First Snow

Oh, glory days! We got our first snow that has stuck over the weekend. It was suppose to be here Friday, but it came on Saturday instead. It has been snowing off and on since. The girls have already built a snowman. I will get a picture later that I can post.

We finally got our tree up. Unfortunately one strand was being cantankerous, but dear Lee took care of it with the light tester. I still can't locate some of the inside decorations. Needless to say, no stockings yet. Kimberly and Stina have been busy wrapping gifts. Kimber wants to see presents under the tree. Looks like I will have to start wrapping. I have to mail some things back to Texas too. I think I am finally done shopping--I hope.

Well, time to play in the snow. I guess this makes the cold worth it. And with the wind, it's quite chilly. I found some down coats on sale for the girls. They need them.

I hope you have a blessed day!

Long Time No Writing...

I have a lot to catch up on...

First of all, my Air Force buddy, Jim got me started on Facebook. Alyssa and Trish got me back on Myspace. So, I have been happily reconnecting with friends for the past week. I just signed up for Facebook last Sunday. It is so cool. I don't feel quite so lonely.

The picture of everyone on the porch is our friends from the apartments who went Trick-Or-Treating with us. Idahoans take Halloween seriously! There were adults and children dressed up in the middle of the day at Wal-mart and Sams. They were out by 5 p.m. and candy was gone by 8. The girls didn't get the usual candy fest like Texas. I know better for next year.

The picture of my laptop with the desktop rotated 90 degrees was Kimberly playing on it and "pushing buttons" while I cooked dinner. Needless to say she doesn't touch it anymore. She has her own computer anyway, so she doesn't need to use mine.

I am praying everything works out because I may have a renter for my house in Texas. I am so excited about that. One less thing to worry about. I just hope she is as blessed by the house as I have been. I know she'll have the best neighbors.

Speaking of neighbors, my next door neighbors up here moved from Texas. Randy was stationed at Fort Hood for 14 years. They are very nice. They prevented me running over Lee and Kimberly's bikes that were behind my car.

I am still unpacking and very frustrated. This house just doesn't have any room. I am going to have to get rid of stuff or get a storage unit. I've got to get the cars in the garage. We are already having frost on the windshields.

Lee and Stina finished getting the living room cleared out so we can rent a sofa. Our friends are coming over here for Thanksgiving. It would be nice to have somewhere to sit. I don't want to buy one until I know I have a renter and figure out what I want and save up for it.

We had snow yesterday. It didn't stick, but some of the flakes were quarter size and the girls caught them on their tongues. They were so excited. It was neat to watch them play and just enjoy the snow. I know there's more to come. By Friday we should have more snow and Saturday a winter mix. I love when they predict that. I am so glad Lee joined the Commuter Ride and doesn't have to drive very far in it. His car just isn't made for ice or snow.

I started looking at what I need to do to try and start selling on ebay or just on the web up here. I have to pay $100 just to register my business up here. That's keeping my incorporation in Texas. It's just crazy how much everyone wants to dig into your pockets!

Well, it's late and I'm finally sleepy. I'll post more later. Blessings.

Adventures, Adventures

Well, my life is not without its little adventures this week....

Yesterday when I went to take the girls to homeschool PE, the car was dead. No lights, no alarm, no nothing. Great a dead battery. I have been trying to figure out how Kimberly's door was ajar. I know I went out after the family outing for bicycle tires and checked. It finally hit me, she left something in the car and went out after I had checked.

So here we are trying to get out the door. Car dead, battery charger packed in never land (Lee swears he saw it somewhere). We checked with the neighbors we've met. They weren't home. Just my luck. As embarrassing as it was, I started trying to wave somebody down. Third person was the charm. She had to go get her grandchildren and then helped me. It was refreshing that she knew how to jump start a car. Made quick work of it. At least hooking it up. then I get lights, camera, no action. I flipped the switch on the alarm and the horn starts blowing, lights blinking. Luckily it finally responded to the key fob. Then the car started. So, off we go uneventful, right. Not!

