Halloween and Rabbits, only in my world do they mix...

I have sat down quite a few times to blog, and always get called away. the entire week was spent on a cake and running around.

Halloween has come and gone. First Matt got his cake done. He had to 'bury' verbs they dont want them to use in class.

I showed him how to make tombstones and then sent him on his way. Brett wanted to help constantly, and he wouldnt take no for an answer. He would get mad because he didnt get to help. But Matt really did do this cake. I baked it, and put on the crumb coat, then the last night BR and I sat down with him and made suggestions. You cant see some of the details really well. Like the hole dug in the ground for the new casket, or the mound of dirt infront of the fresh grave, but its there.

Matt painted them, and I had to threaten him to keep the ingrediants of the paint a secret. Its a well known fact that its best to use a liquer to mix your colors in, and it disapates, leaving NO trace as it dries, all thats left is the paint. But I didnt fiqure it would go over well if the kids at school went home tellin what was all over the cake.

Everything on it, except the posts holding up the sign are edible. Made of gumpaste.

It was a huge hit at school. All the kids loved it and Matts teacher loved it.









Halloween was one of those days where you just couldnt get it all done in one day. I went in and picked up the kids, I had to take the cake in anyway, and had a few erronds to run, that Friday, which is when we DID halloween. We did it on Friday because Saturday was youth opening morning. and the boys would be hunting.

I knew the bus wouldnt have them home until 5, and I wanted to take them to a carnival in town that was from 4:30 to 8. I had to paint 2 of them. and had to take them to about 6 houses.

Of course we couldnt find Matts costume, ANYWHERE.
that wasted about an hour. Bow wouldnt stay out of anything while I was trying to put the makeup on them, and There were fights and squirmishes the whole time.

My house is basicly like two warring parties that live in the same town. only there is NO place to seperate them. its like the gaza strip. day and night.

Finally we all got dressed and were ready to go. It took a while to paint them. and we finally fiqured out how to make Bretts 'bolts' stick to his head.

I did such a good job that noone recognized them. their own family was confused if Brett or Matt were the first to the door. Bow didnt wear his mask while we trick or treated, it kinda felll down to his neck, or he pushed it there.








We did finally make it to the carnival about 7. its a free carnival with lots of jumpy things, various games, and snacks. the kids had alot of fun and were able to just run around and do what they wanted.

they even had a small petting zoo. I didnt think I'd ever get Bow out of there. He LOVED loving on all the animals, he would just hug and love on them.







The weekend was spent in the deerstand, they didnt see anything, but both boys got to go twice. BR would take them before daylight, then again that evening, after a 2 hour nap, and then come home and get dressed to go to work. He worked all night, and when he got home he took the other boy.

Tuesday Matt didnt feel well, I ended up giving him milk of magnesia- which kicked in the next day- he said he could make it to school- around 9am Brett called, he was sick, so I headed in to get him- Then we went to walmart to get him some congestion meds. about that time Matt called, he had a bad headache. so I had to go and get him.

I had just about decided to go and get Rayley- and we saw the kids bus driver in walmart. she asked what I was doing, and I told her heading to the school to get another one. She thought I meant Rayley, since she had said on the bus she felt pukish this morning.

When I got in the truck BR called, and told me that he really didnt want Rayley to ride the bus alone, it was too long of a ride, and she would freak if the boys wernt there. So that cemented the deal.

I headed to her school, and was walking down the hallway, her class was in front of me coming back from lunch. I saw her stop her teacher and talk to her. About that time I caught up and she was telling her she didnt feel good and was fixing to go to the nurse. talk about perfect timing!

So, I gathered up all my children and headed home. the next day everyone stayed home, they all have bad sinus infetions, resulting in bad headaches and all the drainage is making them ill.

I had a cake that I had to get done in the meantime, and am trying to get my house spotless because my dad is coming next week. They are NOT helping any. the cake is for a friend of mine, she wanted a deer hunting cake. I have been telling her all week I am making a 'woodlands fairy cake' adn if you knew her you would understand just how 'not her' this is. She is more country than me. LOL she cleans up real good, and all, but butterflies and fairies and nympths are not her forte.

I finished it finally today, because the week has been so .... I dont want to say hectic, it really wasnt. but it was just.... time consuming. I never got to just sit and enjoy making the cake.

BR was off on Thursday, and we had alot of things planned. We only managed to get done a few of them. One was driving an hour away to get 2 more rabbits. This brings my total to 6. 2 does are the breed I need, and 1 buck for sure. 1 buck might be the right breed, he looks a little off, and one doe might be right, their color is just real faint. One doe is NOT the right breed. but might make for good breeding for the meat.

I still need at least one more doe, to guarentee I have 3 good babies for each boy to show in April.

After running to get the rabbits, going to walmart, and getting some other things, we were pretty much out of time. Plus about the time we got started on the rabbit cage we were supposed to build for all of them we found out I had gotten the wrong wire. We ate a late lunch and hauled butt back to town to get differnt wire. When we finally got back we started getting everything together to get started. First was finding BR's tape measure. I had found it outside, pulled out and in the rain, so I brought it in, tried to fix it and set it in the living room. With two hours till dark, we didnt have time to search, but search I did. after about 45 minutes I found it where Bow had hid it. I gave it to BR who then tried to use it. It wouldnt wind back up. he tried everything. finally he took the screws out. he couldnt get it apart. Finally he was able to break it. Resulting in a not so happy camper.

Then we went out to get started ripping the boards and the blade was too dull. It just wouldnt cut them. After that, our day was pretty much shot.

anyway, on Friday Rayley wanted to go to school, Matt said he was still sick, and Brett had a headache and was still real congested. Plus, he had failed to mention that he didnt have a clean pair of uniform pants. I sent Rayley with my mother in law, so she wouldnt have to ride the bus alone, and told the other two that they were not that sick and would be working all day.

We all were up before the sun, and ended up breeding the two rabbits of questionable linage, I want to make sure I know what I'm doing before I breed for the show in December. I'd hate to screw that up.

Shortly after that I headed to town to get a new blade. I also found some plastic tin that was buggered up, so I bought that at a discount. fiqurin BR would gripe, but he was suprisingly not agervated. I was also instructed to buy him a new tape measure. So I did.

My friend had went with me, and we gathered up our stuff and left. After I had to go to customer service to get the money back on the taxes charged. Since its for farm use its tax exempt.

When we got back to the house BR asked for his tape. We had forgotten to get it. He wanted me to drive BACK to town. I declined. But did ask him mom to pick it up for me when she got off work.

Instead he broke 12 foot off the 'broken' tape and we used that. All day he would tell me "dont forget to bring the fancy tape" or "dont step on my fancy tape"

I plan to keep that section of tape forever. because a tape measure is something we are always loosing, and I can always drag out his 'fancy tape' and prove its just as good.
This project actually came together pretty good. Oh there was the normal stupid crap. Like him listening to my ideas, then telling me it wouldnt work, and we end up doing it like that anyway, but with his explination so it sounds more right. I dont know if I dont explain it thoroughly, or he doesnt listen or what, but this happens all the time. I just ignore it. But concidering that we just had an idea in our head, didnt have any plans, or know how to execute exactly what we wanted, we did a jam up job. and everything fit perfectly. We didnt waste any boards, and other than me breaking a nail, noone was hurt.

We finally got the roof on it and the wire done at dark thirty. We opted not to cut doors last night, BR said he just was too tired and might screw them up. and once you cut wire, you cant fix it.

We did put the three rabbits who were not in a hutch in there, we just put them in before the roof went on. They are fed and watered from the outside, so thats okay. We will get the doors cut sometimes today I hope.

