The Daily Grind

because my dad aked

2010-11-30T11:30:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted an entry since a year ago! Everyone has been on facebook and keeping up with my daily grind there but my dad mentioned he missed reading my blog....probably my only reader;) So I guess I'll post here again. I also keep a current blog for my rabbit habbit here.... web.me.com/sheandg. I did have a sewing blog as well but it is too hard to have so many blogs to keep up on so I'll try to post any art/craft/sewing/photo stuff here. I am working on a few craft things but they are all for christmas presents so I can't post them and ruin the surprise. I'll post everything after the gifts have been opened.

please don't get sick

2009-10-15T19:09:00.000-07:00

So Presley had a playdate with a friend last night and her dad calls Greg today because she was at the doctor and has H1N1. I am praying she doesn't get sick!!! It just makes me so nervous I am such a worry wort as it is and I was dreading having this flu in our home. So we will see in the next 5-7 days if she comes down with any symptoms. I will just make she she gets plenty of sleep and eats more healthy stuff. I hope we are spared the flu this year. If she does gets sick please let it be mild. I hate watching our lil' ones sick. There is nothing worse taking care of a sick one when you are sick too.....So everyone say a little prayer that Presley doesn't get sick!!!

Presley is 3 today

2009-10-05T10:26:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday my big girl

The party was good. She got some great presents and she got her cake so she was a happy girl. We are all done with birthdays in this house for another year. I am so sick of eating cake and that is a huge statement for me I could eat cake everyday but I am finally sick of it for the moment. We ( more me...ok ALL me) bought Presley a new guinea pig for her birthday. He is a lil' peruvian. He is very sweet and laid back and loves to cuddle. I think she ended up naming him hamster. We'll see if that sticks we can call him hammie for short. I am so jealous Greg is going to the viking/packer game tonight and I'm not! I bet the crowd is going to be insane. My mom is coming over and we are going out to eat and do some shopping. Presley needs some winter things like boots and hats and a few more outfits. I sold some of her baby stuff the other day so I guess I'll turn around and get her some much needed items. The way the weather has been we should be getting snow any day now. I can't believe how the weather just turned overnight. went from 70's to 40-50's. Greg broke down and turned the heat on sat. I think I could have held out a little longer. This week I start week 3 of my run training. It looks a little more intense this week. run 90 seconds walk 90 seconds then run 3 minutes and walk 3 minutes and alternate. It shouldn't be too bad.

wiped out

2009-10-02T12:52:00.000-07:00

This last month has been so busy with birthdays and entertaining I am so ready for a weeks worth of sleep. The weather has took a dive and it has been rainy and cold for the last few days. We really need the rain but I wish it was a little warmer. Doing the "farm" chores in the cold rain is not as fun. I have to get the garage cleaned before I can move the buns in there. The 3 that got sick are now in there but I wish I would have moved baby Jane in there a few nights ago along with the other 2. I think the very chilly nights stressed her out and her nose has started running again even on antibiotics. She is in the garage now so hopefully she gets better real soon. I just don't know what else i could do. I hope she doesn't have a life long issue. I was suppose to clean today for Presley's birthday party on sunday but didn't get that far. I am spending the day tomorrow at another rabbit show so i guess I'll get up early and do everything sunday mornig...I do better under pressure anywho. Plus we are taking Lyla and Wyatt for a sleepover sat. night so I'm sure 3 toddlers are going to trash the place so I might as well wait cuz if i cleaned before I would be all stressed watching them tear up the joint. It is going to be interesting taking care of 3 -3 year olds!!! They are going to have a blast i just hope they all sleep ok cuz I hate those night wakeups. I think Greg will be on night duty! I have been doing great on my running today will be the last day of week 2 and then it looks like it starts getting a little more intense. Since I don't have a treadmill I'm at the mercy of the weather and it looks like I'm going to be running in the rain when Greg gets home. BRRRRR running in 48 degree cold rain doesn't sound fun but it is just 30 mins. Suck it up I'm a minnesotan!!

football

2009-09-22T12:48:00.000-07:00

Since favre is our new QB I am a little more excited to watch the Vikes this year. The last couple years have been so lame with losing all the time. Now we have another football fan in our home. Presley likes to sit and watch the games and loves yelling touchdown. We also taught her the viking song and she runs around singing. Well today I turned the tv on for her to watch cartoons and she said she wanted to watch football!!! We will have to get some tickets for a least one of the games this year so she can go and cheer them on in person. I might have to get a a jersey too. This is the first year she doesn't have an outfit to wear on football sunday. Her birthday falls on a monday night game when we play the packers. That should be a super fun game to watch since we have their Brett now! We better kick some cheesehead butt!!!! I love the Fall

a mellow weekend

2009-09-20T15:45:00.000-07:00

Other than stressing over my sick buns it was a nice and relaxing weekend. After last week's birthday festivities it is nice to have nothing on the calendar. The 3 sick bunnies seem to be responding really well to the meds and no more runny noses. No one else is coming down with symptoms so hopefully I'll be able to go to the rabbit show next weekend with the healthy buns. Today was day 2 of my 5k training. It feels so good to be out and running again I can't wait to build up some stamina cuz right now I feel like a big ole elephant running thru the neighborhood with everything jiggling!!! I am so looking forward to BSF this week with Presley. I signed up last week and we are suppose to start wed. and she'll go into her lil' bible study class with the other toddlers. I am nervous to see how she is going to do this will be the first time she has been in a class without me. She is actually going to have to take instruction from a teacher and have to listen and do....I wish i was a fly on the wall during her first class. So when I am in my study group she'll be in hers. It is 2 hours so we'll see how she does!!! I miss being in a bible study it has been about 5 years since I was in BSF. I have to work on Presley's b-day invites for her party 2 weeks from today. I might be lazy this year and just send out an email!!! I need to catch up on my scrapbooking too.......maybe tonight I'll work on it after she goes to sleep. I just hate how dark it is getting so early I feel like being in bed by 8pm now!!!

couch potato to 5k

2009-09-18T17:47:00.000-07:00

So my GF Sam and I are both starting the couch potato to 5k program. We are both going to sign up for our first 5k hopefully do the turkey trot. It is a 9 week program and says you'll be running 3 miles nonstop by then. So tonight was my first day and it was not bad other than I have a start of a cold so I was a little tired but the last half was much easier than the first half. I always hate the first 7-8 minutes of exercise and then once I get past that it always seems easier. So 3 days a week doesn't seem too hard......and I like a set program that starts out fairly easy it seems much more doable than just hitting the pavement and burn out right away. You also are watching your watch so you forget you are even running. I have been eating birthday cake nonstop since saturday!!!! The scale is not my friend right now but man I love cake!~

on a stressful note 3 of my rabbits are sick. I noticed Kline had a runny nose and heard him sneeze so I moved him away from the rest of the herd and the next morning baby jane sneezed and I looked over and she had white snot from her nose so I freaked and called the vet and got them both on antibiotics. Then tonight I noticed Bety had a wet nose and crusty front paws so I gave her some of Kline's antibiotics right away and will have to get more next week. It is a rabbit owners worst nightmare when the "snuffles" hits. It can wipe out a whole herd in no time. Rabbits are very good about hiding an illness and they can look fine one day and be dead the next. Hopefully I caught it early enough and everyone gets better. The only thing is sometimes a rabbit can have a chronic problem and need antibiotics for the long term. I think most breeders will just remove the animal from their herd if that happens because it is sooo contagious. I am just beside myself dealing with this. I guess I will see what happens and hopefully no one else gets sick. I will also have to see if anyone has a chronic problem and deal with that situation when the time comes. I am so bonded with baby Jane she is such a lover and I really hope she doesn't continue to have any more problems. I am not sure how it happened. I think Kline got sick first. Most rabbits can carry it but sometimes when they get stressed it can attack. Not sure if the big 40th birthday bash with all the people here stressed him out?? Well whatever it was I hope I don't have to deal with this again. Poor bun buns.

another year

2009-09-15T07:09:00.001-07:00

wow 37!!! I am not a fan of odd numbers usually those years tend to be a little more "off" but hopefully 37 brings me lots of good times....how could it not with presley!! I had a great weekend I surprised greg with a 40th bash. He had no clue and I got him good. It happened to be my birthday weekend so i took advantage of the party too. Tonight family are coming over for a b-b-g and cake to celebrate my day. Greg's actual b-day is the 27th this month. Then Presley is a week later so a busy time for us. I love the fall it is my fave. The weather is a little warmer than usual but the nights get down to the 50's and I love it. I now I 3 chickens that are laying Penny popped a egg out sunday. She was squawking up a storm and a little later saw her in the corner and an egg under her. Now just 3 left to start laying and then I should be getting plenty of eggs a day so I won't have to buy anymore at the store. ok off to go do something.......

made my first goal

2009-09-10T12:33:00.001-07:00

So my first goal was to lose 10 pounds by my birthday and I did it with 5 days to spare. Even with the family reunion and the state fair I managed to still lose in time. SOOO now my next goal is to lose 10 more by thanksgiving. That is a nice mellow goal for 11 weeks away. I might be able to do more but that is a good start I don't want to feel too deprived. I am just looking forward to getting my pre-presley body back. I never knew how hard it was to lose this dang baby weight. She was worth every ounce but man she is almost 3 and I am still fartin' around with getting serious about dealing with it. I figure by the end of this year I should be at "my ideal" weight. Not sure if I'll ever see size 2 again but not really that important like it was when I was in my 20's. Just feeling good about myself and more energy is what I'm shootin' for. Now If I could just get more exercise in my routine I would be golden.....baby steps!

I made the right choice

2009-09-09T12:56:00.000-07:00

for fun I was surfing the web and came across this......both Greg and Presley are libras and I'm the virgo...thought is was fun

Efficient and organized, Virgo is a sign that values order, logic and communication. In their romantic relationships, they favor a devoted partner who shares their love of structure, service to others and the finer things in life. Their loyal nature ensures they have a good chance of making any relationship work, but they will find the most bliss in the following unions:

Virgo and Libra

A partnership between these two signs can be quite harmonious, owing to their shared love of culture and beauty and their desire for security in a relationship. With similar goals and values, these two work well together because they are both working for the same thing.

Virgo and Libra both have a taste for the finer things in life, possessing a shared passion for art, collecting and the theatre. They both love a good conversation, and bring culture and beauty with them wherever they go. Both signs also have a reputation for snobbery, thanks to Virgo’s high expectations and Libra’s tendency to see themselves as intellectually superior to others.

Both signs also share a love of balance, and have a strong appreciation for the differences between them. Virgo admires the charming and diplomatic sides of Libra’s personality, and Libra values Virgo’s love of structure and order, as well as the benefits that come with it.

Many of this pair’s differences actually complement each other well. Virgo is a mutable sign, easygoing and adaptable, while Libra is a cardinal sign and prefers to take the lead. However, Libra is not dominating, but instead offers gentle guidance, to which Virgo responds well.

Cupcake and George

2009-09-08T10:29:00.000-07:00

George

Cupcake

So here are 2 pics one of cupcake the mini rex I got and a new lionhead buck. I decided Lionel isn't going to cut it with being a herd buck. His mane stinks and Bety won't breed with him so I got a new buck. He is only 3 months old so he needs another 6-8 weeks or so before I can use him to breed. If Bety turns him down then I'm not sure what to do....guess she is a lot like me;). I need to build a nestbox for Vivien incase she is preggo. If she is she is due in about 10 days or so. We had a gorgeous weekend for weather. Yesterday we went to the arboretum and it was just beautiful. That place is stunning with all the gardens and landscaping. I didn't bring my big camera because I wanted to walk without lugging it around. Greg had his little P&S so we got some pics. My neck is still healing and I just can't have anything heavy around it for a little longer. Maybe I'll make an appt. for a massage next week for my birthday. I can't believe I'm going to be 37 already! My diet is going good I am down 9 pounds so it looks like I will hit my 10 pound goal for my birthday!~!! My next goal is to lose another 10 by thanksgiving. I think as long as I keep the goals simple and not to lose the weight to fast like I usually do I think I will keep it off. Before I would lose the weight in half the time but it always crept back on. I really need to start working out more that will help speed it up a little more and turn the mush to muscle. All I know is 9 pounds feels good and it is a great motivator to see more come off.

bunny fun

2009-09-05T16:33:00.000-07:00

I went to the owatonna rabbit show today. Laural got to my house at 6 am and I loaded 5 of my buns to take. Laural brought her tans she had about 20 she was showing. I was proud of Bety my lionhead she took BOB ( best of breed) and Jara my fuzzy lop took BOG (best of group) The judge said Baby Jane looked very promising but she got beat out because she was so young and not developed as much as the others in her class. She is still so young but i was curious to see what the judge that of her and chester. Chester also got good marks so in the spring when they are more mature I think they might do well on the table. Vivien my other fuzzy didn't do very well which I wasn't shocked she is long in the body and not a good head. I will breed her with Kline and see what kind of babies she throws and figure out from there. I bred her to kline 2 weeks ago but not sure if it took. I will but a nestbox in her cage in about 12 days and see is she starts making a nest and just wait. If she isn't pg I will try again. I know Bety isn't because she wasn't letting lionel "in". I tried again today with laural here and still she wasn't in the mood. I think I will wait until I see if vivien is pg and try them both in a few weeks. A few people wanted to know if bety was for sale but no she is a keeper. I wish I would have had some lionhead buns to sell today cuz I would have done well.

So yes I came home with another bun. I found a tri colored mini rex for 5 bucks and said sold. Greg loved the mini rex because they are so ultra plush. Greg named him cupcake. He is a sweet boy but too big to show and breed so he will just be a pet. He was born on new years day so he is 9 months old now. But now I am thinking about getting a pair of lynx mini rex to show and breed.....but will wait until spring even though convention is next year here in MN and it would be great to have some good stock to show and sell. It is in oct or nov next year so I would have 1 year to breed and get some wins and show prospects under my belt. I am just really excited to get a few litters out of mine. I am still on the fence about lionel he is lacking in the mane dept. but will give him a chance with one litter before I find a different herd buck.

