWHERE can shop for their Avon products with me through my web store. They can have these products delivered to their front door FREE! All you need to do is go to http://www.youravon.com/wstever and browse the complete brochure, place your order, pay for it and it a couple of days it will be sitting there on your door step.

Just for my very special, very loyal blog readers, if you comment on this blog I will give you a secret code that allows you to have that order, no matter what size it is, delivered directly to you with NO NO NO NO shipping charges. Anything that I can do to help my friends save a little is great.

OH OH and if you are ready to start your very own web business, I can help you do that too! Just ask me how you too can do what I am doing, loving it and earning money too.

~Just me!

I'm Back! OH and scratched that itch!

School started today and this means that I have only one of my kids home with me. It is soooo quiet today.

This also means that I will, hopefully, have more time to sit down and get back to my life. I am planning to start blogging on a regular basis again - starting today.

This was a very LONG summer. Luckily it didn't get all to hot for too long here and the kids managed ok with out having air conditioning (trying to save on the electric bill) or the pool. Some one threw in a rock and tore the lining.

Officially today I am a mom to 1 out of school, 2 in high school, 2 in middle school, 1 in elementary school and 1 still at home doing some preschool work.

Remember that "itch" I told you about?? Well Saturday night I scratched it finally.

Long ago and far away I used to be an Avon Representative. Right around the time that Keegan was born I stopped. My life was just in a tail spin at the time and I knew I couldn't do right by my customers so I sold my customer list and retired.

I have been thinking for awhile now about rejoining Avon and now it is official.

http://www.youravon.com/wstever

Check out my brand new webstore. ANYONE across this great nation can log on, order Avon from me and have it shipped directly to their door. Right now if your order is $30 or more the shipping is FREE!!!! Can't beat that.

Of course if you are close by I will still make your delivery to you myself.

What's that .... Thinking that maybe you would like to go into business for yourself? Hey I can help you with that too. I was a trainer (unit leader) before and plan to do it again. In fact I already have one awesome young woman in my group. Just leave me a comment with your information and I will get back to you about how you can start your own business selling #1 products!

The ITCH

Every now and then I will get an itch. Not the skin kind of itch but rather an itch to do something or buy something or try something.

Right now I have an itch.

Years ago I would have jumped right in as soon as an itch appeared feet first with out looking at where I was going to land. Sometimes it turned out ok, sometimes not so ok.

As I have matured I have learned to let that itch fester for a bit. Research, ask questions and wait a week or so. If the itch gets worse I will jump in if not I will sit back and wait until it goes away or gets worse.

My last itch was around Christmas when I started thinking about rabbits. I researched, asked questions and waiting until February and then dove in. We started with 3 bunnies and now have around 100. You can see some of mine at www.bluemountainrabbitry.webs.com and my husbands at www.windyvalleyrabbitry.webs.com .

Well I got another itch. This one has been coming and going for about 3 months now. I am in the process of researching, asking questions and waiting it out. I have a very strong feeling that this itch is going to need to be scratched and won't just go away.

I promise to fill you in as soon as I made a decision.

~Just Me

Italian Restaurant

You would think that after being a mom for over 20 years I would have learned to be careful what I say in front of my kids. Apparently not.

The other night during dinner I made the comment that I really liked the smell of the garlic salt on the table. This wasn't the plain jane garlic salt. It had other seasonings in it and it really smelled yummy. I kept it up all through dinner.

Fast forward 2 days and I am going to vacuum the carpet in the living room. Remember I have 6 kids still living at home and it is summer and we live on a "farm" and well, our carpets can get down right stinky. I was searching all over for the "Carpet Fresh" that I knew I just purchased but couldn't find it.

Keegan knew what I was doing and why. Being a very smart 5 year old, who had been in some big trouble earlier, he thought he could win some "brownie points" by helping out. He couldn't find the "Carpet Fresh" either during his search but he did find what he thought was the next best thing. The garlic salt.

By the time I gave up looking and heading back to the living room to vacuum, Keegan had managed to coat the entire carpet with the garlic salt and was sitting there smiling all proud of himself for helping out.

My first instinct was to throttle him but when it dawned on me why he did what he did I just hugged him and sat down and explained that it wasn't such a great idea to put food in the carpet.

So now my whole house smells like an Italian restaurant. I guess it could be worse. But now I have to figure out how to clean the vacuum of the smell.

~Just Me.

My Granddaughter

I would like to introduce you to my brand new granddaughter.

Zoie Marie Harmon. She was born Friday July 10th at 9:48 pm. She is 8 pounds and 21 1/2" long.

~Just Me - Mom to 7, Gamma to 2

Love you - NOW GO!

I love my husband. I love spending time with my husband. I would rather be with him then anyone else it the world.

I have spent EVERY day almost ALL day with my husband for the last 3 1/2 months. He was laid off from his job and at the same time was diagnosed with a medical condition that has kept him from going back to work. The doctor has released him to find work, just not the kind he was doing.

I love my husband. I love spending time with my husband. I would ...... rather that he goes back to work, and real soon.

My husband needs to be working. Yes we need the paycheck but he needs to be working so that he feels like a "man". YEP he is one of them.

As the weeks turn into months he has been more and more grumpy and in turn so have I.

I still love him and want to spend time with him and if it wasn't for this major case of the grumps I would rather have him home then off at work but he has to GO!

