Testing...Testing...

I am testing this, because last time I tried to post, it wouldn't publish anything. I relationship that I have with technology is sooooo hate/love...

Random musings...

So, I had surgery last Thursday. I wish I could say it was a boob job (JUST KIDDING! I struggle with the dilemma of whether I should dye the 20 grays protruding so wickedly out of the top of my chestnut head or if I should just let nature rage her vindictive fury on me and try to be happy about it :)). My last pregnancy broke my person in many ways and 3 1/2 years later I'm still broken. Doctor after doctor after doctor later, I finally found one that wanted to go in and look around. So it wasn't a big deal. It wasn't a shocker that they found a broken uterus in their wanderings of my guts. I don't want to trade Hulk in exchange for a working body though, no matter how frustrating it is that I can't do simple things like, run. As funny as that sounds, because I HATE to run, I'd like to do it when I want to, all the same. I am soooo fickle I realize. There are so many things I would like to do; rock climb (see if I can't cure myself of my fear of heights), run a marathon, surf, record an album in a professional studio (vocal/piano, just for myself)...there are many other things in my bucket. ALL of which are on hold til further notice. SIGH! These bodies are such curious things. To have one body be tirelessly exuberant (Farmer Bob :)) and one so very...NOT (mine).
In the mean time I have other things to keep myself occupied. Farmer Bob and I signed up for college classes. I'm a bit intimidated. I haven't gone to college in almost 14 years. Farmer Bob is going for accounting and I am going for...accounting. HANG ON!!! Before..."O...K...Interesting..." comes out of your mouth, just let me say this...
I know it doesn't suit my personality but it's practical and steady employment. I would always be able to find work. AND, I'll keep telling myself this same exact thing while I'm sitting at my desk and having thoughts of gouging my own eyes out with a letter opener and a ball point pen :). Thoughts induced solely from severe boredom and number overload. I'm hoping to eventually work from home (no one should have to witness the whole eye gouging thoughts thing, eek!). There are good possibilities though, for working at home.
I had these glorious thoughts of what I would do after all my children were in school. OH! All the things I could do! But then I took a closer look at myself and discovered that I would truly just like to sit on the couch and read book after book that I've had on my book list for years or write book after book that have been floating around in my head. It would be nice to put all their fragments together, but since I'm not interested in trying to publish, it seems like a waste of time at the present. I need steady work (part time :)) to keep me happy and with all the kids going to school my current part time employment will soon be gone.
While I have been recooperating from the above said procedure, I have been reading my most favorite book EVER! Jane Eyre. Charlotte's character, Helen Burns, is my favorite character in the whole book, I think, because she gives perspective to Jane and always tries to help her be a better person without harshness. In one section, Helen has just been reprimanded by a teacher for something very simple. To Jane the punishment did not fit the crime and she became very angry about it, as she is such a passionate child.
Jane said, "If she struck me with that rod, I should get it from her hand; I should break it under her nose."
Helen replied, "Probably you would do nothing of the sort..."
Jane then says, "It seems disgraceful to be flogged, and to be sent to stand in the middle of a room full of people; and you are such a great girl; I am far younger than you, and I could not bear it."
Then Helen says, which I love, "Yet it would be your duty to bear it, if you could not avoid it. It is weak and silly to say you cannot bear what it is your fate to be required to bear."
I also, most of the time in fact, relate to Jane's inner response, "I heard her with wonder, I could not comprehend this doctrine of endurance; and still less could I understand or sympathize with the forbearance she expressed for her chastiser. Still I felt that Helen Burns considered things by a light invisible to my eyes. I suspected she might be right and I wrong."
So, those are the random musings of my mind whilst I lay here with nothing to do, whether they make sense or not :).

December Update

Well, all who know me automatically know that I HAVE to back track just a touch :). I haven't blogged for a while so there are two VERY important things that I must discuss first.
Item 1:
He did it! He did it! He did it, did it, did it!!!
Hulk FINALLY decided he was ready to toilet train (and he'll probably blame me for trauma in his adult life for posting this picture). It took about half a day (thanks for the tips Aunt Kamille), he didn't have an accident for 2 days, had 2 accidents and has been a champ ever since. The kid has mastered the throne fully and even wipes his own toosh. I couldn't ask for more!
Item 2:
Yes, I let her go to school like this...

Farmer Bob was ready to set up an intervention but I made him refrain. Why, you ask? Because, as unique as Princess Buttercup's tastes may be, I need her to feel good about herself at school. If this atrocious outfit makes her happy, then the chances that she'll have a good day are in the 90th percentile, don't ya think? She has come up with some real whoppers to wear, I wish I could post them all.

Now, business completed, here's our back track. We helped the kids carve pumpkins this year, like every other, but the older kids had to gut their own. They were very efficient but had no trouble expressing their dislike. Dash is smiling here but was the loudest complainer between the two. He had to get through the junk to carve this puppy and he was determined to do it.

