Is that a garage door on my ceiling?

It’s a North Slope thing…..

2011-05-23T10:22:00.003-06:00

Just got back from the gas station.

I think my credit card actually whimpered on its way to the little slider thing.

Sad, sad day.

The end.

The end of all that is right and makes sense for heavens sake!

It makes me grumpy.

And when I get grumpy about gas prices, then I get grumpy about where we get the majority of our oil from and then I get mad about ANWR and then, well then…I thought about my blog. I know…try and keep up.

On my blog I try really hard to be neutral about politics and other such stuff that might run the risk of garnering rude comments. I cannot handle rejection AT ALL. Total rejection pansy.

But today….for one brief blog—that's going to change. I need to speak my mind on this. So buckle up—it might get a little bumpy. (Just kidding, rejection pansy, remember????)

Soooooooo……….

My husband works as an Electrician in the oilfields of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. Specifically, Kuparuk. Right now he works 2 weeks on (up at the Slope) and 2 weeks off (at home with us) but there have been 6 weeks on and 1 week off, 3 and 3, and once—a 10 and 1! So we are very happy with 2 and 2.

Phil took most of these pictures. You can’t just visit Prudhoe Bay. You have to work there. They have a lottery every year that you can enter and if you win you can have a few relatives over the age of 14 fly up a and take a little tour. My 2 oldest daughters have done that, so a few of the photographs are theirs.

Most of the buildings look a lot like this one-

And the area around the buildings look a lot like this---without snow--

And this –with snow----I don’t have too many with snow because its so cold you can’t easily take any pictures…

And since it is the head of THE Pipeline there are pipes everywhere…..

He sleeps in a building that looks a lot like this one….they have a room with a bed and a bathroom—much like a dorm room. He has the same room each time he goes up. Then another guy stays in it for the 2 weeks that he is home with us.

While he is up there they feed him 3 meals a day plus there is a snack bar open all the time. They clean their bedding for them too. All he has to do is his own laundry. It is a rough life for these guys up there. They have a movie theater and a racquet ball court---everything!

But even with all the buildings and such going on—they are very careful of the environment. The workers cannot go very far from the camps and yet my husband was still able to get this picture of a mama and her babies. The animals are not threatened or harmed in any way.

Just because there is an oil field doesn’t mean you won’t have wildlife. “For example, the Central Arctic caribou herd at Prudhoe Bay has grown from 3,000 to as high as 23,400 during the last 20 years.”—Making the Case for ANWR

They use a lot of cutting edge technology up there. My husband volunteers for a group (MAD) that practices/drills during their off time--- during the times of year without ice—to learn how to clean up oil spills in these boats….

He’s the incredibly handsome one in the sunglasses and white hat… who in this picture is the pilot taking out the local and federal authorities to demonstrate their skills to make sure they are following all guidelines……

The US imports over 65% of the nations needed petroleum.

It is projected that there is 3-9 billion barrels of recoverable oil beneath ANWR.

Only 1/2 of 1% of the 19 million acres of ANWR is allowed to be considered for exploration.

ANWR lies in the top northeast corner of Alaska.

The entire refuge lies north of the Arctic Circle and 1,300 miles south of the North Pole.

It is completely flat and barren with no trees, hills, or mountains.

Nine months of the year is covered with snow and ice and practically void of life.

Three of the months are in total 24 hour darkness.

JUST WHAT IS IT WE ARE PROTECTING??!!

It’s not about my husband having a job—there is enough oil in Prudhoe to see him through to retirement.

It is about not understanding why our government chooses to rely so heavily on overseas petroleum when we could be getting it right here at home.

And why do I just keep paying $4 gallon at the pump and just say I’ll worry about it tomorrow?

Just some info and thoughts that keep running around in my brain—thought I would share/vent—

How do you all feel about the oil crisis in this country? (Did you see how brave I was there? Opening myself up to rejection?? Ack! Be gentle!)

Wherein Angel Bean turns 12 and I tell a story……….

2011-05-19T20:10:00.001-06:00

Yes, this is a birthday tribute but if you flee now, you’ll miss a really great story.

The story of how a certain Miss Angelina Destiny became Angel Bean Queen of the Wood Frijoles Marie Boyce Bishop.

Not necessarily in that order or on the same day.

In fact, it all started once upon a time in the year 1999 when a little girl was born and her parents (my brother and his 1st wife) named her Angelina Destiny. She was a born in Alaska and was the cutest little Eskimo the world has ever seen!

Sadly, in 2001 they lost their parental rights and asked us if we would adopt Angelina into our family.

After a lot of prayer and family discussions….

In March of 2002 my husband brought her home from Alaska with him and she became a legal member of our family! She fit in so quickly to our lives and hearts that it was like our family had not been complete before she came and we didn’t even know it…….

She became a part of our forever family in March of 2009-

When we adopted her we changed her name to Angel Marie Bishop but one day when Tae came home from school she said, “Where is my Bean?” and it just stuck! We have called her Angel Bean or Bean or Beanie etc ever since. Then my husband got in on the act and started calling her Angel Bean Queen of the Wood Frijoles Bishop. Poor Bean, if you asked her what her name was she would try valiantly to get through all that. It got to the point where she was writing Beanie Bishop or just Angel Bean on her papers at school. It was a long summer getting that all worked out!Oh those cheeks……..

and that belly………

we have just loved every bit of her from the very start! She has been my easiest child. She eats what I put in front of her, cleans up what I ask her to when I ask her to and is just all around good company. She will do anything—just don’t leave her behind……..ohana…

I just love this one of her posing like a true Bishop………..

and this one just because…..

She has grown in beauty and in grace on the outside and the inside…

She LOVES to dance and takes 3 different dance classes….

She is a ray of sunshine in our home that I know was meant to be. I’m not not sure of all the why’s and how’s but I am so grateful that it happened and that I have 4 daughters to call my own.

Bean has definitely made our family better—I love you Angel Bean Queen of the Wood Frijoles Bishop!!!

Happy Belated 12th Birthday!!

Its a Spring thing…..

2011-05-15T20:48:00.001-06:00

Wow, that is a bad title-- but I just could not, for the life of me, crank out anything else.

Obviously I cannot crank out any correct sentence structure or grammar either…but whose noticing, right?

Spring has finally sprung a little in our corner of the world! I was so excited I almost took my chubby self outside and did me an Indian Welcome Sun Dance all over my front yard….

….but my loincloth was at the dry cleaners.

The dry cleaners saves my dignity again……

Some of you might remember that I moved into a new house in September. There was quite a bit of landscaping done by the original owners. I have been excited for Spring to get here so that I could see just exactly what was going to bloom and grow!

Guess what?!

I have popcorn trees!

Huzzah!

I have waited my whole life to have a popcorn tree. I feel completed. At least as far as foliage goes.

I also have vast amounts of rhubarb in very odd places.

Like they thought it was some kind of sacred shrubbery or something.

Well, we do NOT worship the rhubarb in this house, so I have been trying to get rid of it by giving it the evil eye. I haven’t had a lot of luck yet but I’m expecting it to pop out of the ground, pull up its leaves, and high tail it out of here at any minute.

Yes, I AM a Master Gardener, why do you ask?

Which brings me to pictures. I, of course, am NOT a Master Gardner but I would love to be one some day. I just have not had the time or space to devote to it yet. I’m hoping that here in this new house that will change. Since my blog feels naked without pictures, I thought I would include some pictures from last year when I still lived on my mountain with a garage door on my ceiling….

I had a bit of a rough start..the deer mistook my little garden for a crosswalk…..

But we did alright in spite our all our 4 legged critter visitors. I tried the square foot method and LOVED it!

Some lovely flowers…..

This year I have actually started all my OWN little growies and they’re coming up and we are just waiting for the last frost to pay us a visit and then we will get outside and plant. For a plant nerd like me, its awfully exciting! Maybe we just need one of those Indian Welcome Sun Dances……

Wherein I boost your Mother’s Day/Humanity to infinity and beyond-----again…….

2011-05-08T18:58:00.001-06:00

This is a re-post from last year. I thought this was a particularly fine piece of journalism {{{snort}}} so thought I would post it real quick before Mothers Day was over. Hope all the women who pass by this blog have had themselves a great day!

Mothers Day.

I’m sure that the original intent of those who created this holiday were pure.

Forcing children everywhere to honor their mother or carry the guilt forever—that is pure is it not?

Obviously, my Mother and I are still working out our relationship but I have been blessed to have 5 children call me Mom (to be honest—some days they say it like MU-THERRR) and I have friends who are from both camps. Some love being a Mom, or celebrate their own Mom or look forward with joy to when they will become a Mom. Others DREAD the day. Some because of their not so flowers and a nice card relationship with their Mom or the struggle to believe they will ever have a chance to be a Mother or they feel they have failed miserably at being a Mother .

I will leave the psychosis of all this to more qualified folks. The intent of my blog today is to boost your “Mothering/human being” self worth through the utter lack of my “Mothering/human being” skillz--- with the visual records I have kept. I’m sure I should probably address the -- what kind of Mother does or allows these “things” to happen to her children and then takes photos and shares them on her blog question that will plague you as you scroll through these photos.

But……….I got nothin’.

Just remember that no matter which government agency you call to report me too—they will never find me here in my garage, in the woods, in the middle of nowhere Montana.

Exhibit A:

By all means perch the baby on the top of that fence overlooking that giant ravine. I know she was dying for that up close and personal view. Quick, let me record the moment with my camera.

Exhibit B:

Too be fair—this was taken by my husband. I didn’t know about it till I went and picked up the pictures from our vacation. Bad mother award for thinking I could allow her father to watch her without my supervision.

Exhibit C:

This is what happens when your Mother has to say “Stop fighting!” 562 times. {Why yes, those are teenage mutant ninja turtles on the ends of those horns, thank you for asking.}

Exhibit D:

I ~~force~~ teach my children to work hard. I have found that it works best to have them out into the workforce while they are still in diapers. Then they just don’t ever remember it being any different.

Exhibit E:

My girls inform me that putting them in these beautiful, ruffle-lace explosion get ups was pretty much a crime against all mother nature. Wha? Just wait till they become Mothers and experience the “thrill of the frill”. It’s hypnotic I tell you! Also, I would like to point out that silver tooth jutting out there in front. Example #298 of my attentive parenting.

Exhibit F:

Ah, the classic—always dress your child in Halloween costumes that they hate- and don’t forget to capture the “I hate you” on camera. All the good mother points you may have earned for making the costume, go right out the window. Good memories.

Exhibit G:

This is an example of what I like to refer to as….Courageous Mothering. [I’m not the least bit interested in what you think it is.] In case you can’t see them, this child has the chicken pox. Then the poor dear fell off a swing and broke her little arm. I felt so bad for her that I went out and bought her some roller blades. And because I am that safety aware, I threw in the helmet and pads too. Safety first. Always.

And it wouldn’t be a Mothers Day tribute without….

Exhibit H:

This could be entitled, “Redneck Playground”. What I wanted to point out though, was my stellar abilities of caring not only for my children, but my friends also. Only one of these hooligans is mine, and I’m pretty sure she couldn’t have come up with this little rodeo all by herself. These other hooligans belong to my friend who has 13 children. (Late breaking editorial--imagine my friend's surprise when she saw that she had 13 children and could only find 11--thankfully she isn't going to sue for libel) She is the “chillest” Mom I know. That's why I can post this—she will just laugh. Like I did. And then of course I made them come in and stop all this nonsense. Because I’m all about safety. Always.

Please feel free to share this with your friends and unknown neighbors. Everyone deserves to realize just how great a mother/parent they are! And don’t forget—it’s all about safety…….always.

Nat and the #22

2011-05-02T11:35:00.002-06:00

It was Natty (my #2’s birthday) in March and in the spirit of denial that I so fully embrace—I am just getting around to doing that beloved Fiddler on The Roof’s “Sunrise, Sunset”tribute thingie I had wanted to do.

All I know is that when I go through these pics…..

…. and realize that in less than a month this child will be leaving me for 18 months….

…. with no way to contact her except snail mail and emails….

…. it makes my heart kind of feel like someone is pinching it real hard and then shaking it around and then throwing it down to my toes.

Have you ever felt like that???

Like you are walking around with a smooshed up heart in your toes??!!

It.is.rough.She was born an original drama queen…

(imagine sappy, mother tribute birthday music in background)

..and beauty queen…..

A warrior princess…..

(music comes to screeching halt)

Not sure what to call these next few and the skillz they employ…..

