Shoes!

As I am running around the house picking up all the crud, I am literally just grabbing and throwing things where they belong. Our shoe basket is always overflowing despite the one pair of shoes rule. So as usual I started swiping up several pairs of shoes at a time when I realized what I was holding. I set the three pairs down and had to go get my camera. Even though I am running around like a chicken with her head cut off I couldn't help but stop everything, take the picture and immediately come blog about this. I can't quit smiling over this picture. It just makes me feel so darn good. I love how sweet my older boys are to their little baby brother and I know that all too soon Branson will fill those great big baseball cleats and that my shoe basket will not be so full.

CRAYONS!

Thank you to everyone for all your help! The response has been great. For everyone who has said they have crayons for me thanks a bunch. After I receive those I will not need any more crayons. If you can...keep those ties coming. It's actually kind of fun to see the gems coming out of your hubby's closets. A HUGE thank you to Cindy for loaning Cayden the bull whip, he is so excited and I will post pictures later.

As a side note. John always makes fun of me because I pronounce crayon like cran in cranberries. He says our money spent on my English degree was wasted, but then he sees my spelling on a daily basis too. I am still reading all of your posts as I feed Branson his bottle and it kills me not to comment. I am enjoying them all! Thanks!

UP to my armpits in DOWN Under

Only two full weeks to get ready for Cub Scout Day Camp...I am just shy of sheer panic. As soon as I complete one task I immediately remember something else I forgot to add to my long list of to-do's. Believe me I have been very good at delegating but there is just so much to be done that can't be done until the very last minute! Throw in a 7 month old baby, the last two weeks of school, choir concert, projects, piano, mutual, Elementary School End of the year Video, baseball playoffs, recorder concert, Cub Scout meetings, Wax Museum...you get the idea. Oh, and I have Bunco at my house on Tuesday night, what was I thinking!?

PLEASE HELP!!!

If anyone has unwanted, well used crayons I will take them! The boys will be melting them onto rocks at camp. If anyone would like to clean out their hubby's closet I will take any neck ties that you can offer! The Cubs will be making snakes out of them...way cool but we are short on ties. Anything Australia! Flags, kangaroo pelts, boomerangs you name it I will take it, and take good care of it too. (Thank you Jan for the boomerang shown above.) Also Cayden has a "Wax Museum" for school and he needs a Bull Whip. Does anyone know somebody that could loan us one just for this week?

I think what I am most bummed about being so very busy is the lack of time I will have in the next few weeks to blog!

THE EVIL ONE

Over a year and a half ago this cat was a gift for Sydney's 6th Birthday. The runt of the litter he was already having to defend his manhood when Sydney gifted him with the name FOO FOO. He has been called Foo Foo Kong, Foophonious, The Foofinatore, Foofers, Foof, and ahhh yes John calls him The Evil One. His favorite spot is in the baby's bouncer seat but don't let this peaceful photo fool you. He is cuddly and sweet until you touch him in the belly and then you may loose a finger or an eye. The stairs are his domain and should you attempt to step over him as he purrs, seemingly asleep, you get the wrath of Foo Foo. Even after a year and a half our eight year old chocolate lab cowers behind my leg when the cat comes near. But for some reason we all can't help but love him (except John, I think he really does hate him.) As we pull into the driveway after school I get the same question every single day..."Where is Foo Foo?" And before snacks and homework Foo Foo is mauled with hugs and kisses. (He is an outside cat can't you tell?) Despite his evilness he is tolerant of babies, playing dressup and all the "imagination" games that Sydney has put him through...We love our Foofermister.

Book of a Thousand Days

Shannan Hale is awesome! I loved Princess Academy and Goose Girl was just as heartwarming. Her books are a good read for both young girls, starting around 3rd grade, and for older women like myself. She is an LDS author and so far her books have been very clean.

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I read her latest book by the lake this weekend and Book of a Thousand Days did not disappoint. Like all of her books there is a touch of innocent romance, a hint of believable magic and always a princess in trouble.