All in all it was a great day, a rabbit condo got built, we bred 2 rabbits and bred one of the hogs. I just hope it all took. I cant very well run a pregnancy test on any of them, so I just have to wait till their due dates to make sure they 'took'.

Once I came in I got a shower, fed the kids and at 7:20 the boys were begging to go to bed. I let them.

Rayley fell asleep not long after and I got to work finishing the cake. its a cool idea, and if I was just a little more talented it would have came out so great.

Today we have been cleaning, the kids have alot to do, and I did the last of the stuff on the cake. I have to go into town later, to pick up that tape measure, my mother in law forgot to pick it up, and get one more peice of tin. I will start cleaning in earnest this week. Right now I'm making the kids do it. Plus I have to fiqure out what on earth to do for Bows birthday cake. Its next week and I dont have a clue what I can do for him. He doesnt like cartoons, is only 2 so he has no hobbies, and other than his boots he doesnt have a favorite anything...

Luckily its been a slow week

Well, its hard to get back in habit of blogging.

THis week wasnt a real busy one, we were supposed to have 4-H Monday, unfortunatly it was cancled, but noone knew about it so I drove in anyway. I wasnt real happy about that.

I went and got another rabbit. This one is from the show last year, so I know its a full blood. Its a buck, but I have a line on one more doe. Just have to wait a few weeks to get her.

We have gotten lots of rain this week, and another cool front. OH and the kids FINALLY decided what they want to be for halloween. THank GOD! I had asked them before, and they decided they wanted to be something scary. Of which after little discusion they decided on democrats. Yes, Democrats. I asked which ones. Well, Matt would be Biden, because he is always saying goofy stuff. That makes sense.

They were torn on Rayley, between Hillary and David Kusentich (sp). Finally they decided on Kusentich; their reason? She is small, has a funny haircut and whines alot.

Bow was to be Barney Franks. Cause he is fat and talks funny. I have never said my kids were politically correct, just that they had opinions.

Brett opted for Obama, cause he sees himself as the leader. And fiqures he reads the best, therefor making the teleprompter easier for him to handle.

Well, I told them that they couldnt do any of those. For one, it wouldnt be very cute, for two it would creep me out being around a bunch of democrats all night, and for 3, it might get me on the FBI's no fly list...

Instead they opted for normal halloween stuff. Dracula for Matt, Frakenstien for Brett, a witch for Rayley and Bow will be a skeleton. these I can handle.

Of course since the last two years Brett and Matt have managed to get into trouble and not be able to trick or treat, I dont know if I should waste my time.



I did have a 'blow up' moment this week. I was up until around 3:30 one night Bow wouldnt go to sleep. He didnt feel well. When my alarm went off at 5:20 (I set it a little early so I can snooze it)- I NEVER heard it. PERIOD. BR's went off too, but he turned his off. I never heard mine, next thing I know its 7:23 and BR is waking me up. Since the kids have to catch the bus at 6:15- my first thought was just let them stay home. But Rayley LOVES school so much, I hated to do that to her. And Brett had just came home talking about trying to make the whole year with perfect attendance. They have done it once before, and at his school they get a dog tag for every 6 wks that they dont miss a day.

So we jumped up, trying to get everyone up and dressed. BR was off that day, so he rode with me.

The kids didnt even have time to get breakfast, since Brett has to be at school by 7:55.

I got Matt to school on time, his school is closest. Brett was next, he was about 3 minutes late. Well, I walked him in, asking about detention. He would have to serve an hour. So I wanted to know if they would let him serve it during his lunch period. No they would NOT. it had to be before or after school. No lunch detention was avalible.

The principal DID offer to let him just skip first period and go to second.
there by not getting detention, But thats not the point. Once he skipped first he was no longer perfect attendance. We opted for them to just loose the money for his butt not being in the seat, because I wasnt driving back.

On the 21st BR and I celebrated 17 years of being together. It was the anniversary of our first date. ANd before you think "wow, she remembers the day of their first date" I am only able to remember it because its the day before our wedding anniversary. We have been married for 15 years. Thats a long time to not have killed someone.

We didnt do anything to celebrate, except watch TV. He was off that day, and we planned to build rabbit pens, clean up around the yard, and various other things, unfortunatly, it rained about 3 inches, so there was no outside work.

The kids and I spent a few evenings pulling the dried corn for the hogs. There wasnt much left after all the extended family went and got what they wanted to eat and put up, but we got some.


Then on Friday, my cousin took the oldest boys to the football game, I honestly just dont have the energy to take all of them to one. I wish I could, my nephew plays, but... Anyway, I had picked them up from school because I had gotten to town to get groceries and feed late, I took them with me to walmart and we barely got home by 5:30. they had to feed and water the rabbits, chickens, and hogs, and eat supper plus get ready for their suprise. they didnt know where they were going, just that they were. I kept telling them to get their jackets, a cold front had blown in and it was getting colder by the second. They kept ignoring me. Finally I just threw a fit, in the middle of trying to get everyone fed, deal with Bow and get some stuff together for my sister in law who was coming over and getting Rayley since she wasnt going to the game and I had to go to BR's deer stand and get the camera card out to check the times they were feeding and throw out some corn since the automatic feeder stopped working and put out some deercane (its some crap that attracts deer...) . they were leaving a little after 6. Finally after tearing apart their room I asked again where their carhartts were. Matt finally admited he had left them at school. He left one, then wore Bretts the next day and since its hot by the time school is out, he left it too. It was 5:50 on a friday, noway to get them - So I sent Brett off in my carhartt and Matt in a fleece zipup. I had told them about 5 times to wear a long sleeve shirt with an undershirt too.
They just ignored me. I had no sympothy when they got home and told me they were cold.

Finally she got there and told them where they were going. they were so excited, I shouldnt have let Matt go, after him loosing 2 65.00 jackets. BUT, at that point, I needed him GONE. My boys have been wanting to go to a game for years, We watch Football on TV every weekend, and they watch it too. But we only watch the Cowboys (yes I bleed blue and silver) and the University of Texas. Sometimes A&M. Anyway, they were sooo excited. Our team has been on a winning streak for the season, and are doing great in district play. Till my bad luck charms show up. Much to EVERYONES chargin our boys only got 3 points and let the other team score 27!

The next day my mother in law went to see her mom and told her that the kids had went to see the game. She told her to tell them to NEVER go again! they were bad luck! LOL She had gotten so discusted that she turned off the game on the radio and watched something on TV!! I've had to promise to not send them to another one to more than one person!

Saturday BR took the Brett to the deerstand before he went to work, he took Matt this morning. and Saturday night we went to a get together for a friend of ours daughters birthday. It was nice to catch up, we very seldom ever see them, and less often do we go out. But on the way home I stopped off by his job yard (where they park all the 18 wheelers) and instead of backing out and turning around, because I DO know to do that, I decided to be lazy and just turn. I dont know why it agervates me so much to back up, and go forward again, it just does. I guess I feel there are times its such a waste of time. BUT, I ran right off into a mud pit, it was PURE gumbo. (thats just THICK sticky mud that SUCKS itsself to your tires), well about 2 feet into it I realized what I had done, and threw it over into 4 wheel drive, but I tried to just ease through, and I only got it in 4 HIgh. to put it in 4 low you have to put it in nuetral and step on the brake, I made it about 15 feet, with about 5 feet to go till my front tires made solidish ground. But it wouldnt go. I spun, I burned, I turned the wheel, I threw it from forward to reverse, I punched it, I turned the tires, everything. I was laughing so hard that I thought Brett was going to just walk home. He couldnt belive I thought it was that funny. But seriously, what are you going to do? Crap happens. usually to me. you can laugh or you can scream and throw things. Either way, people are going to think your crazy, but if you laugh, you have less of a mess to clean up later!

