GRANDMA!!!

What kind of a grandma lets her grandchildren sleep with a pit bull?  My mom, that kind.  Yes, those are my kids sound asleep with my uncle's pit bull.  Yes, that is a pit bull sleeping with my kids, and knowing Amber, she loved it. 

Vacation

We had quite a vacation this year.  Me, my mom, my 4 kids, my dog and my sister's dog drove cross country.  Yes; 2 adults, 4 children, and 2 dogs driving cross country.  All and all, the kids and dogs were fairly good in the car.  We drove long and hard, but had some great times.  We saw lots of things: The Mitchell Corn Palace, The Badlands of South Dakota, Mt Rushmore, Custer State Park, Crazy Horse, Devil's Tower, Yellowstone National Park, The Grand Tetons National Park, The Great Salt Lake, and finially ending in Florida.  All and all, a total of 19 different states.  The best part, my kids said that going around seeing these places was better than Disney ever could be.....I love my kids.  Here are a few pictures from the trip.  I will have more at a later date.

A fun Sunday

Since it was a little chilly today (in the 50's) we decided to have a fire.  Of course, when you have kids and a fire it means smores!  The kids had a great time cooking their smores, and feeding the fire. 

Michelle had to have her's deconstructed, And burnt to a crisp.  She is so like her momma!!

While they enjoyed their smores, I cooked on my new grill. This is what we had, with herbed rice and grilled corn. I so love my new grill!

94 DEGREES????

Is it really possible that the temp was a whopping 94 degrees today? The day started nice enough, with lovely 60 degrees, post spring night rain, but driving home today the temp on the car read 94 DEGREES! How is that possible? It is only April 6th. Just a meer month ago we were swimming in snow, now it's sweat. The bees are all buzzing, grills fired up, tulips in bloom. It is wonderful to be warm, but do we really need 94 DEGREES in April?


The one benefit of living in a 90 yr old house is the old plaster walls. Why did they ever do away with them? They are a perfect insulator of weather and sound. Having good sound insulation is important when living on a busy road like I live. Weather insulation is even more important. When getting my new heater and central air a few years back, the HVAC guys were shocked how well this house held it's temps. When I reminded them that I have plaster walls, they smacked their heads and went, "Duh, no wonder!" Gotta love guys!

Spring? What Spring

What happened to Spring?  Earlier in the week the high for the day was maybe 40, now we are looking at a high of 80+.  Did I miss Spring? 
Today, I made the first lawn cutting of the season.   Cut it just enough to clean it up.  I really need to buy a new spindle for my riding mower.  At the end of last season, the star on the current spindle that holds the blade in place broke off.  The only real fix is a new spindle.  Luckily it doesn't take much to replace the spindle.  Just need to take the deck off.  Luckily, I know how to do it. 
There is way too much to do to clean up the yard.  All the raking, mulching, triming, cutting, planting....and it never ends.  I feel like I am running a rat race all the time.  Laundry, homework, charting for work, laundry, taking kids to school, making dinner and lunches, laundry, and more laundry.....I'm drowning in laundry.....

What's Wrong With This Picture

Something is seriously wrong with this picture, can you tell me what it could possibly be??

Maybe that fact that I have the clothes drying on the line with SNOW still on the ground.  The fact that it is warm enough to dry clothes outside with SNOW STILL ON THE GROUND!  When will it ever disappear?  Will spring ever come and will the snow ever go away?

Blessings

My job has been causing me much stress lately.  I have been worried about not having a full time job for several months.  I guess that is what happens when all new management comes in. 

Last week, my worst fears were coming true.  My bosses were talking about cutting my hours from 40/week to 30/week.  I know that might not sound like much, but 30/week means no benefits and a significant cut in salary.  Basically, I work all but 1 weekend a month.  If I could work every weekend, then that would be full time.  If I could work every weekend, I wouldn't have a problem.  I can't work every weekend.  As it is, I only get 1 weekend off a month.  In exchange for that 1 weekend off, I work 10 hrs during the week (2-5hr days).  Well, they are not happy with me doing 2-5hr days, because, sometimes I need to change days.  Mostly, I do Tuesday and Friday, but some weeks I may change that because of my kids.  That is not good enough for them.  They want set hours on set days, or my hours will be cut.  It has been killing me.  I don't know what to do, and I hate asking for help. 

I had to swallow my pride (funny, this weeks church sermon was on pride) and ask for help.  Luckily, I have 1 person I could ask.  She has been there since I started going to my church.  She has helped me through a lot.  I meet her when I first started going through my divorce.  She has seen my through my divorce, and I have seen her go through her seperation.  She has helped me a lot.  I have tried to help her too.  That's the way that I think people should be.  Help when you can, because you never know when you will need help in return.  I asked, she prayed, and she said that she can help.