Kimberly missed her class. I'm taking Stina to hers and the battery light comes on whenever I stop. I take it to Auto Zone to have it tested and the alternator. Well, they tried but the battery was too low. So, no test. Well, luckily Lee takes a van pool and his car was in town. So I parked my car where I could use his to jump it if I needed to and took his car.

So off to PE to get Stina. I thought she saw me when I waved to her. Well, she didn't. I wondered why she wasn't coming over after PE. I looked for her while Kimberly was on the walking track up stairs. I thought I heard my phone but didn't get it in time. Then I look towards the doors and in walks Stina. Poor thing was waiting outside calling me.

We did our errands and met Lee back at the cars. My car decided it would start, so I was not complaining. The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. Stina made dinner so I could try to follow the Election. I don't have TV until Monday, so Todd texted me with updates. The girls got a government lesson last night. They were waiting for each update too.

Today, I got up early, made coffee and sent Lee off to work. I sent some stuff dealing with my house to Russell. I had to get some donations on the porch by 7:30, so I was putting those into bags. Found where the girls missing socks and underwear went. Another mystery solved...

I mark the bags and start putting them on the porch. The first bag, fine the door didn't shut all the way. The second and third bags it shut behind me. No big deal just go back in. Well, these locks are the kind you can turn the handle to get out and it locks behind you. Did I mention it was cold and I was in my pj's without a robe? The girls are still sleeping. Great, now I'm locked out. It took about 10 seconds and I remembered that I had put a lockbox out with a key. I was thanking God for telling me to do that last week. We don't have a keypad on the garage, so that wasn't an option like in Texas.

The rest of the morning has been uneventful. I can handle that. I have to get a couple of packages off in the mail now. Trying to find a box for one. Located my large envelopes for the other. Now, I have completed this year's birthday gifts just in time for Christmas... Ugh... It was much easier when I lived close to everyone and didn't have to think about sending stuff home....

Oh a couple years ago, when Stina was at her prime she kicked in two of the bedroom doors. Since it is being fixed to rent, the doors have to be fixed. I told her she would pay for them when they got replaced. She now gets to pay me $180 for both of them. She took it pretty well. I hope this will help her get that stubborn temper under better control. She is doing better. Could like all of us, use improvement. Her temper gets her into more trouble.

Well, that's all my tales for today.

Blessings.

Culture Shock!!

I know this may sound funny, but I had some very real culture shock on Friday! I know Halloween is fun for all. Back home you expect to see a few kids in costume in the afternoon. Well, in Idaho the kids and parents were in costume in the middle of the day. I had to run errands and get the last two items for Stina's costume--tights and black eyeliner. The girls and I just looked at each other. We're talking about at Sam's and Wal-mart. I just couldn't believe all the people dressed up at 3 in the afternoon.

I also learned that we had better get out by 5:30. There were so many trick-or-treaters in our neighborhood, most of us ran out in about an hour and a half. I bought like I did back in Texas and I thought we had a lot back there. Next year I will have to buy 4 Sam's bags of candy instead of my usual 2. We had the light off, but when we returned home, some people just followed us to the house. We had friends over and had to make sure the porch light was off and they still kept coming. I guess they saw the living room light on. Go ahead and laugh at me.

The kids had a great time. Alyssa dressed Buddy up as a cowboy. He was cute. She went as a witch and Trish was a cow. I mean she had the complete costume and makeup. She was funny. I did not get to dress up. My black dress for my witch's costume has not showed itself yet. Neither have my black shoes. I'm missing one whole section of my closet. Not necessarily a bad thing since I have to share a closet with Lee that isn't even the size of either one of ours back home.

We got to meet our next door neighbors on Saturday. They moved here from Texas. Randy was stationed at Fort Hood for 10 years. Now he works for the Sheriff's Dept. Chris said she has family here. Now, how we met is interesting. Lee and Kimberly left their bikes behind my car. They waved us down to let me know they were there. I couldn't see them.