BR was on his way back to the yard, I had dropped him off at his 18 wheeler after the party so he could unload his last load while I went to get Bow. So when he got there he tried to get it out. By then my front end was burried to about 8 inches between the bumper and the ground. I have a pretty tall truck, you have to use the running boards to get in. you dont just step into it.

He finally just told me to go and get his truck, and NOT get it stuck, he had parked IT in another mud hole. And boy he wasnt kidding, I walked over to it, in the dark (it was midnight by now) and literly fell ankle deep in the gooey life sucking mud. I managed to get his truck to mine, with out getting stuck, and we tied onto it with a chain. Which we BOTH carry in our trucks, but its usually for the poor sap we come up on or get called in the middle of the night to go fetch out of a hole their truck wont come out of.

We tied on and got it right out, less than 5 minutes. And its sad that I even got stuck, but its really easy to do in my truck. BR's would have came out, but he drives a Toyota. Light and compact. My engine weighs more than his entire truck, and there is NOTHING on my backend to even give me any weight. I just fall into what ever I am driving over. Even with a half a ton of feed in the back I wasnt getting out. I was honestly still laughing all the way home. With Brett just sitting there telling me I was crazy. Matt had fallen asleep on the way home and never even knew it. When he saw my truck this morning he asked what had happened!

Matt started on his 'verb project' He is supposed to make a something or other out of play doh or such, that shows you burrying (burying- ... whatever) overused verbs or somesuch. I dont get it. But, there is like 23 words that each year the 4th grade teachers 'bury' to get the kids to use differnt words.

well, Matt had wanted it to be out of playdoh. No problem. Then he heard one of the cakemakers on TV say that using gumpaste was like using playdoh. He decided he wanted to make a cake for his class. I told him to ask, and he got permission.

Now he are making a cake graveyard. I am trying to be good and let him make it himself. but its hard. I know that a 9 year old isnt as capable of making perfect tombstones. I never claim to be an excelent sculputer myself, I know I'm not- but its really hard to just let it look like a kid did it.

we managed to get most of the stones done, but are going to finish them tonight, I had to buy more gumpaste. His teacher emailed me, she is looking forward to the cake. I will cook it later this week, and he can put it together.

He will be hardpressed to get it done.
Next week is kinda busy, nothing unusual, We are supposed to have Archery Monday, but instead, they are going to skip it, which is a good thing, I have to be in town early tomorrow, to put red ribbons on cars at Matts school as they drop off their kids for Red Ribbon week, and then have a PTA meeting at 10. I sure didnt want to stay in town til 6.

But, instead the kids are going to take their hunter safety course. A friend of mine is having to take hers, and she offered to take the boys. Its from 6 to 10 on monday night, they skip tuesday and go again on Wend and Thursday.

This is going to play havoc on the cake making, its due Friday, and he will be gone all week except Tuesday, I plan on baking the cake on Tuesday, which is too early to actually decorate it. THEN, In a perfect world, we would decorate some Wend and finish on Thursday. But he wont be home Thursday.

I might actually have to let him skip school just to do the project. LOL

The other problem is; Brett, and to an extent Rayley. they want to do some of it too. This doenst work out well, for one, its MATTs project, if I cant do it, neither can they- and for two; they aint better artists than he is- no matter what they think.

when Brett was or is doing projects he wont allow ANYONE to help, but he just inserted himself into Matts projects, and cant understand why Matt doesnt want him to help. Matt is usually too nice to say anything, or too used to being bossed around. But I'm not, and I just finally have to get rude with him. And tell him, its NOT his and to step back.

I got my hair done a few days ago, My cousin does it, and I got it highlighted for the first time inmy life. I have that weird kind of hair that highlights itself, and is already black underneath by my neck. But once winter gets here, or I dont get out in the sun very often, it does darken up as it grows out. The roots start to look like I havent died it in months. So she offered to do a little something to it. She cuts it anyway, and I always like it.

Actually looking at it, it doesnt look 'done' it actually looks less 'salon done' now than it did when it was natural. LOL


This was taken this morning, its not very good, but Matt took it on the way to church.





The kids asked if a friend could come home with them, I told them yes, but we DID have work to do before they did any playing.

I have never let any of them have friends over, partly because I dont deal well with other peoples kids, and cause I saw no point, its just more opertunities to fight with the other sibling, or be mean to them. but this is a son of one of my friends, and he is a VERY good kid. He is a few years older than Brett but they all get along good.

Anyway, first we had to go to walmart. I am used to dealing with 4 kids in walmart, so counting to 5 was not a hard stretch. EXCEPT when he asked to go to the bathroom, I said yes, and then finished getting milk and started to walk off. I counted to 4. saw all 4 and thought I was good.

I just had to get in "BR is shopping with us mode" cause I do count to 5 when he is with us.

Then when we came home we had to prepare for the possible rain thats coming. I had put all the corn we pulled in the bucket of the tractor, so we had to get it out, shuck it and throw the cobs in the freezer that I have at the barn for that. It doesnt work, its just a box that we keep feed in. Everyone pitched in and we got it done pretty quick, Then we had to put the new feed in the automatic hog feeder that we built. WEll we built it big, to hold lots of feed- I was putting about 400 pounds in there but, I am nowhere near tall enough to put it in the 4ft tall feeder that sits about 8 inches the other side of a 4 foot fence. So this is how I did it.

I drove the tractor right up to the fence, lifted the bucket and then climbed in and emptied the bags one at a time into the feeder.








Here is the kids riding on the bucket, down to the barn.












Bow was 'helping' me drive. these are not good pics of me, but I promised Rayley I would put pictures she 'took' on the internet. If I remember I will take them down after she sees I put them up! LOL









I started blogging shortly after I got in from doing the feed, but have been interupted through out the day or had other things I had to get done, including making the tombstones, supper, relocating horses, dealing with the kids, talking on the phone and trying to watch the cowboys play. So I sent the kids to bed early, they were at each others throats, and sat down to finish with just Bow agervating me.
then I heard this awful sound from the kitchen, at first it sounded like a fire, then like water spraying- hard and fast. So I jumped up and ran in there. Sure enough, there is water flooding out from under my new fridge. (our old one went out about a month ago and we had to get another one. thats a weekend I SHOULD have blogged about, it was one thing after another.... ) So I ran to the water cut off for the house. cut it off and went back into the kitchen. The water had stopped spraying, but it was coming out by the gallonful. I pulled and pulled, the fridge wouldnt budge. its a HEAVY one anyway, The doors alone are so heavy I can barely pick them up (we had to take them off to get it through the front door)- and its full. so I had to holler for the kids. They jumped up and grabbed towells then Brett and I got on the floor and put our hands under it, grabbed the frame and put our leg up against the cabinets and pushed with our legs to pull it out. We got it started and I finally was able to pull it all the way out to shut off the water in the back so I could go ahead and turn back on the water to the house.

As I sit here typing the fridge is in the middle of the floor and every towell in the house is soaking up water. Even the two or three we didnt need down there because Bow got a bit overzealous.

We were so proud to have water and ice in our fridge again, about a year after we got the old one the ice maker broke, then was fixed then broke again. we never tried to use it after that, we just turned the water off to it.

Now I have to see if we can get this fixed. I am already spoilt to water comin out the door.

I reckon I should get up and fix it, clean up the mess and see what I need to buy tomorrow, plus get BR's supper ready. But I just dont want to.

Plus, my house is a MESS, eventhough I just had it SPOTLESS on saturday and we havent even been IN here all day today! I dont know how the kids can manage to destroy a house in the time it takes me to go pee, but they can. My kitchen literly looked like I hadnt cleaned it in a week, and all they did was have cereal this morning.