I can’t begin to tell you how proud I am of these two—no really, I have no words……

Thanx for 22 fabulous years Natty Gahn. I LOVE YOU! You are my heart and hero---go forth and conquer!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!

“Excuse me, is that a doorknob on your shoulders?”………

2011-04-27T16:23:00.003-06:00

My #2 graduated from hair academy a few months back.

She is now my EXCLUSIVE stylist.

She foiled and cut my hair this weekend.

Then she promptly went downstairs to the computer and typed on Facebook (for all the world to see) that she had bought the wrong color and her Mother now looked like………………………. a doorknob.

I can honestly say that I didn’t see that one coming.

Imagine me also, on Sunday morning as I sat in church, and a lady that I speak to maybe once or twice a month comes up to me, stares at me for an extra long minute and then pronounces that she doesn’t think that I look like a doorknob at all. And then walks quickly off.

I can honestly say I didn’t see that one coming either.

Its a good thing I have such a high self esteem so that I didn’t have to sit there the rest of the church meeting wondering who was looking at me weighing in on whether or not I had crossed over to doorknob status or not.

Thank you Nat---for the gift that just keeps on giving.

__________________________________________________________________

My #4 and only son has gone and gotten himself old enough to get a restricted use drivers license.

Now you see why we were dyeing my hair, right? We had some serious grey to cover up!

Pro:I now have someone who is excited to go run errands for me again!

Con: I now have someone who wants to go run errands for me roughly every 2 . 5 minutes.

Pro:He can drive his own self to all of his activities!

Con:He is pretty sure he has an activity every 2.5 minutes.

Pro:Having someone to drive ME places so I can enjoy the scenery!

Con: Not being able to see the scenery because we make it from point A to point B in 2 . 5 minutes.

It’s a whole new world people…..be sure and wave hi if you see me…I’ll be the white faced, white knuckled, “doorknob” plastered to the window of a red Tahoe--- and it probably won’t be “hi” I’m yelling. Just sayin’………

_______________________________________________________________

This next part is a early Mother’s Day tribute to myself.

Because sometimes I amaze even myself.

Yesterday was #5’s birthday.

She is 12 years old!

I will get into the—I cannot EVEN believe that she is already that old in one of those birthday tributes everyone loves to hate another day.

But I can’t.

Believe it.

We went out to dinner and then took a cake over to Grandma and Grandpa’s so they could be a part of the fun.

Being the fine example of motherhood that I am—I forgot the candles.

So, Bean turned 43 yesterday. (All my Mom had was those number kind of candles) Time is FLYING, I’ll tell you what.

She was her usual gracious, no big deal self and just blew out the candles and was happy, happy, happy!

Have I mentioned how much I love this child??!

______________________________________________________________________________

I was going to share how we didn’t dye Easter eggs or do baskets this year and a list of a myriad of other things I’ve let slip by the way side but I can only handle feeling just so good about myself. They say that less is more and right now we have more MORE going on than anyone I know!

_____________________________________________________________________________

There you go—the great doorknob of randomness has spoken…….hope everyone has a happy visual now—you’re welcome!!

Beware The Easter Platypus

2011-04-22T11:32:00.001-06:00

Last year I put one of those punching bag thingies in Bean’s Easter basket.

In the package it was all deflated and it said that when we blew it up it would be a bunny.

I think they were lying. But the bow on the ear was a nice touch…………………………………………………………

I am pretty sure we somehow mistakenly got the lesser known but equally pink, Easter Platypus.

I think the poor thing has hemorrhoids.

It scared me a little….okay a lot------ and my kids took exceptional glee in chasing me around the house with it. I had NIGTHMARES PEOPLE…..

Who makes these things??!!

Just thought I would give you a little heads up as you were heading out to do your Easter basket shopping. I’m all about community service…..

The Parable of the Cracked Pot

2011-04-16T20:38:00.001-06:00

This could lend itself to all kinds of funny, I know, I know.

Unfortunately, I’m swinging a little low these days so I’ve got nothing.

I love this story, I found it on Beyond Blue.

A water-bearer carries two large pots on a yoke across his shoulders up the hill from the river to his master’s house each day. One has a crack and leaks half its water out each day before arriving at the house. The other pot is perfect and always delivered a full portion of water after the long walk from the river.

Finally, after years of arriving half-empty and feeling guilty, the cracked pot apologized to the water-bearer. It was miserable. “I’m sorry that I couldn’t accomplish what the perfect pot did.”

The water-bearer says, “What do you have to apologize for?'”

“After all this time, I still only deliver half my load of water. I make more work for you because of my flaw.”

The man smiled and told the pot. “Take note of all the lovely flowers growing on the side of the path where I carried you. The flowers grew so lovely because of the water you leaked. There are no flowers on the perfect pot’s side.”

I love the story because the perfect pot wasn’t the bad guy—he still got the water to the master but the cracked pot had a purpose too, a redeemable quality--

Some days, a few flowers a long the path means everything…….

And some days the Atonement means even more…..

Kelly Boo

2011-04-06T20:22:00.002-06:00

WARNING:If parental sentimentality and birthday tributes make you want to pound your head against your computer screen ---

You should probably leave now.

Seriously-I get it—flee now!!

18 years and some change ago—I got this prize from the stork----

She was #3 and my third girl and a huge surprise as we were told we couldn’t have any more!

She has a lovely, happy, sweet disposition

BUT…..

She also has a temper that goes from 0 to 100 in 1.5 seconds that has been and is a force to be reckoned with….

She has grown in beauty on the outside and the inside……

She is one of my favorite people to spend time with…..

She loves books, just like me…

She loves playing the piano, just like me….

She loves taking pictures, just like me…

But what I love best is……..she just loves me.

Isn’t that amazing?!

She’s amazing!!!

She has even promised to let me come live with her when I am old and feeble minded…

…well…OLDER and MORE feeble minded…hush now and let me have my delusions of sanity………

HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY BOO!!! I LOVE YOU!

Lovin’ It…..

2011-03-26T18:32:00.003-06:00

This is a follow up to this post.

I’ve finally transferred all my favorite blogs over to Bloglovin’ and I have been using it awhile and I LOVE it.

**The interface is so clean and crisp.

Since they are not trying to do a million other things besides be a reader--( like Google)-- everything is uncluttered and orderly.

**It is SO user friendly

I am sure I could do all the things I am doing in Blolglovin’ in Google but in Google I could never figure out for the life of me how to do it. You want to add a blog? Just click the button. You want to put some blogs that you read on to your blog? Click the button. Want to delete a blog? Click a button and it actually disappears. (This has been a great way to get rid of all those blogs that I never even visit—or that have deleted me{What's up with that?!}--I feel like a new woman!) Google would never let me delete! LOVE it!

({{}{}{Yes I realize I should be shot for that last mess of punctuation and sentence UN-structure)}}}{}{}{

**Adding categories and putting your blogs in them is a piece of cake!

Now when I am in a hurry I can just click on “Fav” blogs and read and comment and then come come back and catch the craft blogs etc later. And I can erase all posts within a category instead of having to wipe out the entire library.

**Need to discover some new blogs? They’ve got a button for that too!!

I just can’t say enough good about my new blog home! Farewell Google Reader! I would highly recommend that you at least go check it out HERE.

PS-This is not a paid advertisement. But the “Send Lisa to Ireland” fund is always open for donations. Amen.

blurb….excuse me……

2011-03-22T14:27:00.002-06:00

I’ve decided to enter the brave frontier of “Blurb” and make a book of our life and times “Under the Garage Door on the Roof”. I thought I would give each of the kids one for Christmas this year. (They rarely read my blog and if by some rare alliance of the planets that I do get said book accomplished—well, we will all be surprised together, won’t we??!!!) Due to this new found desire, and as I collect and edit all the photos---I will be posting , on occasion some sometimes sappy, sometimes unrelated, sometimes from the distant past etc photos and words that will have no meaning except to (hopefully) me and mine. Feel free to skip these and move on with your lovely lives. Today is one of those posts.

These were taken after a rain storm in April, 2010. Our dog, Hershey is no longer with us. It is not because she was eating that dirt. But I remember being a little worried.

Until she pulled this face….

Then I caught the cat doing it too…..

I know you might think he was licking up moisture, but I promise there was none—he was eating that green stuff. The sneaky little vegetarian that he is…

This is his best “King of the Forest”—to bad it took him an hour to get up there……I kid…I kid……

The rest of these are just photos of the forest and the lichen, because 100 years from now---people are going to find that absolutely fascinating don’t you know. Hush now…..

Wasn’t that fun??!! I kind of miss my forest, I need to get my behind outside and take some pics of my new 10 acres so I can “bond" with it and stop missing the old place so much. If Spring would come---maybe I just miss Spring…..

It’s a small town Montana thing…….

2011-03-17T12:55:00.002-06:00

This is a …I love the quirky village I live in post…continue at your own peril…..

We are lucky in respect to where we live and work.

He gets to work here:

In the oilfields of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska

And I get to live in my quirky, beautiful village here in the middle of nowhere Montana.

I realize this does not always happen.

Today I would like to share with you some of the reasons

THIS IS THE PLACE FOR ME

First of all I will draw you in with some shots of the breath taking scenery---

Next I will ensnare you with the endearing quirky things that will make you want to book your flight to Montana tomorrow:

I hope you can tell what this is cuz its a treasure---you’ll find it staring out the window of the Laundromat.

Our grocery store parking lot is usually full of these—just hanging around. No leashes.

One time I didn’t see the dog when I got out of my car and as I came around the end of my car….

…. it let out this horrendously deep bark….

to which I screamed like a sissy girl…

….. threw my purse in the air…

….fell to my knees….

….. and about wet my pants.

Thankfully that little morsel has stayed between me and the dog right up until this very moment—what can I say—I’m a sharer.

And there is always a bunch of these but they have always been much more polite-----

This magical store is found on Main Street and my favorite part about it is that white sale sign is out front every.single.day.

This is my favorite mailbox in the WHOLE WORLD…

And this is my favorite thing my kids have ever done to occupy themselves:

And then for my final push—that sales pitch that will bring it home-----

Can you see it? The little gem tucked over there on the left? Here, let me help you……

YEP--I know—no words. it’s okay—take a moment………….

…prepare yourself for the final piece of wonderfulness that will have you loading your wagons and heading to Montana post haste--------

Because somewhere in the middle of nowhere Montana people actually dress like this AND they are NOT in a Star Wars movie.

You know you wanna touch that hat…..see if it is made to fit…..

{{{{{{{{deep sigh}}}}}}}}

I LOVE where I live.

The Call! THE Call!!!!!!!

2011-03-11T17:45:00.004-07:00

Our family has been on vacation in Idaho this week.

Its a hard thing but we have reached down deep and found the strength to power through.

Our #2 daughter had to go home early to report back to the job thing.

The whole ‘responsible’ thing.

(she gets it from her Dad)

Guess what she found in the mail???!!

HER MISSSION CALL!!!!! (I just spelled mission with 3 s’ and it did not spell correct me—?????)

GUESS WHERE SHE IS GOING???????!!!!!!!

Nope.

Oh, okay.

She is going to…….

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE!!!!!

For those who are not Mormon-- she will be leaving in May for 18 months to go to Nashville to serve and share her knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ with others as she represents our church.

She is very excited and nervous at the moment but at least will be able to sleep. The suspense was killing her.

I on the other hand am calm and cool and collected. I am not worried because I am just going to go with her you see. Problem solved.

ACCKKK!! My baby is leaving me!!!! I don’t take enough medication for this!! How do the rest of you missionary Mom’s do this???!!

My Love Language has been spoken…..

2011-03-06T18:33:00.003-07:00

So my birthday was awhile ago but a friend of mine just recently had a chance to give me her present and since I have been sadly LACKING in the blog post department, I decided to blog about it. Its all I’ve got, people.

This year was the year of….. the Love Language is spoken. My love language is pretty easy to figure out—check out these gifts…..

A head massager and some sort of fabulous covered in gooey marshmallow, sugar and heaven only knows what else, gorp mix—(these 2 things, when used together induce a coma like state that can be likened to something that is like bliss on steroids…..and definitely involves drool....)

Another friend got me this “Faith” sign and I ordered the rest and I am still working on the display but it is nice to have something that feels so springy. I had never seen these before. They are metal and interchangeable and magnetic. Made by the people who make the Willow figurines.

This piece of luscious technology I received for my next 5 birthdays, Valentines Day and our Anniversary. I got one of these cute little baby blue bumpers too—very handy dandy.