Butterfly Personified did little to hide her dislike either, but persevered.

All the pumpkins looked great. The smaller kids decorated theirs on both sides with our fun 'Potato Head' type skewers.

And the older kids always have a blast with theirs. I think they look great! Good times!

So, we move into December now. All caught up! Wasn't that fast :). Tee hee, except the little fact that it's JANUARY now! Moving on...

We continued our tradition of gingerbread something decorating. We've done quite a few different things in the past. The first year it was attempted, we tried making a big replica of our house. Farmer Bob's step Mom was the first person I ever saw do this and I was completely fascinated. She was so good at it and made it look soooooo easy that I was SURE I could master this with no problem. Short recap...our house fell down :( ! I was not deterred though. We just moved on to smaller construction projects. This year Farmer Bob and all the kids made their own little houses and I a train...

Neat and orderly, like everything he does ;)...

Me train...had fun with this one this year. I made a train so I could fill the cars with goodies. I'm so smart!

Dainty and cute!

Ready to eat! Even though he'd already eaten half of what was on the table to use.

Do you see her house's little face with hill-billy teeth? Adorable!

At 3, a master! I put the frosting into zip lock bags and cut the end so they can each have their own bag and truly decorate themselves. He did awesome and with not a lot of assistance.

After everyone was done and dry we arranged out Christmas town.

We always have fun making this but, of coarse, the kids just want to gobble it down. It did last though Christmas though, which I was surprised. But EVERYTHING bit the dust on this one. Hardly anything was left to throw away. Waste not, want not...

On Christmas Eve, instead of getting just one present, Princess Buttercup got two. She lost one of her front teeth!

If you ask her what happened, she'll say, "Butterfly P kicked me in the face with her foot!". But if you ask Butterfly P what happened, she'll say, "Princess B ran into my foot with her face. I had nothing to do with it." But no matter HOW it happened, she still got a dollar from the tooth fairy.

And, of coarse, tradition also states that they MUST get jammie's on Christmas Eve.

I love that our kids are growing up because of reason 682...they don't race downstairs and thrash into the presents without us. We were all able to come downstairs together, start with our Christmas socks, and then move onto the mine. Farmer Bob handed everybody 3 or 4 at a time and let 'em rip. It was quick and efficient, then we got right into assembly and play.

Butterfly P banked this year. She didn't have a lot to open but she got a laptop. Need I say more? Ok, she got more than that, including a bed her Daddy and I made for her AG dolls. I made the bedding but kept the bed plain so that she could pick out her own design for it.

A few days later, and viola!

There's the bed ...

And here with the bedding. Of coarse she loved it!

Dash has been patiently waiting for some Nerf guns. So we did oblige him this year. He also has been asking for a watch for about 6 months so we got him a really nice one, I just hope he can keep a hold of it :( !

Princess B got her fare share of things. Isn't it nice when their young? A little money goes a LONG way, it's fantastic! She loves to dress up and draw, so she was given plenty of supplies for doing both. Her request to Santa this year (Dear Santa, I would like 100 Barbies please, Love, Princess B) was not ignored. But she did only get 3 Barbies, not 100. Santa dropped the ball this year! Sheesh!

Hulk got a ton of trains and is in HEAVEN (heaven: as in, ALL the angels, the Mormon tab choir, AND the operatic fat lady are singing together [vibrato IN harmony and all!] heaven!). His brother even got him a Thomas the Tank baseball cap. He's livin' the dream I tell ya...

But now I must reserve a very special section in this post for the amazing.....

CRANIUM CREATION HATS!

My bestest friend is a crochet whiz and she sent us all these adorable hats...

One of mine... (the owl hat of mine you saw in the family picture)

Butterfly P's...

The boy's...

Princess B's... I LOVE!!!!!!!!! them. But now Butterfly P is pining for an owl hat too. I don't blame her!

So, in short, we had a wonderful December. I loved having the kids home for Christmas break but Farmer Bob worked every holiday. I guess we're used to it but it's still pretty suckish. New Year's Eve I spent with some girlfriends, eating and talking it up. I was still able to come home and kiss my man though, as is proper for the new year!

Time moves on still. Things to do, things to do!

No rest for the weary...

Here's a good one...

So, Butterfly P. was watching Percy Jackson and made the comment that she didn't realize there was a Lady Gaga song in the movie. Then she started to giggle rapturously and said, "Hey mama, how do you wake up Lady Gaga?" Thinking this question strange and out of context I answered bemusedly, "I don't know, how?". Then she said, "Poker face!" HAAAAAA! HEEEEE! HAAA! Ahhh, simple, but funny! And if you don't think it that funny, I have a suggestion. Imagine walking into a room where the Lady is sleeping serenely on a bed of puffy, pink, satin pillows, her blond locks splayed out just so. Then real quiet like, sneak over to her, AND... poke her face! HARD! Can't you just see it now? That's funny stuff right there!!!