So, if you have any leads on a company that is looking for a Class A truck driver with a tanker endorsement, let me know and soon! Pennsylvania company preferred and not to many nights out would be the best. I still have 6 kids at home and need someone to watch my back when the natives get restless.

~Just Me.

Konnor's LOVE

My youngest son, Konnor is 4 and is in love. I really don't remember what his first word was but I think it might have been either THOMAS or TRAIN.

Every day he watches every Thomas episode that is "ON DEMAND" at least 5 times. He designs track layouts all over the house and sings ALL the songs.

If this little boy doesn't grow up to work with trains I will really be surprised!

Saturday was Konnor's lucky day! Thomas had pulled into the Phillipsburg, New Jersey Station and was giving rides.

Ray and I only had 3 kids home this weekend so we packed up Mikaela, Keegan and Konnor and drove the 90 minutes there and surprised Konnor with a "Day out with Thomas" adventure.

He was SOOOOOOO excited and SOOOOOOO happy to finally meet his first love.

Keegan was less impressed. Being that he is almost 6, he feels Thomas is for the "little" kids and would had been happier with Dragon Tales.

Here Keegan and Konnor get to pose with Thomas. Keegan, being Keegan is giving his baby brother a "nuggie".

Konnor is checking out the wooden Thomas train display. I know what he is going to have on his Christmas wish list this year.

Keegan is all smiles but it isn't for the trains. The little girl right behind him caught his eye and he followed her all around the train tent.

Hot dogs and straw bales. Keegan was enjoying this break in the action.


The boys got to meet Sir Topin Hat. After the picture, Konnor and Keegan gave him a big high 5.

Keegan got a tattoo of Percey.

Konnor got a tattoo of Rosey.

Here is Keegan waiting for the train to start.

Here is Konnor excited about being pulled down the tracks by Thomas.

We had a really nice day. I know this is something that Konnor will remember for a very long time.

I like that, even though the ticket prices were high, all the activities were FREE. You can't beat free.

~Just Me

My Bucket list

I am sure I am not the only one that either has an "official" or "unofficial" bucket list. Some people have it neatly written down and some just keep a mental list.

I decided it was time to update mine. I recently found the one that I wrote some 20 odd years ago and although I have crossed some things off, there are still a lot left. I also added a few.

What did I cross off you ask??? Fly in a plane. Did that in 1992 when I flew to Kansas. Meet Mikey Mouse - Did that in 1999 when I went to Orlando for an Avon convention and went to Disney all by myself (doing things on your own, another upcoming post to watch for).

Anyway, here is my current list. There are only 35 things on this list and I sure hope I get to check them all off before I kick the "bucket".

In NO particular order .....

1. See a major league baseball game in person (been to the minors)

2. See a major league football game in person (College game is as far as I have gotten)

3. Ride a donkey down into the Grand Canyon (flown over the Grand canyon)

4. Watch a space shuttle launch (in person, not on TV)

5. See Niagara Falls (my parents went here on their honeymoon)

6. Go to Canada (heard the have great Maple Syrup)

7. Go to Mexico (I want a real taco)

8. Visit all 50 states ( 16 down, 34 to go)

9. Travel Route 66 the entire way (just to say I did it)

10. Watch a birth of a human baby from the foot end of the bed (I have given birth 5 times, but never saw past my knees)

11. See a Broadway show in New York ( a real one ON Broadway)

12. ride in a stretch limo (NOT the airport limo that is really just a town car)

13. Go to Ireland (meet the little people and kiss the Blarney Stone)

14. Eat dinner at the White House (I have been practicing my table manners!)

15. Watch the sunset over the ocean (This means I need to be on the WEST COAST)

16. Own a brand new car (although I would probably be too scared to drive it, or at least park it at Wal~Mart)

17. Skinny dip in the ocean (as long as NO ONE is watching! Bad enough the fish will be laughing)

18. Take an ocean cruise (YES PLEASE and I promise not to fall off.)

19. Learn how to play craps ( I LOVE to play the slots but I want to play Craps at least once and feel like a HIGH ROLLER)

20. Spend the night in a 5 star hotel (and have them call me Mrs. Stever and carry my luggage and all that)

21. Drive coast to coast (and of course stop at all those stupid road side touristy things.... WORLDS LARGEST RUBBER BAND BALL......)

22. See the Hover Dam ( And remember to pee FIRST)

23. See a Red Wood Tree ( I just can't get a grip on being able to drive through a tree!)

24. See a glacier (Just wish the were warm)

25. See a volcano erupt (from a safe distance)

26. fly in a helicopter (with lots of Xanax)

27. See the northern lights (this would be too cool, specially after a few cocktails)

28. See the La Brea Tar Pits (Wanted to do this since I was a kid watching LAND OF THE LOST)

29. Swim with the dolphins (I got to pet them at Sea World but to swim with them ... WOW)

30. Yosemite National Park (I want to see for myself if he really IS faithful)

31. hike the Appalachian trail (shouldn't be too hard since a part of it runs a few miles from my house)

32. run out of things to clean in my house. (yea like that is going to happen when I have kids)

33. spend 48 hours totally alone with NO human contact. (alone in a hammock with a good book in one hand and a hurricane in the other)

34. See Mount Rushmore (Do I even know who is up there???)

35. Learn to sew on a sewing machine. (but what to sew? )

Do you have a bucket list? I guess I better get started checking things off my list.


~Just Me.

Multi Tasking Hell

As a woman and a mother I had to learn early how to multi task. I still remember after my first was born. I was the only one in the company that even knew how to turn on the computer let alone print out the paychecks. Because of this I went back to work, part time, 1 week after she was born.