Now, the next question is why were they there? We were getting ready to go on a family ride. Last weekends ago Lee and Kimberly popped their tires on these weeds called goatheads. They are little stickers and are very numerous around here. Lee fixed Kimberly's. The girls talked him into a bike ride mid week. I told him he could take mine since his wasn't fixed. Well, he popped my tired and Stina popped hers. We were headed out to get the self sealing inner tubes. Seems we need them a lot around here.

Lee just came in to check on me. He noticed that I have my "blogging buddy". None other than Salem. He's gong to hate it when I get these boxes unloaded. I also have Chance keeping me company. He likes that I let him outside. He's a good boy as long as he's not getting scavenging for food. He ate Stina's Halloween candy. Oh, she was mad. She was particularly upset that he chewed her pumpkin that she has used since she was 6.

Well, I had better cut this off. I have to get the girls to bed. They have both had their showers and brushed their teeth. Please comment if you'd like. I'd love to hear from you. I tried to put it on here. If there is a problem, I will try to find it. Take care!

Blessings!

Ooh It's Halloween

Every morning for the last two weeks, I hear how many days to Halloween? Today it will be the squeals of delight at the girls remember that they get to dress up and do a candy feast tonight. I always enjoyed Trick-Or-Treating as a kid, so we made our own tradition. I don't bring a lot of sweets in the house. We have one night a week for dessert and two days a year for loads of candy--Halloween and Easter. The Easter bunny loves the Garners. Yes, they know what Easter is all about, but it includes candy.

They are also excited that BJ (Dad), Trish (Mom), Auston, Terrence and Eli are going with us. Alyssa and Buddy (her oh so cute dog) are also going. Sean, Alyssa's husband, is in Iraq right now and is sorely missed. He is an instigator with a wonderful sense of humor. (Please keep him in your prayers.) They were our neighbors at the apartment. So we are going to meet at my house around 7 and go Trick-Or-Treating. This neighborhood is big just like my one in Texas, so I'm sure the kids will not be disappointed.

Did I mention about my menagerie of critters? Well, Ally (cat) has decided that she wants to freak out around midnight and 5 a.m. each night. Nice. I put her in Stina's room so Lee can get some rest. Unfortunately, Shell (cat) was in there too and decided she wanted out about 4 a.m. this morning. Right before that, Chance (90 lb Labrador) convinced Lee to let him outside. I woke up when Lee got back in bed. Silly dog, I let him out right before bed and he must of just sat on the porch instead of doing his business. Needless to say, I've had maybe 5 hours of sleep and got up at 4. Now, all critters are peacefully sleeping...

The girls are still asleep, so I at least have some Mommy time. After I finish this, I will be working on refinishing the entertainment center. Kimberly in her wisdom back in Texas would shove apple cores, candy and chewed gum behind the TV. Needless to say, she did a lot of damage to it. So about half of it needs to be redone. I have sanded it and it's ready to be worked on. Now, I just have to do it. I thought I would get bored not doing my volunteer work. I was wrong. I have 2 end tables and a coffee table to refinish next. Why are kids so destructive or is it just mine? At least now, I am better able to keep an eye on them. Good thing being on sabbatical. We even have clean rooms. Kimberly is even starting to clean her room without me reminding her. The bathroom is a different story. But every night after baths, they get to clean up.

I was so happy when I found my Clean/Dirty magnet for my dishwasher! I am training the family to put their dirty dishes in the dishwasher when they are done. It's a slow process. Well, they don't always know when I have emptied it. I attempt to do it when I make Lee's coffee, but if I don't get up early it sits a while longer. Well, now that the magnet is there, there won't be any questions. Ha, another excuse banished!

