Deck Change

So I decided to change the back patio around again. I know, but I love the change. Everytime, I love the change.

 After taking the pictures and posting this, Matt informed me we had to make another change to the patio. We have this little love seat in the garage, and apparently it is coming to the deck tonight! I just got it the way I wanted it...Men.

My Sweet Angels

Here is how Grady usually kicks his piano. Cracked me up that he starts to whimper, then when I ask what's wrong, he stops, and stares at me! He is so funny for so young. Connor just goes on about his business of watching the Chuggington cartoons. He doesn't care about the camera anymore...

Grady

Here is the baby genius, Grady is unbelievable, I believe he actually knows when I am filming him...He will be kicking away at the bottom of this toy,  making music, I come back with the camera -- he stops! You can see him looking at me filming. He cracks me up.

Connor

Crystal got an IPad for Christmas, and wouldn't you know the little genius knows how to turn it on, off, find his games, and play them.

Amazing, that he will not even be three until February 26...Evolution!

Crystal's House

I came over to Crystal's house yesterday to see if I could help out. The kids are both sick, and she is exhausted, and James is working.

Poor thing, she is so tired. Both boys were up off and all on night long. Still no sleep.

Both boys are napping now, so I sent Crystal to bed to, hopefully the boys will stay sleeping for just a little longer so she can get some rest.

Heather

Heather

I want to thank you for coming and spending the weekend with us. It always makes me feel good when my kids are around me. We had such fun chatting, watching tv, and going to the movies.

It is nice to be able to cook for you, and wake up with you in the house.

Thanks for coming and being who you are. You have grown up to be quite the woman. I am very proud of you, and always want you to remember that.

Love You

Crystal

Crystal

You remind me so much of myself when I was raising you and Heather. Everytime you get on the phone with me, Connor has some kind of issue...Everytime I got on the phone with someone, even when you and Heather were 5 and 10, there was some kind of issue. Always a big issue too. Someone was always crying or screaming or hitting (that was always Heather)haha...

It comes with the territory, kids always want you to focus on them ONLY...

Your kids are going to keep you on your toes from now on. I only wish you could get that one comodity that all Mom's need most....SLEEP!

I love you and always remember, you are doing a great job! And it is the most important job!

I Love You

Nasty Girls

I have never really had a lot of girl friends in my life. I have one or two that have been friends for years, that is it. Do I try to make more friends? No, not any more. A friend of ours has had this new girlfriend for about a year. When we were living at this friend's house, we first met her. She is quite the piece of work. Upon first meeting us, she judged us as losers, because we were living in mom and dad's trailer...After we moved into our house, she said that it was about time we had a home. She also told me that if I had a family, or a job, or a career, I might be happy. I might be happy? I let her say this to me for a few months, before I set her straight.

I said, "Listen miss perfect, I had several careers, I put myself through college, and have 3 degrees, I have two beautiful children, and I am happy!" Ever since then she has been a bitch to me. At one point she asked me to be her friend on facebook, in front of our friend she told me, you better accept my friend request, or else. I did not know what the 'or else' meant, but our friend was sitting right there, so I said sure.

At our Xmas party, we had a girl bring a couple people I did not know. I told her I did not appreciate it, and I wanted to meet who she brought. She took me out to meet him, and he seemed like he did not have the time of day, for whose house he was at. I told my friend later, he was never welcome at my house again.

So the other day, Carolyn unfriended me, I did not understand why, after all, she forced me to become a friend. It kind of bothered me as to what I could have done, I always go out of my way to be nice. Yesterday, from another guy I found out that Carolyn is really good friends with this Ken creep that came to my house, and that is why she unfriended me, she didn't want him to know she was a 'friend' of mine.

So perfect excuse for me, not to be friends with her anymore. And when her boyfriend, our friend, finds out, hopefully he will finally see her true colors.

It is amazing to me that, even when I stay out of it, I still am involved.

St. Jude

This statue of St. Jude was given to us by Matt's mom for our Wedding. We have moved him to Graeagle, to Perris, and back to Grass Valley. He looks happy and content in front of the Weeping Atlas, it is spectacular in itself. St. Jude has definately proved to us that he is the saint of the "IMPOSSIBLE".