Can you guess my love language?

Make sure you don’t confuse it with one of the 7 deadly sins………..

I did, I do, I will

2011-02-22T22:27:00.004-07:00

24 years ago I found this Studmuffin on a dance floor in Northpole, Alaska.

For 4 years I had been playing the field HARDCORE……marriage was not on my agenda…..

It took him only 3 weeks……and I knew……..

We were engaged…….25 years and 7 months ago today………..

25 years ago today, we were married in the St. George, UT Temple. (I belong to the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints or LDS) It was all very serious and beautiful……

Then of course there was a reception and it was anything BUT serious……

One might wonder what in the world I was doing here…..I have no recollection…

I do know that here I had just taken off my garter and Phil had to steal the show by revealing that he had worn these most HATED of socks the entire reception!!! I thought I had thrown these away before we left Alaska but he had gone dumpster diving ---ACK!!

HAPPY QUARTER OF A CENTURY POOD!!!!! Each year has been better than the last—I can’t wait till 50! LOVE YOU!

Just a little ending note::::::::::

As I was going through my box looking for pictures to scan for this post, I came across a lot of memorabilia. I even found our plane tickets that we had used from Alaska to Utah. I thought I had kept them for a memento of our “special” day. Then I turned it over……

Yeah, it had to be for a memento of our “special” day…that's it.

You’re welcome.

My “Someday” is now—And my Prince has come………..

2011-02-10T12:46:00.006-07:00

It was my birthday the other day.

Other than the fact that I am now just so much dust blowing in the wind AND that dust is covered in copious amounts of snot from the head cold I am suffering through…………..

It was a lovely day.

My husband is doing his 2 weeks off work thing right now. When he is off work he likes to take the dog for a hike everyday and get the mail. (Makes you wonder where my mailbox is, doesn’t it??)

When he returned from the mail hike on my birthday, he handed me some magazines and the envelope pictured above.

My husband is NOT a romantic man. Which would explain a lot about why I would feel the need to take a picture of said envelope and blog about it.

It is my new favorite thing in the whole universe.

He said it cost eighty cents to send because it was extra full of love.

Yeah, mushy AND did I mention it was my new favorite thing in the whole universe?!

Now we just need to get him some art lessons because that picture on that stamp does not look like

_ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ .

Any guesses?

Flagrant Fido Flattery OR This is for you Shad....

2011-01-26T20:59:00.003-07:00

It has come to my attention that my nephew who gave us Obi (the dog):

Has been disappointed by the lack of post relating to said dog.

Far be it from me to be the source of ANYONE'S disappointment.

(That's not true. My getting up in the morning causes a string a disappointments so great they are thinking of erecting a statue in my honor. But I digress....)

So I am going to post a couple of silly little video's Boo took for Shad. It's okay if no one else wants to watch them--I understand--but they are kind of funny--in a --itsmydogandisn'thethecutestdogyouhaveeverseen kind of way.

Hope all of you that made it this far have a great day!!!

And no matter what anyone says, there is no video of me doing the hula while on Ambien....I don't know where these rumors get started.....

I get by with a little help from my friends……

2011-01-20T20:07:00.001-07:00

This is my Fabulous friend Julie and her Fabulous daughter Emma with my Fabulous daughter Kelly at the movie theater

(oh yes I did stand up and take a picture, right there in the theater—and yes—I don’t get out much---why do you ask???)

We went and saw this:

I had such a good time AND I really enjoyed the movie!

Julie is one of my favorite people in the WHOLE world! We have been friends for what seems like forever but in reality is probably more like 15 years or so. Her oldest daughter and my oldest daughter were the same age and we met through school activities. I have always been drawn to Julie like a moth to a flame for many reasons but I think if I had to choose one it would be her incredible sense of self worth. She is quite frankly, one of the most self assured people I know. That, and she loves me. I make her giggle---a lot. I like that. A lot. She laughs really loudly at movies and plays. And I like that a lot too. She is also one of the finest pianists I know. Love it! As a matter of fact---there is nothing I don’t like about this remarkable woman. I love Julie! Thanx for being my friend and including me in your life--- and your circle of friendship—Julie,you are definitely a FOREVER FRIEND.

Bloglovin'

2011-01-14T14:40:00.004-07:00

Follow my blog with bloglovin

Discovered this.

Trying this.

You don't need to follow--it's just what I had to post at the top--I just want to use it it like a Google Reader....

Will keep you posted.....

What happens in Mama’s Jacuzzi tub……stays in Mama’s Jacuzzi tub…….

2011-01-11T19:23:00.001-07:00

Things have been a little slow in the news department around the old homestead.

The Christmas tree is down, but the stockings are still up…..it’s a process people.

The Studmuffin, Boy-Child and Bean are out of town this week, leaving Kelly and I to bask in our, “Sweet Silence, Testosterone Free, Eat frozen dinners every night, watch every musical and episode of Gilmore Girls” blissdom.

My #2 daughter is moving home because she is thinking she wants to prepare to go on a mission for our church. Obviously this is one of those cases of--- the child turned out all splendid and spiritual IN SPITE of what her Mother did or didn’t do. It will be lovely having her here but hard to have to say good-bye again so soon. She also took her State boards and is a licensed Cosmetologist! Huzzah!

My refrigerator may or may not be sustaining a life form or two that makes me afraid to open the door.

Speaking of unidentified life forms in unexpected places…… (like that lead in, huh, huh???)

This is my double seater jacuzzi bath tub.

Those are 4 of my children.

They all have their swimming suits on.

That is some of the bath jelly I made for my girls for Christmas.

Guess it really does foam up just fine.

I have no idea how this came about.

I blame this all on their Father’s genes.

I only lasted long enough to get the pictures.

The party lasted for quite awhile, I heard.

I am still finding crusty bubbles in unexpected places…………..help me………

What’s in a word?!

2011-01-05T14:18:00.001-07:00

One word.

COLD.

It’s cold here.

Chilly.

Nippy.

Shivery.

Our new house has radiant floor heating and it isn’t feeling very radiant.

And yet…..

We just had to mortgage our second cousin’s, uncle’s new house to pay the propane bill.

Speaking of words……..

I see all over the internet that people do this thing where they choose a “word of the year” kind of thing.

Quite honestly, I sort of mocked it at first. Mostly because I was sure that, like New Years resolutions, I wouldn’t be able to sustain it past January 2nd.

But the thought has taken hold and bumped around in that empty space between my ears until it dawned on me that the very reason I didn’t want to do it……… provided me with the perfect word!

STRENGTH

Behind the masks. Beneath the pain. In that place where I still keep a little happiness and faith safely tucked away----I long for strength.

The strength to walk a mile……………..

The strength to smile more and to be less cynical….

The strength to say “yes” to my family more often…….

The strength to gather my family for scripture study and prayer, DAILY……..

Most of all, the mental and emotional strength to realize the difference between “my strength” and the “power of the Lord”………………..

One year.

One word.

An interesting experiment………………………….

Willy Nilly Ghosts of Christmas Past

2011-01-01T22:04:00.018-07:00

Feel free to FLEE---

Christmas wrap up ahead-----

Comments are off---(can you believe I figured out how to do that??!!)

So, sometime BEFORE Christmas we..........

Put up our advent calendars............

Beanie had a Playmobile one and

Milan had a Lego one as usual...

Kelly wanted a riddle/scavenger hunt one so I made one up in a muffin tin...

Then came the annual gingerbread house decorating. Grandpa Bob and Grandma Lola joined us and brought the stuff...we supplied the house. Hard work that was...

Hydrolics were needed to keep things from sliding from rooftops....

Serious faces.......

I think that guy on the left is bald with a long white beard and the tree on the right is a "closet" cyclops...scary....

more serious faces....

Then Kelly picked us out a tree (the first live one we've had in around 10 years!!) And we got it up and decorated...

I buy or make new ornaments for the kids each year to represent their year...this is Kelly's because she spent the year going around saying, "I'm so ninja" or, "Did you see that ninja move?". And can you believe I found this green one on Etsy???!! I LOVE Etsy!

This was my first ornament as a child. A rudolph thats lost his "Shiny" nose. Oh how I love unwrapping this one each year and putting it on the tree! I am such a GEEK!

I bought a more current one to keep him company a few years back but they just seem very uncomfortable around each other.

This ornament contained the second wedding ring Studmuffin gave me when I lost the my first one. So romantic.

This is my Angel. Angel Moroni. LOVE it. What else can I say?!

This is the ornament I made for Tae. It is of her and her boyfriend of 5 years that passed away this year. She loved it. We shared tears and hugs.

That's about it--keep all hands and feet inside the ride until it has come to a full and complete stop. Thank you for riding Lisa's Looney Lines--come again soon....

The race is on…..

2010-12-29T13:10:00.001-07:00

Since all my children have been securely fastened to the walls with duct tape, I thought I would take a moment and finish up all my posts for the year so I could make one of those book thingies.

HAH! I joke, I kid----I will never get all these posts caught up.

KIDDING!

My kidlets are all duct tape free and enjoying their holiday freedoms.

No worries.

Except for my sanity, and like I always say, “Sanity is highly overrated”.

I had all of my offspring home for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and it was just lovely. I love that my new home fits lots of people so easily and yet has these great gathering spots.

I did something I swore I would never do on Christmas Eve.

I told everyone we were going out for Chinese and it was going to be our new favorite Christmas Eve tradition. Amen.

We did and it was and it is and can I just say, “Hallelujah!!!”?!

When we got home the Jammie Elves had come and so everyone ripped into their packages and the following chaos ensued………

Its a wonderful life, I tell you. That's one of the perks of being bipolar. In just one post I can go from duct taping my children to the wall to having my heart ache so much I think it will break at the thought that soon the time will come that all of these faces won’t be together on Christmas Eve. I’m just a mess. Ah well, I’m off to do something important—like read one of the 5 books I got for Christmas or watch one of my new Cary Grant movies. I’m a busy, busy girl. AMEN and AMEN.

Hallelujah!

2010-12-23T12:21:00.001-07:00

My friend Annie, who lives in Alaska, posted this on Facebook today.

I may or may not have watched it a bajillion times.

I have DEFINITELY found my hibernating Christmas spirit.

Who knew it was in a small village in Alaska??!!

I promise..it is worth every minute….

‘Tis the Season people!!!!!

Is it Christmas yet??!!

2010-12-14T21:09:00.001-07:00

I am flying a little under the Merry Christmas radar this year. Nothing horrible—just nothing to launch me into tears at the end of “It’s a Wonderful Life “ either.

People who are bipolar, such as myself, find Christmas carol titles such as---“Do You Hear What I Hear”—especially entertaining. Just sayin…..

For those of you who might be new around here—I really AM bipolar and have written a blog post about it that you can read HERE.

My sweet #2 daughter read it in a class at her cosmetology school recently when they had a class about dealing with suicide because there had been so many there lately SO…she reminded me there were probably others out there who could maybe use it------(longest, most grammatically incorrect sentence EVER)

All is not doom and gloom though—promise.

As I went to decorate my home for the holidays I discovered (much to my budget’s dismay) that most of my decorations that I used in my garage home (click on it to read about it) don’t really fit this home. So I looked around blog land and gathered a few different ideas and got my Christmas Pottery Barn catalog and came up with this:

and this:

Oh look, we have a visitor:

It is a little blurry, and Martha I’m not—but it’ll do, I think. And, hopefully I have many years to collect and make more! I have been up to a few other things but will save them for another day.

Meanwhile, got any other great ideas for great Christmas songs for this bipolar girl??

(Like, funny ones {ie: Do You Hear What I Hear}—I already have a playlist of 300 favorite Christmas carols—thanx tho--)

Your house smells like……..

2010-12-08T09:39:00.002-07:00

Today we are going to discuss house perfume.

Most perfume gives me a headache.

I can’t even get within a mile of Bath & Body.

The store that is.

I promise I bathe my body on at least a semi-regular basis.

Candles aren’t much better. Their smell, that is. I don’t ever bathe my candles. Am I supposed to? No one ever tells me these things!!! I am filled with shame and deep confusion….okay..moving on…(Obviously we have been doing a little fine tuning of my medication lately)

There are a few candles I like and keep around the house to use for when I run out of ingredients for this favorite:

It is so easy and so forgiving and so YUMMY smelling!

Ingredients:

Orange

Lemon

Cloves

Bay leaves

Cinnamon Sticks

*I have an old pot that I have used for years but because it is all edible, you can use any pot.