I love my rabbits and going to shows is so much fun now that I actually have a few to bring and put on the table. I can't wait until Presley is old enough to do this with me too.

just a hen house

2009-08-23T19:02:00.000-07:00

Well it is officially just a hen house now. I found pearl a home today since he started crowing a couple days ago. So no more roosters just hens living in the coop. Greg was bummed out Pearl turned out to be a boy he liked that white fuzzy guy. Petunia is now laying eggs too. So just 4 more girls are free loaders still and should be laying soon. It was a wonderful weekend and the weather couldn't be any more perfect. I am so excited the state fair is starting this week and we are going on friday. The rabbit show is friday morning so I will be there early and probably spend most the day there. I can't wait to check out the poultry too. I could spend the whole day at all the barns. The MN fair is the best!!! Presley was sick all weekend. She had a fever and was lethargic but that was all. I kept waiting for the puke/poop but nothing. It was actually kinda nice cuz she just laid around so we were able to do things around the house without her needing to be entertained. I still felt bad but enjoyed a calm Presley too.

lazy saturday

2009-08-15T19:45:00.001-07:00

Today was a great lazy day Greg had to run to do some work in the morning and was home around noon and we did a little yard work and played in the yard with Presley. Mark & Georgia came over with the twins and they all bounced on the tramp and ran around the yard naked!! They were running thru the sprinkler so 3 naked toddlers streaking the backyard was too funny. That is Presley favorite thing to be is naked. That girl is always pulling off her clothes and running around in the buff. I think when the temps turn -20 degrees around here she'll be singing another tune. I caught Porckchops my d'uccle chicken laying another egg today so that has been her! I made sure she got her props today and Greg thinks I'm a totally loony bird as I was praising her for being such a good chicken!!! Oh well I get a kick out of it.....

eggs for breakfast

2009-08-14T08:41:00.000-07:00

Last night I was giving the chickens fresh water and noticed 2 little eggs in the corner!!! So exciting to have fresh eggs already. So this morning I couldn't wait to crack them open and see what they looked like and tasted like. They are very tiny still but as the chickens get older they will be a little bit bigger. So they were so tasty and the yolks were such a pretty orange color. Presley liked them too. I am so proud of my girls and so excited for fresh eggs from here on out!! No more buying grocery store eggs......

she also ate a fresh green apple from the neighbor's tree......living off the land;)

5 pounds

2009-08-12T13:27:00.000-07:00

I stepped on the scale monday and am down 5 pounds for the first week......I was hoping to be down 20!!! lol

Last night was bad cuz we went to the dakota county fair and I ate some no-no's wasn't that bad but still not great but hey the fair is so hard to not eat at when everyone is stuffin' their faces on greasy and chocolate. I am back at it today and will continue the strict low carb until monday and access the progress. I haven't been doing any cardio which is slowing the process but it is HOT and I hate sweating and our air went out and it is close to 90 degrees!!! I am NOT a fan of the heat. I feel really bad for my bunnies they look miserable. I have been misting them down and put some frozen water bags in their cages. It looks like just 3 more days of this heat and then back down to high 70's The only good about our air being out is our electric bill isn't going to be so high. Ewww I just took a sip of lemonade after brushing my teeth....yuck!!!! I have to work tonight and I hope my clients don't melt in my chair without our air working. It is a split level home so the basement feels about 10 degrees cooler so that is good. Greg is working on the unit so hopefully he can get it going before calling a "pro". Oh the neighbor just came over and got it running!!! Yeah!!!!

Atkins

2009-08-05T11:25:00.000-07:00

Yet another attempt to lose this fat!! I have tried it once before (maybe twice) and it worked well when I was on it I just only did it for a couple 2...3 weeks and then went back to full on carbs. What I love about atkins is it is stuff I love to eat, meat and cheese and eggs. I have been doing the atkins bars and shakes too they are easy and quick when I need to put something in my belly. The choc coconut bars are sooo good just like a candy bar. I started monday and yesterday I hit a nasty wall of something?? I think it was sugar detox!!! I got so sick I felt like puking and so tired I had to sleep most the day then last night I was all better and today I have so much energy and it is a nice constant energy. I have been cleaning non stop all day. I think my problem was I always was carb chasing and I get so shaky and crabby if I don't eat all the time. I think with more protein I don't have to ups and downs and I really do feel content most the day not like I need to eat my arm off with most diets. So I am committing to this for 6 weeks and then see what to do at that point. If you think about this it is a healthy way to lose weight. Lean meats like fish and chicken and green veggies and olive oils...also don't forget about the great cheese and beef that this girl loves!!! I think I can do this....wait I know I can do this for 6 weeks!!! 6 weeks goes so fast!!!

attack of the ants

2009-08-03T07:13:00.000-07:00

Saturday I spent weeding some more and I guess I was sitting on an ant hill and all of a sudden I felt bites all over me and realized I was being attacked by tiny ants. Man they hurt and now I have welts and they itch SO badly!!! I want to scrape my skin off. It even woke me up in the middle of the night and the more I scratch the more it itches. I had to get up and try putting different things on to make it stop so I could fall back to sleep. I put a good dent in the weed situation but I don't think I will get it under control this summer...maybe next year Greg will help, he is boycotting the yard this year. I had the house to myself yesterday and I laid in bed and watched old movies all day!!! I loved it and really miss those little luxuries. Greg took Presley to Red wing and they had a parade so she came home all sugared up again. I swear we are allowing her way too much sweets!!! And this is coming from a mom who said " I am not letting my kid eat any candy!" UMM yeah that seems to be her main staple lately. This kid doesn't need any sugar to fuel her energy either. At least she doesn't get any more candy for going potty since she is completely trained now. It has been a few weeks with no accidents she even stays dry all night and gets up and pees in the morning by herself. All I have to do is wipe her butt after pooping. She will come out of the bathroom and say "presley pooped" and bends over with her butt in the air for me to wipe. It is funny though she will not use a porta-potty. Greg had to bring her to a store yesterday at the parade cuz she wouldn't use the nasty porta-potty....I don't blame her I hold it for as long as I can before I finally break down and have to use those stinky things. She sees the nasty poop sitting in them and refuses to use it. Man they are nasty!!! So I just realized I turn 37 in 6 weeks and I HAVE to try to get back on the weight loss/exercise kick. I need to be down 10 pounds by sept. 15th!! I don't want to be my weight on my birthday, I need to crack down and get serious!!!! Why can't I find self control lately?? I never had a problem with losing weight I would get on a diet and a few weeks later lose 10 pounds without that much effort. Since being preggo I just can't seem to get it together. So frustrating!!!

more of the same

2009-07-20T19:22:00.000-07:00

Another monday that I spent cleaning and doing laundry. Tomorrow we are most likely going to the zoo as long as there is no rain. The only thing that is on my list to do this week is to weed which is totally out of control!!! In a way I am looking forward to snow just so everyone can't see all my weeds. There is just not enough presley-free hours in the day for me to spend 3-4 hours straight on weeding. I guess I could spend 2 hours in the beds while she is sleeping but I hate getting into a project to be interrupted when I'm in the groove. Presley still is having fun on the tramp but she doesn't like to bounce by herself so one of us bounces with her. Oh well I didn't plan on it being a babysitter but it would have been nice....zip her in there and come back out in a few hours......yeah that would be great!!!!

Trampoline

2009-07-16T15:33:00.000-07:00

Greg bought Presley a trampoline. I am calling it her very early b-day present! It is fun but man are they an eye-sore in the yard. We are running out of room in this yard we really need a few acres. We have been bouncing non-stop for the last couple days. It is such a great workout though. I put my heart rate monitor on to see and I was able to keep my HR up without too much bouncing. Just got those arms a-flappin' and that is all it took. So I was doing jumping jacks at 7:30am this morning while she was bouncing along. It is a good way to start the day it gets the adrenaline flowing. It also keeps the core engaged at all times and my core needs lots of help! I am so excited for the upcoming rabbit show this weekend!! It is only an hour away from me so I don't have to be up at 2:30am this time. I can sleep till 5:45. I am hoping to find a good looking doe for Opie. I am hoping she will be about 5 months old or if not at least she can be proven and a little older. Opie won't be ready to breed for another 5 months or so. Either way I will probably wait till the cold winter starts warming up. I think maybe about March unless I bring the lops in the garage too. I would really love to find a pair of american fuzzy lops but I think Greg would kill me if I went with 3 different breeds. They are all so cute....I need to relax!

too fast

2009-07-10T09:54:00.000-07:00

wow this summer is going way too fast and I have so many plans in my head of things I want to do but time is slippin' thru my fingers. The weather has been so wonderful this year. It is a little on the cooler side which I prefer but still in the 80's. I just hate the high 80-90 degree days. My garden is growing well and so are the weeds. I need to dedicate a few nights weeding after P goes to sleep but that is when the skeets come out and I am already loaded with bug bites. The gnats have been bad and I have a ton of bites on my scalp. You know now that I'm thinking about things I have not seen one bug bite on Presley???...maybe she isn't sensitive to mosquitos?? Wouldn't that be great I do know some people who don't seem to be effected by them. We bought a wii fit the other day and it has been fun working out with it. We've had the wii for awhile and haven't used it much lately so it is nice to put it to use again. I actually was and still am sore from some of the yoga poses and strength training. The lunges always get me ....I love the burn. I can't believe how fast you lose your tolerance and get out of shape so quickly when the couch is your friend. Not much planned for the weekend I think Greg has to work and I work tomorrow so that is a bummer. I just have 2 clients so it won't be too long. Presley has been a real good girl lately. She is talking so much more ...too the point that she never shuts her mouth. I am finally understanding most everything she says without making her repeat but others still need a translation. I think her fave time of the day is when daddy walks thru the doors she lights up and starts squealing and running around like a crazy person every time. It has to just make Greg's day to come home to that after a long work day.

slackin'

2009-07-06T09:58:00.000-07:00

wow I didn't realize it has been so long since I updated the blog. We had a great weekend out of town for the fourth. I hired my neighbor to take care of my "farm" so we could leave for a few days. Everyone was still alive by the time we got back so that was great news. We took our annual trip to Gilbert to enjoy northern MN for the 4th of july. They have a wonderful torchlight parade for the kids with tons of candy. I bet Presley has a cavity in every tooth by now. I swore I wasn't going to let her eat candy as a little baby but I think she has consumed more than most kids by now. It is one battle I just don't care to fight. We kept her up for the fireworks this year and she enjoyed them. This girl has no fear and I think the only think she is frightened of is bugs. The neighbors up north had a trampoline and now greg wants to get one for her....well him too! They make them so safe now with the netting around them so people can't fall off. I think we will wait until next year before we buy one. Greg bought one when we first moved out here to this house and we used it quite a bit but then he got bored with it and we sold it in a garage sale one year. I just can't believe it is july already this summer is flying by but it has been so great so far. I love summer.

hot hot hot

2009-06-23T19:41:00.001-07:00

Lionel

Man the last 2 days have really been nasty sticky hot. The air has been running non stop and it still feels warm in the house. My poor bunnies are just panting. I brought Opie in the house a few times and let him cool off in the bathtub. The nice cool tub must have felt good on his belly. Lionel the Lionhead I dipped him in the kiddie pool a couple times and I think he enjoyed the cool down too. I think it is going to be better for the next few days. I guess it is summer now. Not much else has been going on quite boring around here...no new critters

humid

2009-06-19T08:32:00.000-07:00

I just can't handle the humidity as I have gotten older and carrying a little more body fat than I am used to. I caved and put the air on today. It isn't that it is going to be too hot but that humidity makes me crazy. When you are just sitting in the house and you are all clammy and sweaty your know it is time for the air. Presley also is like a little furnace so I think she will have a better nap today. The last couple days it is been hot in the house and her naps last about 1.5 hours compared to her 2.5 hours like usual. She is also cutting all 4 2 year molars so I am sure those are causing a little bit of a problem. We have a busy weekend. Tomorrow is our 12 year wedding anniversary and then father's day on sunday. Also our nephew's open house is tomorrow. I can't believe he is graduated from high school. I remember when I first started dating Greg he was just about 3-4 years old....not much older than Presley and now he is off to college. That just makes my head spin knowing it is just going to go so fast and I'll be sending Presley off to college someday...if she wants to go. For now I am going to cherish every moment even the bad ones cuz it really is going so fast already.

Kickin' my butt

2009-06-12T12:46:00.000-07:00

I don't know what my problem is this week but I am soooo tired. The first thing I do is run to my coffee pot and brew the thickest black tar you ever drank and that doesn't even seem to help. I could have taken a nap today but I have to get up at 2:30am to leave for the rabbit show in the morning!!! I am going to be one tired lil' girl by tomorrow night. I am riding up with a lady I have never met, I just found her this week, she breeds french lops and is going to the show to show some of her rabbits. I was going to buy one from her but then I found out about the show and I want to check out some rabbits there first. She only has solids and I really love the brokens so I didn't want to settle until I check out all my options. I told Greg last night that I want to start showing and maybe breeding french lops....he didn't say much other than as long as it doesn't take up too much of my time. I think he just doesn't want to be stuck home with Presley on the weekends all the time. I said when she is old enough her and I'll be out of your hair and you can have some weekends to yourself. I guess I will see what happens this weekend and if it looks like something that would be fun I'll just play it by ear. So back to going up there with a complete stranger.....if you don't hear from me again you know what happened!

My muscovy ducks are 2 weeks now so I have taken them outside a couple times this week to play. They are so dang cute waddling all around. They are still pretty nervous of us but will let us be by them. They say not to be too friendly with them cuz when the boys hit sexual maturity they can view us as an equal and can get aggressive if there are females he is trying to swoon. Well if I have a male and he is nasty he will just go bye-bye. They have sharp claws and we don't need any crazy males attacking us. I still need to work on a duck house for them. I think by this time next week they can have free range of the backyard and they will need a place to go into at night from predators.

Booboo is doing well since he has been back home. I have treated him twice with DE for his fleas and yesterday I couldn't find any live ones on him so hopefully they are all dead and we don't have a problem in the yard with any more fleas. I think I contained it to just him in his cage but one never knows about those nasty bugs. In 12 years of owning animals I have never had to deal with any fleas so this is a first for me. I'm not worried about the chickens cuz they have DE in their bedding and the new rabbit I get I will put DE in his bedding as well. I should sprinkle some in the dog's bedding and maybe rub Louie down with some too just for preventive measures. You can never be too safe. DE is diatomaceous Earth it is wonderful stuff for many things. You just have to make sure it is food grade cuz they have stuff that isn't and it is toxic.

where's booboo?

2009-06-10T11:41:00.000-07:00

IN MY GARDEN!!!

I took this pic out my bedroom window. Yes he is helping himself to my newly planted veggies. He won't touch the weeds that are growing ....no he wants the good stuff. Last night one of my clients brought me a live trap they have and I set it out with his fave , timothy hay. He sat in sniffed around the cage but won't go into it. I'll leave it for awhile and maybe he'll get use to it and feel comfortable and we can catch him. He is ruining my plants so hopefully we can get a fence around it and maybe can catch him in there and then he can't get out. I just hope we can get him before the fox in the neighborhood does.

