Flowers in October

I can't believe it. Flowers in my garden. In October. There they are! I put my Jack Manni Clematis in the ground right before I "winterized" the yard, and I trimmed the little guy down. I've had him for two years now, and never gotten any blooms. The first year, I bought him at the end of summer, and he was dry and shriveled. I knew that it was OK, because it was the end of the season, and that he would be back the next summer.

That next summer was LAST summer. It was dry, and I wasn't good about watering the area I had his container in. Fast forward to this year. I moved, and had to trim him back VERY far to be able to transport him with me. He grew, but no flowers, because I had trimmed them off, and he had to start over. Then it was time to plant for fall, and I put him into his home in the ground. After two years in a pot.

I trimmed again, because it's easier for transplants to take root when they don't have to support lots of leaves and such. Once again, he grew, and put out buds. But the weather was changing. tomorrow is HALLOWEEN. It's supposed to be VERY cold. Nights here have been in the 30's and 40's. Days have been wramer, but the nights...... brrrrr!

Then today, I was bringing in a fuzzy caterpillar to show the boys and grow into a butterfly or moth or whatever it will turn out to be.... and I saw it. Jack Manni has not ONE, but TWO blooms. In October. My garden loves it here.....

There are only four of me!

Thanks, Christy! For a great little thing to do! I found out that 99.9% of the people named Rachel are Female. Poor .1%!! Find out how many of YOU there are! And be sure to check out Christy's blog. She's a regular on my list of blogs to check. Plus she's counting down the days until her hubby comes home from IRAQ. Thanks again, Christy!

HowManyOfMe.com

There are: 4 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

Just Make it Perfect....

Macs. What can I say about the little bugger?

1. You can't let him read pop up books. (sorry mom, the book you got us is HISTORY....)

2. Even when you HIDE them in big brother's room.

3. You can't have a clean house.

4. Peeing IN the toilet is an OPTION.

5. Three year olds don't WIPE very well.

6. Crayons write on lots of things BESIDES paper.

7. Don't do that doesn't apply to him, because "I'm just doing like this"

8. Bedtime means that important things I have to say pop into my head, but then when you let me tell you the important things, they slip back out, and I just sit and stare.

9. But don't leave, I gotta tell ya sumpin'

10. You don't need to ask what he's up to, because most likely, it's

"Just nuthin, Mom! Nevermind! "

11. No matter what he does, you can't stay mad, because mixed in all the hubbub are things like this:

This is what happens when you attach the front tabs of a diaper TO THEMSELVES rather than the fuzzy part of the DIAPER. Too much pee, and the whole thing falls down, and yet

STAYS ON...... Thanks, Daddy, for this lesson.

And then there are the things that the little guy says. Like

"Daddy, wheel you make me sum peanut buttuh an jelly?"

Ok Macs.

"Just make it perfect. So it looks like TASTY. 'K Daddy?"

Perfect?

"Yeah. So it looks like TASTY."

First Annual Pumpkin Carve

It was our First Annual Pumpkin Carve on Thursday! We had friends and neighbors over for hot cider, food and carving at our house. It was such fun! I toasted pumpkin seeds that we all got to munch, and everyone enjoyed hot apple cider. The top picture is one of all the pumpkins that got carved. The one below is all of OUR pumpkins. I carved the mummy, and Travis carved the ghost. Macs' pumpkin is the one on the top left with the eyebrows. Josh carved the one next to that with the pointy teeth. He did it ALL by himself! Ian designed and created the one on the bottom left of the picture. They are going to look so cute this Halloween!

I'm definately going to host a carve every year from here on out. Really not that much in the way of clean up, and so much fun.

A Bit Ironic

It's a bit
Ironic.
That my last post was about a watch, and this next post is about time.
in a new sense.
Today, October 24th
is NATIONAL TAKE BACK YOUR TIME DAY it's a day for you and I to stop and breathe. It's a day to take off. It's a day to take back your TIME. Did you KNOW that the average AMERICAN worker works 9 weeks MORE than the average EUROPEAN worker?

