Mareed? Married!

Okay, okay, so the title of this post is a reference to '16 Candles'.  You may or may not get it, but that's beside the point. 

 

The point is Aunt Kelly got married!

 

The below photo was the moment Papa came in to get Aunt Kelly from the dressing room. 

 

Stay tuned for more photos of the wedding... coming soon!

Ants

We've smashed ants, swatted flies, stomped beetles, ripped tails off lightening bugs, squished spiders and tore worms.  All without a second thought.

 

Yet when a creature appears with a disability, we suddenly join the 'save the bug commission'.

 

Maisie recently came to the aid of an ant.  It had two broken legs and she was mostly concerned how it would find food.  Naturally.

 

She decided to built an ant habitat and asked me to make food for the ant.  

 

 

I made a sugar-water solution and helped her pour it into the leaves for the wounded ant.  Yes, I knew I'd be following up with terro, but that's for another day.

 

 

This day was about teaching Maisie a compassionate heart and doing her part to help others could actually make a difference.

 

The lesson was never about the ant anyway.

Little Milestones

A year ago I thought, "Gee, if only some dirt work would start"  Then it did.

9 months ago I thought, "If only the house were framed"  Then it was.

6 months ago I thought, "If only the house was roofed and windows installed"  Then they were.

3 months ago I thought, "If only the electric, plumbing and insulation were in.  Then they were.

2 weeks ago I thought, "If only the house was drywalled and sided.  By the end of this week it will be.

I'll soon be anxious for the painting, then cabinets, a deck, the garage door, the trim and the floors.  However, the ironic thing about houses, is they're never totally done.  There will always be more.

Perhaps I should say "If only we could close on our mortgage and move in." 

But then again, on that day my mind will probably be distracted with thoughts of landscaping, organization systems and how on earth to clean my windows. 

 

 

 

 

 

There will always be something.

A Road Runner

Last week a friend and I were discussing 'running'.  She explained how she preferred running on a treadmill.  It's no secret I prefer running on the road.  I've always found it more interesting and the time seems to pass faster.  I especially love running through the Winterset cemetery.  Mike thinks I'm weird.  I just think I'm curious.  Always have been. 

 

For the past year, I've been curious what would happen when Molly went to all-day school.  This fall she'll be attending I-35 (St. Charles school district) which offers an all day preschool, while Ross and Maisie will open enroll in Winterset.  So many changes coming our way.

 

Out of the blue, I was notified of a Family and Consumer Science teaching position in the I-35 District.  Family and Consumer Science positions are few and far between in this area, so therefore I decided to give it a whirl.  That meant applying for my teaching license, asking for references and letters of recommendations, tracking down college transcripts, writing a resume and submitting an application.

 

 

Last week I went through the interview process and lo and behold was offered the position of I-35 FCS teacher on Tuesday afternoon. 

 

So here I sit, curious to know how I'll do, curious what it will be like, curious what our family schedule will turn into and curious if I'll like it. 

Regardless, I'm up for the adventure, because I'm curious. 

 

Turns out I'm a Roadrunner after all.

More House Updates

The siding continues to go up!

 

And so is the drywall!

 

 

Stay tuned...

11 Days

This photo was captured in June 2013 shortly before I became a stay-at-home-mom.  sahm (as I've come to learn) 

 

At the time, questions surrounded us. 

Financially, how would we build our house?  Where would we find affordable insurance coverage?  We assumed I'd become a substitute teacher in the fall until a full-time position opened up.  But did that make sense?  A dual-income family was all we knew and breaking away from that was awfully scary.

 

During those uncertain times, our faith grew tremendously.  We put our trust in God and let Him lead us to where He wanted us to be.  We're not Bible-thumpers by any means, however when we put our trust in God things naturally fell into place on their own. 

 

Turned out I loved be a sahm.  Mike's job took off, insurance coverage worked out and our house finally sold when it was supposed to.  Being home all day together, Molly and I grew close and I wouldn't trade the bond we have for anything. 

There are truly things money can't buy.  Being home for my kids before/after school and in the summers is one of those.

 

Thursday morning Ross told me, "11 days mom". 

'Huh", I asked.

 

11 more days till schools out.

 

11 more days of just Moo and I.  11 more days of being a sahm to a child whose not in school full-time.

 

I could be pissed.  Pissed I spent so many of those years sitting behind a desk working.  Pissed that I didn't get any sahm years with Ross or Maisie.

 

But, today I'm choosing gratitude instead.  Gratitude I had the sahm years I did.  So many don't.  Gratitude I worked when they were little (it's no secret I didn't have the patience to be home with all 3 of them when they were little anyway) which also helped with funds to continue our plan to build.  Gratitude for the experiences of being both a 'working mom' and a 'sahm'.  I see both sides and 'I get it'. 

 

I recently watched Molly get out of the shower insisting she wear my Turbo Twist hair dryer.  Just like that, she's so grown up.  She's getting ready to leave my side and move on to bigger adventures she'll encounter once she begins all-day preschool this fall. 

 

 

As this chapter of my story ends and another chapter begins, I know I'll look back at these pages with nothing but joy and gratitude.

