Uplifting

The past week has been filled with more friends and family than I can count. New friends, old family. And everything inbetween. It's been incredibly good for my soul. I've tried not to focus on why we were together, but instead just cherish every hug and kindness and laugh that we shared. And to look forward to more of those things under happy circumstances.

If you're on Facebook, send a friend request to michellescraps@yahoo.com. I've shared pictures from the memorial service there. There are just too many to post here. It was beautiful and touching and sad and funny. And really good for me. My brother was so loved by so many friends who I didn't know. I feel much more at peace knowing that.

A family update...Maggie gets her cast off this Thursday, as long as the x-rays show that it's healed properly. I am praying for a full recovery there...she's so ready to walk on two feet again!

Our birds are about to become parents again! In about a week, eggs will begin to hatch. They have seven this time (last time it was 5, and 2 of them survived) and we're so excited to have baby birds again!

Sage is wrapping up volleyball season this week with a tourney Thursday and Friday. She's really come a long way since the beginning of the season and we're very proud of her!

Sam is "addicted" to wrestling practice (his words!). He goes two nights a week to the girls' school and is learning freestyle wrestling. His tourneys start next month. I can't wait! I'm going to be the loudest mat mom there!

I've starting running! OK, pick yourself up off the floor. Yes, I said running. I can't believe it myself. I run on the track while Sam's in practice. I can do almost a mile before I have to walk a lap to catch my breath. It's been a fantastic stress reliever.

I don't have any pics to share since I'm posting from hubby's laptop. Next time! Have a great week.

Brrrrrrr

Hey...I've found Facebook! Stop by and say hi. Because I don't spend enough time on the computer already. ;)

It's been a rough week here. The record cold snap really took its toll on Kiska. She's old for a llama at 21, and just didn't have the strength and body fat to stay insulated against the -35° temps for weeks on end...so I made a very tough decision and let her previous owner take her back to her farm, where she could be inside a heated building. I won't go into all the mixed emotions I have. Just know it's like giving up a part of myself, seeing her go.

Tyea and Yentna have dealt just fine with the insane cold, thank goodness, and it looks like it's finally warming up a little.


Yesterday I took the kids to see Marely and Me. Oh. My. Goodness. It's a wonderful movie, but take some tissues. Ginger was never naughty like Marely was, but at the end, as Marley aged, I saw Ginger all over again. She started sleeping downstairs when she couldn't make it up the staircase any more. She slowed way down on our walks. The fur on her face turned snow white. Needless to say, I cried and cried.

This week is going to be all about clearing out the craft room. It's become a dumping ground for all the stuff that's accumulated from the past year. It's time to purge! I need to at least be able to find the floor so we can start tearing out the carpet and get the hickory flooring installed. There will be some serious giveaways involved....

Sleep is Overrated.

If this post seems a little random, it's because I composed it at 3am, figuring I'd bore myself back to sleep with my rambling. It didn't work. Winnie was crying to go outside, and I made the mistake of thinking "I'll just check my email while I'm waiting for her to come back in." One email led to another and here I am posting about nothing.

So if you're interested in the mundane details of my life the past week....

Here's Maggie putting the angel on top of the tree. It was her turn this year. And trust me, they remember whose turn it is year to year.



And if you don't believe me, here's Maggie throwing down a gang sign when I tried to argue with her about whose turn it was this year. "Yo, Mom. You best step OFF the tree topper, yo." How'd you like my attempt at speaking gang-ese? OK, I promise never to do that again.



Sending this pic out to my honey. Hurry up and get home. Your chair's getting cold. And Winnie misses you.





On a completely different topic, I'm on the hunt for employment. And can I just say, it ain't as easy as it used to be to land a job. There is a TON of competition for very the few decent paying jobs out there. That, and I'd rather have ten root canals than to go on an interview. Ugh. I should be good at selling myself by now, but it still is as painfully awkward as a first date. I mean, how do you answer "what's your biggest weakness" without giving them something to misconstrue? I am always tempted to answer with "chocolate", but you never can tell if someone actually has a sense of humor or not.

So wish me luck! And if anyone has any interview tips, I'd be ever so grateful.

OK, I think I've dragged you through my discombobulated thoughts for long enough. Thanks for keeping me company this morning.