In our new house, I've been feeling like I HAVE time.
I haven't been overdoing.
I've been saying "no" once in a while to requests for my time.
I've decided that the people I WANT to give my time to....
are here in my home.
So I DO volunteer, but not necessarily when the OTHER parents are watching.
I make cookies and fiddle in the kitchen.
I spend my time making our lives flow.
I spend my time with friends.
I spend my time going to see the ocean.
I spend my time cleaning.
I spend my time writing.
I think I've DONE it!
I have taken back my time.
IF I one day decide to spend a bit of it working outside our home again, I will be wise.
I know that I cannot spend too much time outside our home before I pay for it in other places. I don't like paying with what's important to me.
Peace is important to me.
Peace with my savior.
Peace in my home.
Peace in my marriage.
Peace in my friendships.
Peace with my neighbors.
Peace in my family.
Peace in my son's classroom.
Peace in my kid's schools.
Peace in my town.

So these are the places I put my time.

What is important to you? Are you putting your time there? Or is it time?
T I M E.
Time to TAKE BACK YOUR TIME?

TIME

SO
I got a watch.
I haven't had one for a long time.
Funny how I didn't really NEED one.
I got by.
Used my cell phone when I was OUT.
Used the wall clock when I was IN.
I was never late.
I did get the Dates mixed up.
Had a few late FEES.
So I have a watch.
My problem with watches is this:
I like the cute funky ones.
I have to have a cheap one.
I can't LIVE with one that isn't water proof.
Somehow I cannot manage to remember to take the thing OFF before hopping into the shower.
I don't even remember RIGHT as I get in.
It's usually something more along the lines of AFTER I get out that I see it was on.
too late to take it off and hope for the best.
My new watch is white.
and SILVER.
It's chunky.
and
WATERPROOF.
Now I will know what time it is ALWAYS.
not just when I happen to know where my phone is and be able to get to it right now....
not just when I'm in the house and I can see the wall...
ALWAYS.
Oh. except when I've taken it off because I've been on the computer for a long time and it's bothering me.
Right NOW.... it's TIME FOR BED.

Ian's Football Slideshow

Travis got a new video camera, and he made this slide show with the program's that came with it

Spooktacular Pictures! Part ONE

As promised! Halloween Pictures!! These guys are on the front porch, smiling to all the passer's by. Pretty soon I will have the real things out with them as well. At least five more. That's how many of us there are to carve this year! Can't wait for Halloween. We are going to have such a blast handing out our treats and watching old scarry movies! "Young Frankenstein" comes to mind.... and then there's the orange hot chocolate with marmallows! YUMmmmmm.


My beautiful mantle! (which no longer has the spooktacular cheese cloth because MACS decided to try to light a candle using ANOTHER candle, and burnt the whole thing. I'm still not over what a danger that boy is to us all. He was not out of my sight for a SECOND. Spare the lectures, I've already beaten myself for this one. We are lucky to have a house, I know.) At any rate, the bottles are all there, just not the cloth. Still looks grand!


My spooky tree, and some more jack'o'lanterns. I got the vintage one in the back for $1 at the thrift store here! I think he's my fave this year.

Spooktacular Pictures!

I thought this one was really funny just 'cause it's next to the bird feeders....


My Halloween "wreath". I have a wreath for every holiday.


A full view of the yard decorations. It's hard to see, but the windows have shredded curtains and a sillouette of a cat and a witch stirring her cauldron in the window. I drew them myself. I used spray adhesive to get them onto the window pane.


A view of the "grave yard" The headstones read ~RIP Here lies the speeding stranger who put my children's lives in danger~ ~Here Lies Slim Jim. Tall and thin he was, Slim Jim, so half a grave we got for him~ (this headstone is tall and very skinny) ~RIP~ ~Restless Jed... Poor old Restless Jed, He'll haunt this hill 'til he finds his head~ ~Here lies the last child who DARED trick or treat this house~ ~MAN'S BEST FRIEND His owners let him poop all over, so we buried little ROVER~


This is the best shot I could get of the house at night. See the sillouettes in the window? The green glow is the cauldron that the skeleton (MR. BONES) is holding. It's a fogger, and the lights make the fog look green.


Here's Mr. Bones. Our police friends stole him and put him in their yard. It took me a few days to get over to steal him back. (one of the reasons this took while to get blogged) I left them a poem...
TO THE BONE THIEF:
My poor bones have been away
Because from my house you did take.

Things from your house, I could take,
But then a BONE WAR that would make.

So this note will let you know
My bones are resting back at home.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!


Our pumpkin's waiting to be carved....


Pumpkin close ups


Part of the mantle/hearth area in the Living room.


The bottles I made! the Blue Frog's Eggs are drops of hot glue with black permenant marker dots. I put the whole lot of them in clear hair gel. The Inards are ramen noodles in rubbing alcohol with red food coloring.