Rabbits, Rodeos, Truck Doors, Chess, Baptisms and TV stars!

Only my family could manage to cram all that into 3 days!!

Have you ever been in a store, and the Dr Peppers were on sale? well that means there are NONE left, or worse, there are a few left adn they are in the VERY back. you cant reach them. not even if you stand on the bottom shelf. Sure, you could walk to the other side of the store and get a broom or mop to pull them down, BUT what if someone managed to snag the last two while you were gone? There is NOTHING on this isle to reach up in there with....

Thats when a kid comes in handy. You pick them up and shove them up in there.




And have THEM push the bottles down to you....




I almost blogged on Friday, but was too lazy to upload pictures. then again on Saturday, but that was a BUSY day. and yesterday was an amazing day - I just didnt have time :)


Lets see, BR took off Thursday and we drove a few hours to pick up the kids 4-H project, Bunnies.. or Rabbits as they are properly called. I think I got gyped, but everyone seems to think it will be okay. I was under the impression that californians had black ears, tails, feet and noses, these are grey. I still want a true black buck to breed to the 2 does I got. I also need another doe. But one of the does I have is due anyday now. So we will see what she has.

We are doing meat pens. Thats where you breed on Dec 17, get the babies, and pick out 3 that are as identicale as you can get. you show those 3. they need to be uniform in color, body size, weight, and meat production. Since I have to have 2 pens, I need to hedge my bets with 3 does. Incase one or more doesnt produce, or we have crappy litters.

Anyway, we also went and got Rayley some new boots. hers were too little. Her prefered choices were pink, then purple, then blue, yellow, green, and if I could find pink camoflauge that would trump them all.

this is what I found.



Bow got a new cowboy hat, which I dont have a picture of him in yet. but he also got to ride the mechanical bull at the store!



When we got home we had to finish up the rabbit pens, which meant ME getting inside a 2 ft box and stapiling wire up in there. Not as easy as it sounds. But I reckon if it will hold me, it will hold them. Plus, we had to move around some stuff at the hog pen, and go get some hay from the horse barn. When we were leaving to get that, Bowdrie had walked around to the other side of the truck, while I got some stuff off the back. I heard the door slam and him holler, not a blood curdiling scream, but a mad holler. I walked around to see what was wrong, fiquring he had shut the door on accident and couldnt open it. well, he had. ON his hand. his entire hand was in the door. By the time I got around there BR and all the kids were there. Bow was trying to pull his hand out. he wasnt hurting. YET. it didnt take but a second after we opened the door for him to start screamin. Once we got him calmed down and fiqured out nothing was broken he was good to go. He toted his ice pack around like a baby, laying his hand in it. But it wasnt long before he forgot about that too, so he could help give the rabbits hay and feed and water the hogs.




On Friday Rayley wore this:



They wear their school shirts on Fridays and so every week she tries to wear a differnt outfit but the same shirt. She is running out of ways to wear it..




On Saturday our church had a youth rodeo. So I took the kids to it. Rayley finally got to wear her new boots, she was VERY proud of them. She thought her daddy and I did a perfect job of picking them out.










The boys played football all evening- waiting on the rodeo to start, I had went early to help volunteer. They were soaking wet before it even started, and it was a chilly night. We finally got our winter weather- at least for a week. But they never slowed down.

So far all 3 of the oldest have managed to get wet as can be at the church. Rayley fell in to the creek/drain a few weeks ago. I reckon she wanted to baptize herself.


RFDTV was there, to record the service on Sunday and the youth rodeo on Saturday. They will be airing sometime in December, so if you get the channel, look for Jasper County Cowboy Church.

Its funny, noone was extra dressed up, and honestly noone paid the least bit of attention to the cameras. that tells you alot about the mindset of the people that are members there. They are just downhome people and dont get starstuck easily.








Sunday was a wonderful service. of course before we left my kids got into the cake that my Sister in Law had sent over here the night before. I really had forgotten all about it, and it was a half of a halloween cake. meaning BLACK icing. So they were dyed black. Bow got it ALL over him. and the boys and Rayleys lips were black. It took lots of scrubbing to get them half way normal. I told them to avoid the cameras at ALL costs!

It was amazing and uplifting. And we had a baptism service, where 16 or 17 people were baptized, including Brett and I. It was around 50* but the water was warm, which was nice. We were soaking wet, and went strait home for warm showers, since it was a spur of the moment thing and we were not prepared by bringing extra clothes.


This is what Bow does during church. He loves to go, and will help me carry the chairs to the arena, then helps me set them up, while all the other kids run off to play before services. He wants me to get settled in so he can get started playin!






these are from a few weeks ago. but same thing.. LOL





This is the stage that the church band plays on, Pastor Brady is on the far left.





and an RFDTV camera.



If you are looking for a church, and have just never felt comfertable in one, or always felt you were being judged, try finding a cowboy church. You dont have to be a cowboy, or even halfway rural to go, its just laid back and enjoyable. If the one you find is half as good as mine, you will wonder what took you so long to join. I have been to lots of churches in my life, and just never felt I was getting Gods word, or felt I was being judged constantly. The total opposite was true when I stepped foot in that arena. And lots of them are actually held in buildings, not everyone does theres in the middle of a Rodeo Arena. Or if you are not sure you want to go to one strait off, try finding them on RFDTV, they feature a differnt church each week.



After church was over, we came home, did a few chores, and the kids asked if they could play chess. I told them I didnt care, BUT, there were 2 rules. one, they had to include Rayley, and help her learn how. and two, they couldnt scream and holler at Bow, they just had to deal with him.

They played a few games, the winner would play the kid left out. and about the 3rd time Brett and Matt played, Brett hollered "you cant do that!" Matt said "yeah- I can." I fiqured I was fixing to have to stop an argument, so I hollered out my new 'shutup'. "yall read Psalms 39"

"Mom" Brett says "I'm not being rude or mean, I meant to say 'please dont do that' "
Matt asked him "why"

"cause if you do that, the game is over!- "(meaning Matt had whooped him) "lets change the rules a little"

Matt declined, and I also forbid it. He was ticked cause Matt had beat him 3 times in a row in less than 5 minutes.

They did help Rayley. she doesnt quite get it yet, but will soon enough, the boys were about her age when they learned. Of course, I am sure that my kids are the only ones that make Chess into a contact sport. And now with Bow around, he ends up hitting, biting, screaming, stealing peices, and terrorizing them. He doesnt understand that he cant play.

We still dont have any baby bunnies, I wonder if the breeder didnt get the week wrong.


I reckon I am gonna stop typin now. My wrist is hurting- I have some kind of a cyst on it, and it hurts to type much. Its nothing serious I'm sure, I fiqure its a ganglion or what ever type cyst, I just havent had the nerve to put a huge book on it and hit it with a hammer to desolve it. Plus, I need to get a few things done, I was asked on Friday to take over volunteer coordinator for Rayleys schools PTA. I said yes, since the two postitions I have on Bretts and Matts boards are not very time consuming.

But here are a few more pics from the Women in the Outdoors event.


This is the skulls of two gators, one died of natural causes and was about 12 foot long, the other died from lead poisoning (he was shot) and was a little smaller.




Notice the black/brown spots? those are 'war wounds' bruising from fights, that is in the bone, they are loose places, kinda weird.

and of course the teeth upclose. the teeth are really weird to feel. like hollow peices of plastic.




and of me holdin the gator again. :)







I had a picture of one about 15 feet off shore, but you couldnt see him. just his head was sticking out. he was about 10 feet from where the airboat was parked.