Since we are on the bunny subject the hutch is almost done!! I am heading to a rabbit show in grand rapids on saturday and hopefully will be coming home with a new french lop!!! I met a breeder and we are driving up together and I am going to be her assistant for the day. I think I might get into showing french lops!! I know I know I am one crazy woman. Now I can't just be called the crazy chicken lady now it will be the bonkers bunny lady, the dorky duck lady and the list continues. Hey one can never say I don't like trying new things. I know when Presley is old enough I will be getting her into 4-H and she can show rabbits and/or chickens. It can be a mother/daughter team. I will have to get her a smaller breed of rabbit to show cuz I don't think a 4-5 year old will be able to lug a big 15 pound bunny around very easily. She could do the holland lops or maybe if the lionhead becomes a recognized breed she can do that. I would have loved that as a child. I am just living my childhood now the way I want to. I don't want to be old and have regrets about not doing the things I wanted to. It is going to be pure torture to only come home with one bunny this weekend......

sproutin'

2009-06-05T13:02:00.000-07:00

I planted a bunch of veggies from seeds last week and they are all sproutin' thru the ground. The carrots I don't see yet so hopefully they will be soon. Now I'm not sure when I start thinning them out cuz there are so many so close together. I have never had a veggie garden so I am just kinda winging it this year. I planted 17 tomato plants and I think a few are kinda close so I might have to rearrange things but I don't have a lot of room in the one spot I chose. I also think I will need to get some fencing around cuz we do have wild rabbits around. Actually booboo is one of them. He got out of the yard a few days ago and everyday I have been out there trying to catch him and he just runs from me. I was running around the neighborhood for over an hour last night with a fishing net trying to capture him. I almost got him a few times but was just cm's from getting him in the net. Maybe tonight greg will help after P goes to sleep and with both of us we can get him. So anyone looking for some free entertainment pull up a chair and watch the white's run the neighborhood and get out smarted by a lil bunny. Last night I was running thru pine trees after him and getting all scratched up and out ran 2 wild rabbits with him. So now I know why he doesn't want to come home....he is gettin' some lovin' from the wild rabbits. But yesterday I noticed a few of the giant sunflowers I planted from seed are now missing. They were just an inch above the soil and now today when I was watering they are gone!!! So I better put up fencing. I guess booboo needs to eat but he can eat the neighbor's stuff. Today P and I were heading out the front door and Louie almost knocks me over trying to get into the house and as I was putting P in her carseat I see an animal control van coming up the hill. I wonder if they were trying to get Louie??? Or if someone called about the stray bunny eatin' up their flowers??? I guess I'm the neighbor who's animals run amuck!!!! So louie is on house arrest today and he can go out tonight after mr animal control punches off the clock. There is just no way to keep Louie in the house. He usually stays close but I would be so upset if he went missing. I better put a phone number on his collar so at least if he gets thrown in the clink they will call me. I am suppose to be getting my new bunny at the end of the weekend. I have been waiting for a french lop for a few weeks to get weened and one of Greg's friends is suppose to bring him back from MO. I have been trying to find a french lop and they are so hard to find breeders. There are quite a few in TX but no one ships. I did talk to a lady from TX who breeds them and her DH was coming up to IA this summer and I could meet him and get the bunny but hopefully this one from MO comes thru. I did find a woman in ND and is having a litter soon. So one way or another by the end of summer I should have my french lop. They are the huge bunnies that have the floppy ears. They can get around 15 pounds. Hey maybe I should go into breeding french lops since no one else around here does. We are going to work on building a bunny hutch this weekend. I want to do it myself but I need a little help with some of the saws I get a little nervous around them so Greg was going to give me some lessons. Maybe if I end up with a girl bunny booboo will want to come back home!!!

and then there was 12

2009-06-01T12:11:00.000-07:00

today a lady came and bought priscilla. priscilla crowed last week so she was a he. i have the motto here "if you crow you gotta go" someday we will live where we can have roosters but for now i have to make nice with the neighbors. presley spent the whole weekend at my moms and she was a perfect angel.... i see many more sleepovers in her future. it was pure heaven to have tome to do what we wanted to do!!! thanks grandma jo you are the best!!!

so busy

2009-05-26T21:25:00.001-07:00

I have been so busy out in the yard!! I bought some annuals finally to fill in some planters. We have these cool speaker planters on our patio that needed some attention. Last year I don't think I bought any annuals other than a few mums in the fall. I have got my mojo back finally and love being back in the yard. The one summer I spent pg and had no energy and the next summer I was dealing with sleep depravation and still had no energy. Last year I was chasing a crazy toddler around and finally this year I can work in the yard while she is around. We worked on the layout for my veggie garden and tomorrow I am going to pick up some compost and plants and get them in the ground. I am a few weeks behind but better late than never. The coop really took a lot of our time this spring but now that it is done we can work on other projects. It feels good to be "back"

back to normal

2009-05-21T13:38:00.000-07:00

after 2 nasty hot days we are back to seasonal temps in the low 70's. I almost put my air on yesterday but glad I held off. I have pretty much done nothing today. I don't even care. I laid P down for a nap and I went and hung with my "peeps" in the coop. That is the best entertainment ever for me. Chickens are so fun to watch. I am really having my doubts about Pearl the white silkie, I think she is a he. I think I might be on the search for a new white silkie next year. Not much for plans this weekend. I might call a neighbor girl to come watch my "farm" so we can go to a friend's cabin for one night. I hope the weather is nice I want to plant my veggie garden this weekend!!!

hot

2009-05-20T11:46:00.001-07:00

Ok we went from cold to hot no in between. Yesterday it got to 97 degrees and it was way to hot!! My chickens and bunny were panting. We have stayed up late the last couple nights working on the coop. It is done enough for them with just a few tweaks left to do but they can be done with them living in it. Presley has been a nightmare the last few days. She is cutting her first 2 year old molar ans she is a bear. She is fighting sleep, won't eat and is whiny and poopy butt galore!!! Last night I had to stand by her bedroom door and hold it shut as she sat on the other side screaming and trying to pry the door open. It didn't help with Greg yelling in my other ear "just let her out" "she can stay up a little later" "she isn't going to stop crying" I am not going to listen to her cry just open the door" !!!! I was about ready to go postal on someone!! I stuck to my guns and she only put up a fight for about 5-8 minutes ( felt like an hour). Greg did say "wow i can't believe that worked" Ummm yeah momma knows best sometimes. I think the almost 100 degree temps wasn't helping the situation. We went to como zoo yesterday with sam and her boyz and I couldn't believe how many people were there. I was like doesn't anyone work anymore around here?? Presley was horrible with her lack of sleep and whiny self. I finally bought some happiness in a form of sugar. She got her big rainbow sucker and some ice cream. I ate most of the ice cream ....thanks Presley. My diet is doing pretty good. I lost 4 pounds last week but this week isn't going as great so far. I am trying to behave but not as anal as I was last week but still ok. If I lose a pound or two by monday I'll be happy. The heat makes me less hungry but when I want to eat is is sugar stuff. I think the lack of sleep for me causes me to crave sweets too. I am going to be in bed by 9pm tonight!!!

sick

2009-05-15T15:59:00.000-07:00

I started with a cough about a week ago and it has gotten worse and my chest felt weird so i went to the clinic today and I have bronchitis. I have never had it in my life. I think it was from all the chicken dust from their feathers. I will not brood them in the house ever again that long. Maybe the first week and then they are going out in the garage. The amount of dust they created was crazy and I would sit right by their brooder for long periods of time just playing with them. Oh well I did a breathing treatment at the clinic and felt a little bit better and she sent me home with an inhaler, predisone, and zithromax. My throat feels better right now I can swallow my own saliva without cringing. I am just exhausted and have been taking naps when P sleeps to make it thru the week. I am sure the meds will be kickin' in quickly and should feel better by sunday. Not that we have anything fun planned for the weekend. Greg has to work the whole weekend again :( We did go to the zoo today for a quick little trip. They are having an african safari exhibit starting on the 23th but the giraffes and the ostriches were already there. Man ostriches are so cool. Their feathers look so fluffy and soft i wonder what one feels like? My one chick that was acting sick is acting sick again. She was fine all week and then I picked her up and was petting her and she got all funky again?? So maybe she is allergic to me? I don't know what to do. I gave her some sugar water but i might run to the store and pick up some vitamins for their water and she if she just needs an extra boost?? It stresses me out not knowing what is wrong with her.

can I do it??

2009-05-13T07:00:00.000-07:00

well anyone who knows me knows I start a new diet every week and within a day I am off again. So monday I started yet another attempt to drop a few pounds ....20 to be exact!!! I just haven't been able to get this extra "presley" weight off me and she is now 2.5 years old. I have all these clothes sitting in my closet and can't get them over my hips and I refuse to go out and buy a new wardrobe cuz I keep thinking I will lose this weight. Therefore I wear the same 3 pair of pants all the time. I also have no shirts so when I do things and people take pics I notice I have the same damn shirts on every time!!! So today is wednesday and so far so good I think I am going to be able to do it this time. Spring is much more motivating and I can get out and be more active than being locked up inside all winter. I was going to go to the club this week but have been dealing with a bad chest cold and been coughing up a lung for the last 4 days. Maybe I'll be over it by friday?? The cold has been to my favor cuz I am not as hungry with it. Last night at about 9pm I so wanted to drive to Mcdonalds and get a filet-o-fish but I drank a big glass of water and stayed strong. So everyone wish me luck this time around!!! 20 pounds is a lot but I need my old sheila body back!! I can't be going into my 40's being all frumpy mom looking!! I am on a mission.

Louie's new girlfriend

2009-05-11T13:55:00.000-07:00

I forgot to mention that louie brought home a new girlfriend. Yes my cat isn't fixed and the other day I found this cat lurking around and batting her lashes at Louie. She also sat outside of our window at 2am the other night making deep moaning sounds wanting Louie to come out and "service" her!!! Well the last 2 nights I haven't heard her so we will see if there is a "free kittens" sign in the neighborhood in a couple months. Louie already says he isn't paying child support.

a good mother's day

2009-05-11T13:27:00.000-07:00

Even though Greg "pooped" the bed on even getting me a card I still had a good day. I guess he just set the tone for father's day....

I was able to get things done around the house. We worked on the coop and I cleaned the porch because we moved the chicks out to the garage. I just couldn't handle all the feather dust everywhere!!! If I do baby chicks again I will only keep them in the house for a week or 2 and then they can go to the garage. I posted 2 of the chicks on craigslist and a girl came and bought them today. I also sold 2 more to her while she was here. So now my chick count is down to 14. I was sad to see the 2 that I didn't plan on selling go but I know I have way too many already. Not sure what gender the 4 were but that is ok. My faves are still here but I was a little sad to see the others go. She sent a pic of them at their new house and I know they will be treated good.

Of course I ran around crazy again today trying to get my class assignment done for tonight. It was 24 pics of a pen he gave us and boy it was hard trying to get creative with that!! Actually none of the ones I took I think are very creative but oh well it is my last assignment and it is done. I will be glad school is done now because the last few weeks have been hard to go because it is so nice outside.

waving the white flag

2009-05-08T13:08:00.001-07:00

I surrender!!!! Presley is wearing me out!!! I am too old for this crapolla. She just never stops I swear she is doing everything right now just to get under my skin. She is pushing the limits on everything. She could care less about the word no. I am about ready to try corporal punishment!!! Or either I start drinking hard liquor at 9am to make it thru the day!!!! I really think I need just a couple days away to recharge my batteries. I think I need to figure out a little preschool type thing for her to go to a couple days a week so she gets out and can run off some energy and I can get stuff done around the house. I need to get my fat butt back to lifetime and toss her into the daycare while I release some happy endorphins. Ok that is my goal for next week 3 days at the club and I bet life will start looking prettier for me. I am meeting a client on wed for a spin class so that should be fun. An hour of intense cardio.....heaven help me now!!

break time yet?

2009-05-05T09:50:00.000-07:00

Greg has been working so many hours and that means I am with Presley so many extra hours. I need a break!!!!! Greg does for that matter too. She is just exhausting right now with all her energy and she can't seem to entertain herself for 2 minutes. She follows me from room to room and wants BIG hugs all the time. I love that she is so affectionate but I swear she asks for bigs hugs 100 times a day. The other day at the grocery store i had to give her about 10 big hugs from the cart. I feel like hiding in the closet for 10-15 minutes just to have a moment for myself! Last night I had class so I was able to get out of the house and that was nice. I had a test and I think I did ok I didn't know a few of the answers so I just guessed. We just have one assignment left. He passed out new pens to all of us and we have to take 24 different shots using the pen. It doesn't have to always be the main subject it just has to be in the shot somewhere. So I am trying to think of some creative shots....24 is a lot of pens shots. I figure if I do about 3-4 a day I will be set for monday. I can't let it all go till sunday night running around with my pen. Is it nap time yet???? SOOOO tired!!!!

huge relief

2009-04-29T06:08:00.000-07:00

My dad's surgery went well and they were able to do it the easy way instead of slicing him up completely. He had his gallbladder removed and there was a stone lodged in his bile duct. They weren't able to get all the stones out so they will probably have to go back in and try again but not sure if it can be done at a later time or sooner??? He is horrible about asking questions and when they do tell him something he can't remember what they said!!! I need to talk to the dr to get the lowdown. Not sure when he is getting out....I'll have to call in a little while to see how he is doing. If he doesn't get out we might make a trip down there. Presley does ok down there but it is always short and sweet with candy involved to keep her happy. My dad is like a cat he has 9 lives! I hope I get his luck when it comes to dodging the big health bullets. Yesterday greg worked on the last wall for my coop. He framed in the door and ran electrical for the lights and an outlet in there for a heated waterer for the winter. Can't have frozen water for them. I am not looking forward to chicken maintenance come january here in MN!!!!

So I just took a real good look at my dogs the other day and I can't believe how FAT they all are!!! Even Carly the one that is usually so skinny is fat. They have stole so much food out of Presley's hands and eat every crumb that hits the floor. I guess when you only weight 7 pounds gaining a pound or 2 is huge. They all need to be on a diet. I know once the weather stays warm they will be outside running around more but I have been giving them tiny handfuls at feeding time cuz they keep eating so much table food from Presley. Tori was getting so fat her collar was getting so tight and it was choking her. I noticed she started having with weird raspy cough and I realized her collar was way too tight cuz her big fat neck!!! She looks like a barrel on 4 little peg legs.....

stressful

2009-04-25T06:03:00.000-07:00

It has been a stressful last few days around here. My dad is back in the hospital he has been having some severe stomach pain and became very jaundice. When Greg and I picked him up to bring him into the hospital he looked like an uumpa lumpa!!! They think it might be his gallbladder so they were going to do surgery to remove it but then his heart rate was at 145 and they put him on the cardiac floor to get his heart back to normal. Yesterday they were able to get his heart rate to normal and are doing surgery on monday. Surgery is so risky for him so I hope everything goes well on monday!!! Presley and I are going to go visit him today. Wish me luck....hyper 2 yo in a boring hospital room = disaster. I should stop and get her a toy of some sort and when she starts getting squirrelly I can bring it out and get a few more minutes. Snacks always work too.