I remember sitting at the computer desk (1989, before Windows) with a newborn at my breast, a telephone tucked between my chin and my shoulder calming a client, while inputting employee hours so they could get paid.

Then came baby #2, #3, #4, #5 ..... If I didn't multi task the world would have collapsed!

The problem is that my mind is so used to multi tasking now that I can't stop! I find it totally impossible to only do one thing at a time. If I try I feel "lost" or a horrid sense of urgency that I am forgetting or missing something.

Even if it is as simple as drinking a cup of tea, eating a slice of toast and typing this post. I just can't do ONE thing.

I guess I get more accomplished like this but when you are driving long distance with nothing else to do but drive, it can be a pain. I have tried books on tape but I don't like them since I like to "hear" the characters voices in my head and not just a narrator. Someone even suggested some form of "in seat exercise" but I am not that coordinated to drive and exercise at the same time.

Anyway, I was wondering, am I the only one that suffers from multi tasking hell?

~Just Me

MORE pictures

I have a great idea for a blog, but since I have to get up at 3 am tomorrow for a rabbit show, it has got to wait. Sooooooooo, here are some more random pictures.

~Just Me

Random Photos

T-ball!

This is the first year that we have a kid in a non-school organized sport. The price for these activities were just so high were we used to live that we just couldn't afford it. It seems that the organizers in this area really do want all the kids to have a chance to play and make it affordable. Of course the whole community comes out and helps to support local kids sports so that makes a big difference.

Keegan is really enjoying playing T-ball this year. He is learning a lot and not just about the sport. He is learning how to be part of a team. Keegan has always been the take charge kind of kid, the leader. Now he gets to learn how to be a follower too.

Keegan showing Mom WHY he needs a drink. "MY TONGUE DRIED OUT MOM!"

Keegan heading for home plate. GO KEEGAN!

I love this photo. Keegan is the "pitcher". They don't have pitchers in t-ball but since this is were 90% of the balls that are hit go, he gets a lot of practice scooping them up and throwing to first base.

Doesn't he look like CHARLIE BROWN is this photo????

Now Keegan is the catcher. He gets to grab the balls that somehow get hit backwards instead of out into the field. He said he likes this "job" because he feels like a super hero in all the gear. 5 year olds are so funny.

On to the bunnies! Next to the kids they are my favorite thing to take pictures of. Right now we have 3 litters of babies and 4 more does that should kindle (give birth) within the next two weeks.

Ray is having much more success with his Californians that I am with my Jersey Woolys.

Here is one of Ray's litters. BABE gave birth to 10 kits (babies) and they are all snuggled up with each other to keep warm. Of course mom made a great nest for them and lined it with her own fur that she pulled.

Here is my litter of Jersey Wooly's. My doe FoFo (Konnor named her) gave birth to 6 kits. 6 kits for a Jersey Wooly is considered a large litter. I have NO idea what they are going to be yet. We do have two white and 4 dark gray kits. It will take a month of so until we know. There are dozens of different varieties of Jersey Wooly that you just never know what you are going to get.

Ray has it easy. Californian + Californian = Californian. BUT Jersey Wooly + Jersey Wooly = any one of maybe 30 different varieties of Jersey Wooly.

Here is another one of Ray's Californian babies. She is just getting the coloring on her nose, ears, tail and feet. This one is part of a litter of 9. She fell asleep right after her medicine.

She developed "NESTBOX EYE", kind of like pink eye. We bring her into the house twice a day to medicate the eye. Ray is getting very attached to her and I think the feeling is mutual. Where the other kits run to the back of the cage when Ray comes out, "Squints" runs to the front and practically jumps into Ray's hands when he opens the door.

~Just Me.

MYSTERY SHOPPERS

I can't imagine that there is anyone out there that hasn't heard about MYSTERY SHOPPERS. This is where a person gets paid to go into a store and pretend to be a real customer but what you are really doing is making sure that the store is following corporate procedures, that it is clean and well maintained, and that customer service is excellent.

I had began thinking about this a few years ago, but every time I tried to find a company that did mystery shopping, you always had to pay to be put on lists. I knew I didn't want to pay for the right to work so I past on all that I saw.

On one of the email groups I belong to a woman has been posting about her experiences as a mystery shopper. She seemed to be really enjoying it. She isn't making a fortune by any means but is supplementing her family's income and having fun at the same time.

The company she works for is currently giving out referral bonuses so she asked if anyone on our email group would like to have the information sent to them to sign up. I JUMPED at the chance. I sent her my email address and she sent me the information. I signed up right away and went on my first assignment last night.

It was FUN, it was EASY and the best part, I was able to take Kimberly along with me.

Now I am giving you all the same opportunity as this woman gave to me. There is NO FEE to join this company. YOU pick which "shops" you want to do, how often and so on. They direct deposit your earnings either into you bank account or into a Pay Pal account.

You do need a computer, printer and a digital camera. You will need either a bank account or a Pay Pal account so that you can get paid. They are world wide so even if you don't live in the United States like I do you can still work with this company.

Like I said, I did my first "shop" last night and I have 5 more to do between now and next Monday.

If you would like to have the information sent to you, please send me your name and email information and I will send it out to you right away! You have nothing to loose.

~Just Me.