Here is Bow waterin the hogs a few months ago. He LOVES to go down and mess around with the animals.

Hello- Remember me???

Gosh, has it been that long?

Well, the last week has been spent much like the last time I wrote, cleaning rooms, and buying Matt new boots.. That kid goes through boots like a kid through candy... Its pathetic.. His new ones have Orange tops. and yes, he tucks his pants in.

I wont waste bandwidth appologizing for the hudini act, I couldnt explain it in a million years, BUT, I can tell you that everyday that I said "I'm gonna blog today" I would end up coming on here and then couldnt fiqure out where to start, fearing I'd write too long, or leave something out. so you got nothin...


We did get the living room painted its real pretty. I am proud of it. It took me a little while, And we moved the washer and dryer to my bathroom, taking out my garden tub. That was fun. We had to replumb, cut holes in the floor, and had to take the doors off the old laundry room to get the freezer in.

Then low and behold, our fridge went out. I kid you not. the thing just died.. Had to buy a new one.. Thats never a fun thing..

I have been doing the PTA still, only on 2 boards this year. but so far we have lots of great help, so its not hard. I am actually enjoying it.

We have made mums, sold T shirts and thats about it.


This is just one of the boards. But there are many of the same ladies on the other...


Bow is... just Bow.. I swear that kid is a riot. he is smart as a whip. Last night, BR came home and tracked in mud, well, I went and got the carpet cleaner, and Bow went strait for the mop and REFUSED to give it to me to clean with! He still doesnt talk much. He can say a few more words, but mostly he will just come and get you and drag you to where ever he feels he needs to be. Like the fridge. Then he hollers something you dont understand and you have to go through everything in the fridge to see what he wants to drink.


 

 





We had a Women in the Outdoors (a division of the National WIld Turkey Federation) workshop last saturday, and I got to do something my kids have NEVER done. and I am prayin they DONT do. at least not under proper adult supervision...



Yes its a baby gator, and no it wasnt dead...



I didnt quite top the buzzard, but I am making them think I did....


we had alot of fun, and hope the size of participants increases next year.




There was airboat rides, archery shooting, shotgunning, leather making, bird watching, tree identification, wild life tracking, nature photography, and a few other things.. PLUS lots of FOOD.
So, since I was on the committee, I really didnt do any of the workshops, I stuck around the front, keeping things running smooth..

Okay, I stuck around the food.. making sure it didnt go bad....




I told y'all that Rayley would be the first kicked out of school didnt I?

well, Brett has had a few 'close calls'... like the 3rd day, when he forgot to wear his belt, and they called me at 7:30 threatening to give him detention if he didnt have one before class took in at 7:55... When I explained that if I drove the 20 miles to town, he would be coming back home with me, and they would NOT be paid for him for the day, and he would NOT be doing detention, they agree'd to be a little lax the first week or so.

Then came the day I was running late, missed the bus, and Bow puked on Brett and we had to turn around and go home. I called the school, asked if he was understanding the policy correctly and he would get an hours detention for ME making him late. Yep. he would. Well, since I dont drop off and pick up my kids, due to the high deisel prices and the outragious amount I pay for school taxes, I politly told them to mark him absent for the day. He would just stay home. They decided since he was a 5th grader, its his first year at the new prison... I mean school, they would let me slide that one time.

And of course, him being late to class, because I refuse to allow him to carry 25 lbs of books all over the school all day and bring them all home with him, since he doesnt have time to go to his locker between classes and get back to the back building. I also declined after school detention. They are not punishing HIM, he hates to ride the bus for an hour and a half. They are punishing me. And I am not going to ground him for a week, I try to reseve my punishments for the actually severe things, like letting the hogs out, or not watering the chickens, or turning on the water, watering the chickens and not turning it off, so it uses 3,257 gallons of water or leaving the lid off 150 lbs of feed- when it rains 3 inches. you know the big stuff that actually will make him a better more responsible person.

DOnt get me wrong, being late is NOT responsible. BUT we have all been there. And he should strive to get to class on time. BUT, sometimes things happen.

Do the math. you have 8 classes, so, you have 8 chances a day to be late, times 5 days a week, for 6 weeks. I aint a mathamagiction, but thats 240 times, give or take a few, that you have to get somewhere ON time, with everything you need. Now, a normal work year, would be roughly 261 days. Right? give or take a few? so, are you telling me that MOST (I know there are some anal people out there who are 1 hour early to everything. ) people will work an ENTIRE year and NEVER be late, through their own fault or someone elses? I mean, NO flat tires, no dead battery, no tree across your driveway, NO electrical failure and broken alarm clock... so, most adults cant do this, OH wait, I said AND get there ON time with everything they need. meaning, no forgotten purse, grocery list, cell phone, earrings, belt, heck, I know some folks who forgot to change from their barn shoes to their work shoes... and yes, I have done it..

So, anyway, how many adults do you know that have made a year and not been late or forgotten a little something at home?

Now, dont get me wrong, I think if he is late he should get punished, I think there should be 3 warnings, BUT if its a habit, punish them. detention is great, but NOT after school. I cant afford to come and get him. PLUS, thats really not punishment for HIM. make him do it during lunch recess. not allowing him to play with his friends is more punishment than not having to ride the bus, even if I do scream and holler all the way home.

But, when he got that tardy, he had 3 days to do detention. I called and let them know he wouldnt be doing detention, they offered a day of ISS. (in school suspension) a full 8 hour day for being about 30 seconds late to class. I declined that also. I'm pretty sure that would be considered cruel and unusual punishment for an adult prisoner, so we aint doin it to my 10 year old. I told them to suspend him. "Miss a FULL day because he was a minute late?" they asked... "uhhhh yep.." why not? "well it will be unexcused" .... uhhh really?? so... it either costs THEM a hundred or so bucks for no butt in the chair, or me 15.00 for the diesel. I am votin for THEM to loose it...


They ended up working it where he could do his detention a week later, when I would be in town.
Fine by me.

oh and he wore a camoflague fleece jacket to school on a cold morning. and tried to wear it in a cold class. That was almost a suspension... although, I'm a bit confused on that one. The colors they can wear are Khaki, green, and brown... Apparently you cant wear them mixed... LOL seriously, I had told him to wear it on the bus, but to NOT wear it in school. He didnt listen. oh well...

Matt hasnt actually gotten in trouble. Now there was some bus stuff, but what do you expect when you put a bunch of kids on a bus with no adult with in slapping distance and leave them there for over an hour? It wasnt anything really bad, although Brett did have 2 pair of khaki uniform pants ruined with busted ink pens.. They never got any warnings or got in any trouble, but I knew if other kids were acting like drunk monkeys, mine would be right along side them. But that was easily solved, I went to the bus barn, and told them, if my kids get kicked off then they wont come to school, I am NOT driving them. PERIOD.

So we worked it out, so my kids sit by themselves and with only each other.


As a matter of fact, I just met with all the kids teachers, and somehow, my dear little hoover has them ALL bamboozled.. they think he is a great kid!! that he is nice, and sweet and helpful!! I think they have the wrong one identified, BUT I didnt want to push it too far.. LOL


Now, Rayley on the other hand.. that prediction was true. SHE - my sweet little princess, the adorable, softspoken, little pixie, has actually been the one to do something bad enough to get kicked out of school..

See, before I spoke to the bus driver and her boss, she was sitting with other little girls, well, one of them and her were talkin, Rayley said something, and the little girl turned around to answer, and in the process, she hit her in the nose with her hand... Rayley never even thought about it. She just (and I quote from Brett who saw the whole thing) "rared back and knocked the snot out of her"

Luckily, the bus driver saw it for what it was, a misunderstanding. and neither girl got in trouble. Brett said he jumped up adn grabbed Rayley, and the other girls sister came up and got her. The sat with their respective siblings and the other little girl wailed all the way home. Rayley on the other hand was not in the least repentant. She felt she had been wronged and took care of it.