I told you I wasn't a good journaler...is journaler even a word?..it is now!

Needless to say, it's been a LONG time since I've blogged. So many things have happened, of coarse, cuz it's been eight months. Sheesh! So I'm going to give you the low down really fast. Ready? 1...2...3...Go...

- Chris can't do his job anymore (long story, not going to explain Cuz this is supposed to be a FAST recap)! We have to move!

- What are we going to do?

- "I'm going to go back to school," says Farmer Bob.

- "Golly babe! Let's move back home," says Milk Maid Supreme.

- Scramble, scramble.

- We started using the wood burner to heat the house, brrrrr, stay warm guys.
- Princess Buttercup turned five and since everyone knows that I'm a celebration hum bug I had her make her own cake,
- And she did a freakin' good job I'd say,
- But for some reason had a hard time blowing out her candles. She is a princess though...
- She banked on Tinkerbell paraphernalia and other stuff and enjoyed her day with her best buddy.
- The kids all had a snow day and chose to spend it shoveling the driveway (I'm not complaining) but I sure do miss them now that they go to public school.
- Since we have to move I started emptying out the freezer. Yummy cherries.
- Next is Dash's turn for a birthday. He had NO trouble blowing out his candles and then we all proceeded to eat his DNA. Yummy!
- He got a few things to go with his DS, which he would play all day long if he had the chance.
- I had to take the stinky cat to the vet, who freaked out in the car and put his fangs through my fingernail. This pic was taken when it started to look BETTER. The whole top of my nail came off. Totally vomitous, let me tell you!
- Through all the packing and house remodels Farmer Bob still took time to take his two sweeties to the Princess Ball. They had a blast! What a good Daddy!

I told you I wasn't a good journaler...is journaler even a word?..it is now!

(part two of FAST recap!)

- Work, Work, Work... on the house.

- Packed up everything that we didn't absolutely need.

- Farmer Bob went in for surgery.

- Yard work, yard work, yard work.

- Sheesh I need break. Let's go camping!

- Went to Mohican State Park with our dear friends and played.
- Hulk is still in diapers but waded happily through the river none the less...
- Princess Buttercup certainly enjoyed herself...
- Farmer Bob helped Dash break his finder (by accident! He felt SOOOOO bad!) and he had to spend his whole vacation with his hand above his head. Doesn't look like it bothered him though...
- Butterfly Personified loves the water! She found loads of rocks that she brought home (yay for me! :() and a fresh water clam. No, she wasn't allowed to bring that puppy home!
- As we walked back to the camp site from playing in the river, Hulk stated loosing his diaper. Wish you could have been there, it was hilarious!
- There's Farmer Bob being Farmer Bob. Golly, but I love that fool!
- This was a fire tower that you could climb. For everyone who knows me well you know that I not so graciously declined the offer.
- The view from the top of the tower...
- Nobody else in the fam made it up except my little dare-devil. I was able to raise the others with SOME semblance of self-preservation.
- OOOOHHH, aren't we soooo cute!
- It was very pretty scenery, no? Dash is quite the stud up there!
- We saw all kinds of Nature (I'm using that word loosely!) on our ramblings in the woods that I would NOT be sad to NEVER see again...
- But there are also MANY kinds of fungi around and this one was, by far, the coolest I think I've seen. We had to come home sometime. Goodbye bugs!

- We looked at all our options and decided...

- J/K, we're not moving. "Let's tell everyone," says Milk Maid Supreme.

- "We'd like to call you as the Relief Society President," says Bishop.
- SHEESH!

- Since we're not moving the kids went back to public school here and Princess Buttercup started Kindergarten. She was soooo happy she STILL hasn't stopped giggling about it.
- Now it's Hulk's turn for a birthday. He had over quite a lot of his adorable little friends and they played for a while. Since the boy doesn't like cake we had a doughnut party. Happy 3!
- He didn't have a hard time blowing his candle out either but since it was a doughnut he got his own DNA back. I'm going to remember that for next time...
- Dig in you guys! Yummy!
- Not too bad there boss!
- Now it's Farmer Bob's turn. The big 32! Gosh, but he's hot!
- Now it's Butterfly Personified's turn for a birthday. What a dainty blower!
- She was super excited to get her flute out of all her presents. She's been playing and is making great improvement. She's a natural!

- "So what's the plan?" says Milk Maid Supreme.

- "We're going to go back to school and stay where we are right now," says Farmer Bob.

- "WE?" says Milk Maid Supreme.

- "Yes! WE," says Farmer Bob.

- SHEESH! I'm tired, how about you?