Yesterday we went to pick up my 2 call ducks. It was a 3 hour round trip but Presley did very well. We watched Bee movie 2.5 times so that was a life saver. I couldn't imagine taking long car rides without it!!! The ducks are settling in good. I had them in their own little brooder yesterday but the one lighter one sat and peeped all day so last night I put them both in with the chickens and they seemed so much happier. The chickens seem good with them just a little pecking on some of their butt fuzz. I am excited for them to get a little bigger and watch them in the pond and waddle around the yard. Hopefully they aren't too noisy or else my neighbors won't be happy. If it doesn't work out I can always find them a home. Call ducks are harder to find and people are always looking for them. They are a great duck because they are small in size so eat less and do less damage to the yard. I want to keep them in with the chickens in the coop but not sure if they will be too messy?? I will let them out during the day in the pond so they will do all the messy water stuff outside and not in the coop. Greg didn't say too much about my new additions. I had been preparing him that I was getting some so I think he was expecting them sooner or later. I think they will be a fun addition to the backyard flock. They are very entertaining to watch just usually not as cuddly as chickens. They don't like to be held much but I am still forcing mu love on them!! I am all done buying birds for the year......unless all my chickens turn out to be roosters!!! Wouldn't that just be horrible luck!!!

Flat iron

2009-04-21T12:09:00.000-07:00

I wanted to see Presley's hair straight so I had her sit and I went thru her hair with a flat iron. She sat really well and enjoyed it. She loves all things girly. She is always getting into my makeup and wanted to sit in my salon chair and says hair hair. She sits well for getting her toes painted too. She is such a lil' princess. I wonder if greg will notice her hair???

cool and rainy

2009-04-20T10:18:00.000-07:00

so we are stuck inside watching movies and doing laundry. Speaking of laundry we went looking at new front loader machines yesterday and I am so smitten with them!!! Our machines are 10 years old and are starting to make lots of weird new noises. I think we will hold off a little bit longer but are researching all the different brands to figure out what we will end up choosing so anyone who has some front loaders tell me what they are and what you like/dislike about them. I would love to cut my loads down with the higher capacity machines and save in water and gas!! I am hoping mine go "out" real soon so I don't feel so guilty buying new machines when mine work so everyone put a curse on my machines!! The ones we were looking at were by samsumg and the guy said they had a great rep....

My duck lady called and the ducks hatched and she said i could come and pick them up this weekend. Now I just need to be on my best behavior and cater to Greg all week so he lets me have 3 ducklings. They will be great for the pond on keeping the algae clean but ducks do poop a fair amount so I would have to be on poop patrol. They are small call ducks so they aren't as messy as the bigger breeds. Speaking of the pond we are having problems with a leak and have been narrowing down the cause. The leak isn't in the pond because water level remained the same when the falls were turned off. So greg spend 2 days pulling all the rocks out of our 20 foot waterfall and no holes. SOOO the leak is either in the waterfall holing area or the pipe that circulates the water. If it is in the pipe that circulates the water that is going to be a horrible job to figure out. The pipe is buried 2 feet under the ground and has to be 30 feet long so to dig it all up would be quite the job. Greg is so stressed over it and I feel so bad. He wants to get rid of the pond but it is my favorite thing in our yard and I would be so sad to not have it anymore. The sounds of the rushing water is so relaxing and I love watching the fish. I guess we will figure it out but it is just so much labor. We still have quite a bit to do on the coop and the run. The chicks will be ready to go outside in about 2-3 weeks so we need to kick it into high gear. I think wed. I'll ask my mom over and we can work on it.

I totally called it!!

2009-04-19T18:28:00.001-07:00

2 posts back I said she was going to try to steal a swipe of the birthday cake and I was right!!!! Mer caught her sticking her finger it in while she was trying to put the candles on it. Presley is such a cake freak she loves the frosting. This was an ice cream cake and that is one of her faves!!! I worked at DQ so many years that I just don't like it as much as most people I think I got burnt out......I still ate it though. The party was great and she came home and slept for over 3 hours so Greg and I got a ton of work in the yard done. I cleaned up all the flower beds and cut back all the perennials and loaded 9 huge yard waste bags. I was sore this morning but the yard looks so much better. Now after a few more days of rain we will get a little more green around here. I am so excited to see how much everything has grown again this year.

love the weekends

2009-04-18T06:47:00.000-07:00

AWWWW Greg got up with Presley this morning at 5:38 am!!! I played dead in bed and got to sleep in. They left the house at 7am in search of new parks. The weather is finally warm enough to be outside....even though the next couple days are going to be rainy and cool. Greg loves driving around in search of new and different neighborhood parks. We live in an area of soooo many little parks. I swear every mile they is a cute little park tucked back in a neighborhood. He gets so excited when finds a real cool one. He called and said Presley has learned how to swing on the big girl swings all by herself. She is so tall for a 2 yo that she can do so many things because of it. She is as tall as some smaller 4 yo's. I should measure her and see what she is up to. I'm not sure if she will end up real tall or if she is just an early sprout'r. I am just 5'7" and Greg is 5'9" on a good day but closer to 5'8" I think. We both have some tall family members so one just never knows about genetics. We are off to a birthday party so I better get in gear....have a wonderful weekend everyone!!!

made it the first night

2009-04-17T06:10:00.000-07:00

Well the 6 new fuzz butts made it their first night home. They seem to hold their own pretty good with the bigger ones but do get stepped on quite a bit. I told Greg to come home with a new big cardboard box from work today. They are in a 55 gallon tub but it does seem more cramped in there now with the 6 extra ones and the older bunch is just growing so fast. I think they will like a little more room. I also want to put in some branches so they can roost on them. I have one in there but it keeps falling down and I don't want the new guys to get crushed under it so I will try to secure it better in the new brooder box. The older bunch is getting much more used to my hand. I have been feeding them oatmeal out of my hand and now when I stick my hand in there they all come running like oh yeah mommy has treats let's go see. There is nothing cuter than chicks peeking your hand and their lil feet crawling all over you!!! I am just in heaven over here with my chicks. Last night Greg worked on the coop till almost 11pm again. He got all the insulation in and the interior walls up and 2 roosts mounted. So today I need to pick up some paintable caulk and caulk all the seams and paint the interior walls. He is putting the can lights in tonight and finish the ceiling....I guess I should wait till he gets that done and paint after. Then the only thing left is the back wall where the door is going to be then the coop is done and we can work on the run. He is such a great guy working on this for me. He did score with a new power tool that he "had" to have to work on this coop so he came out ahead as well. Tomorrow we have Jaxon's 2nd bday party so presley is so excited for the birthday cake. Hopefully the cake is hidden for the first half of the party or else she will be standing right at it trying to steal swipes of frosting!!

I have been informed

2009-04-16T12:04:00.000-07:00

I posted picks of the chicks I thought might be easter eggers and I was told they are silver seabrights so i looked them up and man they are very pretty!! Here is a pic of one of them I really hope one of the 3 is a hen!!! Everday is like christmas right now waiting to see what they all are going to look like the next day!!! I know I am weird

ok no more chickens!!!

2009-04-16T10:25:00.001-07:00

I went to Tractor supply and came home with 6 more baby chicks!!!! I have a sickness. Ok that is it I'm done. I can only have 4 chickens where I live and now I have 18 chicks!!! Granted at least half if not more will be roos so they have to go bye-bye right away when we figure them out. I will craigslist the roos. Then say that leaves about 7 that might be hens and of those I will pick the sweetest and prettiest of the bunch and craigslist the rest. We still might have one or 2 that might not live cuz chick mortality rate is fairly high sometimes. I am not positive what I picked out but I think 3 are d'uccle and 2 of those might be a porcelain color which would be very pretty and the other 3 I think might be easter eggers?? if so they lay blue/green eggs and I really wanted one of those so we will see. All six are lighter in color and that's why I picked them because the ones I have now many are darker in color so I wanted a nice variety. In about 5 weeks i should know who is who and what i will be keeping and then figure out names. Greg I think is so done with me!!! He refers to me as the CCL meaning the crazy chicken Lady. I mean really what are a few more chicks??? When everything is said and done I will end up with 4 beautiful hens and sell the rest and break even and I got to enjoy watching them grow up. Everyone seems to be getting along well so that is good. There is just about 7 -8days between the new and old ones but they are so tiny. It really is crazy how fast they grow and change. Every morning I look at them they are getting new feathers and grew like weeds over night!!! I have found a new love I think I might have to move onto a chicken farm!!!!

1 week old

2009-04-13T07:15:00.001-07:00

one day old

one week old

wow that week flew right by!!!! My chicks are now a week old and they have grown so much. They are getting their wing feathers and a few tail feathers. All of them are going really well. I keep hoping that they will all make it which I think they should they didn't have much stress coming here like some that are shipped do. I found a lady about 1 and 1/2 hours away that raises call ducks and I think I am going to get 3-4 ducklings next week from her. They will keep our pond clean from all the string algae that grows on it. Greg doesn't know about my ducklings yet so I better say something verses just come home with them. I have mentioned getting some ducks and he wasn't too keen on it but I think if I use the keep the pond cleaner aspect he will be on board.

Happy Easter

2009-04-12T19:25:00.000-07:00

It was a beautiful day for a Easter egg hunt. We had family at our house to celebrate the day. I had the typical ham dinner with all the fixin's....nothing special but it turned out good. I just wanted it to be mellow and not get too worked up over the preparations. Presley spent the whole day all jacked up on sugar and chocolate. She was just crawling out of her skin cuz she was so wired. She was stuffing so much candy in her mouth she couldn't chew it and spit it all out in grandma's hand! I figure it is one holiday that is all about the candy so let her at it. That is what I remember about being a child was stuffing myself all day on Easter with candy. Grandma Dorothy loved getting us baskets full of all kinds of candy. My favorite was the big huge chocolate bunnies. They would take a few days to eat the whole thing but I never let any candy go to waste. We hid her basket behind the couch and got video of her finding it and she was so excited. I love these moments in time!!!! I did buy her a big chocolate bunny too

looking good

2009-04-11T16:37:00.000-07:00

we got a couple days to work on the coop and it is getting closer to being done. The exterior is just about done we need to work on the back wall. The interior still needs a lot of work but I wanted to get the wood painted and protected from rain that is due in a day or so. I got my barn red color!!! Greg wasn't too keen on the color he wanted a nice neutral tan but chickens love the color red so I want them to be the happiest chicks in town. I think just a few more full days and the coop should be done.

going out on a limb

2009-04-08T19:48:00.000-07:00

I am just driving myself crazy trying to speculate what are going to be hens or roosters. The average is a 50-50 chance so if that is the case 6 out of 12 will be hens. I will just laugh it only 2 turn out to be hens. Oh well I'll just have to sell the roos and buy more chicks....I have a pretty good idea that the 2 bigger black silkies are roos. They always coming running at my hand when I stick it in the brooder and they are big bullies always pecking at everyone. They are also much bigger than the other 2 silkies that were hatched the same time. They just have the 'tude that roosters are known for. It will be interesting to find out in a couple months. So on that bit of info I have went out on a limb and have named one of the 12 chicks. I am pretty sure she is going to turn out a hen...just a little" Sheila" intuition and I am usually pretty good but not all the time. So the chick I named and hopefully is a hen is Pearl the only white chick and she is a silkie. She is tiny and just so sweet and mellow. She loves falling asleep in my hand and just passes out on her back all cozy in my palm with her lil' chicken legs hanging. Everyone is doing well and I hope we make it thru without any casualties. They are probably sick of me holding them but that is one way to make them use to being handled.

they made it thru the night

2009-04-07T05:46:00.000-07:00

one of the brahmas

the cochin?

white silkie

one mille fluer

the one polish

the other cochin

group hug

I picked up my 12 lil fuzz butts yesterday afternoon and drove as fast as I could home to get them in their warm brooder. I had the heat in the car blaring and at one point I looked back at Presley in her seat and her face was bright red and she said momma hot. I said the chicks need to be warm. They are so very cute. I sat as much as I could last night just watching them do their "chicken thing" poopin', peepin', peckin', posin'. I have 12 of them and 4 are silkies ....3 black one white. I am pretty sure 2 black are roos. They are fairly bigger than the other 2 and are such bullies! They have no fear and when I put my hand in there they come running to check it out. The one black little one sleeps a lot and isn't as active so not sure it she will make it? I will be so sad to find a dead one but I know it is very common to lose a couple when they are so young. One good thing is they didn't have the stress of being mailed. I have 2 mille fleur and they are so tiny and I can't wait to see them feather out their coloring is just beautiful. I hope they are both pullets. I also have 2 brahmas I think one might be a light and one a buff. then 2 cochins I think but not sure if they are silver laced or Well not? They are so pretty with their coloring right now. And last but not least are 2 golden laced polish which are my fave looking ones. I am so excited to see their feathers and praying they are both female but they are both more aggressive but it could be their breed? Now that they are here Greg stayed up till after 11 working on the coop. I think the pressure is on knowing in about 3-4 weeks they will be big enough to be in their coop. Well we all know what I will be doing today....sitting in front of the brooder watching the babies. Presley likes them a lot too but is a little scared of their feet.

not much coop progress

2009-04-05T09:18:00.000-07:00

Well yet again mother nature strikes (last night)and therefore we didn't get much time to work on the coop this weekend! Greg did get the nesting boxes built in the garage and mounted them last night. I am not sure if we will get time to work on more today? The sun is coming out so this snow should melt real quick and maybe we can do some more work? I am so anxious to see if I'll be getting my chicks tomorrow? I have a feeling the breeder is going to not have any for me. I know tractor supply is getting some in this week either monday or tuesday so I have been calling just about everyday. They are only getting in 50 assorted bantams and I am nervous they will sell quickly so I want to get there right away for good pickins if my breeder man can't deliver. Greg and Presley left early this morning to my mom's house to get her a new TV and set it up so I got to sleep till 9:45am rolled out of bed to a quiet peaceful house made some coffee and just chillin' on the 4 season porch surfing the web. AWWWW so nice! I couldn't ask for a better way to end my hectic week. All I need to do today is clean a little more a couple loads of laundry and grocery shoppin'. I did all my homework last night so that is out of the way. I had 2 big writing assignments and they took forever!!! I hate writing I have the worst grammar. Oh well my instructor doesn't really care he is quite laid back. Greg worked on the pond Friday night he power washed it and filled it up and now we have the sweet sounds of the waterfalls. We have to wait a week or 2 before the koi can go back into it. It takes awhile for all the chlorine to neutralize out of the water. We could treat it and put them in sooner but i am not a fan of chemicals and avoid them at all cost. All the koi except one made it thru the winter in the holding tank. Of course the biggest one is the one that died. She was about 4-5 years old and our neighbor gave us her in the fall because she was too big for her pond. It was so sad!!! I thin we have about a dozen koi but I think we are housing some for the neighbor? I think 7 or so big koi is about all we need. We hope they will breed but i think they need to be about 4 years or age before they are ready and we always seem to kill them off before then. Hope to have better luck this year.