This post is a THANK YOU.  Thanks Carmen for all your help!  Thanks for being there when I need you, I just hope and pray that I can ever repay you!

My baby....

Happy Birthday D.  Yes, you are still my baby, even at 7yrs old.  You will always be my little man, even if you are 6 ft 4 and 30ys old.  Please don't change your loving spirit.  You are so loving and caring.  You are so precious. 

This year you finially got your wish to know what it was like when you were born...30+ inches of snow on the ground. 

Seven years ago, we were in the midst of a major Nor'easter.  Record amounts of snow falling, and I was scheduled for a c-section on Feb 17.  Given the snow, you would not be born on the 17th, since the doctor could not get to the hospital.  Sure, me and Poppie laughed at that fact.  When the doctor was finially able to make it to the hospital, he called and asked if I could make it to the hospital..no problem.  Early morning on the 18th, Poppie, Me and your dad got into Poppie's truck.  Poppie drove us to the hospital.  Many a car was seen in the ditches, but luckily for us, we had Poppie to drive us in his 4 wheel drive truck (not to mention Poppie was a Colorado State Trooper in his past).  We safely make it to the hospital.  We were the only crazies able to make it there for an elective surgery.  Since I was the only one there, the doctor offered to let Poppie and daddy go into the delivery room.  Unfortunety, the hosital did not have a scrub set for Poppie.  Poppie even offered to drive back home and get his own, but it was not to be.  You always had a special place in Poppie's heart.  Shortly after 9am on Feb 18, 2003 you were born.  My baby boy.  I'm glad you had a great day.  May you continue to have a great year. 
Daniel Jackson, I love you and Happy Birthday.

More snow is a comin

Yes, you saw that right.  We are expecting up to 6 more inches of the fluffy white stuff today.  Of course....just got the driveway halfway decent.  That's it, I'm packing up the kids, leaving everything else, and moving to Florida.

Yes, the snow is really that deep

Kenny is 5ft 2 inches, and the snow is up to his hips......and he told me he was not touching the ground.   Yes, the snow really is that deep, with more expected on Monday.  At this rate, spring will come sometime around July.

My New Snow Shovel

Of my 4 kids, this is my biggest helper.  She complains the least.  Michelle is about 4 1/2 feet tall, and the snow is over her head.  Granted, this long driveway has been shoveled 2 times in the last couple of days, but, yes it is a lot of snow. 

While shoveling, I thought that I could just plow through it with my car....no luck, and I had to dig my van out.  Oh well.  Well, I still have half a driveway to shovel, so I better get back to it.

If yo uwould like to help, come on by, I would never turn down another strong back....

Again? With more due on Monday.....HELP!!!

Yes, this is a standard 4 ft fence

                  

 Might look like more of the same, but believe it or not, there is more there.  The storm has not ended, and we already have 20+ inches of fresh snow on top of the previous 30+ inches....Yes, we are talking a lot of snow.  We are buried in over 4ft of snow, with more scheduled to come on Monday.  There is no place to put all this snow.  Where do you put this amount of snow, when you plow?  Everyone here is saying to ship it to Canada for the Olympics, since they have a shortage. 
This year, Baltimore has had 72+ inches of snow, more than Cleveland or Buffalo....HELP!!!  Someone please come shovel me out!!!

Round 2

Over the next 12 hours, we are expecting another 10-20 inches of............SNOW!!!  I just can't believe it.  My kids and I were joking about it earlier today, we are all going to be walking around in snow tunnels.  We have 33 inches on the ground, and if 20 inches fall, that will leave 53 inches on the ground.  I guess all this snow is one sure way to spark the economy.  Think about it.  Who has been hit the hardest but landscapers and private contractor dump truck drivers?  Most of these hard working individuals have had little work all summer.  BOMB, a couple of good snow storms, and all the money they were out all summer is back in their pockets.  My uncle owns his own dump truck.  He has hardly worked for over a year.  He has made more this winter than all last year.  Moving and plowing snow.  Sure, Obama will get the credit for this.....but the one who should get the credit is Mother Nature.  A week or two of cold snowy weather is a small price to pay for thousands who will now have a good paycheck this winter.

How was this done??

I know that my sense of "art" is a bit strange, but something about this photo just struck me.  It's simple, yet striking some how.  What are your thoughts? 



If I told you that it was taken by my 6yr old change anything?

More Snow Pictures

Just some pictures I took after the storm was finially over.


I can normally drive my riding mower under the branches of this tree in the summer.














Notice the fence, the snow is about 1 foot from the top.