*I use:

2 oranges

2 lemons

6 cinnamon sticks

3 or 4 bay leaves

1/3 jar cloves

Because I like an intense smell that fills the house quickly—most people use less.

*I have even used dried oranges and lemons and bought my spices in bulk so I always have the stuff on hand. (Call me Suzy Woodland Homemaker and I’ll shoot you between the eyes—go on—I dare you)

Then you just simmer to your nose and hearts content.

And when someone comes to visit they don’t ever say, “My what a lovely candle smell”

They say, “Mmmm, your house smells just like Christmas”

Merry Christmas!

I used to LOATHE this song....

2010-12-05T19:36:00.002-07:00

I used to loathe this song.... till I found these guys.

If you all know about them already, then shame on you for not telling me about them. If you haven't heard of them.....

You are so very welcome.

Merry Christmas! I'm off to beg someone to spike my eggnog...

(kidding, dear Bishop's wife)

Why sending out Christmas cards requires me to up my medication…..

2010-12-03T11:45:00.001-07:00

‘Tis the season.

The Christmas Card.

I love receiving the darn things.

Even the ones that inform me that Tommy received his 4th Doctorate and little Jill is simultaneously getting straight A’s, in every school club and still finds time to play every instrument known to man.

I just take it with a grain of salt—sometimes a big chunk of rock salt—but I still love opening my mailbox and seeing all the holiday joy inside.

What I struggle with is --------THE PICTURE……

I love getting the darn things.

I love having someone else take my children’s picture and sending those.

But when our pockets are empty and I have to take the picture---well—those are dark times my friend….dark times…

Here is an example:

The year is 2002 and yes, I may or may not have just learned that you could play with photos on your computer, why do you ask?

Look… up in the sky

Whoa…Beanie, your other front………..

AAAHHH! Nat packed her scary eyes! Beanie, your other front!

This is the one I finally went with. Can you tell what my husband got for Christmas that year??

This was from last year:

And then this year:

Yeah Beanie—you got the right front!!

It’s just ridiculous.

Good thing I love them.

Good thing they love me!

But I do kind of miss these days…………..

1989 was a very good year……just sayin…..

Here a stitch, there a stitch…

2010-11-27T20:47:00.004-07:00

I had a bit of drive by surgery 2 weeks ago.

Wait.

That's not right.

Outpatient surgery, that's it.

Felt like a drive by, there have been a couple little complications and I kind of feel like the CSI people need to come and figure out why I died.

We had our Thanksgiving on Sunday, the 21st. My husband had to be back in the Great Frozen North for Thanksgiving and my big girls had other plans, so the 21st it was!.It was lovely. My girls and husband did ALL the cooking. Really---ALL of it. And the clean up. ALL of it……

While I devoured the rest of the peach pie and nursed my pitiful injury.

Oh….the injustice of it all.

I am thinking this will be seriously affecting how our Thanksgivings go down for the next 40 years—or until I die—which ever comes first.

My #2 daughter brought 3 friends home with her. So, we had a house full.

It was truly, truly, lovely and I am very blessed. Then everyone was able to leave and get home before all the scary storms started----double blessings! (Not that they left, that they made it home safely—sheesh)

On the real Thanksgiving---well—we just stayed in our jammies and had leftovers.

And I ate pumpkin pie and gave thanx for the piece of pecan pie that was still waiting in the wings.

Drive by surgery victims need lots of pie for a healthy recovery—true story.

This is a picture of one of my favorite Thanksgiving memories, way back around 1993.

Besides the flying nun hat that I forced on my poor baby’s head and that thing growing on the door….

(Studmuffin is looking fine as usual)

this picture commemorates the only time in our entire marriage…..

that we got to go out for Thanksgiving dinner.

It was a beautiful thing.

Please don’t hate me. Amen.

Outline of October or…OOO….

2010-11-08T13:19:00.001-07:00

Since its beginning to look a lot like November, I thought I might take a moment to properly bid a sugar coated, happy to be moving on, adieu to October.

Our party was a success due in large part to copious amounts of sugar and several well planned OUTDOOR games. May I also recommend that Disney Trivia TV game---nothing says Halloween like a rousing game of Disney trivia.

I am happy to report that in spite of the fact that I am a costume grinch and was wearing my “High School Guidance Counselor” costume for the 15th straight year in a row (well actually, during the height of the Harry Potter craze I took a few years off and dressed as a Muggle), I won 2nd prize in the costume contest!

My daughter was not amused. Something about me not being a teenager and even in the running. I wanted the whoopie cushion as my prize but she would only let me have a ring pop. Hmpf…

Kelly is in red—she was a swash buckling pirate princess! The 2 to the left tied with another guy for first place—cutie-patooties!

Milan is on the right. He was a piece of plaid. Personally I think it was one of the most brilliant ideas for a costume EVER.

The boy on the far left comes from a family of 8 boys and 3 girls. 4 of those boys came and they came as guys from Braveheart—pretty cool.

First place winner--

Shall we dispense with the rest of October?

Who knew that the gingerbread thing had migrated to Halloween???!!

And that hair dryers were a necessary part of construction?!

Or that my son was such a goof??!!

Or that the lighting in my kitchen was so bad?? Ack!

Finished products:

My son made a “Monster House” replica—(do you just LOVE the Lego men???!!!)

The girls were much more conservative…..

Beanie’s

Kelly’s…

The only other creative thing I did for Halloween was make this countdown calendar. I found a similar idea online somewhere but cannot even begin to remember where. I’m sure they don’t read my blog but if someone does, let me know and will be glad to give them credit. And before you think I am crafty or something—we didn’t EVEN get our pumpkins carved this year. What kind of people don’t get their pumpkins carved? People who can’t find their thanksgiving decorations and need something on their front porch—that's who…….hypothetically speaking of course……..

First I made myself a little easel stand….

And then I pretended I was in kindergarten again and cut and pasted to my hearts sweet content……

I am excited for November! We are having our Thanksgiving early on the 21st and everyone will be home! Huzzah! There might be a little outpatient surgery thrown in there and Studmuffin won’t be home for the “real” Thanksgiving” but I am grateful for our families flexibility and their desire to gather during this upcoming holiday season.

What is everyone else’s plans for Turkey Day?

Skellies in my closet but mostly on my couch……

2010-10-26T15:53:00.003-06:00

We’re having an inaugural ball (read, teenage part-tay) here on Saturday. How fitting that it should be on “All Hallows Eve”.

The very thought scares the bee-jee-bus out of me.

If there was any bee-jee-bus to begin with. I’m not exactly sure where to look for that particular ummm…would that be anatomy or bodily fluid? Anyone? Fascinating. Absolutely fascinating.

but I digress…….

So, usually I tend to flee from anything even remotely Martha Stewart-like but these fellows were so dang cute.

So I made a whole “passle” and rounded them up for a picture before I sent them off.

It was a lot harder than you might think.

“Hey! Frank and George! I said settle down not upside down!!!!!”

“Look at me, not the dog!! I promise he is NOT paper trained!”

And so it went, it was exhausting to say the least.

Then (much to my surprise) I made my own envelopes, forced each one inside and sent them off to their new homes.

Happy Halloween

Everyone!!!!!!!

Ubiquitous Updates

2010-10-20T19:53:00.001-06:00

This place:

is starting to feel like home.

These people:

drove for over 10 hours each way and came this last weekend and spent ALL their time and energy putting away and throwing away (praise the Lord)our junk and other fine accessories…….

Gas from Utah to Montana---$1,000,000.00

Slave/family labor---the price of 9 meals

Enjoying my view because their are no boxes or garbage in the way: PRICELESS

THANK YOU STUDMUFFIN’S FAMILY!!!!!

THIS GIRL:

is starting to heal.

She came home at the beginning of October for her birthday.

She smiled…often.

I haven’t seen that smile in quite awhile.

I didn’t realize that I had been holding my breath—waiting for that smile---

until I saw it…..

and exhaled.

She still has quite the journey ahead of her, but she

is taking baby steps.

I am so fiercely proud of her.

This girl:

has been working at the local grocery store by day and……..

“treading the boards” at the local playhouse by night.

I got to go see her this last weekend.

They are doing, The Music Man”

She is playing the part of Zaneeta Shin. Ye Gawds!

SHE IS ROCKING IT PEOPLE!!!!!!

Like her mother and sisters before her—ye gawds!! (if you have never seen the Music Man the “Ye Gawds” reference will mean absolutely nothing to you. Go immediately to your nearest movie establishment and check out the movie {in lieu of the actual play of course} and get some culture people!!!!))O)))

The rest of us are fine with nothing exciting or different than normal to report.

Stay tuned for something, I don’t know what, but something. And yes, I do know what ubiquitous means—do you??!!

Sunday Sundries

2010-09-26T20:24:00.001-06:00

*I used to think that having to pack up and get everything into a moving van and clearing out all at once was the worst possible way to go.

I now know differently.

Moving across town, from a place that the landlord doesn’t care WHEN you get all your “STUFF” out IS the snake’s underbelly way to have to move.

*Did you hear about the woman in Montana that scared away a bear with nothing more than a zucchini??!!

Montana—where the women are men and the zucchini are too.

When I read the article she had refused to give her name or location---I just didn’t want you all thinking it was me.

I would have totally sold out for my 15 minutes of fame.

Yeah, baby.

*My cell phone died. I just went to flip it open and it kept on flipping---split right in two.

Sad times.

Fortunately, we kept my son’s old one when he upgraded.

Unfortunately, I didn’t back up my phone numbers so all I have now is a phone full of 15 year old boy’s and their local scout leaders phone numbers.

Fortunately, I now know who to call when I need a knot tied or have an urge to cross the street.

*I may or may not have an unhealthy addiction to all my favorite TV shows theme music.

All my ringtones are theme songs from my fav TV shows, and every time they play

(AND I MEAN EVERY TIME)

I do a little theme show music dance.

Sometimes it’s just on the inside—but its there all the same.

What is up with that?!

*My (our) current line up in my iTunes: (we don’t have cable or network TV)

Bones Season 5

Burn Notice Season 4

Castle Season 3

Chuck Season 4

The Closer Season 6

Criminal Minds Season 6

CSI’S—All of them

Glee Season 2

The Good Guys

Hot in Cleveland

Leverage Season 3

Lie To Me Season 2

Both NCIS

Psych Season 5

Rizzoli & Isles

Royal Pains Season 2

White Collar Season 2

Oh my heavens….I’m loving iTunes---watch whenever---I promise it’s not as bad as it looks….not all of these are my favorites….some are for the other members of this family….don’t judge me….stop it….right now…

Dried Fruit Bondage

2010-09-25T20:13:00.001-06:00

Hah!

I wonder how many hits I will get on that title??!!

BEFORE I was moving, I ordered 2 boxes of pears and a box of peaches through a friend at church whose brother brings a load up at the end of every summer.

We love dried pears and peach butter at our house.

I am SO NOT a domestic goddess---my Mom just won’t do it for me anymore.

What is up with that??!!

Moving + food preservation= extreme madness and hair loss

Just thought I would share that little bit of wisdom that I have gleaned these past few days spent wrestling with boxes and peelers and gallons of Fruit Fresh.

Your welcome.

Winners!!!

2010-09-24T21:32:00.003-06:00

I almost forgot that today was the day!

If I ever have to move again, I will just shoot myself, and then whoever it was that made me move. Then whoever it was that said I should order 2 boxes of pears and a box of peaches AND THEN whoever tells me to trade piano lessons for picking and freezing 60 quarts of corn!

OH WAIT!!!

THEY ARE ALL ME!!!

Back to the winners.....

When it came down to it, it was hard to decide to change my blog name.

But then I decided that I really did want to change it and that I wanted it to reflect me-----so-------

my new blog title is--------------

TALKING AMONGST MYSELF

Which makes Tammy the $50 Amazon gift card winner!!! YEAH!!

I then put everyone else's name that advertised in a pot and

~~~~~~ANNETTE LYON~~~~~~~

you are the $25 winner

So you 2 girls get over to amazon and decide which kind of gift card you want and email me your decision and addresses and I will get them to you as soon as possible!!

Thanx so much to everyone for all their kind words and participation!

I am going to hire someone to overhaul (any suggestions???) my blog and then have a

$100 contest

to get people to come on over and follow the new--so stay tuned---it will stay this way, at this address, till then.

The new homestead….part 3

2010-09-22T12:35:00.001-06:00

~~~~~SO THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN INTERNET COMPANY ARE MY HEROES~~~~~~

They came and connected my internet YESTERDAY AFTERNOON!!!

