Alright, I'm like the only person who hasn't said anything about the 4th of July. That is probably because there isn't anything to say. We bought some fireworks, but we set them off early, and they were mostly bottle rockets. There isn't a local fireworks display, and I had to work the 4th anyway, so Josh and Dallas didn't have a way to go. However, Josh's parents came home and we had BBQ with them, nothing fantastic: just dogs and burgers and some watermelon and chips.

At work on such a great holiday, we were dead. I mean the phone wouldn't ring for 45 minutes at a time! So we closed early, and I got a kitten. See, I'd driven past this house that had lots of little kittens around, but no one keeping track of them. So I talked to the neighbors I caught a tiny white one that appears to be the runt. She's cute and sweet and gentle even when Dallas is yanking on her face (which, for a kitten, is pretty good). I forbade Josh the option of naming her anything having to do with "snow" or "white". (I think white cats with names like "Snowball" or
"Whitey" are ridiculous.) So he names her Lurk instead. Because, he says, that's what she does.

So little Lurk runs and plays, sleeps a lot, and is litter box trained, but is perfectly willing to go outside and do her business. Not a bad deal for free!

Woops! I gotta go, Dallas has discovered our "important papers" folder, and I've only just turned around to see them all over the couch...oh dear.

Danes Reunion.....

For those of you who are aware (and those of you who aught to be), there's a Danes Reunion Blog. I was just visiting, checking on all the family I'd get to see this summer (23 days, but who's counting?). I was a little sad to see some of you not on there, unfortunately, most of those not on the list don't have a blog, that I know of, and I can't even get a tiny glimpse at how they're doing since I saw them last. I've lived away from home only three years, but our family is so very close. When that first summer went by, and I didn't go to the reunion, it felt like part of me had just ripped itself up and died. I didn't plan on missing another one, and I'll be there in just a couple of weeks, and I've been so excited, reading all your blogs and thinking of talking to you in person. It makes me sad to think some of you can't make it, but I know I haven't lost touch because I'm here, on my blog, and so are you, and being away from you all doesn't feel so lonely.

Okay, this was supposed to be about how excited I am about it, not...gloomy. Anyway, I can hardly wait, and want to see you all!!

Okay, I wasn't "tagged", but it looked like a lot of fun, so I thought I'd go for it!!

Rules are to take pictures of the items listed below to help us get to know you better.

A current project you are working on...

This is the wall below the air conditioner, and it all has to be replaced, including the insulation. Yes the a/c is fixed, but we didn't get to it soon enough and there's mold in the wall. (sigh)

The oldest thing you own..

I'm not sure this is the oldest thing I own, but it is pretty old. It is a pitcher given to me by Grandma Reid, there's also a bowl that matches, but I couldn't find it.

Your worst pair of shoes...

Would you believe I've only had these a few months? It isn't so much I've worn them to pieces, but more that they aren't that well put to together.

Something from your childhood...

This is one of my baby blankets, and I'm afraid I don't even know who made it, but I've always thought it was beautiful and snuggly.

Your 3 favorite movies...

This was an easy one. My favorites are "The Mikado", a comedy, "Ever After", a romance, and "Steel Magnolias", a women-really-are-stronger-than-men.

Your key chain...

Starting from the black clip and going clockwise...a monkey with a heart on it's tummy that my sister in-law has the match to; my Hancock Fabrics card; a dolphin that my friend Jamie has the match to; a Brinks key (it goes to a lock we don't have anymore...so why is it still on my keychain....?); the key to my drop box at work, my CTR ring that I can't wear because my fingers got too big; my PO Box key; my copy of the truck key; and the house key.

Your favorite edible treat in the house right now...

Mini Cheesecake.....enough said.

Something in your home you are proud of...

My bookshelf is stuffed with books, and none of them are borrowed from the library, or friends, or family! They're all mine!!!

Your favorite wall hanging...

This is a 1,000 piece puzzle I recieved for Christmas when I was 16, I had just had surgery and with nothing better to do.....I finished the puzzle in about 10 hours, spread over 2 days.

Something in your yard that makes you smile...

Of course he makes me smile, and he's always running around in the yard, laughing and chattering to himself.

Last Week Recap.....

Okay, I haven't dropped off the face of the planet or anything, I've just been really busy.

Starting at the end-ish of last week:

Chris and Laurie were still home, and they were volunteering at the Backyard Bash, which is a really cool way for kids to learn about the influence Christ has on our lives. Many people became believers that weekend, but it was also really fun. There were a lot of games and prizes, a petting zoo and horse rides....and to top it all off I forgot my camera, so ya'll have to just imagine it.