Pirates hands, Dragon's Blood (rubbing alcohol), Unicorn Dander(kosher salt), Powdered bone (onion powder), Pheonix Ash (black confectioner's sugar), Powdered Dragon's scales (chili powder).


Mom got me the two painted jars, and put red hots in the eye of newt bottle. The green liquid is Essence of Emerald (green food coloring and rubbing alcohol).
I want to make some floo powder. Still thinking about how to create that look.

How?

How can one so little and cute as this:





















Make messes so big as this:
















In seconds!?!

The smallest.
Littlest
teeniest
with the
Most
biggest
fastest.....

MESSES!

It starts with ONE

This is what I'm talking about. It only takes one. ONE. It only takes.....

Y O U.

School Violence

I'm going to tell you something that is going to change your life. The way society is today, is because YOU and I let it get that way. It's not safe for children to play the way you and I did because YOU and I didn't make change happen. The buck stops here.
With me.
With you.
Most people who stand by and let our society dig it's hole might do something if they just knew WHAT.
or felt empowered as to HOW.
So I'm telling you. Two things. Two simple things that will make CHANGE.
it starts with YOU.
with ME.
Protecting the Gift
Stopping at Every Lemonade Stand
The thing is.
YOU have to READ them.
I already have.
I have power.
I have know how.
I want YOU to have it too.
but I can't make you read.
I can't just HAND you the knowledge.
If you are a parent or not, doesn't matter.
If you homeschool or not, doesn't matter.
If you are christian or not, doesn't matter.
Just read them.
please.
I'm begging you.
Let's start making a difference.
Our future IS children.
It's not in their HANDS.
It's in THEM.
THEY are it.
If YOU and I don't take care to show them that they matter, eventually, WE will not matter to them.
and we will all be lost together.

Three posts in one day!

I got the video of Macs to work. I think it will work for you now. GO TRY! He's just being a silly boy, and had been talking about "bob the builder" that day in a silly voice. I tried to send the video to my mom that day, but it wouldn't work. So I'm hoping that I will be able to put up more videos for you all using YOUtube.

I've been TOTALLY sidetracked getting my decorating juices out of my system! (I don't need to get them flowing, they are already doing that, I just need to let them OUT!) So I've been making dragon's blood, and frog's eggs, and troll boogers, and pheonix ash, and Unicorn Dandruff, and powdered Dragon's scales, and ground bone.... I've been making sillouette's for the window, and putting up purple spider's webs, and lighting the tombstone's outside, and thinking up cute things to say on them, like "Here lies the speeding stranger who put my children's lives in DANGER" and "MAN'S BEST FRIEND His owners let him poop all over, so we buried little ROVER" and "SLIM JIM Tall and Thin he was, Slim Jim, so half a grave we got for him" I have some from last year too. This year, we lit them with rope lights. I've been busy distressing cheeze cloth and ripping white sheets to create curtains. You know. All the things that EVERYONE does to set the stage for a fun night of trick or treaters and movies at home on Halloween night. I even found Hot Chocolate mix that is supposed to turn ORANGE. Can't wait for that one! I think it's the theater in my viens that makes Halloween so much fun. I love creating the costumes, and this year, I really feel like I am setting the stage. I've been loving it. Pictures to come SOON! I'm really close to being done!

Beautiful

This is beauty.

Look what I can do!

Just a test! If I did it right, I have a way to share VIDEO on my blog, baby!

Two things

So I have two things to sneek peek for you.
This- is Doobie.
She's our new dog. Fox/Rat Terrier as far as we can tell.
She's TOTALLY calm, and sweet.
Like she might have smoked her namesake.
I know.
A cop with a dog named Doobie.
but it fits.
She's two years old, and
Ef
Ay
Tee!
F A T.
put that poor thing on a diet
fat.
The best part about her BEING fat, is that I have one more really good reason not to put off my walking. Now Doobie needs it too.
Day two since she came, and I think she's really going to mesh better than we could've hoped.





THING TWO

Here is a sneek peek at a few of the things on my mantle.
I went and got a few more really fun things to spook up the house.
Can't wait to show you the whole thing when I'm done!

Potty Training

Two things that I want to say things about

ONE:
We have been potty training.
Found out that
NAKED
seems to do it.
Macs has been naked for the last three or so weeks,
and
While he has had a few relapses,
It's DONE!
Something about not having ANYTHING to catch the deed seems to turn him into the potty nazi. He can keep himself from going, and get to the pot to do what he needs to!
Who'd have thought!
NAKED.
Nuthin like a birthday suit to keep your heiney clean!