Love not like

It is not easy being a mom to 7 kids. I mean really if you were thrown into a house with 8 other people what are the odds that you would like everything about all of them. 20%, 10% how but 1%.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE all my kids and my husband too. But I have to say that I don't always like them. I have begun using the phrase "You gotta love them - You don't gotta like them, but you gotta love them" all to often lately.

Does this make me a bad mom?

I was thinking as I was getting ready for bed last night - If I weren't their mom and they were someone else's kids, would I want to spend time with them? Well luckily for most of them, the answer was YES. BUT I have a few that I think I might want to avoid until they outgrew what ever drama stage they are in right now.

Can you love someone and really not like them? Ok, I am not talking loving an abusive partner, I am talking a kid.

Where you live or What you live in?

12 years ago I was a renter. I kinda liked where I lived but hated what I lived in. I was renting a 3 bedroom mobile home on 7 acres of wooded land the mosquitoes were horrible though and it made it impossible to be outside even in the middle of the day. I liked that I lived away from town and that it was quiet and peaceful. I hated the cramped living space and lack of storage. With 3 little kids at the time, it seemed I spent more time running an obstacle course of toys then enjoying my home.

I put together a list of what I wanted in a living space, things like more then 1 floor, a 1/2 bath and a separate laundry area on the first floor, at least 4 bedrooms and a detached garage. I wanted to be close to a playground and have room for a small garden. I went to a realtor with my list to find my dream home. After a short time I found it and it have everything that was on my list. I bought the house, moved in and HATED living there. Why? because now I was living in town. I hadn't given any thought to where I was going to live just what the house was like. I really thought that the house was all the matter.

Oh I didn't hate it right away but within a few months I knew I had made a mistake. Everyone knew everything about everybody. I couldn't hang my wash out or I would have the clerk at the grocery store ask where I got the neat new purple sheets. If I had a service person come to the house I would get 4 phone calls asking what had broke. When after 6 months of not loosing the baby fat from baby #5 the rumors were all around town that I was pregnant again.

I spent the next 10 years complaining and planning my escape!

This time around I decided that although there were definitely certain things that I wanted and needed in my new home - I also needed to live in an area that I loved. I had to make some compromising with the house to get the area. I no longer have a half bath, in fact we only have 1 bathroom and it is on the first floor. The carpets are worn and the drywall is nicked and needs to be painted. The sinks all leak and the windows are drafty. I no longer have a 2 car detached garage but I now have a barn. We are 7 miles from the schools and 16 miles from the closest Wal~Mart but I wouldn't trade it in.

Last night I stood outside and looked up at the sky and saw thousands of stars. Stars that were invisible when I lived in town. I said a pray of thanks to GOD for bringing me to this area. I went out side this morning and took a deep breath of country air and listened to the silence and was filled with peace.

I know for some the city is the only place they could ever live and for others it is country living all the way. But does the house you live in make you happier in where you are OR is it really the area? I learned the hard way, at least for me, it is where I am not what I live in.

~Just Me

Sissy La La

Every since I was a little girl, whenever I was afraid of something, my dad would call me a "sissy la la". The phrase stuck with me and now my kids use it towards each other.

I was a BIG sissy la la this morning!!!

I went to the hospital as scheduled to have my stress test for my heart. What I didn't know before getting there was that I was going to be injected with radiation and then stuck into a machine to take pictures of my heart. NO WAY!

I am VERY claustrophobic. Hell, even with 4 mgs of Xanax in my I still couldn't do an MRI the other year.

I DID try this morning. Before they gave me the injection the very nice tech got the machine ready and I climbed up onto the table. She started it up and as I was being slid into place and the rotating plate thing came closer and closer to my face, I freaked.

She got me out quickly and I apologized over and over again for wasting her time, but there was just no way that I could spend 20 minutes in there!

I dub myself a HUGE SISSY LA LA!

Hopefully I will do better this afternoon when I go for my annual mammogram.

~Just Me

Around the farm

First are our Californian Meat rabbits. These are Ray's "babies"

Here are our breeding bucks. On the top is John Henry and on the bottom is Lance.

Here are our breeding does. From left to right, top to bottom: Shear Mist, Babe, Val, Guin, Esme and Arabella

Here are our 6 laying hens. They are great girls and each of them gives us one egg a day.

Here is our future "hoop" green house. Ray made this out of an old trampoline that the former owners left here when they moved. Each end is half of the trampoline and the middle poles were the legs (doubled). We got the white plastic cheap. We are hoping that this will let us extend our growing season.

Here is the front view. Ray still needs to finish this side and make the raised beds. We will be planting in here as soon as it is done and hoping to have fresh veggies well into the fall. Then we will be able to start our garden crop much earlier next year too!

Last but not least is our 2 week old baby chicks. Ray made them a mini coop. AIN'T IT CUTE!? They are outside during the day and then come into my kitchen over night. I can't wait until they are old enough and big enough to stay out all the time! CHICKENS SMELL BAD!

~Just Me

Blood and water

I never did understand the saying "blood is thicker then water". I know what it is supposed to mean - You let those that are blood related to you do things to you that you wouldn't allow anyone else do. What I don't understand is WHY?

I have asked this question a lot of times to many different people and I have yet to get an answer that I can wrap myself around.

I don't know, maybe I am a freak or maybe my blood is thinner then water, but if someone betrays me I don't care if they are related or not. I have a few friends that I would give my life for and some relatives that I would stand by and watch drown. Harsh I know.