SO MAD!!!!

2009-04-04T11:33:00.000-07:00

Presley is so on my shit list right now!!! Little gadget girl stuck something in my sewing machine so the embroidery part won't work now!!! That girl has to touch every button to everything she sees. I can still use the machine I just can't do any embroidery work for now. I guess I'll have to call and see how much it is going to cost to fix it and hopefully it is in deed fixable. She has been fighting naps all week too. She usually falls asleep but it is a struggle. I think she is missing her nuk but she hasn't asked for it but I know she is having a harder time falling asleep without it. After finding my machine today I just couldn't even look at her I was so mad so I went to the club and put her in daycare and I sat and did some homework...I should have got my fat butt on a machine but I really need to finish my essays for class on monday. Greg is working today so it is just her and Me. I have been cleaning all morning getting ready for company for the week. I called my chicken man last night to see if he had any ducks available and he doesn't until closer to summer and he asked if I was able to wait until april 20th for my chicks? He has many people waiting and now I might not get my chicks on monday and that isn't helping my mood!!!! So if he doesn't have any for me I might have to see what Tractor supply company is getting this week and maybe just get some thru them. They probably won't be what I want but at this point I just don't care I am ready for whatever hatches and next year I can always get something different. It will be cheaper cuz I think TSC charges 2.50 for the bantams and his chicks are 6 bucks so I gotta look at the bright side right??? Also southern Mn has a blizzard warning for tonight and tomorrow and he lives an hour south from me so the roads might be bad too. UGGG Presley is in there whining and knocking on the door I so need a stiff drink right now....calgon take me away it has been a stressful day and it is barely 2pm. Ok enough complaining I better go do something to take my mind off being so crabby.

about time

2009-04-03T06:38:00.000-07:00

Oh man it is finally friday!!! I don't know why but this was such a looooonggg week. Yesterday was great. We went to the children's museum with sam and the boys. The bad news was Presley fell asleep on the car ride home which she never does and I knew we would be in trouble when we got home. Once we pulled into the garage she woke up and of course wouldn't take a nap after that so I didn't get any time to clean up or rest. Then I had Sam for my only client and after that we went out shopping together and out to my fave mexican joint! I had a jumbo margarita and it was so yummy. Sam has a smart car so it was fun to ride around in it. I have thought about getting one for our second car. It is so funny how many people look at you when you're in there. She has the convertible and man it is a cute lil' car. Right now we have been fine with one car cuz Greg has a work van but there has been times when he takes Presley in the car and I am stuck at home without a car. I think we could make it work a couple more years and then when Presley is going to more activities we will need another car for the person not driving her around. The smart car would be perfect. There will be more of them at that point and real inexpensive for a used one. Greg informed me last night that he has a work guy from out of town that is going to stay with us for the week and I will be taking care of the 11 y.o. girl for the week!!! Yeah he sprung it on me last night. I guess it will be ok Presley will have someone to help entertain her but now I am going to spend the whole weekend cleaning for the company. I'll have to figure out food for the week for everyone too. It will be interesting??? I will have to figure out what a 11 y.o. girl likes to do?? Depends on the weather too which I think it is still going to be cool next week. We could probably hit the mall of america since they are from out of town and I am sure she hasn't been there. Maybe do the MN zoo one day too since we just got a membership there. Or the como zoo is free but they won't have many animals out yet but the gardens inside are wonderful and they have a few inside things to see. I also am hosting Easter so I need to figure out what to serve and get a bunch of plastic eggs and fill with candy for the big egg hunt. I pray it is nice outside!!!!

Not an April fool's joke

2009-04-01T08:53:00.001-07:00

This is what We woke up to today...yeah yeah it is pretty but not for the first day of April. I went out and tried to take some pics for class that need to be high key but not sure if this is going to cut it??? I think I need to see some more examples of high key. So I called my chicken breeder to check on monday and he said they usually call about 7am and tell me what hatches. The breeds I want aren't hatching well this year he said due to our nasty cold weather i guess so not sure if I will get exactly what I want. I gave him some backup breeds that I would take if he couldn't fill my order with what I want. Pickup time is from 2-10pm so I guess Presley will be taking her nap in the car ride down there, it is about an hour. I have class monday night so I have to go first thing. I so want to skip class but we are having another test so I better go! I'll have to make sure my assignments are done by sunday night. So on an american idol note I think the bottom 3 will be anoop, megan, matt, with anoop going home??? My fave last night was Chris I love "ain't no sunshine" it is one of my faves. I am a huge adam fan but didn't dig his performance last night. We should really get out of the house today Presley is driving me bonkers but now it is getting too close to naptime. I'm letting her trash the porch with playdoh I really don't care right now I'll deal with cleanup later I just need a break. Tomorrow night I get to go out and enjoy some grownup time with my GF Sam. I am in dire need of a furlough!!!! I can't remember the last time I got out by myself (other than school) to have a fun night???

just rain so far

2009-03-31T12:53:00.000-07:00

They have been threatening us with snow but so far it is just rain. These dreary days just make me so tired and so not motivated to do much. Sam and her boys came over today to play with Presley and it was a good day. Her and I were able to chat without being interrupted too often. Her and I are both starting veggie gardens so we were talking about our plans and what to plant. Greg still thinks mine is going to turn into a big weedfest and nothing to harvest at the end of the season....I need to prove him wrong. I guess I have only done a couple of tomato plants and yeah they didn't do so hot but really I am motivated to spend more time in the yard this year. I think the chickens will keep me out there more and this long horrible winter has really made me appreciate warm weather more. Plus Presley is so much more mobile than last summer so she can maneuver much more with all the hills and rocks we have. It really is a dangerous yard for little ones. Also the pond is a big hazard so all eyes on presley. I did finally get a leash for her yesterday so now the next step is a dog run. I could stake a chain and tie her to the end of it so she can only go so far. How long do you think I could get away with that before child protective services hauled me in???;) Really is it any different than those pen gates for the yard they sell. I just won't use a choke collar!!! Oh great it is starting to hail it better not wake up sleeping beauty she hasn't been sleeping long enough. It is just little hail but sounds so loud on the roof. I am so tired today again. These 6:30am wake-up calls are just too early!!! What happened to my sleep till 9am lil' girl. I am wondering if we keep her up later if she'll sleep in? I doubt it we will just have a crabby early riser. I think that has been the hardest thing for me is not being able to sleep like I used to. 9-10am is perfect time to get up. I think it will be quite a few years before that will happen again. Oh crap she woke up....bye-bye "me" time and she is in there crying so hello crabby pants!!!

one week left

2009-03-30T11:44:00.000-07:00

Just one more week and the chicks will be here. I am starting to get nervous. I just moved the bunny from it's temporary cage to it's new home and the temp cage is where the chicks will be for a few weeks. They grow so fast so hopefully the coop will be done just in time for them before they outgrow the brooder. Booboo seems to like her new cage she can see out the sides now and I moved it to the 4 season porch...not sure what Greg will say about that??? She was in my salon but Presley kept wanting to go down there all the time so now the bunny will be up here front and center and can interact more. I bought a litter tray and litter and hopefully she catches on to the potty training thing. Greg is all grossed out by her lil' poop pellets. I am like honey you change a nasty stinky poopy butt from Presley a lil' hard turd from a bunny is no big deal. So Louie spent the whole night outside roaming the town. I called for him at 10pm last night and he didn't come running like usual. Still at 5am when Greg got up he wasn't around. I was starting to get nervous that something happened to him but at 8am there he was sittin' at the door waiting for me. What a huge relief. I just love him and would hate for something to happen to him. There is just no way to keep him inside. We found him as a stray and he loves being outside and every time we open the door to let the dogs out he runs out. I guess we just have to take our chances that he will be ok. He has his claws so he can run up trees and still protect himself. He is a smart cat so hopefully he will be fine. My neighbor has always had outdoor cats and they all lived at least 20 years. I know Louie is too big for an owl or hawk ( I think?? he has to weigh about 15 pounds??)and we don't get eagles this low over here it would just be cars, foxes or coyotes around here that would do him in and since he can do trees he should be safe, we just try to get him in every night.

more progress on the coop

2009-03-29T18:12:00.000-07:00

today was a great day to be outside and work on the coop. Well greg worked on the coop and I was on Presley patrol. We got a lot done and so far it is looking really great. I am so excited. The chicks are due to hatch a week from tomorrow. We have about 3-5 weeks to finish the coop before they get too big for their brooder. I hope to get a lot more done next weekend. We have to insulate, shingle, and work on the door. I also have to paint the interior walls and lay vinyl floor for easier clean-up. The back wall will be the last thing so we can work inside without being cramped. So the big news around here is Presley no longer has a nuk!!! Friday night we put her to bed without it and she hasn't had it since. We are done with this chapter in her life. It is a relief to not have to worry about always having one when we are out incase she has a meltdown. She asked for it quite a few times the first day but today I have only heard her ask once. We told her the mommies came and got them for their babies and she seems to buy it so that our story and we're sticking to it. Way to go Presley Jo!!!

Just aged 10 years!

2009-03-27T11:34:00.000-07:00

So we went to the Mn zoo today, they opened the farm babies area so we braved the cold to get out and check them all out. I was a brisk 18 degrees as we headed to the zoo. Only a true MN would spend the day at the zoo in this weather or a true crazy woman. So we spent the first half of the morning at the inside exhibits and then would go outside to see the other animals when it warmed up a bit. So we were at the tropics exhibit and Presley and Jaxson were in this little cubby area where we could see the entrance and the exit and me and Mer were chatting and both watching the openings and soon Jaxson comes out but no Presley. So I panic and went on a run looking for her....well long story short I found her quite a ways away she had made it thru caves and doors and was out heading towards another trail!!! It had to have been a good 5-7 minutes she was gone but felt like an hour to me. When I found her she was at a drinking fountain trying to get a sip and when she saw me she acted like nothing was wrong and asked me to help her get a sip. She could have cared less where I was! I didn't know whether I wanted to beat her or hug her I was so scared. So that just confirmed for me to buy her a leash. I had talked about it last year and for sure we are getting one now. She is SOSO very fast and just doesn't understand that she can't run off. She spent most the time after that in the stroller and didn't like it. This girl just doesn't know how to walk it is running everywhere. Even in the house she runs and barely ever walks. She really is just so high energy and balls to the walls all the time. I know it just lost 10 years off my life after today. I did manage to not break down and start crying but I have never been so scared. All these thoughts start running thru your mind. To lose a child completely or get kidnapped has got to be the worst feeling ever I pray I never have to ever deal with that and I wish no one else would either in this world. So horrible just those few minutes for me were so miserable. So off to target to get a leash today!!!!!

Back to myself

2009-03-26T07:05:00.000-07:00

Oh man yesterday was bad. I had way too much wine tuesday night at the candle party and was paying the price all day yesterday. I just rarely drink anymore and for some reason the wine was just going down too easy. Greg came to the candle party too so Presley could play with her cousins so I had a sober cab and knew I could let loose. I did buy an adorable rooster ( it is on the side of the page)tealight holder for my kitchen. I think every kitchen needs at least one chicken. So pretty much nothing got done around here so today I need to get my arse moving. Booboo is doing great she is so sweet and mellow but I still think she is just getting use to her surroundings. I need to go and get litter for her and try litter training her. She has only dropped one poop pellet while she has been out running around and no pee so I hope she will be easy to train. I want greg to make her a bunny run in the yard so she can spend the days outside getting exercise and enjoying the outdoors while being safe in a wire run from predators. She might be able to be with the chicks as long as they don't peck the crap out of her?? The list of predators includes my one dog and I think Louie too. I am nervous about the lil' chicks too I will have to keep a very close eye on them until they get bigger. Carly my minpin has always been a little killer. They were bred for ratting and she has the instincts that is for sure. Tori has no clue that she is a minpin. She has never went after anything and wouldn't even know what to do if a mouse sat right in front of her. Carly even took on a squirrel once. They were both latched on rolling in the grass it was quite a sight to see. The squirrel survived and carly felt defeated... They are both about the same size just Carly has longer legs. Lacey would just bark something to death before anything else. I do think Louie caught a mouse outside once but not sure if he found it dead or actually killed it. Carly has even caught a few chipmunks and those things are fast. She also can hear moles under the ground and has dug up a couple and killed those which is wonderful cuz those stupid things can wreak havoc on a lawn. I hope the chickens will find lots of grubs in our yard so the moles have no food supply and stay in the neighbors yards.

The last bit

2009-03-24T11:47:00.000-07:00

So this is the very last of any snow left in our yard. I am sure we will be getting at least one more snow flurry but if it leaves more than 2 inches I am going to beat somebody!!! This is such a long week already and it is only tuesday! I have spent the day cleaning like a crazy woman again. I swear why does it have to be so hard. I mean really we spend all this time making everything just perfect and 3 seconds later it looks like I haven't cleaned my house in months. I am not even exaggerating either. The one room that I have been neglecting is my office/sewing room it is really out of hand and the walls feel like they are closing in on me. I don't even know where to start because most of it doesn't have a "place" to go and I need everything to have a "place" I pulled out a huge rubbermaid tote to put the bunny in and so now I have a huge pile of Presley's last year summer clothes and shoes sitting on the floor in there. Actually I am happy cuz I think some of her summer stuff from last year might still work this year. All the shorts and little skirts are perfect cuz she is skinny so the waist will be fine and it doesn't matter on the length. I love lil short shorts on kids they have the cutest legs. I wonder how many skinned knees we will have this year? I have a client tonight and then right after I have to go to a candle party so I will be on the go all night again. Last night class was good but now I have quite a few assignments due in the next 2 weeks and I swear I can't procrastinate on them cuz the chickens are coming and then Easter which I think we are having here. I am hoping the weather will be nice cuz I want to have a big easter egg hunt for all the lil' kids. There are 4 of them that are 3 and under and they will have a blast running thru the yard looking for candy filled eggs. Please let it be nice out!!!

I did it! Meet booboo bunny

2009-03-23T21:04:00.000-07:00

I told greg that Presley really wanted a bunny for Easter and he said fine put it with the chickens. So Me and P went to the store and bought this sweet lil girl. Presley is so excited and is obsessed with her. She named her boo-boo bunny and doesn't want me to pet her when she is holding her. She keeps pushing my hand away and says Presley's bunny go momma..... I said you have have to share. My cat and one dog want the bunny for lunch so I have to be really careful right now until they realize this bunny is a member of the family not a chew toy. Booboo is super mellow right now and such a snuggler. I am not sure if she is scared out of her gourd or just this mellow. Tonight after class I had her snuggled in my neck for almost 2 hours and she didn't move an inch. It will be interesting to see how everything goes. I think Greg thinks I am one crazy woman with my animal escapades. I love that he lets me be me. I know my dad is shaking his head right now.....

stuck inside

2009-03-23T10:47:00.001-07:00

This pic was from last fall I just love that look on her face!!!