Compassion and Passion

So I figured something out about myself yesterday. I LOVE to take pictures of animals. Maybe because they don't fuss at me when I want "just one more" shot. They don't give me that cheesey grin (most of the time). And they're always camera ready...no outfit changes necessary.



Yesterday while Maggie had her riding lesson, I used the time to take some pictures of her instructor's menagerie of animals. She has five cats, four dogs and two horses. I think there are some rabbits around, too. Of course, who am I to talk?


Anyway, I have a passion for animals, that's apparent.

As for Compassion? With the holidays coming up, I've been thinking a lot about giving, especially to those who aren't as blessed as we are. So the kids and I started tossing around ideas of ways to help out, to share our blessings. We talked about checking with the local churches to see if they had ways to volunteer, or maybe to sponsor a soldier oversees through the holidays. Then one day I was reading Pioneer Woman's blog and she posted about how her kids each sponsor a child through Compassion, and they were actually going to the Dominican Republic to visit two of them. We checked out the website and decided that they'd each choose a child to sponsor.

I let them do their own searches, decide what part of the world they wanted to help, and choose whomever spoke to their heart. Sam selected a boy named Steven from Honduras, who's eight. It turns out, Stevan's birthday is also in September, like Sam's.

Maggie knew she wanted to look for a girl in Peru (llamas, of course) and found Caroline, who's 11, and has a birthday in January, just two weeks after Maggie's.

Sage wanted to sponsor a girl in Asia, so she chose Kedsarin, who is 12 and lives in a center because her parents can't afford to send her to school. Hopefully our sponsorship will help the process of getting her back home. And would you believe Kesdarin's birthday is just a week before Sage's?

I can't help but think that must be God's hand at work. Out of thousands of children that they could have sponsored, they all ended up sharing birth months.

They've already written their first letters to their sponsored kids online. I know it will be a great experience for them to give from their hearts. To help offset the monthly sponsorship cost, I've decided to give up my coffee cart habit.

Confession time...I have a BAD addiction to coffee stands. It's almost a compulsion. Whenever I leave the house, no matter where I'm going, I drive through a coffee stand for a mocha or go to the gas station for a big coffee. Then sometimes on the way home, I'll grab another cup to sip while I read emails. When I add up what I'm spending on this habit, I can easily sponsor three kids a month. Yikes. So it's been a week, and you know what? I don't even miss it! I just bring a cup of coffee from home when I hit the road so I don't need to stop anywhere. And it may sound corny, but if I get a mocha craving, I just think about the faces of Steven, Caroline and Kedsarin and it's easy to say NO to the mocha!

Snow Dogs

Ah, sisterly love. Isn't it sweet? They truly aren't trying to kill each other, they're just comparing dental work.



They're pretty evenly matched for speed, but Lizzy is definitely more manueverable. That's the Border Collie in her.



Now, Lizzy, don't be a poor sport!





Winnie says "That's OK, I'm Dad's favorite."

"Hmph, think I'll go eat some snow."

Say Hello to Winchester "Winnie" Pearl

Hi, Ya'll! My name is Winchester Pearl, but ya'll can call me Winnie. ;) A fine family adopted me this week from the ASPCA in Palmer, and I just loooooove my new home.


I've got a new little sister to play with, lots of humans to walk me and throw the ball (they learnd that trick real quick) and all the yummy treats I want...all I have to do is sit.

If ya'll know of any humans wanting a new pup like me, I know some real cute ones are waiting at the shelter for a new family to love. My human wanted to bring them all home, but her alpha male mate only gave her the OK for one. Boy, did I feel lucky she chose me!
I'm sure ya'll will be seein' lots more of me on this here blog, but for now I've gotta skidaddle. I'm fixin' to go outside and have a sniff around. I smell somethin' mighty peeeculiar in the backyard. Smells kinda like a sheep, only taller. Gotta investigate. Bye, Ya'll!

Lizzy in the Hizzy, Yo!

First off, Happy 45th Birthday to Paul! I love you, honey!

(I was laughing so hard taking this picture, that it's a little out of focus...)

Betcha didn't know my dawg could break dance. Check it. heehee OK, I'll stop. Seriously, whenever Lizzy sees a shadow move, she goes into hip-hop mode and does this crazy dance routine.

First she eyes up the shadow to get a feel for the rhythm.