If I wouldn’t have been trying to get enough STUFF moved over to the new house so that we could sleep here last night—I would have posted this then. Pffftt—moving.

YES! We spent the first night in our new home last night!! Huzzah!

It still kind of feels like we are just on vacation—but the more things I find a home for—the more I feel at home.

Day after tomorrow is the big day! Go here to enter to win UP TO $75 in Amazon or any gift card they carry! We have so enjoyed your creativity and have laughed hard over many of them.

And of course I need you guys! I love words-- but stringing them together is a whole other beastie.

Thanx for playing along.

And sorry for any confusion. When I said Tammy and Annette were the only ones in the running for the $25, I meant because at the time they were the only ones who had blurbed about the contest on their blog. It doesn’t matter where you commented on my blog with your new blog title ideas---you will be automatically entered in the $50 giveaway.

So today is the 3rd and FINAL (yeah—it is almost over!!) installment of the new home series. The basement. To get there, you have to go through my laundry room (which is super cool all by itself) which has the niftiest little gizmo in it. You probably all have one.

It is simply grand people. Too bad I don’t iron more. Maybe I will have to become the IRON Goddess. {snicker} {snort} {gasp for air} {fall on floor}}}}}}

Back on track—the stairs are just ahead and to the left. If you go straight you will end up in the 3 car garage which is not only bigger but nicer than the one I live in now. I went out and just sat on the steps today---just to ease the pang of homesickness----

When you get to the bottom of the stairs, the big master type bath is to your left, a bedroom is straight ahead and 2 storage rooms are to the right. All 3 bedrooms look a lot like this one.

Bedrooms are great but are basement hallway also contains a book nook,

A phone booth (if you can tell us why—you win a prize—but truly—it IS a phone booth)

and the……..duh, duh, duh…………………..Margarita Room. Once again—truly—that is what the builder told the third owner it was.

There are no words.

But I do know that we are going to but a big mirror on the wall and a little dance floor and call it Beanie’s dance room.

Can anybody explain what a margarita room is and how it worked in this space? Yes, those are speakers in ceiling and we have no idea where they hook up to. So many mysteries!

There is a wet bar across from the M Room

and then a room that could be turned into a kitchen so that the basement could be an apartment if needed. We hope to put a pool table and stuff like that in there for now.

Then across from that and right next to that is the family/tv room.

I bought the kids these “sacks” till we got the furniture thing figured out. This picture speaks to me…..

“Hi, my name is Vanilla and this is my friend Purple.”

“And this over here is our friend named Bear. Shhhhh, he spent all night in the Margarita Room.”

What do they say to you?

Tune in Friday for the winners and NO MORE HOUSE PICS!!! HUZZAH!!

Change of plans...

2010-09-21T13:03:00.003-06:00

Oopps

It just dawned on me today as I unplugged my computer that I hadn't set up an appointment to get internet put in at my new house.

Duh

So, maybe this afternoon, but more likely Thursday at 11. So the contest end is moved to Friday, September 24th.

So sorry.

I'm an idiot.

Amen.

The new homestead…part 2

2010-09-20T13:00:00.008-06:00

Does everyone realize that Tammy and Annette are the only 2 in the running for the $25??!! Easy money people. So go HERE to help me pick a new blog name OR/and put a blip about it somewhere on your blog---and opportunity for $75 in Amazon gift certificates or any of the other brand name certificates they carry. Hurry though—contest ends September 22.

I am loving all of the ideas, by the way. My daughter was reading them last night and was voting for several of them. Too bad I only have one blog.

So….today….MORE PICTURES!!

HUZZAH!!

More time spent hiding in my room on the computer instead of dealing with the nightmare that is called “packing boxes”.

HUZZAH!

Shall we start with the Master Bedroom today? I had to capitalize it because, all by itself, it is bigger than my current home.

I could seriously lock the door and live in there.

That is beyond cool people.

Nobody told me you all were having so much fun out there in your “normal” homes and Master Bedrooms.

Walking in….then around the corner…

to the left, out the sliding doors is a deck and then a lower deck with a place for a hot tub and to the right, with built in night stands is where our bed will go…..

I have to take a minute and talk about the light fixtures in this place. They are just electrifying! Hah! I kill myself. Seriously though, I need one of them to be buried with me along with a door---which will all be very interesting seeing as I want to be cremated—but that is another post…

The fancy place for the tv…

The {oh my goodness what do you need a hot tub for} bathroom. There is a shower and toity too but the angle isn't too good for a photo.

And last but not least—the walk in closet. Can you believe it??!! In my little garage I don’t even have a closet and I barely fit on one side of the bed when I make it!!

Sorry this is so long—I just want it for my journal and for reference down the road. Just scroll.

On to the study/office. The doorway is at an angle off the entryway to the right.

It too has a CLOSET!!!

And the coolest light fixture I have ever seen! When you turn out the lights it looks like aliens have landed---do you ever wish that you could spend some time with the person who built your house???????

You can see the upstairs family room or whatever the term is through the door---its the only room that gets new furniture for now. This is before--

This is after a day spent at the furniture stores. (I have decided I need help. I am a decorators nightmare. Its just not my thing. )

This will be a reading/visiting/waiting for your piano student room. I have never had such a beautiful bookcase before so the books are just laying there, waiting for me to be hit with inspiration. (Annette—can you see them???) There are like 20 more boxes of books so~ yes~ I am the crazy,decorates with books lady. These are the kind of decorating pics I save:

I hope someday my piano room will look like this—complete with ladder….

Here it is now…

This looks through to the kitchen which I cannot even find words to express what it will be like to posses—so just gaze……

Tomorrow we shall do the downstairs. And, yes, I get lost all the time. I think they will have to put a beeper on me, just to keep track of me. I am also starting to pack a lunch each time I set out in any direction, that way wherever I end up can be where I meant to be until help and rescue finds me. {snicker}

Thanx for all the kind comments and keep the ideas coming—we are loving them!

*****PPSS--Annette and Tammy--I tried my darnedest to get your names to match in size. I am not trying to make a statement about ANYTHING other than I am BLOG STUPID--please forgive.

The new homestead…..part 1

2010-09-19T15:52:00.005-06:00

In the interest of helping you invent a NEW AND IMPROVED NAME FOR MY BLOG…(click on that to go win yourself up to $75 in Amazon gift certificates!)

…..I have shared with you where the old name came from here. (there really IS a garage door on my ceiling)

Now, I will share some pics of where I am headed.

The new digs.

My fresh pad.

The much more modern (seems to us) mansion.

Our happening homestead.

The sheik shanty.

My au courant abode.

The fantastic fortress.

{{{{{Sorry—it’s a sickness…}}}}}}

Without further word play and in no particular order………feel free to just skim pics—the words are for my journal………blah, blah, blah….

Oh hello and welcome!! This is the entryway. I am not in love with this teal/mint/turquoise color. (kinda mental institution green--you know you want to know how I know....)They also used it as an accent color throughout the upstairs but there will hopefully be many years full of time, painting lessons and paint to fix that.

Can you make out that cut out in the ceiling? The guy was a master sheet rocker or something and this house was his masterpiece. There are more of these and all sorts of cool nooks and crannies all through the home.

That is my piano room to the right.

My old upright and new-to-me baby grand will go in here.

Someday there will hopefully be furniture too.

We have decided that we will only buy furniture with cash so it may be a long wait.

I promise the rest of the tour will not have such long narrations.

Except maybe this one.

We have to talk about these doors.

These are what captured my heart to begin with.

I want to be buried with at least one of these doors.

Can you see that little bit of closet door there on the right? Yeah, that's a normal size door.

My main floor doors are all these extra tall, beautiful, magnificent…

well…doors.

The builder had them shipped in from Canada.

Amen, Canada, amen.

What’s that? You’d like to see a close up of the door handle? Well, I just happen to have one!

I think we have all been edified—let’s move on…

This is Bean’s room—the wallpaper is still there but the desk is not. She has a cute little walk in closet.

The guest bedroom and closet.

You have to understand.

I do not have a closet in my room right now so I may or may not be obsessed with closet’s.

Next up—our bathrooms. As Jess so astutely pointed out---we can all simultaneously sit upon a “throne” at the same time! I am overcome with the sheer awe and joy that this realization brings. After 1 bathroom for all of us for 15 years---potty party people! The downside—all those potties to keep clean. Sigh.

Here are just 3 of them.

The upstairs guest bath…

A cute little half bath across the hall that I can’t get in enough to get a pic.

Then the downstairs main bath—I so love this one—needless to say, so do the kids….

And then the downstairs guest/half bath…

Then there is the master bath (tomorrow) and a half bath in the garage and a full bath in the shop/man cave. Holy toilet palooza Batman! The cost of toilet brushes alone………..

Thanx for looking—Part 2 tomorrow and don’t forget—the contest ends on September 22nd!!! Link at the beginning of this post! I’m off to pack more boxes. I have been forcing myself to pack at least one box an hour, no matter what the strain to my psyche or body. This is rough stuff people. Actually, I think I’m just going to go check if our insurance covers fire. There is always that dang accidental forest fire going on around here……………

Garage Door ON my ceiling…….

2010-09-16T14:31:00.001-06:00

I thought before I gave you a tour of the new homestead and while you were all thinking up creative new blog titles for me----I would actually let you see the old homestead----so you could truly appreciate the new one.

Let me deep breathe a little……

You probably don’t even want to go here with me.

You probably should just click away.

Coming to my home is a little like going over and helping them build wells in Africa. Everyone goes home being so grateful for what they have…

I think Mom’s and wives and girlfriends all over the valley have been heard to say, “Oh yeah, well at least you don’t have to live in a garage like the B’s do!”

Yeah…….we’re THOSE people……..

You’re still here?

Alright then---but you’ve been warned--------

Once upon a time, over the river and through the woods and up a hill on a scary little bumpy road, in the middle of nowhere Montana—we found 10 acres of beautiful land with a partially finished garage on it.

[If you follow that little road on the left that goes up the hill at a diagonal to where it would end up at the the top---that is where we live]

It looked like this….oh yes it did!

And this…….

Wait just a minute…..I’m having mom-heart pangs, that little poppet there in front is 21 now……….pang,pang,pang………okay, moving on---

Well, we convinced ourselves that we could fix up the garage enough to live in it for a summer while we built our house up on the hill, I mean how bad could it be? A few months max? We only had 3 little girls—we could DO this pioneer thing.

We were absolutely, completely, citified fools. The end.

Okay, okay, not the end of the story.

But I’m pretty sure you should just leave now while you have a chance.

Pioneers everywhere have and will continue to mock me/us for even thinking we knew what it meant to be a pioneer.

I look back on the innocent that was me with fondness.

I said things like,

“ Let’s just roll up the garage door, not take it down. We are only going to be in here for a few months till our house is built.”

“ By all means put a wood burning stove in, it will make it so cozy and we won’t have such a high electric bill.”

“That twisty turny road is no big deal.”

“Girls won’t it be fun to sleep up in that 4 foot high loft? Just like ‘Little House on the Prairie’. Bedrooms are overrated.”

“Honey, I think I’m pregnant and by the way, it’s been 3 years and we are still living in a garage AND if you want wood chopped for the lousy wood stove you will have to do it all yourself now because I refuse to go into premature labor like some pioneer woman in the middle of nowhere Montana!!!!”

And so it went. We added a room onto one side.

We added 2 rooms onto the other side.

I can’t actually find a picture of that addition, you will just have to take my word for it.

That pic above is from one of our “famous” Easter Egg Hunts. When all 5 of our kids (yes we kept accumulating them) were young we would literally fill and hide over 1,000 eggs each Easter. The plastic egg company wrote me thank you notes every year.

Here are some other random Easter photos

I love how I look like I am about 9 feet tall here because for once my height actually matches my weight. I am explaining the 2 rules of the hunt to everyone. Don’t get lost and don’t get hurt. (I think that's why so many parents stayed every year.) Yes, I clung to the mullet hairstyle FOREVER. AND………

Why yes, those ARE Christmas lights hanging above my head. I keep telling you…white trash baby----white trash……….I would now be posting a pic of me demonstrating the egg roll but I think have humiliated myself enough for one post.

Now I think I am ready to give you the tour…

This is what you see when you come in the front door. This is it people. The extent of my kitchen. To the left is my washer and dryer. In the right corner, my oven. The only counter I have is my dishwasher.