The Prowler and The Rain

When it rains here, it does beautiful things, the moss on the Oak trees pops. It turns bright green about an hour after it rains, and stays this way most of the Winter and Spring.

It took three of us to get Dad's cover on his Prowler. It is a good thing he warned us to bring the whole thing up top and work down. It took two on top, one on the ground to wrangle it into position. Now it is good to go for the Winter.

PS  Gordon and Trude, we are still waiting to hear back from our landlord, as soon as we do, we will let you know...

Back To Normal

Today is the first day I have felt completely normal...That flu took its toll on me. The past few days have been crazy with rain, Matt has also been home for almost a week sick. He went to work this morning, so now I can clean up the mess in the house.

Heather and I went to this theatre over the weekend, where the seats moved in conjunction with the movie, it was fantastic. With every punch, car chase, helicopter ride, etc., we were moving with it. It was really unique. The seats were in the normal theatres, they were called "D-Box" seats. That is the only way I ever want to see a movie again.  Super fun.

Pictures From The Spring

Matt, LeAnne, Scott (her brother from New Jersey), and myself back in June, up in Graeagle.

It was the day before her wedding.

Blane, our gay friend, just sent these pictures to me, I had to share...

It definately does not look like this there now, it is snowing as we speak...(in Graeagle, just rain here)

The Wind, The Rain, and The Chimes

Last night the wind was roaring, the rain was coming down like gang busters, and the chimes were chiming so loudly. I tried to twice to capture the incredible sound on video. Everytime I went out to video, it stopped. That was crazy, but I did catch a little bit of the chimes, and you can definately hear the wind and rain.

Be careful driving out there today all! 

My New Coffee Brewer

The kids got Matt and I this incredibly cool coffee maker for Christmas. It is a Keurig, and it takes literally 60 seconds to brew a cup. It comes with cool little cups of all kinds of coffees, teas, cocoas, etc.

There is no fuss, no muss, and no clean-up, just take the little cup out of the brewer and clean-up is done!  Sooo cool.

Thanks kids! We love it.

It Started To Hail

I am finally feeling a little better, just in time, my other half went down hard. You know how men are always sicker than we are, well Matt had a hard night. Just like mine the other night. Its really hard when you are both really sick, because someone has to bring in the wood. It is freezing outside today, it's super cloudy, and hailed for a few minutes, just in time to get me when I when out to get the wood. Yup I lost. It was a good thing though cuz Matt came home yesterday with lots of rounds and they were still in the back of the truck. So as bad and weak as we were feeling, I jumped up in the back of his truck, and handed off about 1/2 cord in rounds. That was interesting, and heavy.

Amidst, all of the freezing weather we have been having, last night this is what the sky looked like...

Absolutely beautiful

PS  BE CAREFUL DRIVING MARK AND BETH!

Iced Up

I went to leave the other morning for my doctor's appointment, and found my car frozen solid. It was 22 degrees this morning...

So icy it was crazy cold, I had a scarf, a jacket, and a hat to go out this morning!

It took the heater 15 minutes to heat the ice away, something I need to plan ahead for, from now on...

The sky is beautiful, full of rain clouds...

The weather man says that we will get about 2 inches of rain in the next few days. Boy do we need it, it is sooooo dry here, the forests will burn up this summer if we don't get the much needed rain.

Tuesdays Yuck

So after going to the doctor on Monday, he signed all 14 papers, cool, I woke up Tuesday  at 2:00 in the morning and threw up all day yesterday. I was in bed all day. Matt brought me home some gatorade and crackers, got me threw the night. So far so good today, I am super weak, though, and have to go out this morning. We need some supplies before this 'rainageddon' that is supposed to reach us by tomorrow. They say we will have serious weather for over a week. At least where we live now, it is much further south than where we were last year, so hopefully we won't have to deal with the snow this year. I took some really pretty pictures of the seasonal change the other day, and it sure does look like winter is finally here.

I will post them later.

Have a good day, all.

Doctors Visit

I received a packet of information last week from the Attorneys who handle my Social Security Disability case. I have filed, and appealed twice. Finally they set a hearing for March 29th down in Moreno Valley.