Another day, Matt had missed the bus, and I saw some of Bretts homework on the table, so- I drove Matt in to school, dropped him off and took Brett his homework, a little girl was on the other side of the glass doors hollering that Rayley had RED INK all over her! so I rushed to her school. Not real sure what I would find.

I got there, asked to see her and they said she was at the nurses office. they were soaking her hair and wiping out red ink sure enough. her WHITE blonde hair... they got most of it. BUT, the ends around her face were still pink. She said "well, at least I didnt wear the purple outfit I had picked out- I would SOOOO not have matched..." WHEW!!
She was mad, dont get me wrong. but she took it pretty well. She did want to whoop the High Schooler who had thrown the broken pen though. I dont blame her, I did too.

When she got home that evening, she decided the best solution would be to just die the rest of her hair pink. so it all matched.. I opted to instead wash the dickens out of it and pray it came out.

But those are a few reasons to make them sit together. Heck, one time Brett sat in a seat that wasnt meant for him, and a kid had busted a red pen ALL over it. To pick on another kid. yep, Red does NOT come out of khaki.. the next time a kid wiped his hands on him, after breaking a pen to have a 'pen fight' with someone.
Plus the ignorance and fighting, and jumping and being silly. I just thought it was best to nip it in the bud.


The day I took Rayley to school, I told her teachers that after having 4 kids, I had learned not to argue over the little crap. That I promised she would always be clean, and her clothes would be clean, but I would not fight with her at 6 in the morning about what to wear. She would dress herself, so not to call CPS when she came in looking like Punky Brewster.

I also told them that if she ever came in and didnt have her hair fixed, it was to prove to her that she couldnt be a little brat in the mornings, I was NOT going to fight about it, she could get dressed and I'd do her hair, OR she could sulk and be snotty and go to school looking like a ragamuffin.. she did do that... ONCE.


Here are just a few of her outfits.


Here she is with her Homecoming mum. For those of you that aint from Texas, its a tradition to give your sweetheart a mum for the homecoming football game. The bigger and more flashy they are the better.... :) Her brothers have given her one every year since Brett was in Kindergarten. The get garters, the boys I mean. it has a smaller flower and less crap uhhh ribbons on it...





 



















I have been trying to find Rabbits for 4-H. I swear, people are selling these things for well over 150.00. I aint gonna pay that. PERIOD. I just want my kids to breed, raise and show the animals, I dont care about a ribbon. Thats where you get into the politics of it all. I aint got the money to waste for that. They are supposed to learn what makes a good meat rabbit, Not how to buy a grand champion ribbon. But alas, such is life... Our pigs are starting to get old enough to breed, and we got a new piglet the other day for meat. She is the cutest thing. I have been hatching out quail and chicks constantly- That incubator is sooo nice to have.

We did loose my pig of 17 years. Pork chop died from unknown reasons, it was a hard time for me, but such is life I reckon.. Duke the dog is getting on up there too, after that, I think I am just going to stick with eatable livestock...





These two are kinda old... Brett is the baby, and the one on the couch is PRE kids.. LOL


Anyway- here is a few more pictures:


Here is how my kids prefer to travel..



 
The kids rode with BR to his moms on the tractor, they LOVE to do this. I of course follow in the truck, Looks like the Darlins comin to town dont it?? (Please tell me you know who the Darlins are... )

This is them on the first day of school. Poor Bow, the thinks he is goin somewhere too.




And look at how he is copying Brett. Nothin gets past this kid. AT all.






Luckily these were not referals, instead it was permission for them to walk home with out me being there to pick them up from the bus...



I'll stop writing here. Its gotten longer than I wanted it to, and I've been interupted twice with BR's truck having problems. I had to drop everything earlier and go buy him some 5/16th nuts to fix his 18 wheeler with. He was at the shop, but they dont stock it. There were no mechanics there, so he was having to fix it himself. Then he called to meet him at the end of the driveway with a Mt Dew and an Apple. He still had more work to do, and needed a pick me up.

Plus the kids are home, and I have to fix them something to eat. Plus, its gonna take me another 3 hours to upload these pictures... Sorry some are so small.. I cant fiqure out how to make them bigger... They are bigger on facebook....

the countdown for school

I am sitting here at 10:50am. I was supposed to be in town by 9am for school clothes shopping. I have a very full week, Wend and Thursday I have to be at the school for registration. The PTA has a booth. Then I have to leave there Thursday, before its over, but oh well, to reset up the garage sale. It rained on us last weekend. like 4 inches worth. and made it impossible to sell anything. Then Friday we are doing the sale. I need to get Rayley some shoes, Matt needs a new pair of boots, Brett has to have Tennis shoes, and boots, and Brett and Matt both need clothes. I dont know how lots of people are affording to do it. And we dont have a choice, Our kids HAVE to wear the uniforms. YOu cant just get the nicest clothes left from last year and let them wear them. Nope, you have to wear the uniforms.

ANyway, I got up, got dressed, told them to get dressed and Matt had on a pair of VERY dirty jeans. I told him to go and change, he had a meltdown. There was no clean jeans.

Well, I have 2 problems with this. 3 days ago, I asked if there was any more laundry. Everyone said no. I picked up a few things I could find, and threw them in. THEN, 2 days ago, I asked Brett to put a blanket in the washer that Bow had managed to spill his sippy cup on. He couldnt. He was washing jeans. So, 30 minutes later I reminded him to get his jeans out and dry them. He even offered to put my blanket in at that time.

The dryer went off, I told him to get them. He asked if I needed anything to go in the washer. I really thought he had learned his lesson.

Fast forward to today. Come to find out, he had washed 3 pair of jeans. the ones they wore yesterday, and the ones he was wearing today. Just writing about it makes my blood boil.

I took Rayley to my cousins house yesterday, she had offered to give her a hair cut for school. It is SOOO adorable. I never dreamed it would be this cute. Then she offered to cut Bows, and Then show me where I am messing up with Bretts. His is so thick upfront, and then she cut Matts.

I was so grateful for all of that. Then she looked over Rayleys again, we decided we could go shorter with it. Then she offered to cut mine!! So, we all got hair cuts, and she did a great job.

Rayley wanted her hair cut just like mine. and thats what she got. The poor baby has no hair, it was down to her shoulders, but it was stringy, and thin, and broken. If you put it in a pony tail, the pony is smaller than your pinky. I really wish she could have the typical little girl pigtails and pony tails, and wear lots of big bows, but she just doesnt have the hair for it. But I am thrilled with this hair cut, it looks great on her. and will be easy to deal with during her morning meltdowns.











yes I have a mini me.






The pictures are blurry, I know that. But Brett hasnt quite fiqured out the concept of picture taking yet. He tries hard, and luckily he does, otherwise there would never be a picture of me taken. LOL


She does love her hair. and I do too. I just dont know how to style mine now that she has this hair cut. I feel kinda silly having twinkie haircuts with her. LOL

When BR got home I was on the phone. He came in and whispered that my hair was too short. Its a little shorter than normal, but not by much. It had just been a while since I got it cut.

Then a little while later, a commercial for Jon and Kate came on. "I like her hair, well not the back, I like your back better, but the front"

OMG. I told him her hair was MUCH shorter than mine!!

"well, she doesnt have bangs, can you not have bangs?"

"okay, I can probebly get rid of the bangs."