A very good friend of mine grew up in an abusive house. His father beat him almost on a daily basis. His father is still verbally abusive to him and to his children, yet he is compelled to have a relationship with this man "because he is my father". Why does this make a difference. What if he suddenly found out that this man was not really his biological father? Would this give him the permission to end the relationship?

I know of a woman who had no children of her own and then married into a ready made family. Her husband is wonderful and had custody of his children because their mother was incapable of being a mother. She was neglectful to the children ran around with many men and as a result they developed emotional issues. The step mom stepped in and took on the role of Mom. Put her whole life on hold for these children, poured her whole heart and sole into them and then bio-mom walks back into the picture to "try" to me a good mom after 6 years and the kids all but forget the step moms name. WHY? The bio-mom never sat up at 3 am with a throw up bucket in hand, got up at 4 am to bake those cupcakes for that last minute bake sale, hosted the birthday parties and sleep overs. But just because she shares some DNA with these children she is automatically given a a free pass. WHY?

This is a serious question. I really want to know why if you believe that you share DNA with someone they are given a licence to hurt you and you feel compelled to forgive them when a friend is held to a much higher standard.

~Just Me

Home again

Ok, so for those who heard the whispers, I promised to tell it all here. Get the facts straight and all.

YES I was admitted to the hospital straight from the doctors office on Wednesday. YES due to whatever they saw on the EKG they did in the doctors office, they thought I was having or had - had a MI. Yes as a result of that news I was scared witless and went into a full blown panic attack.

I was admitted to the CCU in a semi private room. I was stripped naked and gowned. They didn't even give me a chance to do it myself. Not sure if that is because they are used to dealing with much older people or if I looked like I was not able to undress myself.

Before I knew it they had my hooked up to a heart monitor, had inserted an IV, drawn what seemed like a 100 tubes of blood and shoved that oxygen thingy up my nose.

They let Ray and Konnor into the room to see me for a few minutes. Konnor was not liking seeing his mommy all hooked up. I tried to smile and laugh about it all. I told Ray to get home and get things ready for the other kids and to promise that he would somehow get Keegan to t-ball. They had missed so many practices already due to those wonderful April showers and I didn't want him to miss any more.

So there I was left all alone, hooked up and honestly afraid. Oh of course I had the lady in the bed next to me. She kept yelling at her imaginary friend that was also in the room some where with us.

They took me for this test and that test over the next 24 hours, drew blood every 4 hours, and served me the most horrid food. I thought I was going to loose my mind!

They had me in one of these motion beds. They are made to help prevent bed sores. They inflate and deflate every few minutes. They lady next to me never slept more then 30 minutes at a time and the nurses came in to tend to her every 2 hours to clean her bottom. She could not control herself and "pooped" often.

I wanted out of there so bad.

They determined that I did NOT have a heart attack but still do not like the looks of my test results. I agreed to come back for more testing as an outpatient if they let me go home to my own bed and see my kids.

So now I am home and resting. I have to go back to the hospital on Monday for more tests but at least I get to sleep in my own bed this weekend.

~Just Me

Babies

In my opinion there is nothing cuter then babies. I love babies. Even the ugliest adult animal started out as a cute little baby.

I am still pacing the floor waiting on my rabbits to have their babies. I had a good sign this morning when I went to feed though. Fluffy grabbed up her ration of hay and started to "mustache" it. It is so hard to not peak in a see what she is doing but I know I have to give her some quiet time if she is indeed in labor.

MORE BABIES!

Ray came home last night with 6 baby chicks. They had just hatched out and are sooooo cute. He brought them home before we had the nursery set up, so to keep them warm Kimmy and I each took three and put them inside our shirts. I must be warmer then she is because mine settled right done and went to sleep but her 3 were all jumpy and peeping away.

We told the kids NOT to name these since there is a 50/50 chance that they are roosters and will wind up on the dinner table instead of in the hen house. Of course by the time the kids went to bed the all had names. Now I hope we have 6 hens instead of 6 roasters. The kids are still having a hard time with the idea that we are now raising food animals. They are ok with the eggs but beyond that .....

Right now they are living in a big cardboard box in my kitchen on top of my dishwasher. Ray rigged a heat lamp over them and we are having fun just watching them stumble around. At times it seems as if they fall asleep just standing there and fall over. TOO CUTE.



~Just Me

PRAYER REQUEST

I am asking for prayers.

My 84 year old grandmother was admitted to the hospital on Thursday evening with a brain bleed and severe vomiting.

As of 10 pm last night (last update I received) the bleeding is no worse but no better and they still haven't been able to stop her from vomiting.

My 84 year old grandfather (with a heart condition) has not left her side. The ICU nurses called his cardiac doctor into the unit because they were afraid he was having a heart attack but he had refused to go down to the ER to be checked. He is now on a portable monitor since he refuses to leave her side.

I am asking for prayers that GOD be with them both. If this is her time to go join GOD that he is merciful and allows her to go without pain and that he sends his calming presence to be with my grandfather and the rest of our family.

My mom, an only child, is also a mess.

My grandparents names are Dot and Jim Heaney. They are the parents to 1, grandparents to 2, great-grandparents to 11 and the great-great-grandparents to 2 almost 3.

~Just Me

Twitter

So I broke down and joined TWITTER. Will I use it? Not sure but I finally felt the need to be hip and in with the "it" crowd.

Follow me on Twitter right here on my blog page--------> Or find me and add me to your list.


~Just me

BUZ NIGHT

After dinner tonight my husband and sons did their bi-monthly ritual. BUZ NIGHT.