Things are Going UP

Mantle's UP!

 

 

And the siding's right behind it!

 

Satuday Morning

It's that time of year again.  Ross discovered a nest of baby kittens born in a window well of an uninhabited home down the street.  The kittens appeared to be around 3-4 weeks old and naturally adorable.  Ross placed weeds and shrubbery around the window well, doing everything in his power to enhance their shelter while keeping a  watchful eye for any danger.  His own mama's been known to take in stray kittens and knows he secretly hoped they were motherless for his own gain.  As I'm sure you're more than familiar with from last years kitten post. http://boydbabes.blogspot.com/2014/05/another-4-holes.html  One of my more depressing posts, however this blog is real life; it's not always rainbows and lollipops.

 

This time it was different though.  This time the mama-cat showed up.  We named her Dove.  Ross named the kittens, Crunch, Hershey, Butterfinger, Cocoa and Snickers.  He's always had a thing for chocolate.

 

Dove sits in the window well and nurses her babies.  Dove growls and hisses if anyone gets too close.  When Dove leaves, Ross takes the kittens out and plays with them.  Dove sits in a nearby bush and lets him.  Ross told me Monday morning he wished he was one of the kittens because it looked like a Saturday morning in the window well.  When I asked what that meant, he explained how the mama was just laying around and the kittens were having a little milk, it just looked really comfortable... like a Saturday morning.

 

Ross took an old pillowcase to place in the window well so the kittens would have a soft place to sleep.  He goes down every morning to shake the pillowcase out and check on the kittens.  Many times Dove was busy nursing her babies when he arrived, so he sat and watched.  She stopped growling and hissing at Ross; but not at the girls or I.  Ross wanted to do everything in his power to make sure the kittens survive and have good lives.

 

Ross told me if he blinks at Dove, she'll blink back.  He told me blinking is cat language for "I love you". 
I had no idea.

This blog post was going to end there.  However, on Thursday night Ross discovered the kittens were no longer in the window well.  He thought he saw Dove in the bushes walking the other direction (but it was dark and he wasn't positive it was her).  I comforted him by telling him Dove probably moved her babies and all was well.

At school Friday, he found out otherwise.  His friend told him neighbors called an animal rescue center to pick up the kittens.  After school in the mini-van, he told me all about it as his chin quivered.  As he recalled Dove looking for her babies in the bushes the previous night he became hysterical with sadness.  My heart shattered for him.  He knew those kittens needed their mama.

My hearts grown softer with age and I was 100% prepared to locate the animal rescue center, adopt 5 kittens and take them back to Dove. 
What has happened to me?

During the search and rescue mission, I learned the kittens were picked up by a program called Street Tails.   It's a program that rescues strays, fixes them, vaccinates them, microchips them and treats them for fleas.  Wow!

I realized those kittens hit the jackpot!  However, Ross was still grieving for Dove which is why I contacted Street Tails to let them know our concern and ask if they took the mother as well.  If my prayers are answered, Dove is nursing her babies and snuggling like a Saturday Morning.

We may never know the outcome, but as Mothers Day approaches, all the little gifts and cards my kids make tell me someone else told them it's appropriate to give your mom something on Mothers Day. 
I think it's bogus. 

Lets just say Ross told me how much he values mothers Friday afternoon in the mini-van after school.

 

I believe last years kittens were placed in our lives for a reason.  It gave my kids a way to recognize God's in charge of everything, and Mama's are important.  No matter what we can do as caretakers or pet owners, nothing compares to the maternal love of a mama...

 

 

Shortcake

Maisie's been begging to bake a cake off the Strawberry Shortcake App for nearly a year.  I kept saying 'no', because the recipes are from 'scratch'.  Betty Crocker would be easier, faster, less messy and probably taste better.

 

Sunday morning she broke me. I told her to bake the dang cake.  However, she would have to do it herself.  I was already knee-deep in the kitchen making dog treats, soup, bread and sandwiches for the week. 
She didn't hesitate, probably for fear I'd change my mind.

The recipe called for 4 eggs and 2 cups sugar. 

I bit my tongue in order to keep my mouth shut.

 

 

The recipe (below).

 

Apparently Molly was her official taste tester.

 

After the cake baked and cooled, she insisted on frosting it.  There went another lb of powdered sugar and stick of shortening.  Sheesh.

 

I knew deep down, she wasn't going to like this cake.  I knew these ingredients would go to waste and it was all I could do to let her continue.

Yet, I also knew my mom let me bake my heart out in her kitchen, using whatever ingredients I could find.  I actually went on a hunt for pop when the 'Crazy Cake' recipe I was following called for 'soda'.

Life is full of lessons to be learned and experiences to experience. 

So, I let her bake.  Did anyone like the cake?  Nope. 

Did it go in the trash 2 days later because no one would touch it?  Yep. 

 Did she bake her very first cake by herself? 

You better believe it.

 

 

 

Frisbee and Busts

We played frisbee in the backyard the other night. 

 

 

Maisie was slightly distracting to watch...

 

 

It wasn't because of her big smile...

 

 

It was because of her big boobs.

 

 

She came outside wearing one of my bras stuffed with socks.

 

Lord help us.