"oh and it would be nice if you would wear clothes- real clothes- everyday, instead of sweat pants and T shirts"

Honestly. For what? seriously. IN addition to the fact that I dont really have anything except 3 pair of jeans, and a few shirts, I wouldnt be comfertable, at all. I sit around the house all day. NO ONE sees me. I slop hogs, I check on chickens, and I really just dont get the point. I have a few nice 'town' outfits, I dont have 'just sitting around the house in comfertable jeans' outfits. I used to years ago. But thats not really something you just go and buy. Its things you aquire. I hate to shop. and my 'comfertable, just around the house' clothes were all 10-15 years old when they burned up. Not to mention, I had a JOB. I dressed everyday to leave the house. Its not like I sit around in a night gown.

He has always told me he wishes I wouldnt wear makeup. I look just fine wiht out it, that I dont have to do all that to my hair, etc etc. so now he wants me to get up in the morning, get in full dress, hair, makeup and such to look at the kids and scream at them?

Not to mention, the extra laundry. I dont go anywhere. I never leave the house. when I do, I am dressed, makeup, hair, etc. and most times I hear "your just going to walmart, why are you getting dressed? " I understand that he doesnt want a frumpy housewife. BUT, I am not actually in PJ's. I have on work out pants, and such. My hair isnt up in rollers or a Aunt Jamima rag, its brushed. not teased but brushed. AND to do all this, I will be washing my few outfits 4 or 5 times as much, they will wear out quicker. I will be using makeup, so instead of blush and eyeshadow lasting me a year or two, it will last maybe 3 or 4 months. Not to mention the hairspray. Hairspray is ONE thing I dont scrimp on. But a can lasts me months and months. Now I might get a month out of it.

And the time. I am not one who takes 3 hours to get ready, But a shower, blowdry and makeup does take me about 45 minutes. Now, thats 45 minutes out of my day. BUT dont stop there. Thats also 45 minutes that the kids are into something. a marker, sissors, trying to rope the ceiling fan, pulling the blinds down and off peice by peice, dumping all the toys in the living room, getting their own koolaid and spilling it, trying to fill up the sugar thing and dropping 4 pounds on the floor.

You get the idea. SO, now I have a mess that it took them 45 minutes to make- that I have to clean up. You dont clean these messes up quickly. so, thats at least an hour and a half to clean up the mess they made when I was in the shower. Now, I am looking at 2 hours and 15 minutes wasted, so I can look nice in the hour that he is home before he goes to bed. Usually that hour is spent washing dishes or cooking, so I am sweaty or a soapy wet mess when I am done.



off my soapbox now. kinda

and I let this sit in drafts for a week. My new computer that my dad bought me arrived. It was SOOO nice of him to get it! it even has wifi. I have to drive to town for it to work, but its cool. Unfortunatly, I had to send it off for repairs less than a week after it arrived. I got it back in 2 days. They changed some stuff out. and its STILL messed up. It goes back today.

I had the garage sale, got rained out and had another. I didnt make much money, and the stuff in it was nice. I sent an entire truck load, and I do mean a LOAD to hospice. After trying to sell it 3 times I decided that God wanted me to donate the stuff to those less fortunate. I did keep most of Bows clothes. I hope to give them to someone. The people that I had the sale with said I was bad luck. They have never had a garage sale where they didnt make less than 600.00. LOL

I got the school supplies sold, we only have 10 more that need selling and I am confident they will sell at open house. T shirts are ordered and I am almost ready for school to start.

We have went school clothes shopping, and I have been working on that garage sale for weeks. I have went through everyones closets, gotten it all out. GOt rid of LOTS of toys, etc. My kids STILL wont clean up.

Today my mother is coming to get them at one. She wanted them to come and visit. For weeks and weeks I have begged them to clean their rooms. Threatened to throw it all away. Yesterday I went into their bathroom, I had asked it be cleaned for a while. They ignored me. So, I threw away everything except toothbrushes. All Rayleys play makeup... gone.
The boys cologne and such? GONE.

and all toys that were in there, are GONE. I mopped the floor by hand, cleaned the toilet, the tub and the sink. The whole thing took me less than 15 minutes. That was all it would have taken them. but in their lazyness they lost lots of stuff.

I cant have that bathroom messy, its the one visitors use.
I cant have their bedrooms so messy I cant walk in them.

and I am SOOO tired of doing laundry. They refuse to put it up. instead its on the floor. Aside from my time, which noone seems to respect, water and electricity are expensive. VERY expensive. I am tired of wasting it on them.

I sat them down and explained that I am not a maid, I am not the hired help and I am fed up with being treated that way. They ignored me and pretended to clean but only played for the next 5 hours. So, when they leave here today, its gone. and its not just the one room thats messy.

When I explained it, I told them all clean or everything goes. including baseball cards. Well Brett said "if both rooms aint clean you will take the stuff from the clean room too?"

well, since yesterday they had the bright idea to take the toys they like, and put them in Rayleys room, 'giving' them to her, so I would clean their room of the trashy toys and trash, I said "YEP" -- if both rooms aint clean, they loose it all.

I dont want to. It all comes down to the bottom line. money was spent on that stuff. PLUS, Bow plays with it too. But, If they want to treat me like a prison warden, I am going to treat them like inmates. Inmates on cell restiction. No personal property and no privledges.

-----

anyway, we did get most of the school clothes. I only got Brett a few pair of the pants, and a few shirts. he just needs shoes. Which we cant find. They have to be a solid color. and they dont want the logo to be large or showy. He wont wear loafers, and they recalled all the kids chukas.

Matt did get new boots, again. and Rayley got a few outfits and some new shoes.. She is soooo excited to go to school.

The other day she came in here and told me "mom, you are gona have to write a note for me, or just tell everyone" (now, she is a drama queen, and talks with her hands, so at this point she is gestering quite lividly) "you need to tell the school that I am Rayley Lorena Byerly, (hands go to her hips at this point) and that I am Brett and Matt Byerly's little sister" " you HAVE to write this down, are yougetting all this? " I am nodding my head of course " You tell them just who I am, so there is no confusion"

So I told her "sweetie, I can assure you, there will be NO confusion as to who you are"

"fine, just so they know"

I dont know what I am going to do with her. Seriously. But she did get Matts old teacher. Maybe that will help. Although she is totally differnt from Matt.
He was quiet and although lazy, he didnt get in alot of trouble for talking. She will I am quite sure..

Bow is going to be a handful when they start school. He wont know what to do with himself. I feel sorry for the poor thing. He is used to having them to beat up on.

Just yesterday Brett was telling my grandfather how mean Bow was. So he told Bow, "hit me in the nose" Bow balled up his fist, rared back and knocked the snot out of him. my grandfather laughed so hard he cried.

And if the kids make him mad, and they are not with in hitting distance, he will take his fingers, make a gun and 'shoot' them as they walk off.

They did it to him. They have played with him and picked at him since the day he was born. They treat him like he is their age. He follows them everywhere. He does the same things they do, and when they wrassle or fight, he is right in the middle of it. They play keepaway from him, toss him around like a sack of taters, and are always trying to get a rise out of him.

Tomorrow I will go and get the rest of the kids school supplies. This is gona cost a fortune.

We are an hour into the 'clean' the final chance the kids have. They have 3 hours left, and right now I can hear them playing and throwing things in Rayleys bedroom. I find it quite disturbing. They think one of three things. That A)- I wont really do it.. B) that I will eventually give them back the things, or C) that they will get to replace it with more toys at the next birthday, or by just asking for stuff from the grandmothers.