TWO:
I love to save money!
I've mentioned this before, but I really love it.
I think I'm pretty good at it too.
I'm resourceful, and I like to create things that are LIKE the spendy things, but cost WAY less. I'm good at that.
I just saw a decoration in Martha Stewart's Halloween Magazine, and liked it. So I went to the thrift store here, and got three candle holders, spray painted them black, and put candles in them for my mantle. All together, they were about $2.00 candles included. Gotta love it. I'll put a picture of them up in a day or two when I get my thoughts together for my Halloween post.
THEN
there was the other day.
went to the grocery store.
clipped coupons for said store.
spent $37.00 after coupons.
this particular store, tells you how much your coupon savings saved you, and I SAVED $42.00!! So by my way of thinking.....(and I know it's a little twisted, but this is how I think) I actually
MADE
money at this store! About $5.00!!
I know this is silly, but we are on a really TIGHT budget.
With the new house, we have a much larger house payment. We fall JUST above the state's poverty level for our family size. I manage to do a lot with our little stash every check, and I like it.

So.... I've been busy busy busy with the decorations I've always wanted to do for Halloween, and never actually done. Things are turning out really well, and my next post will be about that I think! talk to you all later!

rachel

Out of Touch

So I'm really out of touch. You might say I'm living in a hole. Here are just a few samplings of the things that I have lost track of over my years.

1. I have no idea what the latest MTV top ten list would be right now, although I'm pretty sure that the videos would have naked or next to naked women in them.

2. I don't know what the headline news is, and I won't until someone tells me or I HAPPEN to see it on TV MUCH MUCH later...

3. I don't own an Ipod, and it will most likely be YEARS before I do.

4. I don't have the slightest clue about world issues for the most part as far as breaking information is concerned.

There's more, but this should be plenty for my point in all this.

My point being, that I am HAPPY.

I like being out of touch.

I like that my children's schools are so small, that by the end of the year, it's entirely possible that I will know the names of all the kids in their GRADES, not just their classroom.

I like that when I walk down a street in my town, people talk to me, and say HI even if we are strangers.

I like that the speedlimit to drive to the nearest town is 55 MPH. and I actually drive that speed to get there. (most of the time)

I like that on any given day, I can go to the ocean, and be back in my childhood on vacation.

I like that on a REALLY busy night, we have a Jr high football game, and that's it.

I like that I know all my kid's friends, AND their parents.

I like that I have time in my days to bake.

I like that I have time in my day to decorate.

I like that my husband comes home for dinner everynight.

I like that a hard day means that I had to clean up a mess that a three year old made.

I like that an emotional day means that I was home to fight with my soon to be teenager.

I like that.

I like all that and more.

I may not know all the latest, or the newest, but I know where my kids are.

I know WHO my kids are.

Not just in the sense that you recognize them, but in the sense that you know their character, and the things they are feeling. I know those things.

I know that my husband loves all of us.

I still think of him as my best friend.

I know that my sons feel our love.

Not just in an I-know-you-love-me-because-you-just-do way, but in an I know you love me because you are THERE way.

I was driving the other afternoon, leaving Safeway. If you go to Safeway, and you have a club card, you know. They check your card, and say, have a nice day... Mrs.......Whitzzlee????? (they don't usually get it right.)

But it hit me. Even though the girl at the counter doesn't usually GET the way my name is pronounced, at MY Safeway, she does know my face. I live in a town where I shop at the same stores. You might as well. In my town, we are small enough to be recognized.

My town is out of touch.

The buildings are old.

NOTHING is up to date.

It was only THIS year that the school was forced by state LAW to stop allowing parents to MAKE treats for class. Now things have to be store bought. Something about germs.

There's something to be said for knowing all your neighbors.

For talking to strangers.

For calling out to kids walking by about the next game they are playing.

For learning the names of the dogs and their humans that pass your house each day on walks.

For knowing that a neighbor is going in for surgery and might need an extra hand for a few weeks.

For knowing that the child your son has been fed up with at school lives in a home where there is no one.

There's a lot to be said.

I may not be able to tell you what's going on globally,

but I can tell you what is happening HERE.

I can tell you about NOW.

In the lives that I touch.

In the days that I live.

In the places I matter.

For me, being out of touch is right where I belong.