Sunday, we said good-bye to Chris and Laurie, who were returning to the road, and settled in for leaving ourselves. This requires more explanation. You see, there were skunks underneath our little apartment. And they just "happened" to dig their hole right below a crack in the floor. Yeah. We had skunk perfume rising from the floor into Dallas' room. So, we went away for a few days to let the house air out....and to let Allan set off a sulfer bomb in the skunk den. He also bought new sealant for the crack, and poured bleach into it to kill any bacteria that might be growing, and to annoy any remaining critters into leaving. So we left, and spent Monday at White Water Bay, which is water park, but on a scale of 1-10, it was maybe a 3. Chipped paint, mold in places, jacked-up prices ($25.99 per adult and kids under 48" $20.00) for everything, not good food, and there was a permanant smell of vomit around the huge slides. Let's just say I was not impressed.

We came home Tuesday night to a much better-smelling house, and a living room that needed some serious help. Our A/C is still on the fritz, too. And it appears as though the water problem I thought was the cause, isn't. Instead, the darn thing has tilted forward (into the house) causing all water to pour directly into our wall. (If this makes absolutely no sense, catch the rest of the story here.)

To bring this to a close, I stayed up until....uh, lets just say "really late", on Wednesday night rearranging the furniture in the living room. I've got before and after pics, and I really like the new set-up better.

Before

After

I think this one, even though I pulled the furniture away from the wall, it opens the room up a bit more. It's weird, but, hey, it works!

One final note: we've moved Dallas to a toddler bed and he has been sleeping in it for nearly a week, and not only likes to play on/in it, he also goes to bed with only the usual amount of I-don't-want-to-go-to-bed-I'm-not-tired fussiness.

Random-ness and Yard Work

Just making himself at-home...in my bed.I was done cooking, ready to start the clean-up...but he had different ideas...
___________________________________________________________________
Ah, a moment to blog. Well things have been pretty busy around here the last few days. To start a little more than a week ago, I got a job. I deliver pizza for Dominos (yeah, free pizza!!). I go to work when Josh gets home, and stay pretty late (between 10 and midnight). Josh's parents also came home for their 1-week break from driving, and we've helped them complete a few projects.
A hugely overgrown cedar has developed some rather threatening plants underneath the branches, so Josh and I trimmed the tree (6 feet up!), and we've started clearing the nasty stuff from underneath. As we all know, all those branches have to go somewhere, so we dragged them into the back half of the property for burning. Chris and Laurie decided since one tree was getting cleared out, why not get to all the other branches from last year that didn't make it out there. So we ended up having a huge pile ready to burn.
We had had an entire day of rain, thoroughly soaking deep into the ground, making it perfectly safe to burn (we really didn't want to start a brush fire in the back yard), and they got the jump on me the next day. By the time I got up, the branches were crackling merrily, the day was turning hot, and the ash was blowing everywhere. I didn't end up helping in the morning, partly because Dallas needed to eat, partly because I kinda didn't wash my uniform, and I had to work that night (whoops!). So after he went down for a nap, I grabbed a rake and started after the remnants under the cedar we'd given a haircut. Shortly thereafter, Sarah (bless her thoughtfulness!) came out to get orders from everyone for lunch from Sonic. I left Dallas napping, and went with her to pick up the food, and everyone took a break to eat and cool down a little.
After lunch, Dallas woke up (and refused to eat anything I offered), and we all trooped back outside. This time I helped Chris chain large, heavy branches to the tractor, and he dragged them to the back. Laurie attached the utility wagon to the riding lawn mower and Dallas and I helped her load the smaller sticks into it. Then Dallas rode with Laurie and I walked alongside, picking up the stuff that fell, to the fire to toss the last of it on. We left Dallas playing with the dials and knobs on the mower while we tended the fire. We were nearly finished when Eddie and Joey drove up with a truckload of branches from Sarah's yard. The fire took a long time to burn down, but this morning there isn't anything back there except a large pile of white ash.
So, today, now that all the branches are off the lawn, I mowed the fenced-in portion of the backyard, and the western half of the front yard (I really need to post pics of the whole thing, don't I?). I promised myself I'd do the eastern half while Dallas napped, but it's hot....and I wanted some lunch...and...okay, I admit it: I'm just too lazy! But I did pick up his toys, and wash those glasses sitting in my sink, and washed that puppy he can't sleep without.
Now all I have to do is decide what's for dinner......

Pic of the Day

The perfect end to any day: chocolate chip cookies and a glass of milk. (Tastes especially good when hubby went to bed before you even started making them, and you get them all to yourself [mischievous snicker].)

Dusk lights....