Then she plants her head firmly on the floor.

Then she scratches furiously while spinning in a circle. Really, you'd need video to get the full effect, but she's afraid of the camera. Maybe I'll try to catch her with my phone.

It's entertaining, for sure, but it's gonna come to a screeching halt very soon. And this is why:

We're replacing all the carpet with laminate!!

I'm BEYOND excited to get this done. I hate, no, that's not a strong enough word, DETEST carpet. It never feels clean. It hold smells. I just can't stand it! So we got aged hickory for the living room and craft room and a gorgeous tile laminate that looks like limestone for the dining room and kitchen. My installer (Paul) isn't available for a couple of weeks. He's in pretty high demand at his "day job". ;) So next time he's home we're going to rip out this stinky old carpet in put in the nice shiny new laminate!

The llamas are doing great. Yentna has found her place in the herd as the #2 girl. Kiska is happy to be at the bottom of the list. She's such a sweetheart. There was some back and forth between Tyea and Yetti for awhile, but they've got it figured out now. Age and wisdom won out over sass and youth. ;)

I'll wrap up this recap with some very sad news. We had to put Ginger down this week. She was 11 (or so) and had a wonderful life with us for the past 9 years. She was by far the best dog I've ever had. Always a great friend. We miss you, Ginger.
So that's been my life over the past month or so. Kids are doing great in school. Sage was a cheerleader, and captain of her squad, for about 5 minutes before she decided it really wasn't for her.

Maggie's taking English riding lessons once a week. She looks like she was born to sit on a horse.

Sam switched schools, so he's no longer in the charter school. His reading and spelling are coming along. He's much more willing to pick up a book and read for fun. Now if we can just get him to pick up a pencil for fun. :)

Me, I'm doing the mom thing. Lots of picking up and dropping off and keeping schedules straight. It makes me happy. :)

Coolest Mom on the Block

For today, at least. ;) Take $2.50 worth of PVC pipe and fittings and a $1.50 bag of mini-marshmallows and it adds up to hours of manic outdoor fun!


While I was surfing yesterday, I ended up on You Tube watching Marshmallow Gun videos and decided that was just what we needed to beat the crappy weather blues. These were super easy.

You need:

36" of 1/2" PVC (Lowes sells 5' sections)
2 slip-on "T" fittings
2 slip-on elbow fittings
2 slip-on caps

Cut the pipe into these lengths, using a handsaw:

1-8"
2-6"
4-4"

Fit them together so it looks like the picture below. Be sure to cut one of the 4" sections from the finished end of the pipe, so you'll have a nice, smooth piece for the mouthpiece. You can sand off any rough edges using sandpaper or a file.

Now it's ready for plastic spray paint, tape, stickers, markers...whatever you want to use to doll it up.

Gently push one or two mini marshmallows into the mouthpiece and BLOW HARD! You'll be surprised just how far these little guys fly! The dogs were having a blast chasing down the flying treats.

Don't glue the joints together, so you can take it apart to free up any jams.

If the barrel gets gummed up, just drop a little cornstarch into it, reassemble, and blow it out.

The kids and I each made one and seriously played outside forever with them last night. I'm sure the neighbors think we're nuts.

I did a little thrifting yesterday and scored this cabinet and sink for the girls' bathroom! So excited to pick this up, NEW, for $45! It needs a little cleanup, but other than that, it's in perfect condition. I'll be so happy to get rid of their FUGLY brown 80's sink.

In kitty news, all the kittens have been adopted! Ruger went to live with a friend of Paul's, and Daisy and Smith went together to live with a family of eight. I was SO happy they stayed together. Sage took these pics of them the day we delivered them to their new family.

I'll miss the little fuzzballs!

4th Recap and Kitten Update

Yep, I'm still around. Summer is flying by, as usual, and we're doing our best to soak up every second of sunshine (they're few and far between this year). We spent the 4th at my friend Cath's house on the lake, kayaking, eating and just having fun in general.

I asked Maggie to get a picture of me in the kayak, because Paul would never believe I actually did it (I'm SO not a water person) and Cath's husband Paul totally soaked me with the jet ski about 2 seconds after this was snapped. He is the ultimate prankster. ;)
I just love this shot of the flag against the night sky (it was taken at about 11pm and there's still sunshine!). The day was a blast. I love her house in the summertime. And in the winter, we skate and snowmachine out there.