Aren't they handsome!?

My husband figures we save a bunch of money by him doing it himself. Not a bad job and the only one that complains is Konnor. He is still in the "I want to be just like you mommy", meaning the long hair.

Oh, Ray made me promise to tell you that he is hunched over and is really much taller then he looks in the photo :)

~Just Me

The 42 year old child

I can almost bet that women, when reading the title to this blog, automatically thought HUSBANDS.

Sorry to disappoint you but this one is about me. It dawned on my last night, that even though I am 42 3/4 years old, I still feel like a child. Not the kind that wants to play all the time, but the kind that is still waiting for permission to do things. Waiting for approval and praise. Guess what, it's a long wait.

I look in the mirror and I see a grown up. I look into myself and I see a child.

I am a wife, a mother to seven, a grandmother to one. I own a house, three cars and numerous other things that should make me feel like an adult. I can legally vote, drink and smoke but for some reason I still feel like a child.

I don't think at this point in my life this is going to change on it's own, so how do I go about changing how I feel, OR should I?

~Just Me

Blog #2

Just wanted to let you all know that I have started blogging on my website for my rabbits, about my rabbits. Feel free to check it out and let me know what you think.

www.bluemountainrabbitry.webs.com

~Just Me

The Rabbit Barn

When I started with my rabbit hobby, I really thought that I was going to keep it small. I thought the spare room in the back of my house would be plenty enough to house the one of three rabbits that I was going to have.

WELLLLLLLLLLL, The saying is so true! RABBITS ARE LIKE POTATO CHIPS - YOU CAN'T HAVE JUST ONE OR THREE!

My rabbit hobby is very quickly outgrowing my spare room in the house. I also have come to realize that I am so hooked that by this time next year it won't be totally out of the question that I will have more then 50 rabbits.

My husband is so wonderful and knows me so well. He knows that simply little things are what make me the happiest. He knows that being with my rabbits has made me a much happier person to be around. He knows that I really want to be a top breeder or quality show and pet rabbits. He knew that I wanted my own, not part of the house, professional rabbit barn.

I love my husband when he knows just what I want. With out me knowing it, he went out and got all the wood and supplies needed to build me my very own rabbit barn.

He pulled in the drive way the other day with the pickup truck full and the trailer also.

He bartered for almost all it so the project is going to cost us next to nothing!

Since the ground was already torn up from our little plumbing job and he decided to use that area for the new rabbit barn.

He first laid 4 inches of stone as a foundation and then started with the flooring.

After the floor was done he stared on the walls. Here he is putting together wall one. You can see Konnor off to the left picking my daffodils.

Konnor, even though he just turned 4, wants to be Daddy's helper. He was able to carry the 2 x 4's over to the job site all by himself.

Of course he needed lots of breaks. Those 8 foot long pieces of wood are heavy mom!

The frame for the walls went up pretty fast and soon it was time to put up the outside of the walls. This is where I got to help. It took both of us to carry and nail them into place.

Kaylynn's boyfriend, Jeff and his brother Joey, are over today to help raise the roof. Ray thinks that by the end of the day my new rabbit barn will be enclosed!

Of course he still needs to shingle the roof, add the door and the window, paint the sides, insulate the inside ......

Knowing how our home projects go, I am thinking my barn should be ready for the rabbits sometime in July or August. Ray says by the end of the month. Glad he is confident.

~Just Me

Book vs. Movie

I love to read. Reading to me becomes a magical experience. When I pick up a good book it is like a tiny movie screen pops up into my head. If it is a REALLY good book it almost seems as if I am teleported into the book. I feel the air, smell the scents, become one with the book. I can become so intertwined with the characters that I can physically feel their pain.

Movies I love too. I love to watch a good movie. My favorite are the kinds that make you laugh until you cry and cry until you laugh. Movies that pull out those strong emotions in me. I remember watching War of the Worlds at the drive inn theater (the one with Tom Cruise) and having my stomach muscles ache for days afterward. What I hate are movies that don't do books justice.

After reading the Twilight series of books in January, and loving every page of them, my girls and I eagerly awaited the DVD release this past weekend. I knew just how every scene should be filmed, how each character should look, how they should sound and move. In my mind I had already seen the movie, the one that my mind had created while reading the books. I had become one with those books.

Last night Kimberly and I watched the movie. To say that I was unimpressed would be a huge understatement. I was furious! The characters were all wrong, the acting was less then "b" rated, the interaction between the characters was laughable. The filming was less then average. I have seen Jr high plays that were put together better. I had really hoped for something better.

Now I am not sure if I am going to waste my time with the next movie in the series. They reportedly just started filming it. The only thing that might tempt me into it is that they have a new director. Maybe I will let my girls go first and see if it is worth my time and disappointment.

For those who thought the movie was right on target, I am sorry that my opinion differs. For those that agree with me, lets keep our fingers crossed that this new director gets it right this time.

~Just Me

Add 4 please

Welcome to the twilight zone - or at least my version of it. Every since I met my husband we have fallen into this unknown zone whenever we do any kind of home project. It never fails, every project, every time!

Laying a new carpet in our playroom which was to take around 3 hours turned into a 3 day affair when we found that the flooring under the carpet also needed replacing.

The new toilet for the powder room which I was to take an hour, turned into a week long project when the pipe cracked and needed to be replaced.

The chicken coop that was scheduled for two weekends has been under construction now since last October!

