Thanksgiving.....dirt dessert

Yummy, what does everyone want on Thanksgiving? Dirt dessert!
Caitlyn was in charge of dessert this year. She made her famous brownies with the peanut butter chips in them. She also made fabulous dirt dessert cups. These, for those who aren't in the know, are cute cups that look like flower pots. They are complete with flowers and worms. In reality it is crushed cookies, chocolate pudding and some more of the cookies. Add a gummy worm and top with a fake flower. Not only are they yummy, they are so pretty, too!

Before dinner we all had a feisty game of basket-ball. It was everyone against Steve and William. Steve simply stood by the lowered hoop and stuck the ball in. William had the ball taken away one to many times and got his uber-intense look and was like mad man. Tears from Caitlyn, Conner and Will for miscellaneous fouls. James stripped down to his shirt and continued to play after everyone left.

We snacked, we ate, we snacked, we had dinner, and we had dessert. We were miserable, but oh so happy. We enjoyed watching the new Star Trek movie together (ok, new Kirk is way easy on the eyes).
After the kids were home and in bed, Steve had his traditional leftover plate while I stared at him like he was insane.
On Friday the kids helped us decorate. With their superb help we got it ALL up! All of the outdoor lights, two trees and multiple swags.

Saturday was generally a lazy day. The kids helped me take the dogs for a walk at the walking park to get to know Mom's dogs better. I am happy to report that the alphas appear to be reaching a middle ground and we are hopeful for full integration in December!

On Sunday, it SNOWED! Cool, huh!
It hasn't snowed this early since the year of the sick pony:
http://chaosmayhemandtrouble.blogspot.com/2007/11/cold-winter-storm-plus-sick-pony-equals.html

So, winter finally rolls in and we are excited for Christmas!

And how was your day?

Thanksgiving...........

We had a fun Thanksgiving at Mom's house. The kids played a very heated game of basketball and Will dressed for the occasion. He wore a white button down shirt, dress pants and a vest.

The following is thanks to Dean Koontz, "Santa's Evil Twin"


"Well, now Thanksgiving is safely past,
more turkey eaten this year than last,
more stuffing stuffed, more yams jammed
into out mouths, and using both hands,
coleslaw in slews, biscuits by twos,
all of us too fat to fit in our shoes."

Yup, that is how I feel, sitting on the couch wanting to explode!

Volleyball

Oh wow! The improvement in the girls is undeniable. When they first started, most of the girls couldn't serve or get the ball returned. With just a two week span, the girls have gotten a calm and serious demeanor.
They are doing great! Caitlyn served all five that were allotted to her! And smoked them all. She scored the winning points for her team's second game.
Even better, it is fun to watch the girls encourage each other. This is a team sport with the emphasis TEAM!

Go Hitters!

Fine Jewlery

Today Conner came up to me and said, "Look, it matches. It's for you!"

He then handed me a fine necklace made of hand dyed pasta noodles and strung on the finest twine. True to his word, the colors matched nicely with my blue shirt.

So, everywhere I went today, I sported my fine necklace of blue and green pasta.

Take that, Tiffany's!

HAY!

Recently hay was baled in the field just south of us. It sparked a field trip.

Country sleep overs

Caitlyn had her friend, Saralyn, spend the night. At first glance, it seems like a normal thing. They all had dinner. They watched a movie. They went to bed. They giggled and whispered for about an hour. They fell asleep.
It is in the morning that is becomes apparent that mine is not a normal household.
Up early to get dressed, eat smoothies and do chores. Which means, feed chickens and ducks. Move ducks from pen. Feed horses.
Ok, not to bad. They come back inside for pancakes (and to shout my own virtues, I put chocolate chips and reeses pieces in them!).
Then they played for a bit. And then........I had them clean out the barn. They scooped, the wheelbarrowed, they shoveled.
But the reward? See for yourself!

Conner and his response

Ok, I didn't get a post in yesterday due to internet connection errors....so, two for today!

Yesterday Conner needed re-evaluated for his speech language at school. Our SLP, Mrs. Mary Kay is a wonderful woman. She is calm and kind and has a gift with children. Her forms of therapy go beyond science into a true art form.

I sat as she gently guided Conner through the evaluation. She quizzed him on various pictures, getting him to say certain words that are troublesome.

I was a bit shocked, though, as one point to hear him exclaim, "That's evil."
I have seen these testing cards before I couldn't think of anything that would have prompted that response.
I heard him again, "Mom says they're evil."

And then it dawned on me....he had gotten to the picture of the clown. What a good boy and Mary Kay had a chuckle, too.