Taken from a little-know tale by Brother's Grimm ,Shannan Hale recreates the fantastic story of Dashti, a young and honorable maid who is sealed away in a tower with her Lady Saren. Dashti records her experience in journal form and the reader is invited to follow her days of imprisonment as she and her lady suffer both physically and mentally. As the years pass the world outside is changing and Dashti must decide what is best for Lady Saren.

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Shannon Hales lyrical language is enchanting and adds to the excitement and wonder of things to come for Dashti and Lady Saren. There is no foul language of any kind but at one point Dashti removes all of her clothing in front of a crowd of men. There is nothing sexual in nature (and I don't want to give anything away) but Mom's with young daughters may want to read and judge for themselves.

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A new favorite, I would recommend Book of a Thousand Days to anyone who enjoys adventure, romance, drama, deception and a good book. My copy is available if anyone is interested.

A Memorial Weekend to Remember

So this weekend we loaded up the Motorhome and the boat and headed off to some lake outside of Spokane. We got the best camp site in the place, right next to the lake and a cute little stream.

We spent lots of time on the boat fishing for Sunfish, Crappie, Perch and we even caught a few Bass.

A boy after my own heart...if the fishing wasn't on fire Anderson had his nose in a new book. (I was excited to find him a new series about James Bond as a teenager, an immediate hit)

This is a picture of when Branson liked fishing. I won't even mention how many times the boat turned back to our campground on account that Branson had had enough.

The one and only time that I got to fish...Branson and Sydney asleep under a makeshift tent.

MOM: "What Cayden? You like fishing?" CAYDEN: "Well, yea when you catch something." We are all used to Sturgeon and Salmon fishing where you throw in your line and wait...and wait...three hours later you still wait...and wait...

When we weren't fishing the kids had a blast racing pine cones down the little stream. I think that is Anderson's cone that is winning. They even gave them names (they were so ridiculous I can't even remember them.) Some anal head camp lady came over and told them to stop sending the pine cones down the stream and into the lake, that it will hurt the fish. Uhhh, OK lady, have you looked around the lake...pine trees all over the place dropping tons of pine cones into the water. Maybe she is the pine cone police. Anyway my kids adapted and simply grabbed their cones before they entered the lake.

Did you know that hot dog skewers make great javelins? Of course I didn't let them throw them... at anybody. They had to be facing away from any human life form and only aim at the empty cupcake box.

John and the kids thought it was a riot to chew up sunflower seeds and then spit the shells at each other...when they realized that mom thought this was not only uncool but totally disgusting I became the main target.

We had a great time and headed home.

Right outside of Spokane the motor home blew a tire. It was so loud that I thought the entire back of the motor home had broke off onto the highway. (Kind of like that old Herbie movie when Herbie the Lovebug comes unwelded and splits apart) anyway Branson kept right on sleeping and the kids didn't even flinch (They did have earphones on watching a movie) The tire pretty much ripped our wheel well to shreds. I tell you, this stretch of highway is bad luck for our family. Years ago Karen Jenkins and I broke down and because she was great with child I had her flag down a car for help (you know, playing the sympathy card). In this same leg of the trip my parents had a flat last year on the way home from Silverwood, John broke down when traveling with a buddy and here we are again!

Well I love my husband but let's just say I fix the toilets around this house. I know how to change a tire but we couldn't find one single tool to use. Luckily a friend of his was about 1/2 hour behind us and they helped us out. It's a good thing too because I never knew a motor home tire was so much harder to change...3 hours later we were back on the road. Oh and guess where good ole Uncle Sam's money is going to be spent now, cause the back tires on our motor home are Duelies, meaning there are four of them. Oh happy day.

Why John Wants a King

I stayed up late last night for some "me" time and when I was exhausted and ready to climb into bed this is what I found. Not an inch of room left for poor Anderson and lucky me I got to haul them all off to their own beds so that I could actually get some sleep.