Our latest project, which I honestly thought would take all of 45 minutes has now been lasting 4 days. I having a feeling it is going to be going on for 4 more weeks at this rate!

My kitchen sink started draining slowly a few weeks ago and then stopped flowing all together last week. After my husband tried every known drain cleaner on the market I finally called a plumber. He came out on Thursday and after 3 hours and $250 later determined that the pipe that leads out of the house to the drain field was either severely clogged or collapsed.

We hired a friend to come over and dig up the pipe on Friday. He worked 5 hours and then his son came and worked another 5 hours undigging this pipe. Part of the problem was that we weren't sure exactly were this pipe ran.

Yesterday they finally got the entire pipe dug up and it was determined that it was so clogged with 50 years worth of debris that it would need to be replaced. Ray went out and got new, larger pipe and they started to remove the old and put in the new.

NOT SO FAST!

We live in a VERY old farm house. Our kitchen sink, on it's on drain line, has a single pipe that drained right into the creek on our property. Our neighbor across the way came over and was quiet upset. He never knew that for the last 50 years it was already doing this. The creek runs along his property and into his pond.

SOOOOO now we have to add a drain field so it will be filter before reaching the creek. More time, more money.

My wonderful husband has been out for the last 3 hours picking up the needed supplies to accomplish this while I have 3 teenagers digging a larger drainage area. Oh and did I mention that the ground water level around here is VERY high and that every ten minutes they are coming into the house, through my kitchen with those muddy shoes??

So what I honestly thought was going to be a 45 minute plumbing job has already turned into a 4 day affair with no end in site!

Next house, brand spanking new and we will have a live in handy man!

~Just Me!

My baby turns 4

Happy birthday Konnor!

Today my baby turns 4 years old. My little baby boy is no longer a baby. He no longer looks like a baby either.

He announced this morning, while coming down the steps that it was his last night going to bed with pull-ups on since now he is 4 and "way to old for baby stuff". He walked over to the shelf that we keep the pull-ups on near the bathroom and took them to the kitchen and dumped them into the trash.

I am glad he is confident - I am not so sure BUT am willing to give it a try.

I am emotional today about his birthday. Your baby turning 4 is a big deal. One more year and then it is off to school. One more year of Mom being the most important person in his life. One more year of cuddles on the couch and special secret missions together while the older kids are at school. One more year.

Maybe it is even more emotional for me when I think that next week my other baby, my first baby, will be turning 20! This makes me feel old. BUT I refuse to think about that today, I think about that tomorrow.

~Just Me

Ginger needs a home

Last September Ray was sent to Louisiana for work to repair the electric lines that were damaged during the hurricanes. When he came home he wasn't alone. He brought a puppy that had been abandon. He just didn't have the heart to leave her running the streets.

This is Ginger.

She is now about 8 months old. She is a very sweet, loving dog. Well behaved, crate trained, house broken, good with the kids .... She is current on all her shots and the vet says she is in very good health.

BUT now I have to find her a new GOOD home and I HATE IT!

Since we have taken on our new rabbit habit we will be away from home a lot. For some shows we will maybe away for upwards of 18 hours and for other shows we might leave on a Friday night and not get home until Sunday night.

I can't stand the thought of leaving her in her crate for that long and the price for weekend kennel stays is way beyond our budget. So now I must find her a new home.

Ray is trying to comfort me. Our new rabbit habit is more then a hobby for us. It is a business. A way for us to bring more income into our house. Anyone out there with kids can understand the need for more income. It is also helping to bond our family together. Being a blended family hasn't been all that easy - even after 7 years.

So here I am, one of those people asking if anyone knows of anyone who could give Ginger a permanent home. :( I don't want to take her to the SPCA or any other kind of shelter but Ray has given me a deadline to find her a home.

~Just Me

My van HATES Fridays!

I am thoroughly convinced that my van hates Fridays! EVERY Friday for the last 5 weeks my battery has been dead.

Friday is errand day. I think my van is doing this on purpose. I think my van hates running around doing errands. Stupid since it is not like the errands will just disappear or someone else will do them.

Ray will come home, jump start the van and off I will go and do most of the errands that I have to do and the rest will wait until tomorrow.

Waiting until tomorrow STINKS! Saturday should be my sleep until I wake up on my own day. But my van hates doing errands on Fridays during the day and it forces me to get up early Saturday morning and do the banking, running to the mill, and other stuff I can only do during the daylight since most of the town I live near closes at 5 pm. Yes believe it or not there are still towns in America that close early, open even earlier and aren't open at all on the weekends! They keep a "FARMERS SCHEDULE" This was a HUGE shock to my system upon moving up here last spring.

I am getting even with my van tonight though. Ray is coming home NOT with jumper cables but a BRAND NEW SUPER DUTY battery! HA HA HA, I will not have a dead battery again next Friday and I will get all my errands done and I WILL sleep past 5 am next Saturday morning!

~Just Me

Where did I go?

I am lost or at least the person I used to be is lost. Not sure when it happened, not sure if that person just ceased to exist one day or ran away. My husband believes that person is still around but has been suppressed with the duties of motherhood.

My eldest child is about to turn 20. My youngest child is about to turn 4. Do you know that means that by the time my youngest reaches adulthood at 18 I will be working the job of caring for a minor child for 34 years. (sigh)

Ray and I were talking last night about what we are going to do with our income tax return. This year we actually don't NEED to spend it on anything, which has never happened before. This new person that I have become got all excited when Ray pulled up the Home Depot site and started talking about front loading washers. Who is this person? After about 5 minutes of blissfully thinking about that shiny RED EPIC CAPACITY front load (can get all the days laundry done in one load) washing machine, it dawned on my that I have changed so much from who I was 20 years ago and I started to cry.