I'm sitting here typing and listening to my black cat (Salem) making his "baby noises" while he sleeps. He really does sound like a baby making sleeping noises. Sometimes, I wonder what it would be like to trade places with him. He follows me around most of the day. If I'm in the kitchen after sun up, he's sleeping by the back door in the sun and occasionally gets up to rub my legs. I can't go in a single room without him. Even the bathroom I have to wait for him to saunter in and babysit me. Sometimes I think he is part dog. He even meows through the house if I leave a room while he is sleeping and he can't find me. It's so funny. He's my playful one too. He loves the milk carton rings and anything else he can bat around. The real entertainment is watching him stalk Shell. He and Shell tolerate each other. She swats him while he sleeps and he pounces on her whenever he can. The boxes have proven a neat playground for them. Shell gets as high as she can and glares at Salem as he tries to figure out how to get to her. I think I need to switch with them for a couple of days--just to act like a kid all day long, not just when the girls aren't fighting....

Happy Halloween!!

Happy Monday

It's another day in the neighborhood....

It started off nice with just Stina and I getting up at 6 and making Lee coffee for his commute. He can actually drink it on the way in now. He joined a Van Pool last week. Talk about a major savings!! Plus he doesn't like the rush hour traffic, which is nothing like Dallas. It is like slow down to 10, speed up to 40 mph. It's not real bad, but it wears Lee out. He's not big on driving anyway. He'd rather be chauffeured. That suits us fine since I love to drive.

Looks like the girls really want sentences today. I don't know if it's the cold or what. They just can't seem to get along. Maybe because Stina and I woke up early. I know she is tired. The fact that Kimberly has an attitude most of the time doesn't help either. They traded places where Stina is easy and Kimber is tough. As Mom says, "This too shall pass."

I finally heard from Dan Heskett on items he removed from my house, when he was going to fix up my house and sell it. I thought he was going to take over payments, fix it up and get a profit off of the sale or rental of my house. I had asked him back on the 16th (11 days ago) for my plat/survey and garage remotes. Of course, he just gave me the no response. He's been doing this since mid August when the deal for his partners to buy it fell through. How annoying! I finally emailed him and copied his partners stating that if the no response continues, I will be forced to take legal action. Now that I have the loan, I don't have a problem getting the attorney to help me. Too bad he couldn't just keep his word or just communicate with me what was going on. I had to pull it all out of him and keep paying the mortgage so I don't take a huge hit on my credit and lose my house. Oh well, a huge lesson learned.

On the positive side, Russell is doing a great job. The yard and bushes got a much needed trim. Scott is getting ready to paint and starting all the repair work on the house. I am so excited! I have attached a picture of the yard being worked on. I will post more pictures as Russell sends them to me. If any of you need a Realtor or property manager around Dallas, let me know. I have a keeper.

My dear Mom went over to the house today to treat the concrete where Shell couldn't control herself. I was able to figure it out in the apartment. She had an infection before we left and we treated that. She ended up having a bladder stone and surgery the first week in Idaho. The walls may have been affected, I hope not. We'll see.

Caesar is doing well. The tumor doesn't seem to be growing. He likes to be picked up and put on the counter for his food. The others jump on the toilet and then on the sink. I think I have officially been trained by my cat. He's been wanting me to hold him lately too. Usually that is only a pleasure he saves for Lee--his human. He's sleeping at the foot of the be right now. What a life. I need my cats' lives. Rub, purr, eat, sleep....

The rest of the critters are doing well. Life of luxury. Everyone, except Ally, is settling into the new place. Ally starts crying at bedtime and then again around 5 a.m. I'm not sure what's bothering her. She doesn't hide as much anymore. Shell asks to be held now too. Salem is still his loving, affection hound self. He and Shell still quarrel for top cat. It's pretty comical. Shell finally finds the highest spot on the boxes and glares at his every move. Built in entertainment.

I hope you are having a happy Monday! Blessings!

What a Day!

I can't believe I haven't posted in almost a week. Lots has happened. We finally have Internet on all the computers. We had to order cards for the desktops. The family is happy with their toys back online. We still don't have TV hooked up yet. I haven't heard back from the landlord on putting up a dish and cable is so expensive (ripoff).