Kittens are 6 weeks old now and ready for adoption. This one's Ruger, and he's spoken for. So handsome! His eyes are turning a beautiful jade green.
And this silly girl is Daisy Red Ryder. She's the only one who still needs a family. She has the sweetest, most gentle personality, and is a real snuggler. (If anyone is interested, please email me!)

Besides playing at the lake, I've been working on my perennial beds, walking the llamas and chasing Lizzy around, trying to keep up with her. And I've been on a mission to get in shape! I'm walking everyday, sometimes doing interval training (walk, run intervals) about 4 miles. And yesterday Sage and I biked 21 miles. My hiney is hurting! And I found that I love to kayak, so I'm doing that for upper body training. First thing in the morning, when the lake is quiet, it's better than therapy to paddle across and back, with nothing but my thoughts.

The stinkin' scale has barely budged, but I feel amazing and that's a pretty big payoff.

OK, I'll try to be a better blogger and not go so long between posts. Have a great weekend!

Up and Running...

The kittens turn 3 weeks old today, and they're already walking around, getting teeth and taking tiny bites of soft kitten food. I am on record as NOT being a cat person, but these things are soooo irresistable!
See Ruger's tiny choppers on the bottom?
Here's another one of Ruger. I didn't get any of Daisy Red Ryder this time around. He was nursing when I took these, and since he's the runt, I try not to interrupt his feeding time.

I'm amazed how fast they put on weight, and how wonderful a mother Hazel is to them. She still freaks out a little when anybody holds them, and will come running to carry them back to her nest box if she's hears them crying. Can you tell I've never had furry babies in the house before? What a cool journey to experience!

Nancy Lake

Just a few highlights from our weekend at Nancy Lake. We rented a cabin, and brought our canoe. The kids fished non-stop for two days. Lizzy was Lizzy. Silly dog.

Sage and Sam each caught a Pike, and they actually taste pretty good.

Where's our sunshine, Alaska? I'm ready for it!

Thursday Randomocity

Sage is looking very thirteen these days. Slow down, girly! You're making me look old. She got a fresh new 'do for summer yesterday. Something about this picture...I can finally see myself in her. And I can see my mom.

Summer skies...there's nothing better! (click on the pictures to see them full size) I took this on my nightly walk with the dogs yesterday evening.
Meet Smith Kitty. She's the noisiest of the kittens (I should mention that tiny little Wesson didn't survive. After being unable to nurse enough to sustain herself, she passed away two days ago.) Ruger and Red Ryder are definitely boys. I adore Smith's "beauty mark" next to her nose. Sweet! Oh my goodness, these little furballs are so much fun to watch.


Two of my favorite summer plants: Devil's Club...

and fern. We are crowded with these on the trail behind our house. Paul wanted to know why I'd take a picture of Devil's Club. Most people hate the stuff. I say you have to respect anything that wears a coat of thorns!

Told ya this was a random post. I wanted to add a few more pics, but stinkin' Blogger isn't letting me. I guess you're off the hook...for now.

I planted a new bed of perennials this week that I'm super excited about! Two gorgeous Peonies, some ornamental grasses, some spurge, rock cress, spirea and a couple of annuals to fill in with until the new ones mature. I added a couple of herbs (dill and tarragon) for height in the back. I've never had good luck with them for some reason, though, so not holding out too much hope.

Almost everything I started from seed this year looks like crap, including the veggies, so I had to finally give up on them and go buy some decent plants at the nursery. Bummer. I went ahead and planted the tiny veggie seedlings in the raised bed, but I'm not expecting much from them. So much for fresh salads this summer. :(

I'll share some pics of the new perennial bed in the next post. Does anyone know if Peonies need special care? Someone in line at the nursery mentioned they needed ants to pollenate the blooms. Is that true?

Busted.

"Hmmm? What's that, Mom? Hole? What hole? In your flowerbed? I have no idea what you are talking about."


"Oh, that hole. It's pretty impressive, isn't it? I mean....Ooops. I'm busted, huh?"

"I'm sorry, Mom. I'll never, ever, ever dig in your flowerbeds again. Pinky promise."

"Psssst. Hey, you. Is she gone?"

"I wonder if they have Milkbones in China....."