Just thought that this was a pretty picture.  It's looking through some trees into my neighbor's yard at a small pond

Don't know if you can see it, but there is a fence back there somewhere.  It is behind the Maple Tree and infront of the Leland Cypress Trees.  Can you see it??  No, maybe because it is buried in snow...the 4 ft high fence is buried in a snow drift....a snow drift not much higher than the rest of the snow.

Blizzard 2010

Newsflash....Date...Feb 5-6, 2010.....Blizzard hits the Washington DC area.  I have proof, just take a look at these lovely pictures.  To give you an idea how deep the snow is....Notice the pile of branches in the middle of the picture with the flag.....That is a Weeping Pussy Willow tree.  Yes, I said a tree.  This little friend of mine is about 4 foot tall. 
The picture with the fence...see the table behind the fence, Yes the snow really is up to the table top.  The fence is a standard height chain link fence. 
The news is saying that in this particular area of upper Montgomery County there is 30-35 inches, with 5+inches still to come. 
Anyone want to come on over and dig me out??  My road is clear, it really wouldn't be that hard to get to my house.  I'll have hot coffee for you, hot chocolate if you prefer..
Enjoy the pictures, and go ahead, laugh at us poor snowed in folk here in the Mid-Atlantic.

A Good Children's Book

This is a book written by a lifelong friend of mine named Linda Conner.  Linda and I have known each other since we were 12.  She is a 3rd grade teacher in Ohio.  This book is for 3 to 8 year olds.  Please check it out.  Just by the looks of the cover, it is so totally Linda!

11 Years Ago

At 3:07pm on January 8, 2010, my son will turn 11 years ago. 

11 years ago, at this moment, I was sitting in my then house with my parents, sister,  and then husband, making sure I had everything ready to go to the hospital in the morning.  At 7am on January 8, 1999, we were clearing the car off from the snow.  We then took the 5mile drive to the hospital.  I was checked in, and my induction was started.  I was just 2 days past my due date, but the doctor wanted to induce because he estimated me having a 9+ pound baby, and he did not want my son to get any bigger, for fear that I would not be able to deliver the baby naturally.  The doctor broke my water and the nurse started my on the Pitocin drip.  Sometime around 11am, my doctor came by to just check in on me, while there he told my parents that when it came time to deliver the baby, they would have to leave the room, and my dad told him that all he had to do is give them the word and they would leave, no questions asked.  He agreed to let them know when they would need to leave.  By noon I had progressed just 2 cm to 6 cm.  I was hurting pretty good by then.  I asked for the Nubain injection (I would not have an epidural-no injections in my spine for me!!!).  By 2pm, I was fully dialated and ready to push, even though my baby had not fully dropped yet.  The nurse was in the room and gave me premission to push.  I started to push, and just after 1-2 pushes the doctor came rushing in wondering what I was doing.  He then noticed the nurse in the room.  He proceeded to sit on the side of my bed, and coach me through the pushing.  He never asked my parents to leave.  There was my dad on the left side of the bed, holding 1 leg, and my mom on the right side of the bed running back and forth to the bathroom getting my cold wet washcloths (I was so hot!!)  The doctor saw that my parents were helping, and he could tell that they knew what they were doing (That's what happens when both of your parents are nurses).  Instead of having nurses that did not know me to try and help me through the birthing process, I had my parents.  At 3:07pm, Kenneth James Connors was born.  The doctor immediatly placed Kenny on my stomach, and let Kenny's father cut the cord.  Both my mom and dad agreed, the birth of Kenny was as close to a home birth as possible, but with the safety of a hospital birth.  I very much appreciate the fact that they were allowed to stay with me, and witness the birth of their first grandchild. 
Kenny, you have been a wonderful joy in my life, have a great birthday. 

How Styles have Changed, or HAVE THEY???

At my kids' school they are having spirit week.  Today was Decade Day.  In order for the kids to not dress in their school uniform, they had to dress up like they were from a specific decade.  Lizzy choose the 1960's, complete with macreme handbag and moon rock necklace.  It so suits her personality.  She had a blast.


My other daughter went way out of her comfort zone and decided that she would look too much like her mother and choose the 1980's.  She is such a shy child, and with this get-up she ended up getting a lot of attention.

As you can see, her mom still remembered how to style the hair, the only problem....I couldn't find any AquaNet, had to settle on a different brand of hairspray, and luckily for her, it worked almost as well.  I think, what she thought was even funnier than the hair, was that I still had shoes and jewlery from the 80's that she wore. 

Every Day during Spirit Week, they have a winner for the best dressed, and the hair style ended up giving Michelle the win, as well as a lot of attention that she is not used to getting.  Tomarrow for Spirit Week should be a blast....Twin Day.  Grab a friend and dress alike.  The girls are going to go as far as adding each other's freckles and talk at the same time, now, if I can just figure out how to style their hair so it will look the same....my hardest problem.