Ray wasn't sure what to make of these tears. He knows me well enough to know that I do cry when I am happy but even he couldn't be sure why the tears were coming this time, I mean who cries over a washing machine.

Twenty years ago I would have been dreaming of spending the money on a new spring wardrobe, a summer trip to the beach, a day at the spa, BUT not a washing machine. WHO IS THIS PERSON I HAVE BECOME?

Being the awesome husband he is, he pulled me into his arms and said, you want to plan a weekend away without the kids TOO? GOD I love him.

So now I am going to actively search for the person I used to be, but how? Can I put her face on a milk carton, put up flyers, offer a reward? Why has being a mother for 20 years changed who I am so much? Does this happen to every woman or just to me? How do you find someone that you didn't know was lost and you have no idea how long they have been gone?

~Just Me

Are you smarter then the Jeopardy Champ?

I hardly ever get to watch TV before my little boys are in bed so I never get a chance to watch Jeopardy anymore. I used to watch it just to see how unknowledgeable I was.

Last night I actually caught the very end of the show, the final jeopardy question. Now I can't remember the exact wording to the question but it was something along the lines - - This is the only country that will not allow US hurricane hunter aircraft to fly in their airspace.

An answer popped right into my head and I was thinking, geesh that was too easy, must be something else.

The first contestant's answer, North Korea - WRONG
The Second Contestant's answer, Iran - WRONG
The third contestant's answer, China - WRONG

Now people, this was not that hard. I can't ever for the life of me remember a HURRICANE in any of those three countries. Even Alex was a little perplexed with the answers and asked WHERE to hurricanes occur???

Ok so he gives the answer AND I WAS RIGHT! Wow I am smarter, or maybe just listen better, the a jeopardy champ!

OH you want the answer - CUBA, DUH!

Are you smarter then a Jeopardy Champ?

~Just Me

Sick day for Mom (ha ha ha)

No I am not sick, thank GOD. Well maybe sick and tired of being underpaid and under appreciated but not ill.

My husband on the other hand is sick. He has an upper chest infection and is on medicine from the doctor.

I have had at least one kid home sick with me EVERY day for the last week. This means that all my errands have had to be put on hold. When my husband decided this morning that he was too sick to go to work, I thought that he would at least sit on the couch, watch TV and keep an eye on our 3 year old who is still not feeling great.

"But I am sick"

"Yes Babe, I know your sick but I have to get these errands done."

"B u t I a m s s s i i i c c c k k k"

"Yes I know you are that is why you didn't go to work but Konnor is sick too and I don't want to drag him around all day."

{cough, hack, cough} "But I just want to lay down. I am sick"

"Yes I know that but if it was just ME that was sick, I would still have to get the kids up for school, make breakfast, get them on the bus, take care of Konnor, the dog, the cats, the rabbits, the chickens AND still do all the errands that can only be done during the day. So can I leave Konnor with you while I do my errands."

{SNORE}

He fell back to sleep and that was the end of that conversation.

So the banking hasn't gotten done, the mail hasn't been sent since I have no stamps, the pantry is all but bare and the clothes are piling up since I am out of laundry soap. The chickens are out of straw AND I have been waiting a week to get to Wal~Mart to get a blow dryer since mine up and died.



Maybe we moms can form some type of union and start making demands. Of course going on strike would do us no good since we would only be hurting ourselves in the long run. I mean no one would think of crossing the picket line and do our work for us. That only means that there would be sooooo much more to do when the strike was over.



I wonder what would happened if I just would take Konnor up to our room, put on a DVD, lock the door and run some errands. The problem is I know I couldn't do it and Ray knows that too.

~Just Me

The Bug

One of things I learned early on in my mom of 7 kids career was to have quadruple the number of pillows, sheets, blankets and towels then you would normally need. WHY? because once a stomach bug hits one of the kids it spreads like wildfire. The second thing that I have learned is that even if you completely surround your kid with "throw up buckets" they will miss.The third thing that I learned is that they never get sick after you have had a great nights sleep and you are full of the energy needed to deal with it. They wait until you have decided to stay up a little later then normal to catch a little of Leno and as you are crawling into bed with eyes that feel like bricks you hear it, that unmistakable sound. That sound that even when you think about it turns your stomach. The first thing that runs through your mind when you hear the sound is where is the buckets and the second is do I have enough clean pillows, sheets, blankets and towels to make it through the night cause the last thing you want is to be up all night doing laundry.

Right now we have some mystery virus going through our house. It is accompanied by a very high fever and with some, body aches and vomiting. It is only lasting about 36 hours but that is long enough. The other thing that is different about this bug is it is causing some delusions. Konnor, who is 3, was yelling from his sick bed that he didn't want to go swimming. Ray kept asking me why I keep buying stuff from brand name hotels. Tyler came stumbling down the steps at midnight yelling the school bus was coming and he couldn't find his life jacket.

If having such high fevers in the kids wasn't so scary, it would have been funny!

So far it has touched everyone in the house except for me and Kimmy. I am hoping and praying that I am immune to this bug. GOD help this house if Mom gets sick like that.

Do you think a disaster such as that would qualify for National Guard assistance?

~Just Me