It has been cold and rainy all day so we are stuck inside and I'm tired from the start of yet another new cold. I finished up some homework and now I am working on cleaning up my computer. I realized I have not burned any photo/videos since november and heaven forbid if something happened to my computer and lost it all!! So I am busy organizing folders and burning dvds. It is such a piece of mind to have copies of everything. My 500GB external hard drive is full so now I don't know what to do?? I think I might go thru it and delete files that aren't needed to clear up more room. I really don't want to start collecting hard drives and storing them too?? I need to figure out a place online to store stuff. So I keep stalking my local feed store to see if they have their shipment of chicks in yet. I am sure the guy is sick of me calling every other day. They might be here the end of this week. I asked if they will be getting ducks in too and he said they might get a small shipment. It have plans of ordering the chicks still from the breeder but just thought I could get a couple a few weeks earlier....so impatient. He did say they had bunnies in right now!!! I am so tempted to get one! I think Greg would be drawing up the divorce papers if I came home with a bunny. I once bought a bunny when I was still living at home and tried sneaking it in my room so my mom didn't know but after a couple weeks she heard it!! I had to get rid of it. I kind of feel like I am living at home again and trying to figure out a way to get a bunny without Greg freaking out!! I'll just have to say but Presley wanted it for Easter!

the coop is started

2009-03-22T18:31:00.001-07:00

Well there is no turning back!! Greg got some posts and they are in the ground filled with concrete and the base is framed. Hopefully this week he can get the walls framed out?? The weather is suppose to be crappy for the next few days so I'm sure we will have to wait until the weekend to get anymore progress on my coop. Just 2 more weeks and the chicks should be here!! I am getting so excited for all this to come together. The coop is going to look so cute. We found a bigger window at menard's that was fairly cheap so Greg picked it up. It is a 24x36 window and I think the hens are going to love sitting in front of it and soak up the sun. The window will face our big living room window so I'll be able to see them from our couch. It was gorgeous this weekend and we got some good quality time playing outside. I have a feeling Presley is going to have a ton of fun this summer. She is going to be so skinny by the end of summer running around like a crazy lady with all her energy!!!

laundry whoa!

2009-03-19T10:07:00.000-07:00

I have just spent the last 3 hours straight folding and putting away laundry!!! I tried to find all the socks and pair them together and wen thru her drawers and refolded and took out was doesn't fit anymore. I just have a couple more loads to finish and I am set for the weekend. I had about 2 weeks worth of clean laundry piled on the spare bed waiting to be folded and every time I looked at the pile it scared me but I felt brave today and tackled that chore. The spring cleaning bug has bit and I really want to get every square inch of this house organized and cleaned in the next couple weeks......just in time to turn around and start the whole process over again. Soon we will be having to do spring cleaning in the gardens and the house will be on the back burner. My mom is coming over tonight to visit with Presley while I work so Greg will have the night off and I am hoping he will start on my coop. We are so limited on time lately with me working more hours. He works 7-3:30pm gets home at 4pm I start right at 4 and work till about 8pm 4 nights a week. I also work 2 sat's a month and the sat's I don't work he will work so Sunday is the only day we have together. Oh yeah and monday nights I have class but just for another 6 weeks or so. I am so happy we both can work and not put Presley in daycare cuz I love being home with her. We just don't get much time for projects when she is right by our sides. It actually forces me to use my time better cuz I have turned into a huge procrastinator. I wonder how long the chicken coop will take?? I would like it to be done (enough) in about 6 weeks cuz by then the chicks will be plenty big and will be outgrowing their brooder. I guess if worse comes to worse they can hang out in our gazebo for a week or 2 extra?? It will be interesting???

another round

2009-03-18T05:54:00.000-07:00

I went to the dr last night cuz my ears just never have felt back to normal after my last infection and they are still red so she gave me another round of antibiotics to hopefully get rid of my pain. This time I only need to take 5 days worth at one a day other than the first dose was 2 pills....much better than the 4 a day for 10 days!!! Those were some horse pills too and trying to remember 4 times a day was a pain. I needed a pill box to remember what I took. I am well on my way...I own a pill box so I am ready for old age! Presley turned the corner last night she was much more chipper and happy. This morning is smooth sailing so far too no whining and we have been up for an hour already!!! Let's hope it stays this way cuz it was getting real old. I'm trying to figure out what to do today other than laundry still. Maybe we'll take a drive to the minnehaha falls and walk around there?? It is only going to be in the 50's today so still a wee bit chilly but I just want to get out of the house. If we head into town I'll have to make a pit stop by grandpa's or I'll never here the end of that...."you were right by me and couldn't even stop in to say hi?" So dad if we get our lazy butts moving we will grace you with our presence!!!

happy st. patty's day

2009-03-17T06:37:00.000-07:00

Wow the snow is just melting like crazy!! It got up to 65 degrees yesterday and was gorgeous too bad I still felt crappy and slept most my day away. We found some used windows on craigslist for the chicken coop so hopefully Greg can go take a look at them today and we can get a couple. They are 10 bucks a piece and should work well for the coop. We got one free window from his brother so far. I picked up a heat lamp, chick feed, and pine bedding yesterday so I am all ready for the chicks. They also threw one extra bag of pine bedding in my order cuz it was open and they couldn't sell it like that. I just need to empty out one of my many rubbermaid totes and add chicken wire to the top and that will be their home for a few weeks. I am hoping to be able to get this coop done for fairly cheap with recycled materials. I keep checking craigslist and trying to get greg to go dumpster diving. He is on a huge job site right now and there has to be some materials that are in the dumpsters. He is working on the new twins stadium for the next year in downtown mpls. Not sure if they allow dumpster diving there or not. He says it is such a restricted site and so many rules. I guess they have to be extra careful because of so many job related accidents. They already had a big crane or something fall and crash into stuff but no one was in the way so everyone was fine but it is crazy how dangerous those job sites are. I am suppose to have 2 people come over today to buy our infant car seat and our kelty carrier so we will see if they show. People on craigslist are so flighty. Ok I need to get crackin' on the laundry since my weekend was so unproductive!

whiny butt

2009-03-16T10:56:00.000-07:00

I think I am going to legally change Presley's name to whiny butt!!! She has been a real treat the last few days. From morning to night it just whiny meltdowns. I know she is still not 100% better from being sick and she hasn't been sleeping good so I know that has a ton to do with it but man she is really testing my patience. On top of that I just haven't felt very good. I am just dizzy and feel like puking. I was able to run some errands this morning but now I'm back in bed feeling like crap! It is such a beautiful day I feel like I am wasting it right now. Maybe if I take a little nap I will be better???

the phone has been found

2009-03-15T09:24:00.000-07:00

So Greg lost his 4th cell phone about 5 weeks ago and today he was up in the attic in the garage putting things in storage and saw something laying on the floor. It was his missing phone!!! He must have put something up there and it fell out of his pocket. He doesn't remember going up there when he lost the phone so he never thought to look in there. We are so happy to find it and glad we were waiting on getting a new one just incase it turned up. He had his work phone he was using so now he is back in business with texting on this one. I have felt a little sick for the last few days just headaches and feel like puking every so often it really sucks cuz I want to get some projects done but I start moving around and I feel worse. I did get some more pics taken of baby stuff and posted it on craigslist. Next to go is the high chair, infant car seat and stroller combo, and a kelty kid backpack. We'll see if we get and takers. The garage is bustin' at the seams so we are trying to do some spring cleaning. The weather has warmed up and hoping most the snow is gone by the end of the week. It is so muddy and slushy out there. We tried to go to a park yesterday but there were just too many puddles and they all seem to be right at the end of slides and under swings so it is still too early to try to play there yet. Today is suppose to be in the 50's and tomorrow it will be 60 so the snow will be melting like crazy. Our backyard faces north so it is the last area for the snow to melt! It is also loaded with poop from the winter so it is gross right now. We are just itchin' to get outside and play!!!

placed an order

2009-03-14T07:26:00.000-07:00

I did it!!! I finally decided on what breeds of chickens I wanted and placed an order with a guy an hour 1/2 from me. The hatch day is april 6th so I am not sure if I pick them up that day or the next. The only problem is he doesn't sex so I am buying a few of each breed to hopefully get at least one hen from each breed. Also depending on what hatches will play a role in the birds I end up with. The 4 different ones I want are 3 bantam polish called buff laced , golden laced, white crested and the other one is a white silkie. The back up breeds would be polish silver laced (not bantam) and an easter egger they lay the blue/green eggs. If he ends up with any extra polish breeds like a blue I will take that too I am so excited and pray out of 12 chickens I get at least 4 hens in a good variety!!! He charges $6 per bird. I just love the look of the polish with their hair-dos!!! I am also torn about placing an order from an online hatchery but the min. is 25 birds they ship but I could get 25 birds for the same price as the 12 from him but they might not be the breed I really want. why does it have to be so hard to find a chicken around here!!! I can't wait for the state fair this fall and see all the cool chickens. well either way in a few weeks we will be run over with chicken poop and feathers!!!

too many headaches

2009-03-13T07:29:00.000-07:00

I don't know what is going on but I am so sick of headaches. I swear at least 3 times a week I have them. I think it is still my stupid ears. They seemed better for a couple days and now they are really bothering me again. I guess I just need to go in and have them check. My GF's husband looked at them last week...poor guy I put him to work on his night off...i bet that happens to dr's all the time!!! So he had the little tool to look in my ear and said it was real red still but no puss so that is good but it has been quite awhile since my infection so I wonder why it is still red and irritated. If sunday they are still bothersome I'll go and have them checked. So the weather is suppose to be in the mid 40's this weekend and I am excited to get out and start planning some things for our summer projects. I am putting in a veggie garden for the first time. I have had a few tomato plants here and there put never have done a big veggie garden. I am so excited to plan it out and figure out where to plant what and when. My neighbor is a master gardener and she is so very helpful. I am really motivated to spend more time in the gardens this year. The last 2 summers poor greg has had to do the majority of the work. The one summer I was big and preggo and last summer Presley was still so young to be able to be out without complete supervision. This year she understands so much more and can walk much better than last summer. She was a good walker last year but still very clumsy when trying to maneuver around our landscaping. We also have to be so careful with her and our koi pond because the deep end is over 4 feet deep and you know how kids and water are like magnets. We will never be able to let her play in the backyard without us right out there even in a couple years there are just too many horrible drowning stories that scare the crap out of me. I love our waterfall and pond and don't want to get rid of it we just have to be extra cautious. So now with my new chicken obsession I am thinking about getting an incubator and hatching the eggs. I think Presley would love watching the whole process. I found a guy that will take any males I end up with so I know they will have a home. Now on top of chickens I am thinking about getting 2 geese!! They are this breed which look so cool and they could use our pond. I just need to figure out if they are really noisy like a typical canadian goose. The other thing is goose poop can be a little crazy but I think my dogs would help clean it up which is gross but a fact of my dogs. They don't fly so they would be a pet too. If they are too much work or too loud I could just sell them. They fetch about $50 bucks a goose because they are more rare. I would try to hatch those too. Poor greg married the crazy bird lady!!! I love birds they are my favorite and over the years I have tried many different breeds but none have been a good fit for me so I think this my last chance at trying to own birds and being able to enjoy them. I have had 10 pairs of different finches, 2 parakeets, 2 cockatiels, a blue crown conure, and a red capped conure. The 2 parrots turned out to be very aggressive and biters. One liked greg and hated me and one loved me and hated greg. That is typical of parrots but then the one that like me turned and became aggressive towards everyone. Once Greg was talking to malcolm and he reached over and bit him in the lip. If anyone has been bit by a bigger parrot they know how bad that hurts and the lip!!! wow I thought Greg was going to body slam him. So this is my last hurrah with birds!!! I think I will throw in the towel and just appreciate them from a far if the chickens turn into a huge debacle . So tuesday is when or city is announcing if they are allowing chickens. I am pretty sure they are but will talk about the rules?? I hope they allow them!!! well I just made a few phone calls and it looks like the council is all in agreement about changing the ordinance and allows chickens!!!! I am one happy little girl right now!! I just called the police dept and left a message for the rules. I am probably going to play buy the book this time and get all the permits so no one can say boo later down the line. I'm sure it is just a fee every year which is a rip off but I guess it goes into our city's funds. Our city has only allowed 2 dogs per household and we have had 3 for the last 10 years and never have been turned in. We would have just had to buy a kennel license to have the 3 which was 50 bucks a year. But now they are changing that ordinance also and allowing 3 dogs. I am so lucky greg puts up with all my hairbrained ideas!!!

so dreary

2009-03-10T11:04:00.000-07:00

Man for the last 3 days we have not see even a glimpse of the sun. Soon this madness has to end. So yesterday afternoon my GF stopped over and we got to catch up. We haven't seen each other for about a year I think?? Well Presley woke up from her nap and was in our bedroom while we were out in the living room and we heard her start crying so we go running and walk projectile vomit all over the place!! So I throw P in the tub and have Tonya sit in there to keep an eye on her while I strip all my bedding and clean up vomit all over. It even got on the curtains so pull them down and will try to wash them but they say dry clean only but I'll take my chances. She seems ok but not up to full speed today but no more puking or poopy butt. I felt so bad for Tonya having to deal with the yuck. I do love that fact that she is so mellow today she has been on the couch non stop watching nemo and hasn't moved an inch. So I had class last night and I got a 100% on my test last week!!! It was so easy that I thought I did it wrong but what a relief. No class next week cuz of spring break so that is nice. Well I have chili in the crockpot and the laundry is almost done so a good feeling! I work tonight so they'll have dinner all ready....love that crockpot!