Hmmmmm, advanced science from a First Grader

When my sweet little cherubs arrive home they instinctively know that I have missed them. In an effort to make up for a kid free day, they kindly disperse their jackets and back-packs in a wide area to make up for their absence.
As I scooped, gathered and grabbed all of the these various items (not to put away, that would be too kind, and I am not! But to be dumped on the offender's head) I accidentally spilled Jim's bag.
Out spilled three weeks worth of graded papers, flyers from past school events, a library book and two items of Tupperware.
Curious, I recognized one as a container that held Spanish rice, his lunch.
But the other one mystified me.
Now, it had a reddish stain in it that recalled spaghetti lunches, but that was well over a week ago. As we know, no first grader would ever, ever leave a food container sitting unwashed for so long.
Upon closer inspection I began to wonder if it wasn't a science experiment, it did have the look of a penicillin farm.
I held it and looked up to see James watching me.
With a sweet, charming grin, he said, "That's for you." And then ran laughing to chase a brother outside.
Nice.
Little does he know, tomorrow I am going to short sheet his bed. So there.

And how was your day?

WARNING GRUESOME HALLOWEEN PHOTOS!

Yes, I am behind on posts.
Halloween was a blast and the kids scored MAJOR candy.
Caitlyn wanted to be a zombie, and I must say she acted the part well.
Will was an Army guy
James was a cop who didn't know how to duck (hence the bullet wound)
and Conner was Harry Potter, it suited him well.

Just a heads up........Somethings everyone should know..

Cyberstalking

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Cyberstalking is the use of the Internet or other electronic means to stalk someone.

It has been defined as the use of information and communications technology, particularly the Internet, by an individual or group of individuals, to harass another individual, group of individuals, or organization. The behavior includes false accusations, monitoring, the transmission of threats, identity theft, damage to data or equipment, the solicitation of minors for sexual purposes, and gathering information for harassment purposes. The harassment must be such that a reasonable person, in possession of the same information, would regard it as sufficient to cause another reasonable person distress.

and

A true cyberstalker’s intent is to harm their intended victim using the anonymity and untraceable distance of technology.

Question: What is cyberstalking?

Answer: Cyberstalking is a technologically-based “attack” on one person who has been targeted specifically for that attack for reasons of anger, revenge or control.


Cyberstalking is mych like bullying....let's all work to make the world a better place.

Mice are Nice?

My boys are big strapping boys. They are large for their age, especially if you tack on the prematurity. They run willy nilly after horned toads and lizards, they play with stick bugs and keep moving the ever present rubber snake in an attempt to scare the Mama.
So I figured, when I saw Will running to the house, eyes wide, feed bucket thrown up behind him, that there must have been something significant in the barn.
Now, Shiloh (the grouchy gelding) usually keeps the barn free of cats, dogs, annoying birds and large cowboys, so I didn't consider whatever was out there to be a large threat. Maybe a skunk? I would back away from one of them.
So what did William find? Four fuzzy half grown mice running aimlessly in the chicken feed tub. They were barely two inches long. Granted mice bite and scurry quickly, but they are hardly a foe worthy of retreat.
Had James been out there (he was still in the house, insisting that ever zipper, snap and velcro closure be fastened on his parka) he would have given the mice a thump and thrown them to the chickens (which is what I did).
But Will wasn't going to be a part of the thumping process. He gladly cheered his hen on when the mice were tossed in the coop, but he didn't want to see the enemy secured.
I can only imagine what is going to happen when the giant rat from last winter comes back! :)

And how was your day?

Grrrrrrr sometimes you just have to let it out......

Ok, I am driven to my electronic diary, my venting board.
No, the kids didn't do anything.
No, the animals having done anything....unless you count Moe having impaction colic Saturday night. He is fine now, just had to walk him (and walk, and walk) him through it.
You see, I had a business partner. She was willing to keep all the tax paperwork and filing. Or so I thought. Apparently she hasn't filed anything since the tax cert opened, and now that the partnership is over, has been ignoring all the letters being sent to her by the taxation board. So, they call me. There are about 5 or 6 reports that were never filed and guess what??? Five dollars a report for being late. I can't close down the old tax account until these are cleared.
In a sense, I have to do clean up fro someone else's stupidity and immaturity.
Makes you want to reach out and slap someone.
Luckily, business has been consistent and I can pay the taxes.......but it is the nature of having to clean up a mess deliberately left to you by someone that really is angry and petty.
And if I would to try and call said person to clear this up.....it would all be my fault, she would cry and then call my husband at work to complain. Lovely.
So, I am sitting, working on some orders, waiting for the very nice lady at Taxation to call me back and get all of it mailed to me, because I can be grown up enough about it.


WAIT, a phone call!
ok, I am calm.

Dominga at Taxation and Revenue is my new friend, God Bless you Ma'am for you wonderful help and for going the extra mile!! BLESS YOU!