The problem is I have not been able to see a doctor in over three years, due to costs. When we went to the Elvis show last weekend, I ran into a doctor friend. I spoke to him on Friday, and he has agreed to fill out my paperwork, give me a physical, and not charge me until the hearing is said and done. Yeah!

So this morning, at 10:00 I will be going to Dr. Banister's house for my appointment. It's pretty cool to live in a place where there are people who are willing to help out.

It is a good thing it is today, because I woke up this morning and could not even move my right wrist. I am not sure what is going on with it, but lately I cannot even open jars, without help from Matt. Scary gettting older, you never know whether these little things are going to be permanent or not. Let's hope for not!

The Swicegoods

Connor handing me my glasses, eeeek!

Crystal, James, and Grady in silhouette...Grady had just pooped, hence James stance...the kid is a stinker, for sure.

Mimi and Grady

Matt and James were outside taking Heather's Christmas lights down, and fertilizing the lawn; Crystal, Heather, and Connor went to Subway; and I stayed with Grady...so I tried to video us, crazy, but it looks like he is looking directly into the camera, right? It was so much fun! He is so busy and so alert for only four months old...

Heather, Connor, Grady, and Mimi

We had such a great visit at Heather's house today. We did our Christmas today. This is the first time we have all got together since our Christmas Party.

Yes, it was a 'no make-up day', today!

Saturday

Today, I am going to try to get some of the pictures hung in the living room. If I can actually do this, the back bedroom would be free of debris! I have to go through this little path everytime I want to use my computer, and it is getting hectic.

Tomorrow Matt and I are going to go to Heather's. We need to take down her Xmas lights. Crystal, James, Connor, and Grady are also going to meet us there. I will take some new pictures to post of the girls, and boys.

We haven't seen the babies since the 10th of December, so we are excited.

Moroccan Food

Last night we went to a friend's for dinner. He has a girl from Belgium staying with him, and she is a chef. They came to our house Christmas Eve for dinner. It was a traditional dinner, ham, turkey, stuffing, and all of the rest...She had never seen stuffing, never heard of green bean casserole, and the sweet potatoes astonished her.

So last night she was going to return the favor and cook for us. OMG I know there are people everywhere who eat Lamb, I am not one of them. It tasted like I would expect Rabbit to taste like. I then admitted I could not eat it, I did not want to be rude, but OMG. The as I looked at the salad it looked as if it were moving, it was sliced bellpeppers in a vinegar with anchovies, OMG! Needless to say I ate vegetables for dinner last night, trying not to be rude.

If that was moroccan food, I won't ever be looking for that.

To The Library I Went

I went to the Nevada City Library today. I returned some DVDs and books. I found some new movies, and a few Slow Cooker Cookbooks. I can find some new recipes, I easily tire of the old ones. This is such a beautiful statute that sits in front of the Library, isn't it. Looks so peaceful.

It was really cloudy today, but the sky was beautiful as usual.

One thing I can always count on in the Foothills, is the gorgeous sky!

Beautiful Morning

The Rosemary is all in bloom, beautiful purple flowers, it is really hard to capture on film...

Such a pretty sky this morning after the sun came up...

 There were clouds and pretty colors early, early, early...It is already a beautiful day. It is so nice when the sky is beautiful first thing in the morning.

As you can see, mom and dad's trailer is doing just fine, its just waiting for tenants?!

Note To Crystal

Crystal,

My darling daughter, you always need to remember what a fantastic job you are doing as a mother...It is important for us as mother's to realize that, even when all seems lost, you are doing the hardest job there is in this world. It is never easy when you are raising children. you never know if this is right, or wrong, or should I be doing something else? Raising children is about questions, and learning, and crying, and laughing. But trust me dear daughter, when your children are grown, these are the times you will remember and treasure.

You are a great mom, always remember that!

Mom

My Last Big Mess

Our third bedroom is quite the site! I have done every other room in this house...

I have stacked boxes of pictures, desk items (papers, files, etc) all of my candles and holders, all of my Christmas crafting stuff...

It is all piled around my computer. So I have decided that this is my priority this week. I will hang all of the pictures throughout the house, and find somewhere for all my candle stuff. It is crazy but, I have more than 100 candles and candle holders. Talk about collecting...