Chickens

2009-03-07T11:25:00.000-08:00

Ok so if we decide to stay here I said I want chickens. I just found out our city allows up to 4 chickens but I need to find out all the rules to be able to get them. I think I have to pay $50 a year and get the ok from neighbors so hopefully all my neighbors will be ok with it. Greg said he would build a coop for me!!! I am so excited!!!! I have been researching chickens all day. The real cool fancy ones usually aren't the best egg layers. I really want to have fresh eggs so I think I might have to get the more typical chickens but they still are cool looking depending on the breed I pick. I found a place that ships as little as 3 chicks so that works out good. The one breed I really am drawn to isn't known for egg laying but I really love the look of them. They are suppose to be sweet though. This breed sounds really cool too.... Blue/green eggs sound way cool for Presley!!!!! They aren't ready till june though. I need something cold hardy even though we will keep them warn enough in the winter. So anyone who has any chicken tips let me know!!! Big decisions.

busy

2009-03-04T11:07:00.000-08:00

man my days have been busy the last couple weeks. I just feel like i can't get caught up and I hate that feeling. I have been coming up with a letter to send out my to my old clients that had a real hard time getting in with me after my schedule was cut since P has been here. I have increased my hours and want to let them know so I finally put together a letter and then I ran out of yellow ink while I was printing so I went to the store to pic some up to finish them and I printed a few more and then the cyan was out!!! So finally went back to the store and now they are all done and addressed now they just need a stamp and in the mail they go. I am hoping to hear from a few at least. I would really like to be busy and get more money in the bank. I don't even watch the news anymore it is just so depressing what our economy is looking like. So many are talking about another great depression and it just blows my mind at how we all got in this position!! I mean look at all the technology and smart people out there and we are driving this country into the hole, very sad. You know as long as I have my health and my family I really don't care what happens that is all that really matters. I saw that housing here just took another 7.7% drop!!! I am thinking we will probably stay put here but still look around I just can't see our house selling for what we would like to get and I would rather stay put than loose all the equity we have built. I will still work at getting the house up to snuff and market ready but we will see what it looks like in the next couple months.

not another monday!

2009-03-02T05:42:00.000-08:00

I am so not in the mood for anything today!!! I have a test at school tonight and I haven't even started studying for it. I think we will have to go to the club and I can drop her off at the daycare so I can study in the cafe. Yesterday we went to look at houses and oh my what a bunch of shit holes. When people foreclose on their homes they just really trash the place it is so sad. There was nothing out there right now so we will just wait and see what else comes on the market. We for sure want a minimum of 2 acres, 5 being the best and want a minimum of 2500 sq. feet 3500 being the best all with a nice pricetag!!! We are asking a lot but I know it will pop up. The home just will need work but we can handle that....just not the kind of work like demolishing and rebuilding like a few we saw yesterday. There was one that was ok but needed a lot of cosmetic work which was fine but didn't really have a good place in the home for my salon. It also backed up to a cemetery which I don't mind cuz hey they will be quiet neighbors but our realtor said it is harder to resell cuz many people get weird about living that close to a cemetery. I actually love cemeteries and love photographing them and just strolling thru reading all the headstones I find it so calming and peaceful. So many old cemeteries have such beautiful headstones I love looking at them all. The only ones that make me sad are little babies and kids. But the majority are people who live long lives. I am sure I am weird that I enjoy cemeteries.... There was another house that was ok. The house was smaller but it was very quaint will lots of charm. It had some great outbuildings and one could be a salon with some work. That would be the best case that way my clients don't have to walk in my home and greg would have more privacy. It also had a cute chicken coop already. I just don't know if we could go from a 2500 sq foot home to a 1600sq ft. right now. Having the extra outbuildings for storage and possible rooms to make like a big theater/man room for greg would be fun. But for now we will continue to get ours ready to put on the market and keep looking. Our realtor said in the next couple months it will get busy she said people are waiting right now to see what the stimulus package is going to do for homes sales. One place we looked at I was just shocked it was still occupied and not foreclosed but it was a mess. I mean when you are selling you home you need it in tip top shape and clean. This was a mess with cobwebs and the people left nasty dark yellow pee in the toilet. I mean how hard is it to flush when you have a showing!!! Poor greg is sick with a fever so he wasn't having fun looking at the homes. He just called now and is on his way home from work he feels like crap. Now I am waiting for either P or me to get sick!!! I hope it is just him this time.

holy paint batman

2009-02-27T14:53:00.000-08:00

Greg had the day off today so we did a little organizing and the crawl space under the stairs was getting out of hand. There were so many half used paint cans that have been piling up from my love of "change". We just kept the cans that the walls are painted now for touch ups and will be getting rid of all the others. Every spring our city has a free drop off for stuff like that and I'm sure it is coming up soon so now we can dump it all there. We are also working on the little projects around the house that are half done. I painted some trim so greg can cut it and finish our entryway baseboards and then I worked on the trim in our bedroom and master bath that was started a few years ago and never finished. That is such a job painting over wood it takes a million coats to look good. I probably spent 3 hours and it still needs a couple more days worth to be done. We are toying with the idea of moving but not really sure yet. This is a horrible time to sell but such a great time to buy so it is kind of a wash that way. There are many things we love about our house but the biggest thing that Greg and I have always wanted was more land. We live in a suburb and have a nice size lot compared to the city I think we have about 1/3 of an acre but the neighbors are still so close. I love all our neighbors but I just would love a hobby farm. I have always wanted chickens and a huge wooded yard for more privacy. The other big thing I want is a separate studio on the lot that could be my sewing studio. That way I could walk out there and be in complete privacy when doing all my crafty stuff it would be my own private oasis. Greg could also have a work area for all his projects too. A few of the places we are checking out have some out buildings on the lot and big pole barns that would be great for storage. The 2 biggest drawbacks for moving are Greg would have a little longer commute maybe 20-30 minutes extra a day which really isn't too bad. That would be about 10-15 minutes one way so 20-30 total on top of a 20 min. commute right now but since he is all over the city at any given time it could be shorter or longer. The other thing is my client base is perfect and I am sure most would not drive an extra 45 minutes when I get another salon set up in my house. I would have to start fresh with new clients and also make sure the town we moved to allows in home businesses. Most all do but some are harder to get licensed for so jumping thru all the hoops could be interesting. So those are things we have to weigh out. We have 7 houses set up with our realtor to check out on sunday so it will be interesting to see what is out there. We will probably come back home and say wow our house is so much better let's just stay??? I think the places we are going to see all have 3+ acres. Many of them are in foreclosure right now so they might be kinda scary. I can't believe how many foreclosures there are out there and I am sure there are plenty more to come in the future. It really is sad how our economy is looking. So even if we decide to stay put at least all our projects will get done around here, They have been bugging me!!! The thought of packing and moving really sounds like a ton of work. We plan on having a big garage sale this spring so we can get rid of a bunch of stuff. If we do decide to move I wouldn't want to list the house until the end of april the first of may so we have a couple of months to get things done and not feel rushed. If we decide to stay then all our projects will be done by spring and we can enjoy the outdoors cuz we always have tons of projects out there!!! Either way it is a win win for us. I love looking at homes. We have been in this house for 10 years and a change would be fun...maybe

It's beginning to look a lot like christmas

2009-02-26T11:30:00.000-08:00

Looking outside our windows this is the song you want to sing. I swear this is the never ending winter! I know march is still cold and snowy but I was really hoping this global warming was real and we would start spring now. Once I heard we were to get 6-8 inches today I knew I wasn't going to go anywhere. So was sat inside and watched flushed away for the millionth time this week. She is so obsessed with this show right now. I don't mind it, it is kinda cute. Well all this snow will be fun for greg and Presley tonight they can go outside and frolic in it and shovel. I have clients coming tonight so it needs to be shoveled enough so they can get in my house. I am excited to see who gets the boot tonight on american idol. I really hope "elvis" stays!!! He is the one that sang last and sang satisfaction. I totally think he looks like a young elvis!!! Even watching him sing last night he had a little of the lip going too. He's hot so I hope he makes it. I can't wait for them to weed out all the sucky people and there are a ton of them!!!

better today

2009-02-25T15:19:00.000-08:00

She was back to her normal self today just a little whiney. We are all going stir crazy here. We were going to go to the Children's museum today but her cousins came over to play so at least she got to have some interaction. They all play so well together. Georgia and I just lounged on the couch and got to chit-chat so that was nice for me too. I am going to try to get to the museum tomorrow. Other than that my life was quite boring today I managed a nap and have been nursing a headache for 2 days and finally feeling better right now. I hate headaches!!!

should have known

2009-02-24T19:30:00.000-08:00

The 5:44am wake up call should have tipped me off to how the day was going to go!!! At first it started out ok we went to the post office and all was well there and then went to the grocery store...made it thru with the help of animal crackers. Then once we went to the bank it all changed. I was depositing my business checks into my account and had the girl check funds in one of my clients account cuz last month she bounced a check and then I get charged 10 bucks so I was so glad I check cuz yeah she didn't have enough to cover this one either!!! What a pain in the butt. Last time I had to keep checking to see if she had money in there to get my money. Now I have keep checking again. So I never said anything about her last check I just ate the 10 bucks but now I am wondering if I should say something this time??? I mean what the hell??? then we went to the library and she fell down hard and bit her tongue and the nice quiet library turned into a screaming bloodfest. Blood is pouring out of her mouth I'm trying to mop it up and see where it was coming from and trying to calm her down before we get thrown out. I had a stack of books I wanted to check out too.... so the bleeding calms down and her crying became more of a whimper so I was able to get my books and high tail it out before too many dirty looks. So we go home and turned flushed away back on and things seemed fine till she wanted lunch and then the crying started all over again and her mouth must have been sore cuz she spits out her food and wouldn't eat so now I have a tired, hungry crying 2 yo on my hands. I said it is looking like nap time. I lay her down and couldn't wait to crawl into bed and take my own nap. Well that lasted 30 minutes before she woke up crying. I think her mouth hurt to much to suck on her nuk and therefore couldn't sleep. I was just falling asleep too so I dragged my tired butt out of bed and then the headache started pounding!!! She continued the whining all day and I popped a vicodin in hopes for some sanity oh yeah and Greg wasn't coming home till late so I knew it was going to go right from Presley to work. I am glad this day is over and I am praying she sleeps till at least 7am tomorrow.

Too early

2009-02-24T05:44:00.000-08:00

For about a 2 weeks now Presley has been up by 6:30am!!! She use to sleep till 8 then it went to 7:30 and then 7 now guess what time she woke up today? 5:44am!!! That is just way too early it is still dark out and I am soooo not a morning person. Greg was still home so he got her some warm milk and put her back in bed and she stayed in there till 6:30 and came knocking on the door. UUGGGG I hate mornings and I think my days of 8am sleeping are over. This morning I put flushed away on in the living room and crawled back into bed and that worked for about 5 minutes until the Tori started barking!!! I can't catch a break. My dogs are so annoying. I really do miss the days of lounging around with no one to take care of but myself. I think I just need another weekend day to lounge. Sat. greg worked and sunday we both got up early and this weekend I work sat. so maybe sunday I can lounge until 9am in bed???? I have to run some errands today so I am trying to get some energy and hoping this coffee kicks in soon. I am just so over this day already and it is barely 8am!!!

I need a valium

2009-02-20T09:43:00.000-08:00

I don't know what got into Presley today but she is so full of energy I am about to go insane!!! Everyone who knows her knows what high energy she has...much more than the average 2 yo so when I say it is even more so today that is just too crazy!!! I can't tell you how many times we are out in public and people say "wow she sure is busy" in other words that girl is a freak!!! "wow she sure does have lots of energy" in other words that girl is a freak!!! She is just like her daddy when it comes to high energy Greg 's dr said " he is a spirited boy" in other words he is a freak!!! I am so nervous she is going to have some ADD thing going on but we'll see. I guess time will tell and who knows maybe she'll turn into a mellow calm girl down the road. But for today I need a valium!

I love my husband but....

2009-02-19T07:11:00.000-08:00

Ok I know I have a wonderful husband but sometimes I wonder what is going thru his mind. I swear he has ADD but refuses to admit it. He has lost his 4th!!! yes 4th cell phone in the last year and a half. How does one lose that many cell phones in such a short period of time. So last night I worked and he took Presley to home depot and to the club. I came upstairs in between clients I saw that they had been playing with playdoh but left all the contents on the table and half on the floor. We all know what happens to playdoh when it is left out. It gets hard as a rock and has to be thrown out....so I wondered what he was thinking just leaving it all sit out when he took off? Then he confessed last night that after the club he and Presley walked out to the car and when he put her in the car seat he realized her shoes weren't on her feet!!!! Poor girl was walking on very cold cement all the way to the car in her socks. It was under 20 degrees!!! I just have to laugh cuz how does one not realize their 2 yo has no shoes on. Presley was happy cuz they had to go back in and she swiped another sucker on the way out. I know he is so great at many things but attention to detail is not his strong suit....but I still I love you G!!!!

self entertaining update

2009-02-18T11:09:00.000-08:00

So I think the house is messier now than when I started cleaning!! Yeah Presley entertaining herself wasn't what I had in mind.

All my socks out of my drawers and on her feet. Yes I own lots of weird socks and I wear them!!! 2 tubs of baby wipes emptied out and all over the place. There are just some of the wipes.

Saran wrap and tin foil all pulled out from their tubes. I was too mad to take the pic it was all ruined so in the garbage it went.

all her books pulled from her one shelf and put in a nice pile right after I just organized them all!!!

she found a half eaten bar from who knows where and was eating it. I didn't see any mold so I think we are all good

She dragged her changing pad out of her room and tried using it as a slide...she found this quite amusing. It lasted about 2.7 minutes before she was bored and started looking for more trouble.

She found some chalk and decided to draw all over the bedroom mirror after it was nice and clean

I really need a cocktail right about now. Oh yeah and a cleaning lady!!!! I did put a nice dent in the laundry pile though.

You just gotta love the minds of a 2 year old they can create fun out of nothing....just not fun for me to clean up after

snowing

2009-02-18T06:20:00.001-08:00

UGGG yesterday was gorgeous it hit 40 degrees and today it is snowing and cold. Glad I got my errands ran yesterday. Today is just cleaning and laundry day. Presley is going to have to self entertain cuz the house is a mess. She has been such a good girl this week. No meltdowns and just sweet and happy. I wonder what next week will bring? Greg has been gone more this week and Presley has been walking around the house saying "daddy working" "where did he go???, daddy working" "I missa daddy". She is such a daddy's girl. When he does come home she is on him like stink on sh...... We went to the club yesterday and when I went to pick her up from the daycare she saw me and said no mamma and went running. I guess she wasn't ready to stop playing. So I just hung out and let her play a little more....guess I needed to workout longer or should I say I should have worked out!!!! Yes I just sat in the cafe and read some mags!!!! I was not in the mood to workout but I need to make my 12 times a month quota for insurance to pay a portion. So I took advantage of the daycare and sat and actually relaxed and caught up on some mags. What a loser!

so much harder than I thought

2009-02-16T05:59:00.000-08:00

I listed the crib and cosleeper on craigslist sat. and by last night both were sold and gone forever!!!! I thought I was ready to let them go but I bawled all night and still so sad. It makes me realize that I'm not ok with all of this yet. I think I need some happy pills to get me over this hump cuz I am in such a funk and it is really effecting everyone around me especially Greg. like I am just going thru the motions of living right now and not truly living each day the way I know I should. I feel like I should just be able to get thru this myself like one day just wake up and be my happy old Sheila again but it has been a year of this and I am tired of all the sadness and moodiness and I know Greg is too. I am hoping to save a chunk of money in the next 2 years and maybe try IVF one more time. I guess knowing that it might be a possibility it makes it so less final and something I can look forward to. We have a lot of saving to do cuz I think being 38 years of age IVF then will be close about $20,000.00. Maybe I'll play the lotto once a week and see....with my luck I know it is a waste of a dollar but oh well.......