Today has been a very long and tiring day. It wasn't that I was constantly busy, or did a lot of strenuous work, it's just been long. Dallas started out the day in a good mood, we cleaned the living room together (he loves to hold the dust pan), and did some laundry. Well, I did the laundry, he just snuggled down in my bed and played peek-a-boo with the covers. Then he decided to only take an hour-long nap. The day went down hill from there.
While I tried to take care of the rest of the laundry and big pans, he got into everything. I ended up with food on the freshly-mopped kitchen floor, crushed goldfish in my carpet, my vacuum cord entirely unwound and the attachments missing, two discs crammed into Josh's cd drive (yeah, he doesn't know about that one), diapers scattered around the house, and bag balm in Dallas' hair. To top it off, he was in "tantrum mode", and everytime I tried to tell him "no" in even the nicest way, he would throw himself on the floor and howl like I'd taken a strap to him (and don't think that didn't cross my mind).
By the time Josh got home I was ready to have my own tantrum. Instead I fixed dinner while Josh got in the shower. He didn't feel well, and ended up in the tub, not wanting to eat anything. I threw Dallas in with him to wash out the bag balm, and after he ate dinner, promptly put him to bed. Five minutes later Josh crawled out of the tub and into bed. I haven't seen him since.
Thoroughly frustrated by my day, I've taken it out on the dinner dishes and my kitchen stove. I still didn't feel calm, though, and stepped outside to see what havoc I could wreak on Dallas' toys in the yard. No sooner had I closed the door, when I noticed the (newly clipped) lawn. All around me were the tiny lights of fireflies, and I stood there watching for several minutes while the dusky sky faded to purple. I felt all my frustrations just slip away as I witnessed the peaceful scene, and when I came back into the house I didn't see the pile of clean dishes waiting to be put away, or the kitchen table piled high with things that shouldn't be there. Instead I checked on my little boy, all scrunched up and holding his "puppy"; and on my beloved husband, stretched out with the covers up to his chin on our bed.
I've promised myself that I'll make it up to both of them, for being in such a foul mood the entire evening, and so I'm going to go snuggle up with my husband and look forward to a better day than today was.

Hey!!

Okay, I know I just posted, but I had to add this.
I had finished posting, (duh) and was cruising all y'alls blogs, eating a late breakfast of Cheerios. There were only a couple of bites left and my attention was on catching up with everything. Dallas, meanwhile, had dragged his chair over and stood on it next to me. Before I knew what had happened, he took my spoon and devoured the last of my breakfast. I imediately snatched the spoon away from him, but it was far too late, there wasn't even any milk left for me to take solace in.....(sigh)

Toddler Ingenuity

They could do anything if they had the right size chairs!

The Sound of Silence

Ah, the moment when you realize you've spent the last several minutes entirely absorbed in taking care of important things (doing the dishes in this case), and you haven't heard a sound from your toddler. Yeah. I found Dallas stuffing his crayons (which he also wasn't supposed to have) into my ice water. I snatched up the camera even while telling Dallas "no", and trying hard not to laugh!

BTW, he stuffed the crayons in so tight I had pry them out of the bottle.

What donut are you?

I found this on Calista's blog, and had to try it!

I love donuts...

You Are a Glazed Donut

Okay, you know that you're plain - and you're cool with that. You prefer not to let anything distract from your sweetness. Your appeal is understated yet universal. Everyone dig you. And in a pinch, you'll probably get eaten.

http://www.blogthings.com/whatdonutareyouquiz/">What Donut Are You?

Water, water everywhere...

This is my floor. Recently we had a storm, nothing too serious, and the rain was driving straight at our front door. Late that night, I noticed water on the floor in front of the door. Thinking it was rain that had forced its way in, I put a towel down and went to bed.

Two days later I'm still mopping up water. Josh and I examined the floor, the freezer and the wall to figure out where on earth this water was coming from. It was the A/C unit. It's a window unit that we installed into the wall; the drain holes, outside, had become clogged and the condensation was forced into my wall. The wall doesn't look all that bad, no apparent water damage, but my floor is still wet. Being concrete it is also rather slick.

The root of the problem is solved, but the effects will take longer to disappear; in the future I will be making routine checks on how it's draining...because I really don't want to go through this again!

Snappy Surprise

This afternoon, when I let Dallas outside to play, we found a friend sitting on the sidewalk. It looks like a pretty normal box turtle, and we've had several around. But it had some nasty looking claws, and it kept hissing at Dallas, so I put it in a box and left it on my counter until Josh got home and could take it out in the back forty and turn it loose.
Dallas was sorry to see it go, and had spent the hour and a half before Josh got home running back and forth between me and the kitchen trying to get me to lift him up and look again.
I suppose if I come across another one, I just might need to keep it for Dallas to see and oggle over:)

Save a horse....

Before
After

This is my latest project. I saved this cute rocking horse from the dumpster, and, as you can see, he was in a little bit sad shape (note the missing tail). Dallas loves rocking on it, and today I finally got him all fixed with a new tail, reigns, and cleaned "saddle".

The flowers that bloom in the spring!

The heavenly scent of roses has been wafting past my front door for a week at least, and only now have I finally shared them!