Here is the INFAMOUS GARAGE DOOR on my ceiling. I would say ignore the mess but its just the way it is with 7 people in a garage. Yes, those are open garage shelves on the left that go the length of the room. This next pic was taken about 11 years ago, when the tv was at the other end of the room.

On the plus side—one year we had an 11 foot tree!

Here is the most important door—the bathroom door. Yep—we have just one.

Can I just say right here and now that my new house has 3 full baths and 2 half baths indoors and 1 in the attached garage and a full bath out in the shop/man cave???!!!!!!!!!

And the final pic of the day—the doorway to the 2 other bedrooms and little computer area.

So, what did you think? It’s okay to need some time. I’ve needed 15 years. Just say you still love me.

Stay tuned—next up—the new homestead!!!!

Don’t forget to go HERE to help me find a new title for my blog and a chance to win a couple of great prizes!!

Here's The Deal-i-o...

2010-09-12T16:59:00.007-06:00

It has been brought to my attention that I have a problem.
Okay, many problems, but one REALLY URGENT one.

(Besides the fact that I am out of Depends, DeNae. FOCUS.)
In all my joy of attaining my new place of residence and all the moving etc.....

I have not given any thought to the fact that I am trading in my garage door for sheet rock and shingles!
MY BLOG TITLE IS NO LONGER RELEVANT!!!!!

*GASP*

This will not do, this will not do AT ALL.

So.......

I am going to have a contest.

All you have to do is come up with the best blog title ever for my *new* blog.

It's very important you know.

I look at it every day.

Sometimes more than once a day.

It's so important that the winner gets a .............................

$50 Gift card from Amazon or any of the other cards they carry!!

So hurry up--dazzle me!! Enter as many titles as you want. Tell as many people as you want--as a matter of fact...............

If you post about this on your blog I will put your name in a basket to be drawn from on September 22. And the winner of that draw will win a...............................

$25 gift certificate from Amazon or any of the other stores they carry cards for

SO let's re cap-----title entries ---I will just be picking my fav...enter as often as you wish...dazzle....dazzle....bedazzle.....;..

Contest ends September 22, 2010

A plug on your blog=an entry in the drawing...so only one entry..just let me know in a comment so I can come see..or something like that...

I shall await your extreme talents and go finish my packing and garage and new house posts. Not necessarily in that order. UGh--moving...........

Grateful on 9/11/10

2010-09-11T09:17:00.003-06:00

After 24 years of marriage, 15 of those in a garage, my husband and I are now the proud owners of our FIRST house!!!!

HUZZAH!!!

I will blog more (read TONS MORE) in the upcoming days, but today I just wanted to say----

THANK-YOU

to all those men and women (and their families) out there who have and will give their lives to secure my rights and freedoms;

--while I spend all my time just figuring out ways to live it.

*And if you want to read someone’s blog who is real savvy about all this without going over the top---go hang out with---Pedaling—I love her style…

If all else fails, read the thesaurus…….

2010-09-09T12:41:00.001-06:00

This is not a picture of my kitchen.

There are several clues leading you to this fact:

My kitchen has no counter tops

My kitchen is much smaller than this

My kitchen walls are orange

My hair has its own zip code and we are usually dressed like this and in this EXACT pose while I’m in the kitchen…

My kitchen has no counter tops

Oh, I’m sorry—did I mention that?

I am so easily confused, and distracted…especially by yellow appliances and big hair…………….

Meanwhile, although this is not my kitchen, that is the dishwasher I have had since my eldest was born. 22 1/2 years, 5 kids & 8 moves. It is the saddest looking appliance I have ever seen but it fits in nicely with my garage decor and has just kept chugging its little dishwasher heart out for all these years. I had been lulled into thinking that perhaps dishwashers just lived forever.

I am here today to tell you that this is not true.

Not. at. all.

Let’s re-cap shall we?

In the month of August, 2 people that we knew died. Darren—1987-2010—Gone Too Soon..

And my sister-in-law’s father who called seafood chowder “dead fish soup” and was my hero….I don’t have a picture

(Hence the thesaurus reference. I don’t like the word died. Seems harsh. But not after reading the alternatives. I would list some here but it seems completely disrespectful. GO look it up.)

Just as we are recovering from that, (READ: YESTERDAY) we had to have our faithful and sweet 14 year old dog euthanized. I know she was really ready to go—she will just be missed.

Hershey 1997-2010 Carry on faithful one!

Anyhoo--- (that’s for you DeNae) there I am, back at the garage with my magnificent hair and flowy yellow moo moo caftan thingie, loading my portable dishwasher and I go to shut the door and start ‘er up and………..

……………..it.won’t.shut. It won’t run if it won’t shut. The door is now held shut with duct tape. Sad, sad day.

I was wondering what that springie thingie and cute little metal rod thingie was that I found the last time I moved it over to the sink. My hair is thinking maybe, just maybe, they were something relatively important to the life span of our dearly departed dishwasher.

SERIOUSLY??!! My dog and the dishwasher IN THE SAME DAY??!!!

This is NOT me but it IS what I am doing. Minus the gloves, apron, smile and waistline.

I am supposed to close on my house tomorrow, I feel like blogging it out loud might be bad luck but I am excited! Today its because the house comes with a dishwasher---are you ready for this---BUILT IN~!!!! What will they think of next??!! Little rooms with bars across the top to hang your clothes---it just takes my breath away…………

Gone too soon……

2010-09-04T20:14:00.001-06:00

“Darren Montgomery, 23, of Bozeman passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, August 28, 2010………………

……While there, he met the love of his life, Taelor Bishop. They complimented each other in every way……”---from his obituary

That is where I have been. My oldest daughter’s boyfriend, that she had been living with for the past 3 years--has died. It has only been one week and it feels like a life time. She called us Saturday morning and we left immediately and stayed till the funeral on Wednesday.

I belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I believe in Jesus Christ, although I am deeply ashamed to admit that I do not always behave as though I do. In all, brutal honesty, I have struggled to understand and accept my firstborn’s life choices and the young man that came with them. My arms and words have not always been open and welcoming-- and at this time that brings me a bitter mix of grief and guilt. Don't get me wrong, I still do not approve of their life choices and my house is still rated PG and LDS. But given a second chance-- I would find a way to keep my standards and honor the love that they shared and love the young man—not his choices.

Thankfully, I also believe that death is not the end and that he has just moved on to the next step in our journey. Darren was a very kind soul. Never once, while in my presence, (despite my sometimes less than stellar behavior) did he ever say an unkind word or do a mean thing. So I am hoping that wherever he is---that he knows my weaknesses and judgments for what they were--- and can forgive me.

I am in the process of putting together/editing a slideshow/movie of his life for his family and then I am moving on and have some HAPPY/OTHER stuff to share but I needed to write this out and give my thoughts some kind of order and shape.

I have been looking high and low and I cannot find a manual for this particular situation. If you took it—give it back…I mean it…now already!!!

If there is none---write it already people!

A little bit of Summer Mambo 2010….and a HUGE reveal……

2010-08-23T16:44:00.002-06:00

Ladies and Gentlemen,

this is Summer Mambo 2010…….

{Kind of loses something in the translation, doesn’t it?}

I randomly came across the Disney version of this song today and it annoyingly stuck itself deep in my psyche and so I thought that perhaps a blog entry {{{covering my lack of summer posts}}}using the lyrics might get rid of it.

Umm.. just a little FYI…the “real” lyrics are not even close to the Disney ones.

Note to Disney..swapping out alcoholic beverages with ice cream…is like swapping Angelina Jolie with Snow White—shame on you.

So, no mambo lyrics here today but I’ll bet you anything I got that tune stuck in YOUR head now. Your welcome.

Here is a little summer recap—maybe one of these days I will find the time to write more about each one---but probably not. [deep, deep, deep sigh]

Photo shoot for Natty’s cosmetology portfolio that morphed into “school” photos that morphed into photoshop class try-to-learns.

Beanie!

Kelly!!

Milan!

I don’t know what came over me but I planted flowers and tomatoes and peppers in pots on my patio.

{Oh, that is just begging for 5 times fast}

And, I planted a garden using the square foot method—it has been ridiculous how much I have enjoyed the whole thing…….

This was all back in June—here is a more recent version—kind of like Gardening Upgrade 2.0---

I don’t think my critters are getting enough “something” in their current critter food..???

We adopted a new dog, named Obi, and I may or may not be obsessed with taking pictures of his front end and his “hiney” end. I don’t know why… I think it’s because it reminds me of a turkey ready to eat… which then reminds me of Thanksgiving… and that makes me smile.

And last but certainly not least, the thing that has really been keeping be from blogging……………………………………….

We are in the process of trying to buy this house. Our closing date is September 1. I think that is a little optimistic. But just to give you a little idea of the HUGE deal this is in my life---I am going to do a HUGE reveal…………………………………………………………………………………………………..

As my blog title says—I truly do live under a garage door and have done so for 15 years—here is the proof--

Can you believe it??!! I'll let you go digest this all. Don’t forget to come back….I’m still working on it too….

My new favorite place to visit

2010-07-06T22:25:00.001-06:00

Text

July 06, 2010

30 notes

Before you leave…

Our entryway set-up is great! Now I never forget my hat, burlap satchel, or life preserver!

I wish...

2010-07-05T20:22:00.004-06:00

Woven from carbon fiber sailcloth, the same material used in racing yacht sails, this is the wallet that withstands a gale force wind or the torrents of a dishwasher. The wallet's carbon fiber threads are 5X stronger than steel, yet 80% lighter, and are encased in a flexible resin that's impervious to water....

I wish someone would have told me that I was supposed to be throwing my wallet in with the pots and pans or flying it from the mast of my yacht.

I wish even more that someone would explain to me why my wallet needs to be able withstand "gale force winds".

PS--Obviously I am not the only one to tilt my head in wonder at this wallet in the dishwasher phenomenon--between the time that I put this in my blog folder for a future post and today--they changed the ad to this:

The Indestructible Wallet.
This is the wallet that's 5X stronger than steel, yet 80% lighter. Woven from carbon fiber, the same durable material used in racing yacht sails, the resilient wallet will never stretch, fade, or develop cracks like a leather billfold. The carbon fiber threads are encased in a flexible resin that's impervious to water and the wallet is sewn using triple-step zigzag stitching to provide additional strength at the seams and prevent unraveling. Despite its uncompromised strength, that wallet has a 1/4"-thin, pliable construction that ensures comfortable storage in a pocket. The wallet has a full-size bill pocket and six credit card slots. 4 3/4" L x 3 1/2" W x 1/4" H. (1 1/4 oz.)

And you thought you needed to take a
consumer ed class to learn this kind of
cool stuff...........

I know who is on first and what is on second….I just don’t know why…

2010-06-27T23:34:00.003-06:00

(I have been working on this post on and off for months—just couldn’t seem to get it right enough to post. But decided to finish it up and just DO IT. If nothing else it will provide a little insight into one of the reasons why I am such a sporadic and spastic blogger. WARNING--This is a very long,rambling, therapeutic for the writer, only partially funny-- kind of post and there are no pictures. Proceed at your own peril…)

Hi, I'm Lisa and I'm clinically depressed and occasionally do the cha-cha with that bad boy Mr. Bi-Polar, and I've been chemically balanced (or some version thereof) for 15 years.

"Hi, Lisa"

I'm a member of AA (Attitude not alcohol--sheesh) , AAA, and Citizens for a More Chemically Balanced Future or CFACBF for short. {bless you}

Which taken all together, (the information, not the medication, okay—maybe the medication too) makes me a blast to have around at parties but not so much on a day to day basis.

I hear voices in my head all the time. Not the scary, change your personality, sounds like "Gollum", Sally Fields, kill the messenger kind of voices.

More of just the me, myself and I version.

Myself & I tend to fight and argue with one other which only serves to frighten and confuse me. Me thinks that the recriminations should be shared but really I has only myself to blame. On the up side, I is never lonely and myself always has second opinion for me. On the down side, they never seem to invite common sense to join us and motivation threw up it's hands and left a long time ago. Also, I has had to learn the hard way, that only myself can hear me and vice versa. I has also had to learn that when someone says, "Talk amongst yourselves" that just sitting there is unacceptable--I must turn to another human being and say something out loud. And just because someone says, "Be quiet so I can hear myself think", it does not necessarily mean that they are a kindred spirit who can also "hear" the voices. Furthermore, I would like to speak to the religious issue (we are a member of The LDS Church) of "listening to the still small voice". Seriously, people, you need to be a LITTLE more specific.