Anyway, my day today started off normal. Except the girls actually didn't start off fighting. Actually, they really didn't fight today. That was very nice. Wonders never cease!

When I checked the mail, the loan check was finally there! So, we drove to Lee's work so he could sign it. Then off to the bank to deposit it and get a cashier's check off to my wonderful property manager. Yea!! They can start fixing up my house next week. In 3 weeks it should be complete and up for rent. I hope whoever rents it loves it like I do. I know it is a material thing, but that was my dream house. Anyway, it will be fixed up like it was when it was new. I am excited about that.

After taking care of those errands, we surprised our neighbors from the apartments. I called Alyssa because I could locate her number quickly from my history. I was 3 minutes from the apartments. She was pulling in and waited for us to get there. She was going to Trish's to watch A Haunting (something I introduced them to). She goes into Trish's and says she has a surprise as we walk in. Trish was so surprised. BJ was asleep on the sofa (he's not feeling well, works and goes to school) and Leann was there. So, I got to see everyone. We went upstairs and saw our other neighbors who just had a baby. It was wonderful seeing them again.

While we were there, Trish showed my kids the scary maze game. Kimber had trouble finishing it, so Stina took over. They had the monitor hooked up to a TV size screen. Kimber was right in front of it. She screamed and ran crying to me. Stina said, "What the...." Anyway it was funny.

Of course, poor unsuspecting, trusting Lee, got to try his hand at the game. Oh my goodness, was that hilarious. Stina video taped it. Lee moved pretty fast when it popped up. I laughed so hard I had tears. The girls were rolling too. They couldn't wait to pull it on him. I don't know how he puts up with me. Some pranks are just too much fun to resist.

We went to a haunted corn maze tonight with the neighbors. It was fun. We didn't get scared. We had more fun scaring the workers. I was scaring Stina by lightly grabbing her leg. I did it to Lee too. It was fun messing with everyone else. What can I say, the kid in me won. We also played in the kids area. We slid on the slide, rode the all terrain pedal carts. Lee, Trish and Alyssa jumped with the kids. There was a corn pit instead of sand. The girls got buried and loved it. Stina had corn in her pants and shoes. She griped about that all the way home. It was a great night.

Well, kids are ready for bed. I had better close this for now. They had to take showers because the corn made them so dusty. Until next time...

Sunny Saturday

It's a sunny Saturday here in Idaho. I woke up with one of my famous headaches. The girls rubbed my back some and Lee rubbed my neck. It helped keep it from going full blown migraine. So, I'm taking it easy today and not going around the loud noises or bright lights. It's trying to progress. I'm going to have to take my medicine. I hate taking it because I am so tired afterwards.

I'm listening to the fish tank and Chance snoring. Caesar is laying here quietly sleeping. He purrs me to sleep at night and sometimes during the day. Ally already came for loving--3 times. Salem talked to me and made his biscuits. Then he got on a box to sun bathe. Shell had the dresser. The girls have found someone to play with, so the house is quiet.

Lee made homemade blueberry muffins this morning. They were yummy! Stina brought up some Blackberry Sage Tea. They fed me in bed because they know how hard it is to move the headache. But a little TLC for Mom isn't a bad thing and I sure do appreciate it.

I have to get up soon to start dinner. I'm doing chicken enchiladas tonight. I made chicken spaghetti last night and split it between two pans. One went into the freezer. I try to make extra so I have a heat and eat on standby. Even though I stay home, I'm not always home to make dinner. Or the day has flown by and I plain forgot to start it... What can I say? Even stay at home moms are busy.

My house still has boxes. At least the paths are getting wider. I can't wait to get all unpacked. Although we are renting, I don't plan on moving too soon. We are saving the boxes because I know we will move again. The rent is lower than a house payment, so I want to stay a while and pay off some bills before getting another house.

Lee took Kimberly on a bike ride. They had fun. She made a new friend. They rode on a path with these thorn plants that grow along the ground. We now have 4 flat tires to repair. At least they went exploring.

Be Blessed.

Good News...