Monday

Monday again! I have so much I need to accomplish in this house this week...Since we unpacked in late November, and then had Christmas, it seems I have had a mess in the house forever! So it is my goal to get the last of it done.I have all of my candles, candle holders, frames, pictures, and desk stuff and papers, all stashed in one room. Of course this is the room my computer is in, and I am tired of stepping over, around, and through it all. This video is grainy, but shows it best.

In The Green Room

We were backstage last night, when a friend of ours took this shot! Cheap shot I would say, we both look incredibly horrible...I didn't know what was going on and Matt looks like he could hit someone. Talk about hoodlums....

Great Show

The Elvis show last night was so much fun, we danced for 2-1/2 hours...lots of laughter, so sore this morning everywhere. It was just one dance song after another.

Tonight there is a different band playing, and were invited back, free. There are several local musicians playing together tonight, so it should be entertaining.

It is wonderful to have so many friends that are musicians, there is always something to do.

We are going to cut wood this morning, then go to dinner at Tom and Debbie's before the show tonight. I have no clue what kind of music, but I know it will be good. I will let you know tomorrow.

Hope everyone has great day! It is going to be about 65 degrees again here today, Woo Hoo!

A Hunk A Hunk A Burning Love

Tonight we are going to an Elvis Birthday Dance. Our friends have a band called the Chillbillies and they do this tribute to Elvis for his birthday every year. This is the 3rd year, and the first time we have seen it. It comes complete with a couple girl friends that are Do Wop Girls, so that in itself will be worth the whole show. During the summer at the fair, these guys did some Elvis stuff, and it was amazing.

So even though I do not have a Poodle Skirt, Matt and I are going to go cut a rug tonight. I can't wait.I haven't been out in weeks.

Have a great Friday Night!

How Does Your Garden Grow?

It is incredible to believe that this 60ish degree weather that we are having, is continuing. Usually at this time of year, we might not have the baby greens. I am able to get enough for a salad every night, so far. I predict that that will end by Sunday. More will grow, I have just been harvesting, harvesting, and harvesting. You really have to get inventive to use Brocolli and Cauliflower, and Carrots, everyday!

No Sign Of Christmas

I have finally gotten all signs of Christmas put away, in boxes, finally...

The back deck is finally looking normal again.

It seems super empty without all that Christmas crap...don't get me wrong I love all that Christmas crap, but when it is done, it is definately done!

Fresh Food From The Garden

We have been getting killer veggies from the garden lately...this summer like weather is great.

Brocolli, Cauliflower, Baby Greens, and Carrots, and plenty of them.

Fall, Split, Stack, Burn, and Empty

It is amazing how many times you actually touch wood: You fall the trees, you load it on the truck. You throw it off the truck, you split it, then you stack it, then you burn it, and finally you empty the ashes from it. WOW, seems like a lot of work doesn't it? But it sure saves on the heating bill. Our heater is set a 60 degrees, and it never comes on, so it is alot cheaper to burn. It took a few hours for Matt to split the wood, and for me to stack it, but by dark we were done. I believe we have about a cord and a half here. That should last us awhile. It has been about 50-60 degrees in the daytime, so not much need to burn too much yet, mostly at night and early morning.

Our kindling box is full of cedar, we have huge 'oak all nighters', there is some cherry wood, and tons more cedar and oak.

We also managed to have a few loads to sell.

Matt's Off Work

Today is a Holiday, so Matt cannot work except here at our house, naturally he is bored...so our friend Chris called and he has a job that needed the wood cleared from it, so Matt spent today going and getting all this wood. Some is for us, and some he can sell. Now all we need is a Wood Splitter...

Oh yeah, here it is...We hope to be able to buy a splitter this summer, so next year won't be so hard on Matt, that is a lot of shaking, and he does this for months now, until Spring.

And the truck, well it is Ryan's, he still has not fixed Matt's truck, he says he will work on it today. Right, we do not even know what to say about that! He is going thru alot right now, but seriously?

2012

We have heard so many things about the year 2012, for so long now, it is going to be interesting to see exactly what this year brings.

Hopefully, it will bring to all of us: Happiness, Harmony, and Health! and a few less pounds...