I am blogging about this for several reasons:

1. I don't want there to be any confusion about who I am. (Obviously there is enough confusion bouncing around in my head already) Mental illness is as real as diabetes or the common cold, and it affects millions of people. (except I don’t think the guy with the cold has nearly as much fun going on in his head as I do.) And I am ever so tired of people telling me that “You are about as happy as you make your mind up to be”. Do you tell someone with diabetes that they are about as insulin resistant as they make their mind up to be??!! Seriously people. On good days, happiness IS a choice but when I swing on over to the “dark side” and the chemicals in my brain are bouncing between every neuron but the ones they are supposed to, I can’t even remember what happiness ever felt like and even if I could remember—I am certain that I have never done anything in my life that would make me worthy to be happy. The “dark side” feels like I have a ton of bricks on my chest and an emptiness in my soul that will never be filled. In that dark place I can remember every stupid/wrong thing I have ever done but not what it felt like the last time I touched joy.

(An aside about medication. Everyone has an opinion. Blah, blah, blah. I have one too—but only about how it works for me. The meds do tend to make me feel “muted”. But since I am no Beethoven or Van Gough with great talent to suppress—I am okay with that. It took me awhile to mentally adjust to living life in the middle lane. The massive mood swings were my “normal”. Some days I miss the “highs” but not one day have I ever missed them bad enough to take the chance of swinging that low again.)

2.I have just recently come to grips with the fact that....

THIS. IS. IT.

It's not going to get better. There will always be days that my heart, mind and soul are so irrationally saturated with despair that the only reason I get out of bed and function through the day is because of my children. Those are the days that I mentally duel with that most ugly and oily of voices that alternately screams and whispers that I should just give up--that my children would just be better off without my presence here on earth.

BUT.......
THANKFULLY.....

Just as irrationally, relief comes and the darkness and all its minions slink away and my heart, mind and soul welcome the light again.

They (the doctors, not the minions) made me a lovely cocktail of medication and told me to just hang in there and hope for the day it would end.

And so I hoped. Each time I got knocked down, I got up again and hoped that was the last time. I prayed for hope and looked and watched for reasons to hope. I changed doctors, I changed medications.

Then about 5 years ago, I just stopped getting back up. It seemed like it would just save time and effort to stay down. What kind of idiot keeps running into the ocean when someone says, "Hurricane's coming"?!

There was obviously something inherently wrong with me. Something that disqualified me for any kind of deliverance or redemption. Acceptance of the obvious seemed so reasonable, so much more peaceful.

I still functioned in my daily life but the phrase- living quiet lives of desperation- began to have a new, deeper meaning. But instead of finding greater peace, all I found was cynicism and increased pain. I was without direction, unsettled.

Recently, I have found myself (for no apparent reason) feeling like, once again, I am exiting this dark tunnel of hopelessness. My meds have not changed nor have my prayers. I am filled with warmth every time that I consider that this might just be a “tender mercy”. A reprieve of sorts. I do not think my road will ever be free of tunnels but I do think I am achieving a greater ability to enjoy all aspects of my journey.

So, to my future descendants, those who have, unfortunately, been called to carry on my genes-- I will leave this page in my journal for you.

Always get back up! This battle will never be won from a horizontal position. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt (which is sometimes a little tricky when my brain is swinging wide) that your mortal body might be broken but your spirit is not. Some days you may only, just barely, remember which way is up. Pull yourself up, keep heading in a general “up” direction, up is the ticket. I pray that my belief in the hereafter will be proved correct and I will be able to whisper in your ear and be that push that lifts you up in your darker moments.

Words on paper do not seem to carry enough weight to put power behind my words so take a moment and write them on your heart—so you can carry them with you and know that you are loved.

Even Noah had his critter limits……

2010-05-30T21:02:00.002-06:00

First of all—for those of you who loathe silly, sentimental critter posts—flee NOW! Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Second of all, we have a new member of our household, or ark, whichever you prefer. In order to understand the ark reference you would probably need to have read or read this post about my secret life. Go ahead, click on it…I’ll wait. {whistling}

So now that we are cruising on my ark together, I would like to introduce you to Obi (as in Obi Wan Holy Kanoli that's a big dog!!)

He is a Bull Mastiff and he is HUGE, COLOSSAL, ENORMOUS, GIANT and the sweetest tempered dog I have ever had the occasion to meet. So polite and calm.

Having said that—I did NOT need another critter. As a matter of fact, I had just been reasonably successful at establishing the fact that we were done acquiring critters of ANY kind. Yeah, my family laughed at my delusions too. {deep sigh}}}}

Obi (I am not really sure how it is spelled or if that is his whole name) came to us by way of my husband’s nephew, who lives in Nevada. Just a hop, skip and a jump, really. They had a really good reason for needing to find him a new home, I was just a little confused as to why we were the best option. Then I remembered that one of my husband’s biggest priorities in life is family and that its one of the biggest reasons I love him. In his mind there is always room for 1 more, be it human or critter---so----a new dog it was. And let me tell you, Mr. Obi vonLARGE was not nearly as big in that picture they sent me on my cell phone. Talk about things being larger than they appear…….

He has settled in nicely and I’ll admit that I am smitten. He and my son have become inseparable. Best friends and comrades in arms. We have had dogs ever since he was born but he never connected with them like he does with Obi.

My nephew wanted an update and some pics so here is my “Ode to Obi”. Not that I have the first clue about “oding”…….

So far Obi and Milan’s favorite game is “Hide and Run Like Heck to the Tramp Before Obi Knocks You Down”.

Those ears are killing me. (the dog’s, not my son’s) I have taken a million gratuitous Obi ear shots. I just can’t help myself …and the eyebrows—do you see that??!! He can so nail the one eyebrow!!

But then there is the tongue and slobber issue---I’m still trying to find my chi on that issue…..eeewwwwww..

But then there is this….

And just in case you still can’t understand my new infatuation….I will leave you with this-----amen.

Wherein I boost your “Mother’s Day/Human Being” self esteem to infinity and beyond…..

2010-05-08T19:10:00.005-06:00

Mothers Day.

I’m sure that the original intent of those who created this holiday were pure.

Forcing children everywhere to honor their mother or carry the guilt forever—that is pure is it not?

But……….I got nothin’.

Just remember that no matter which government agency you call to report me too—they will never find me here in my garage, in the woods, in the middle of nowhere Montana.

Exhibit A:

By all means perch the baby on the top of that fence overlooking that giant ravine. I know she was dying for that up close and personal view. Quick, let me record the moment with my camera.

Exhibit B:

Exhibit C:

This is what happens when your Mother has to say “Stop fighting!” 562 times. {Why yes, those are teenage mutant ninja turtles on the ends of those horns, thank you for asking.}

Exhibit D:

Exhibit E:

Exhibit F:

Exhibit G:

And it wouldn’t be a Mothers Day tribute without….

Exhibit H:

Please feel free to share this with your friends and unknown neighbors. Everyone deserves to realize just how great a mother/parent they are! And don’t forget—it’s all about safety…….always.

There's a new canoe in town

2010-04-24T20:41:00.005-06:00

Do you have a “trademark” food that you make?

I do.

No really, I do.

I CAN cook.

Just not the whole, here is some dried corn, an orange and some parsley—make me dinner thing.

I am fully aware that the only reason they want me at church functions or attend any event at my home or invite me for dinner and tell to bring dessert is because of these:

But in case you are tempted to

call them this:

STOP

IMMEDIATELY!!

These morsels of marshmallow injected manna are:

~CANOE CUPCAKES~

you heard me….C.A.N.O.E.Cupcakes

And making them is apparently one of my few redeemable skills.

Other people store wheat and make life sustaining bread from it.

Ppfffttt

What makes me smile {even more than a sugared canoe overdose induced coma}

is the thought of how they came up with the name.

Someone looked at this:

And said, “Oh, look a twinkie pan”

And someone else said, “Don’t be ridiculous, that’s a canoe cake pan.”

I would like to hang out with that person.

In case anyone would like to be the dessert star of their social circle—here is a link to the store I bought it from:

Tell them Lisa, from Montana sent you—I swear they’ll treat you like a celebrity.

Sunday addendum:

(Don't say I didn't warn you)

Cream Canoe Recipes

Cake Ingredients:

1 yellow cake mix (I like Pillsbury-why, thank you for asking)

2 eggs

2 cups milk

1 lg pkg instant vanilla pudding

Cake Instructions:

Mix cake mix, eggs, milk and pudding together. Fill canoe wells and bake according to the cupcake directions on the cake box. Allow the canoe cakes to cool completely.

The VERY best Cream Filling:

2 tsps very hot water

1/4 tsp salt

2 cups of marshmallow creme (7 oz jar)

1/2 cup vegetable shortening 1/3 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Instructions:

1. Combine the salt with the water in a small bowl and stir until salt is dissolved. Let cool.

2. COmbine the marshmallow creme, shortening, powdered sugar and vanilla in a medium bowl and mix with an electric mixer on high speed until fluffy.

3. Combine the salt solution to the filling mixture. Makes 1 1/2 cups.

The OTHER filling:

1 cup milk

5 TBSP flour

1 cup sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

1/2 cup butter

2 tsps vanilla

Mix milk and flour together in a saucepan. Boil until mixture is thick. Cool. Beat with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add remaining ingredients one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Okay--now for the disclaimers and the reiteration of the fact that I know next to nothing about cooking. No Pioneer Woman here, my lovelies. I AM trying to limit the high fructose and trans fats in our diet but when it comes to playing with canoes, I am of the opinion that, if you have issues--don't make them. Don't leave shore without your paddle either--but that's a whole different post.

These are the few cooking related things that I have learned/noticed/thrown entire pans away about.

1-yes, you can use your favorite homemade cake mix but you have to still change out the liquids and oil for the pudding and milk if you want that"celebrity look alike" taste.

2-I have only made the Best filling. It tasted fantastic, so I never tried the other. I'm industrious that way.

3- You can use any flavor cake mix and pudding combinations. I tried pistachio pudding and yellow cake mix for St Pat's Day. Discovered that green canoes are not very appetizing. But maybe thats just us.

4- Don't let them cool in the pan very long--sticky issues. But, on the other hand--lots of taste testing opportunities, so I guess its a personal choice.

I think thats about it. Glad we had this time together. Come over anytime--I'll be glad to make you some. (I say that with the perfect knowledge that you will never find me here in my garage in the middle of the forest in the middle of nowhere Montana--but please--don't let that stop you)

Open Letter

2010-03-22T17:43:00.009-06:00

Open Letter to the woman in the bathroom stall next to mine at "The Big Box Store":

I realize that there are certain sounds that one should expect when using the bathroom at a public venue.

Every body poops--I get it.

Here's the deal:::::::

Although I have been amused--- all the way to--

- "Seriously, you need to see a doctor about that" ---

with the sound effects in the stall next to me, there is one group of sounds that I wish to address here.

The sigh, the whistle, the grunt, the hum-- and the ahhhh.

People.

Please.

I understand that sometimes, during the process of weighing which is worse, peeing your pants or dying of some heaven knows what that lingers on the toilet seat, we wait till almost too late to avail ourselves of the facilities.

It happens.

What I need NOT to happen is for you to emit ANY kind of sound FROM YOUR MOUTH, while relieving yourself.

{{{{{ANY sound. Zip. NADA. NO. NONE.}}}}}}

I DO NOT need to sit there, feeling violated to my very core, eyes wide, unable to finish my own "business", as I wonder just what might be taking place on the other side of that stall wall.

Unable to remember how to zip my own pants so I can flee the "STAll OF TERRORS" I had entered so innocently only moments before.

Scarred by the very thought that I might come face to face with what or who was behind DOOR #2.

PLEASE. STOP. THE. MADNESS.

I beg you.

That is all.

Signed, The Potty Police

Proof of Life

2010-03-18T23:25:00.002-06:00

I have been going through a mental blog crisis, of sorts.

Every time I go to type my thoughts become constipated on the way to my fingers.