I have been in contact with my property manager for my house. He and his wife run a top notch business. My house will be restored and a fence added within my budget. I hope someone will love my house as much as I do. The only thing I really wanted was a fence and I am thrilled that I can add that.

Today is a good day. I talked to my mom. It was a great chat. I love my mom. We are very close. She also married a most wonderful man in May of 2007. He is the dad I have always wanted and needed. He calls me his baby girl and is so loving. I am so glad they make each other happy. Also, I got an awesome "big" brother". I already had two big brothers who I love dearly.

My oldest daughter got up and did her homework before I got up. I'm getting sinus junk again and just couldn't move at 6:30 this morning. My youngest is playing nicely with the oldest. They are 8 and 11 and getting along is sometimes a struggle. Considering we spend all our time together, they do pretty well.

Yesterday we played a game of Life. It's been about 6 months since I sat down and played a game with them. We color and do schoolwork daily, but just to play a game isn't very often. Since we moved and I am not slammed with my volunteer work, I am making the effort to spend time just playing and enjoying them. They really are neat kids. I am glad that God has provided for me to stay at home with them. They are growing up so very fast. I want to enjoy all the time I can with them.

We also learned of a Van Pool between our house and work. It starts on Monday and will save us about $150 just in gas. Plus dear hubby won't have to get worn out with traffic. I hope it give him some rest on his commute. He's not one to like driving. He'll do it if he has too, but prefers me to drive.

Cheers!

One of Those Days...

Today started great. Snuggling with the girls when we woke up. That didn't last long and it was a bummer. It never fails the sisterly love turns into sisterly squabbles... That lasted most of the morning. By lunch time, they paused to play a game of Life.

The afternoon flew by. I had to get cat food and dog food--both were out. Luckily payday is tomorrow and direct deposit makes it available a day early. God watches out for me so much!! I could go off on a tangent about how blessed I am, but that would be bragging. We'll just leave it at that.

I had to do a change of address card from the apartment to our house. We got a loan so we can fix up our house in Texas and hopefully rent it. The check was being mailed to the apartment. Figures... Anyway, got that done.

My house in Texas is going to be returned to its former glory when it was first built. I am excited about that. I am emotionally attached to that house. It was my first house and we had it designed and built. It was all I could have wanted and what I am dearly missing. Too bad, I couldn't take the house and land (my little corner of the world) and move it here. It really is a corner lot and I thought I would live there forever. I hope some year I get to go back.

It's late, so I need to get to bed. Tomorrow, I have lofty goals of finishing the homeschool room and my home office. They actually go together so I can work on lesson plans and print off additional school work. I don't have a printer or anything set back up yet. The girls are loving that. Their work load is lessened--temporarily.

Be Blessed.

How did I get here?

Lately, I keep asking myself the questions "How did I get here?" and "Why did I think this was a good idea?" Here and this are referring to Idaho and moving here from Texas.

I always try to be positive about situations in my life. I keep trying to be positive about this huge change. The biggest positive is that my dear husband is happier with his job. That is how I ended up in Idaho. So far, his stress levels have diminished and he is back to the man I married.

Let's see, why I thought it was a good idea... Great job opportunity for Lee. Good for the girls to experience at least one move in their lives before leaving home. Good for me to take a break from all my volunteer work and focus on my family. Get to experience a different part of the country.

Well, it has been all of that. The girls love the mountains. It snowed last Friday, but didn't stick. It doesn't snow in Texas until the end of December or as late as February. But it doesn't last long and usually you have to borrow your neighbor's snow to make a snowman--or woman as my mom likes to do.

I have been informed that I am not allowed to volunteer for at least a year. It's been two months and I have not volunteered, yet. As for focusing on my family, well that is all I get to do. I had to find us a place to live once our 60 days in corporate housing ended. I thought we were going to get to buy a house, but that didn't happen. So, I had 2 weeks to find us a rental house. God is so good to us. We now have a nice house with a yard for the kids and dog. I don't know who enjoys it more.