Spring

Dollar tree bulbs. Here's hoping they all bloom!!


Choppers back the butterfly bush. It was getting to big for its britches! It was over 5' tall and was hard to see past anymore.


All the refuse from the small clean up I just Dodd. Cleaned up the elephant ears and the banana plant too.


Need to get some mulch but it keeps raining. No one wants to buy/haul/spread wet mulch. Yuck!!

Angela's art work

Angela's dog won third in the art show today :)


She also did the lunch room to the right


And this one too :)

So talented!

Clean up.

In an effort to end this:









I have been cleaning my computer room/office to make room for Butch's stuff. So far I have cleaned off "his" side of the office desk:



Yeah I need to move my computer and projects back to my side



These frames have been here for YEARs and I finally mounted the plastic canvas to make one an earring holder.


Shadow box with baby spoons needs a home too!!

BUT here is the problem. My side of the desk AFTER cleaning STILL looks like this:



Yeah, there is no hope for me!!

Happy Mardigras!

Full Moons and cameras

Butch bought a new professional camera he was playing around with and taking pictures of the full moon the other night... I decided to break out my Cannon point and shoot that has the 14x lens.  I think I like that camera.  I've given it to Liz to take back to college with her to try out.  We'll see what she thinks of it once she gets a chance to play around with it and take some pictures.

Not too shabby, eh?

Someone is feeling the Valentine spirit!

The banner is from the Teresa Collins scrap event I went to the the fall. The rose colored glasses are Dollar Tree finds. Gotta love them!

Yep, this year....

Merry Christmas!

Butch and I work up early. I couldn't go back to sleep so I went ahead and got up to start breakfast and do stockings. The grace of having MUCH older kids :)


Moms stocking.


Angela's stocking.


Liz's stocking


And Butch's stocking.


The tree before ....


The other side. This LOOKS like a lot as there are NO presents directly under the tree :)


Angela trying to figure out a puzzle game.


Liz - does NOT want to be up and it's almost 9am :o/ Christmas cheer is lost on her :)

She finally got up and enjoyed some breakfast casserole and opened the items in her stocking. Angela was allowed to start her stocking well in advance of Liz since she was being a bum!

No pictures during. I actually sat back and just enjoyed the moments. Mostly because I was EVIL in my wrapping.


This is the amount of presents .....


Wrapped in THESE boxes! Yep. Gift bags taped to the bottom on HUGE boxes with noise makers in there. Tubes from wrapping paper with pens in them that would rattle and slide. Too funny to watch faces in these. I also packed one with a scuba weight. Everyone got a good laugh over the wrapping :)


Butch got two pair of jeans and his desired wireless thermometer for outside.


Angela got a much needed emergency car kit as well as lots of gift cards.

Liz also got a lot of gift cards and a solar shower for her adventures next year (or camping!)


I got my new hair dryer (Mine conked out) and a Roomba. I'm excited to try this guy out. Sad that we have to do some cleaning before we can turn it loose to clean :) looking forward to turning it on, gong to work and coming home to clean floors.

Mammograms and a love/hate relationship with technology

Mammograms and a love/hate relationship with technology...does that say it all?  I was able to get off the six month visits after spending almost three years going every six months. This last span was a year since my last visit!!  Small victory, right?

Today's visit...yeah...two squishes both sides, sit and wait for the results...notified that the right breast is now back in rebel mode. Sigh. Two or three more squishes on right only....nope, not quite right...three more...yep.

Off to ultrasound. Do both boobs on ultrasound. Can't find the spot on the left to review. Tech goes out to find prior screens. Finds location, ultrasounds completed. Right breast, tech goes back out rather than searching. Location found, ultrasound done. Wait....comes back in and does more, marks spot.

Back to mammogram to squish two three more times to check the "spot". Tech verifies with the doc. All is well, get dressed. Talk to doc.

Good news and bad news. Good news, same old news "complex cysts" (they have irregular edges and debris in them -  kinda gross, eh!)

Yes, I love that technology exists to find breast cancer faster and relatively easy, but dang, my poor abused boobs!!

Christmas is done.

I found some cute bottle brush trees for
My tiny dioramas. They are cute as they can be...and being cuter every day :)








The tree is decorated fully now.


And the nativity scene is up and lit as well.

Now if I can get into the Christmas spirit that would help :o/ I still have a week or so to get it there.

It's beginning to look like Christmas!

Ok we are still in the midst of quite a few boxes but things are shaping up


I have gone simple for the mantle this year. I have forgone the greenery swag this year.


My tiny dome scenes. Three snowmen.


Santa with his sleigh


Truck with presents and a snowman.


And David is dressed for the occasion as well ;)


Tree up, tiny star on top and a few of our Italy bulbs tucked into the greenery. And yes, the ladder still in place to get the last minute bulbs to the top ;)


Butch hates this deer I kinda love him!

Thanksgiving

Craft project that Liz and I gathered parts for. There are three more on the mantle I will share later. I couldn't get a good picture without glare ;) The other three are showmen and Santa themed.



Tom in the new oil less fryer - basically a big thermal oven.


Ella has the right idea!!!


Liz challenged the kids for a polar bear plunge... yeah, Braden and Ella wimped out.


Burrrrrrr 57 degree water is BRISK!!!


Braden is smiling....





Until he hit!!! Yikes cold!!!


Ella did go in eventually. She was tossed in, but she went in ;)


Then they warmed up in the hot tub.... ahhhhh


Figuring out how to get Tom OUT if that cage! We had to tuck legs and wings and such to get him out but he made it in one piece!!


Pretty bird!!!!


The Ham was no slouch either!





All gathered in the dining room and entry!


Braden ate it ALL and came back for more!


My tradition. Picking the turkey clean after our meal. Lots of great food and wonderful company. What more could we ask for? Nothing!! Hope your Thanksgiving was just as wonderful.