Happy Valentines day

2009-02-14T11:48:00.001-08:00

My mom came over to visit with Presley for a few hours this morning while I did some sewing and greg was out in the garage a bit. Grandma brought reese's cups my fave!!!! Presley ate a whole one and asked for more but we cut her off. That girl loves her sweets!!! I think most kids do and I can be quite the sucker and give in a little too much with the junk food. I am nervous for her first dentist appt. Speaking of the dentist my tooth is been bugging me and I need to get it checked out. I haven't had a teeth cleaning for about 2 years....it is hard to make an appt when I am home with Presley all day. I was so good and went every 6 months. I guess I need to get a later appt. when Greg is home. It was so easy before presley was born I could run all those appts. during the day and never worried about it. Now it is a whole new ball game. No big plans for tonight I think I will get to the club and that will be the highlight of the day. It works for me.

Grandpa

2009-02-13T15:04:00.000-08:00

We finally made it over to my dad's house today. He has been in need of a haircut and he made me bring my shears to tame his wild locks. Presley actually wasn't afraid of him this time, he even got a big hug on the way out. He gives her treats the whole time she is there so that is one way to win over the heart of anyone. We then went to the library to pick up some more books. She is on a big dinosaur kick so we found some books with a bunch of scary dinosaurs. She loves to be scared. I think when she is older she and daddy will be watching all kinds of horror movies while I am far away from that. I HATE scary movies I refuse to waste even one minute watching them. I like thrillers without all the blood and guts. Greg loves the stupid zombie movies with all that gore. Not sure what our plans are for tomorrow. We might go out to eat but not sure if we want to deal with all the valentine crowds. Sunday we are going to visit his mom in Red wing that is about an hour from us and I think I'll bring my camera and see if the eagles are along the river. This is usually a big time that they come to the river and feed and sometimes there are 100's of eagles at a time. It is usually a better turn out when it is really cold and it is fairly mild right now so not sure but hoping to get a few on camera. I also need to do an assignment so I might set up my tripod and get that out of the way while I am there. It will be about 20 degrees on sunday so not overly cold but it will be short and sweet I won't be taking my time. I am making homemade chicken noodle soup and the house is smelling so good right now can't wait for it to be done!!!

valentines cards are in the mail

2009-02-12T13:18:00.001-08:00

This was one pic in the photo shoot that didn't make it on the card....this is what I had to deal with, feet in my face, she thought it was quite funny but it made for some great smiles so I just entertained the "feet". I was really behind this year and almost said forget the valentine card but then what kind of mom would I be??? Family expects a card for every holiday and I just can't disappoint! I am cutting it close most people will be getting them by sat. but some might not till monday. Oh well they are done and that is a huge accomplishment for me lately. I have turned into the biggest procrastinator ever and I was pretty bad before. This winter is really wearing on me. I need some warm weather to be able to get outside and recharge in the warm sun. It is so gray outside and all the snow is brown and dirty looking from all the sand that was put on the streets. There are quite a few patches of grass peeking thru the snow piles so a nice sign that spring isn't too far away. I know we are due for a few more snow storms and still have about 2 months before we can really get outside and enjoy it. Heck it can still snow in May here but usually we are pretty safe. I mean really there are only about 5 months of warm weather here. Remind me why I live here????

Childrens museum again

2009-02-11T11:46:00.000-08:00

Today we met the cousins Lyla and wyatt at the museum to have some fun. I think it was their first time there and they seemed to love it as much as P. I hope Presley doesn't get sick of it there. There are plenty of different rooms and we never make it to all of them in one visit and I try to change it up each time but a must is the water tables!!! They also change the rooms around so that is worth the membership cuz it is always something different. The clifford exhibit opens on valentines day so maybe next week we can hit it up again and check it out. Well I'll be draggin' but booty to the club today when G gets home...had mcdonald's for lunch!!!

holy laundry

2009-02-10T14:25:00.000-08:00

Man I didn't realize how bad the laundry has piled up!!!! Man I get sick for a couple days and the whole house goes to shambles. We made it to the club...only 10 more times this month to make my insurance quota. Then we made it to the grocery store and I was able to keep the bill under 200...177.00 to be exact. I made it just one day short of 2 weeks so I was happy to stretch out our 250.00 dollar shopping spree from last week. We were getting real creative the last couple nights for dinner and Presley was drinking up our skim milk cuz she ran out of the 2%. She didn't seem to notice. Last night I had class and I said what did you make P for dinner. He made mac and cheese and mixed in scramble eggs and cut up pepperoni to put in it. I was like wow that is quite the concoction!!! He said she liked it and ate it all. I'm not sure if I would have eaten it but you never know?? So last night I loaned all my maternity clothes to my GF. That took every ounce out of me to hand them over I had total anxiety as I walked them out to her car and put them in her trunk. I have been holding on to them in hopes that I could use them again. It took the whole night to shake the sad feeling but I am ok today. It will be weird seeing her in my clothes though. What will be harder is going thru Presley's baby clothes this spring and getting rid of them. I am going to try to have a garage sale and make a little money off all those little gems she had. Maybe I can start an IVF fund and whatever I make I can add to it. Yeah it would take about 20 garage sales to make enough money to fund another IVF!!!! I keep telling Greg lets sell the house move up north into my grandparents old home. We could afford it then but greg would have a 3.5 hour commute!! He would have to stay in the city mon-fri ...yeah that wouldn't be too fun. But we could just do that for a couple years and be able to afford another kid. Just dreaming here. Grasping at straws here.

tired

2009-02-09T15:18:00.000-08:00

I think these drugs are making me extra tired. I didn't get much done today other than a nap and some reading for my class tonight. The sink is full of molding dishes but they are fine they'll still be there for me tomorrow. My GF sam is coming over tomorrow so they will be clean by then. She is lil' miss homemaker and always has a clean and perfect house so I need to keep up my facade. I am off to class in about an hour so I better jump my funky bod into the shower so I don't have to sit by myself

1 year ago

2009-02-08T10:06:00.000-08:00

Today is a year anniversary of my surgery for my ectopic pregnancy. It has been a whirlwind of different emotions this last year. Time really does help heal. I am finally coming to grips with the thought of Presley being our only one. Some days I am really good but some days not so much. I think as time goes on I will feel more at peace with not having any more but it is still a touchy subject for me. I also hate when people say well it might happen now that you aren't thinking about it....yeah hello the are medical reasons we can't get pg on our own. I know most people are trying to say the right things but it is best to just not say anything to me at this point especially someone who has no idea what it is like to deal with infertility. I think this year is going to be better for me as time goes on I know my heart will heal even more and hopefully some of this anger will go away. I still am holding on to some anger and I know I will have to work thru that. Presley is so cherished and I love being a mom and I want to be a happy mom for her. It is just so sad how times has gone so fast and how big she is already. I do miss a lot of the baby stuff but I love this stage too it is just going so fast I wish it would slow down a little!!!

ER visit

2009-02-07T05:52:00.000-08:00

Ok at about 8pm last night my right ear started bothering me and I tried some home remedies like warm olive oil in the ear and warm compresses. I was popping tylenol like tictacs and by 1am I couldn't stand the pain anymore. I was crying and knew I wouldn't make it until morning when urgent care opened. I got dressed and drove myself to the ER. I can't believe I went to the ER for an ear ache but it was SO intense I was ready to blow my head off and knew they could help me. I usually get an ear infection about once a year and they have never felt this horrible. I had them all the time as a kid and finally had tubes but now I just seem to be prone to them when I get a bad cold. They were so nice at the ER I said I felt stupid coming in I feel like the ER is meant for big trauma but at this point I was big trauma. I do have a bad infection in the right ear and a start in the left so they gave me some great drops to relieve the pressure. I also got a percocet some cephalexin for the antibiotic and also a nice supple of vicoden!!! The percocet knocked me out so I was actually able to get some sleep even though I didn't get home until close to 3am and yes Presley was up at 6:30am!!! So I am very tired right now. Greg is working today so I get no break until he gets home. I will be napping when she naps today. My ear still hurts but feels so much better than last night. Let me tell you, you would have been sitting in the ER last night too it your ear was like mine.....so don't call me a baby dad!!! I also don't have an unlimited supply of vicoden either like some people I know. They really should make something stronger than just tylenol for over the counter. Talk about stimulating the economy I bet they wouldn't be able to keep the strong stuff on the shelves but the sales would be thru the roof. I hope Presley keeps up her good mood today cuz I have no energy for naughtiness.

bad mommy award

2009-02-06T08:41:00.000-08:00

This pic says it all. I just let Presley graze out of the fruit loop box all morning. She had a kung fu grip on it the whole time and carried all around the house. The 3 dogs followed closely behind in hopes of a few morsels falling to the ground. They scored a few times. Well shortly after stuffing her face with pure sugar the highly energetic Presley became even more hyper!!! She was jumping up and down watching herself in the mirror for about 10 minutes straight. I thought for sure her little legs were going to buckle from all that jumping. I did get some great action shots. Fruit loops=great photo shoot. I guess there are worse things than letting your 2 y.o. gorge on fruit loops!!!

3 wise monkeys

2009-02-05T13:05:00.000-08:00

That is what I think of when I look at this picture. "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" I met my GF sam at the children's museum again today and we let the kids blow off steam. It was her birthday today and for the next 7 months she is a year older than me!!! We have been friends since kindergarten so many many years it is just so crazy to think how time has gone so fast. Someday these 3 wise monkeys will be our age and not these sweet little munchkins that they are at this moment in time. I am loving every minute....well almost every minute. Oh I "hear evil" as we speak the monkey is up from her nap....gotta run

5 weeks

2009-02-04T11:51:00.000-08:00

5 weeks into the new year already. I have been doing perfect on my 365 day challenge...can't say the same about WW. I am trying but had a hard time over the weekend and slowly getting back on the wagon. The horses just seem to be running too fast and it is making it hard to jump back on. Well I haven't missed one day of the challenge yet. I think I am used to taking a pic everyday and if some reason I'm laying in bed at night and said oh I forgot I will just get up and take a random shot that applies for the day. It is the best way to have a virtual journal. Some days are more boring than others but hey that's life right?? I like boring anyhow too much drama and action stresses me out. SIMPLE is my middle name....well it should be my first name. "Simple white" that is me. Greg was going to work late again tonight but plans changed so he'll be home to see Presley. I work till later so he gets to tuck her into bed. So NOT in the mood to work...guess I better hop into the shower and get ready

ready for homeschool

2009-02-03T09:56:00.000-08:00

I was out today and stopped by our thrift store to see if they had some more sheets in for my quilting projects and I came across this little old school desk for 5 bucks!!! My sister and I had some when we were little but they were bigger and the tops opened and you could store books in them. We use to play school all the time and loved those desks. I wish we would have kept them. So when I saw this I knew it would be perfect for Presley to color on for now and when we homeschool she can sit here and do some work. It is in need of a little TLC but that will be easy to spruce it up. I can sand down the top and stain and poly it and then I think I will spray paint the brown metal a black to match our decor. She looks like such a big girl sitting at it. We just ran a couple of errands and she is still sick and talk about meltdowns in every place we went!!!! I had to pick up a gray card for school and they have a train table at the camera store so she played and I stood there and let her play for longer and then when it was time to go it was on the ground crying!! I had to scoop her off the floor and b-line it to the car. The at the thrift store I let her down to play in the toy aisle and when it was time to go...same thing crying and throwing a fit but at least she was able to remain vertical!! Note to self stay home with a sick kid. She just has a cold but i think she is overly tired and just should sleep the whole day but that won't happen. I hope she is better soon. We need to get over to my dad's and she has been asking to go to the children's museum again so once she is better we can get out of the house.

love learning

2009-02-02T21:18:00.000-08:00

Photo class was great tonight. We learned how to meter with a gray card. I totally was clueless on this subject. I knew how to change my white balance to customize it but never knew how to meter with a card. I kept trying to ask people and I just couldn't grasp what they were saying but now I know how to do it!!! I am such a hands on kind of learner and need to "see" and not be told how to do it. I've got some serious homework to do but excited to learn more and use it in my assignments and really understand it better. I am so glad I am taking this class I have already learned new things and I know we are just getting geared up for the bigger stuff. I guess I will have to go out and get a gray card. They are very cheap so that is a good thing. Both P and I were bumps on a log today. We both have colds and a bad cough so all I wanted to do today was sleep. That is NOT an option. She took a great nap today but I had too much to do so I couldn't take time for a nap. I should get my butt into bed now cuz there is no sleeping in anymore. Even if she does sleep a little longer my dog Tori starts barking from her kennel and wakes us up!!!! Some days I really wish I was pet free!!! Ok my bed is calling me

date night was a flop

2009-02-01T14:13:00.000-08:00

So plans were to go out to dinner and a movie. We ate at one of our favorite greek places. Food was great and I ate till I was full for the first time in almost 2 weeks. Yeah the scale was not my friend this morning but hopefully that is due to salt. So service was so slow that we missed our movie at 7:10 and the next one was at 9:30 so we just went home and played board games together. Well my phone rings at 10:30pm and it was my mom and Presley was in the background screaming bloody murder. She said she had been waking up every 30 minutes or so and screaming and that she felt hot. So Greg and I hopped into the car and drove the 15 minutes as fast as possible. It was a long long night she kept waking and screaming and crying with a fever of just about a little more than 101. We had her sleep in our bed for the very first time since she was a baby. It was hell with being woke up every hour. It brought back bad memories of her and being a newborn.....how I don't miss those days. Her fever broke at about 5-6am and she is slower going today but feels a lot better. Not sure if it is an ear infection or not we will see what happens tonight. If it is another bad night we will go to the dr tomorrow but I am hoping she is all better. It just always seems to flare up at night. So our dream of sleeping in and enjoying the night to ourselves was cut short. Oh well our baby comes first and I just hate seeing her sad.

so confused

2009-01-31T10:32:00.000-08:00

I am working on my assignment for class and I am lost and confused about these settings on my camera. We are to shoot "sunny 16" so f/16 with iso 100 or 200 whatever our camera can go to and shutter speed of 1/80 or 1/90 depending on iso and then blah blah blah I am confused about actions shots and equivalent to the "sunny 16" rule!!! It is finally sunny out today and warm above freezing so I am trying to get it all done today. My GF mer is confused too so it is the blind leading the blind. Greg dropped P off at my mom's for a sleep over so we have the whole day to do whatever we want!!!! I need to finish this homework for class on monday and maybe squeeze some sewing in. Later tonight we will probably go see a movie and maybe dinner??? The old standby for date night....