Actual thoughts now running through my head:

Punctuation. Colon, semi-colon. Hyphen? Remember when that author mocked all those who used dashes. Must not use dashes. Is it a dash or a hyphen? Should I google it so I don't look completely stupid? Snort, should have never started blogging if that was important. Blank space.......oh yeah. Where did my thoughts get constipated? [Surveying arms and fingers.] I wish I didn't have piano players fingernails. And that gimpy middle finger. Focus, Constipation. Gotta be the elbows or the wrists. Wait, there is my neck. [Moving head in all directions.] Wow, I really like this condo we are staying in. Love the wall paint. STOP! Focus! Neck. No, more likely the elbows or wrists. Kinda like the drain pipes in a toilet. Man, I'm not ready to go back home to our 1 bathroom garage yet. Ooo, Nat's coming home this weekend though--that will be fun. Oh, can't forget Studmuffin's Dr's appt. Studmuffin. Oo, I think that is what I will nickname my husband on this site. I wonder if they will really go snowboarding on Saturday. Where is everyone? Oh that's right, they're down at the pool. Soaking after a day of snowboarding. Blank space...focus, focus, focus. Oh yeah, constipation. Thoughts. I can never type anything witty or smart I really shouldn't be blooging. Whoops, blogging. Blooging, what a funny word. It could be like blew and boogers. AAHH! Focus! Shouldn't be blogging. Remember that blog that mocked people for saying they blogged for journaling purposes, or to keep family up to date and whatever--that everybody who blogged was just basically a narcissist --holy moly--spellchecker says I spelled that right, on the first try! I wish I could spell check my mouth, in public. Heck, I wish I could edit myself in public. I really want to use dashes. I can't focus on anything else because I am trying not to use dashes. Dashes or hyphens? Hyphenated dashes? Who knew that was a word? Blank space...my thought have reached an impasse. I wonder if that is because my elbows are bent? Ack!

Are you still with me?

It's a mess, isn't it.

It's like diarrhea of the brain that gets constipated on the way to my fingers.

I have decided though, that I am going to be a blogger.

It doesn't matter what my reasons are, because there is always someone out there that will mock---I will just have to wear my "mocking-boots"--{snort} Sorry.

I just want to stop allowing my self to fail before I even try.

I think I am channeling Yoda.

Sooo...back at the ranch.

Actually, the condo. We have been vacationing on the lake in Coeur de Lane, ID this week. (just a time share—we are so not rich) Phil and the kids have been snowboarding and playing at a water park and in the pool here.

Flying down a mountain on a piece of wood at 50 miles an hour does not speak peace to my soul. It speaks screaming and pain, actually.

Nor does being mistaken for Shamu at the water park and chased with a harpoon.

Soo... I do...important things...you know.. important things. I have been doing....important things... like, reading and playing on the computer. Sometimes I even let myself just close my eyes and enjoy the silence.

And because I feel naked without pictures, here is a few of the lake from our deck. The one of my Studmuffin fencing with the Wii is just a bonus for making it all the way to the end.

PS--what makes the wii pics even better is if you imagine him making ninja/oriental sounds while playing. We call him "The Ninja Fencer"

Oh dear, where did those other 2 fencing pics come from? I distinctly remember promising Studmuffin there would be only one. {hanging head in shame}

Gone but not forgotten….

2010-01-11T00:19:00.001-07:00

My better half and favorite son have been in Utah this past week, leaving 3 of us girls to aimlessly mill about awaiting their return.

Right.

N.O.T.

Testosterone free, that's what we be.

I have nothing particularly interesting or funny to share.

Still working on the Christmas letter. Don’t judge me.

Speaking of holiday epistle’s…

I finally gave up trying to be in charge and just kept snapping pictures, hoping I might get one good one.

The first time I looked at them on the computer, I couldn’t see a single one that I felt was good enough to send in our Christmas letter.

Then my #3 daughter walked in my room, looked at my computer screen and said,” That was the funnest photo shoot we have ever had. I LOVE these pics. What a great memory!”

Funny how a few words can completely change your perspective.

The second time I looked through the pictures, I could hardly find one I didn’t like.

So, I give you part 2 of “the funnest photo shoot ever”……

This one is the one I will probably send with the letter but……..

….this next one is the one that TRULY shows the personality of each of my children…

Kelly—3rd girl, middle child, THE MIX

Drama queen like Nat and “kiss

my wha?!” of Tae

Taelor--kiss my wha? with a side order

of the most tender of hearts-#1

Natalie—It’s me! It’s me!

Not only do I need to be center stage

but I will be taking up ALL of it

thank you very much--#2

Milan—Too cool, I can tease my sisters

till they scream and cry but

don’t anyone else even think about

it…dude…seriously….#4

Angel Bean—always wanting to be doing

what everyone else is..

Always watching, always

loving..#5

………PERFECT.

A winter wassail woo-hooo…….

2009-12-16T23:40:00.001-07:00

Is it Christmas yet?

With the rain gently falling on the snow outside, it’s so hard to tell.

Miss me much?

I thought so.

I’ll skip the boring details. Here a crisis, there a crisis. You know how it goes.

I have been sneaking around, here and there, reading about you all though—I’ve needed the laughs, the mental escape, the drooling on my keyboard over your Christmas cooking!!

I have 30 pans of sugar cookies waiting to be baked as we speak…seriously…no really. I am hosting my first annual piano student Christmas party. We will play all our Christmas pieces for each other and decorate and eat sugar cookies. I use the term “we” loosely. I am not sure I can be trusted to be the responsible adult for an hour and a half at such an event. I’m not sure I can trust 12 children for an hour and a half at such an event. Pray for us all….

especially the cookies.

Speaking of drooling, (mentally and physically, of course) I have an new Apple with a 27” screen! It is the most fabulous thing my hubby has ever given me. You have no idea how lovely it is to be able to actually SEE things on my computer screen!! 27” screens are celestial baby!! Of course now I am not due for another present till the year 2020. That has been another thing that has kept me busy, learning and transferring---a huge time drain cuz I am a little slow on the uptake.

Oh! My computer guru, whom I now worship, retrieved my pictures!!! It was nothing short of a miracle! Walking on water..pfft…(not being irreverent,do not report me to the miracle police) I want to blog about the happenings that have happened so I can do one of those books for the year so for the rest of the year I will be doing catch up---feel free to skip it all. There is bound to be sentimental smarm leaking out all over the place.

Speaking of sentimental, my Dad is holding his own. My Mom just called and said they had to take him into the hospital because he had been throwing up. They think it is the flu. Hopefully it will pass quickly for him.

So the first pics I want to share with you are from the”photo shoot” I tried to have at Thanksgiving with my kids. Good grief, I think it was actually easier when they were younger. I won’t post them all tonight—I give you…

THE SHOOT

Okay kids, lets try the porch first…KIDS! PORCH! NOW!

Everyone look at ME!

The other ME!

Yes, Milan, I know you are big and strong and I know you think you can lift Nat now, but don’t…

I don’t think you are quite…..

Yep, there she goes……

Sure, take your time, I’m not going anywhere, glad you’re alright…..

To be continued…..

The 426th way to use my "essential oil" lime bathroom spray

2009-10-16T17:49:00.005-06:00

Oh, hello.

For that faithful 10 of you that are wondering, I am still alive.

My life overfloweth with abundant "events" that seem to conspire to keep me from investing a little time into my blog life.

Reality is such a blog kill.

The cool whip on the pudding was when my external hard drive frizzed and took EVERY SINGLE one of my photos with it. If it is that important that you use a 5 volt adapter instead of a 12 volt one---they should write it in MUCH bigger font.

Sheesh.

My computer doctor thinks he might be able to save it---- pray for me, and my hard drive. I can barely focus on anything else---ALL MY PICTURES DANG IT!!!!!!

To help illustrate the point...
Today as I got ready to go into the "big city" (that means I actually got dressed in something other than my jammies, combed my hair and brushed my teeth) I blissfully applied my favorite "essential oil" lime bathroom spray all over my neck and chest area, instead of my "real" perfume.

Natural, essential oils Lime Bathroom Spray, $ 8.00

Walking around the stores with my mind experiencing a vague uneasiness that the whole world was smelling like my bathroom AND having to constantly itch the growing rash on my chest....priceless.

At least that's what my son says.

Hopefully I'll be back in the swing of things soon. I feel so naked without my pictures....naked and lime fresh.

So…..yeah, I’ve been a little busy….

2009-09-13T21:04:00.002-06:00

Here a little……..

there a little….

Everyone's a little……….

My dear sweet Kelly, my #3, got her driver’s license on Friday and this crunchy experience on Saturday. THANK HEAVENS there were no injuries (other than metal and plastic ones…..we told the younger children that the van is “in a better place”) and she is alright. It could have been so much worse and she learned how quickly things can happen and that it doesn’t have to be a high speed chase to do serious car damage. The mama is okay too—I felt a little like this at first..

……but am doing much better. Sorry for the poor quality of photos---they are from my cell, and the one of the 2 girls was taken while they were watching “The Knowing”---really. I will be doing a better update soon. Hope all 10 of you who still check my blog are healthy and happy---I need to do some catching up!

I am sure it was HIGH Noon somewhere/ OR / I finally have a winner!!

2009-09-01T13:33:00.007-06:00

Since this was a drawing for a business I thought I would be official and go for the premium random integer "thingie" and by the time I finished figuring THAT out--high noon was waning. But......we have a winner.....

FUNKY BAG FREAK

YOU won this beauty!!

A Cansolidator from Shelf Reliance

And a can of this can of "yumminess"Freeze dried Mandarin Oranges

Funky, I need you to email me your info at lisa dot bishop at gmail dot com and I will forward it on to Shelf Reliance AND I will mail you your Mandarin Oranges. Congrats! And of course I wish you could all win but I know you all count yourselves winners cuz you are MY friends. (choke* gasp* fall on floor)

If you would like to go check out the random site to see the OFFICIAL results you can go to this link:

http://www.random.org/draws/details/?draw=815

and type in your name that you entered under (the one that pops up next to your comment) and you should be able to see it. I entered the names as they appeared in my comment box and in the same order.

Thanx for entering!

CanSolidator Pantry Giveaway

2009-08-25T20:26:00.002-06:00

THIS GIVEAWAY HAS NOW ENDED

I just can’t say enough good things about this product and Shelf Reliance. Thankfully, they were able to forgive me my Alzheimer’s slip and I get to host a giveaway for one of these beauties, here on my blog!

I know I posted this bit of information from the website yesterday but I will post it again, just to be official.

Featuring SmarTrac technology, the Cansolidator Pantry is a front loading system that automatically rotates up to 40 cans. This adjustable, expandable, stackable system takes the hassle out of can rotation and allows you to organize cans the way YOU want. The Cansolidator is easy to assemble and guarantees a more organized pantry in minutes. Sturdy, compact, and reliable, the Cansolidator Pantry is the perfect stand-alone solution for any pantry.

The Cansolidator Pantry holds both small and medium cans. To determine which can size(s) you'll be storing, please refer to our can sizing chart.
Dimensions
Height: 11"
Width: 20"
Depth: 16.5"
Capacity: 40 Cans

My personal description would include the fact that it was super easy to put together and was completely adjustable to the size of the cans that I wanted to store.

The tuna fish slot is my favorite—is that bad?

You really should go browse around their website. They have shelf and pantry systems of all shapes and sizes. Not only that but they have their own line of food storage called, Thrive and they have great videos, recipes and a blog that help you actually USE your food storage. They even took care of my last barrier to getting my food storage together by offering a calculator to help you establish just how much you need AND how much you can afford to spend each month AND THEN after all that they can EVEN set up an easy payment plan and will ship out just what you planned each month. I am all out of excuses.

I realize that not everyone is into food storage and that’s okay. Some people even have a system of their own that is working fabulously----that’s a good thing! I just think is a fabulous offer for those people who are looking for just this thing to get started or to get organized.

SO, now for the rules:

You get one entry for commenting on this post—things like; You are amazing, you are my hero and I want to be your best friend will all be accepted.

You get another entry for going HERE and sign up for Shelf Reliance’s newsletter.

You can get a third entry for going here and picking up one of their buttons and putting it on your blog. Here are a couple of examples—plus I have one on my sidebar.

BUT WAIT………

THERE’S MORE!!!!!!!!

They will send the winner the CanSolidator but I am going to send a can of their freeze dried Mandarin Oranges to the winner also. I bought 2 of these cans and we opened one, sampled and were amazed!! I am a snacker and I don’t think that will change in an emergency. You can just eat these straight out of the can...…

…...or re-hydrate them or they have a yummy recipe for and Orange drink---here. They will stay good for a year after you open them or for 25 years unopened. 25 years folks!!!!

So go ahead and enter!! I will pick the winner with the random.org thingie next Tuesday, September 1st at “high noon”. GOOD LUCK!!!! Oh, and make sure to do a separate comment for each entry and leave a link to your blog if you do a button.