BUT- I have spoken to every family member, I have told them that I will nto allow any more toys, or such in the house. I have explained that any toys recieved will go strait to hospice. One or two will ignore me. But, I have to have control. and When they ignore me and waste their money, I loose control. I am outnumbered by these children. and they know it. I am tired of always begging, pleading, threating and punishing. I dont want to spend my life doing that.

If I make a grandparent mad, so be it. Life is too short for me to be miserable while the rest of the world gets their way.

I cant even go into their rooms to put up clothes. I cant go in to wake them up. I swear its booby trapped. Half the time I cant even FIND them when they sleep. They cant use their beds, they sleep on the 2 foot deep piles of clothes, blankets, toys and various other sundry that makes up the floor of their rooms.

Then they get mad when you step on them. Its a health hazard. OSHA would fine me to high heaven if they walked in here. I am not even sure its safe to live in the house. These kids have dirty clothes that they havent seen in months. Socks that could walk on their own when they took them off. They have just sat in there and fermented for God knows how long.

I dont ask for a spotless room, I just ask for it to be livable. I am not a spotless housekeeper. You can find dust anywhere you look, But I dont leave dirty diapers all over the floor.

I am really worried about them. They just dont have any sense of responsibility. And I have tried to always make them appriciate what they get. I dont buy them the latest toys, I dont give them everything they ask for. Heck, I dont buy anything unless its birthday or Christmast. Dont get me wrong, they get things, but its NOT from us. I dont know why they think the world revolves around them. And I am doing what I think is right to correct the mistakes that I have made. Its all I can do. And its not like this is a new thing. I have made them pick up their toys from the day they were old enough to pull them out of the toybox. Maybe its because I always had them at grandparents houses, I would tell them to clean up, they would say "oh dont worry about it baby, I'll get it later" or "Michelle, they are just babies, dont be so hard on them" Either way, my fault, theirs, or just bad breeding, its got to stop. At the rate they are going, they will be the adults who are always sitting there saying "I dont like the President, but what will my vote do?" or "I dont think I should have to serve Jury Duty, let someone else who wants to do it" or my favorite "why should I help at my kids school, there are lots of moms who want to do it" The reason our country is going to hell in a handbasket, is because too many people expect someone else to do all the dirty work, expect everyone else to make things right for them, and expect someone else to pick up the peices. Well, when we as a country stop helping out our neighbor, our kids schools, our judicial system, and ignoring our elections, we will be standing in line hoping the soup is still hot and there is still good veggies in it. If they can find someone willing to serve it to us. OR praying that the judge hasnt had a bad day, listened to the case and doesnt have a predjudice towards us for some unknown slight. When we cant find a jury of our peers, when the crazy people are the only ones to vote, when all the moms with an extra hour a day spend it watching Dr Phil instead of helping out in the classroom, or making mums for a fundraiser, we will be relying on someone who could care less about us.

Sorry, I got back on that soapbox.... I just cant help it. The lack of interest that people have in things outside their own little world amaze me. and it saddens me.

THis is kinda why I havent been blogging lately. I have tried, but I just seem to be in such a bad mood lately that I cant help but whine. I dont do enough for my world, and I know that. But, trutfully, be it here at home, at the school, at the polls, wherever, no matter how hard I work, it seems like I am the only one trying. and I know that sounds selfish, but when you work your butt off, doing just the little things, cleaning, cooking, folding laundry, and then you walk in and 15 minutes later it looks like you have sat on your ass all day, you just wonder. "why did I do it? why didnt I just sit on my ass all day?" I dont want flowers, or Thank yous, or grand standing. I dont care if my name is ever in lights, I just want to know that what I have done is used. what I have done is respected. Not admired, just respected. I want the new clothes I bought, spent hard earned money on, to be put up. taken care of. I want the floor I just vaccummed to not have easter grass (where the HELL does that come from? its like gremlins, it mulitplies.... ) strown across it because I went to pee. And if I make ONE more meal where I get asked "why didnt you make ________- to go with it", or "why do we have to eat this? I'd rather have that" I am going to scream.

damn... that soap box is hard to get off of.. LOL


I have officially taken Brett off cleaning duty. He was in there, trying to clean, and Rayley and Matt were just throwing stuff at each other, or fighting. So now, their whole future relies on the two laziest people in the house. and there is less than an hour to go. I did tell him that his future is on his siblings shoulders, so he could choose to clean if he wanted. They are now cleaning and he is sitting. I dont blame him, but he is risking alot.

anyone got any trash bags I can borrow?

July in a nutshell-- a melted, dehydrated nutshell

Its been HOT. well over 100 degrees each day, with NO rain. Our heat index is usually in the 110 range. and like I said, NO percipitation. The gardens have all dried up and died, we have to literly water the hogs 4-5 times a day, making mud puddles for them, the chickens are drinking their weight in water, you cant fix your hair because before you get in the car your soaking wet with sweat and all the hairspray makes it into one big sheet of rockhard nastyness. (well it does me, but I still do the big hair thing... ) Finally we are getting rain. THANK GOD. about 3 inches this week. I am so happy. and I really am not complaining about the heat. Its been pointed out more than once, its 120* in Iraq, and at least I do have AC.



I know, I have been absent alot. I wish I could blame it on traveling the globe on a wonderful vacation with BR, or something important and life altering, even just working on a huge project to better the world. But alas, I can only blame it on my lack of drive.

That and I am just so damn tired of this dial up. and my computer is worse than ever. I havent even been doing my PTA stuff. I am the only one with assignments during the summer, and I havent gotten either one done. I have to get 100 school supply packs bought and together, going through all the stuff we already have in storage and adding to it, and I lost the list of what we have. I have turned my house upside down, and still cant find it. And I have to order T shirts. Doesnt sound hard I know, but none of the bids are cut and dried.

I also spend most of my time picking up, doing laundry and screaming at kids. One day I will get to be the fun parent. I swear I will. But as it is, all I get to do is order them around, take things away because they wont do the most mundane things, and act like a tyrant. It would be easier if I was just willing to give in, do it myself and let them go play and get out of my hair. But I guess I am just a glutton for punishment.

Rayley is really changing, I see her matureing every day. But she is gona be a pistol in school.
Brett and Matt are... trying... they just TRY to give me a nervous breakdown.

Bowdrie,... Oh lordy.. that child is a goofball. He is no longer my baby, he still doesnt talk. He CAN talk. He just doesnt. He uses the typical sounds "eewwww" and "uuuhhhmmmm" and he squeals and laughs.

The only words he will say are "Bye" which he delivers with a blown kiss and a wave, anytime he leaves the room. "UP" which is short for SHUT UP. He picked this up at my inlaws, they have lots of coon dogs that bark CONSTANTLY, so its a mantra around there "SHUTUP!"

and his new favorite, "Idit" Which is 'Idiot' He LOVES to use this one.

We did have one that was really confusing us. 'op' it wasnt 'UP' it was 'op' he would walk around saying it, looking in rooms. Sometimes if a car would drive up that he didnt recognize he would run to the window, climb up on the coffee table and holler 'OP'. Then one day, the kids were discussing Rayleys new gun. and when Pappy would be back. (BR and I call him Pappy, the kids call him Pop.. Not for any reason, just cause its funny... :) )

"mom, Rayley needs to shoot her new BB gun that pop bought her" one of the boys said, probebly so they could get THEIR BB guns and 'borrow' some of HER BBs' See they left theirs outside well over a year ago, and I refused to buy more when they got all rusty....
"yeah MOM! I need to shoot my new BB gun. Pop wouldnt like me not getting to shoot it after he bought it for me" Well first of all. it was only 108* outside, and he had been gone all of 2 weeks. She had gotten to shoot it in that time, just not EVERYDAY.

Well Little Bowdrie throws down what ever he was playing with, RAN to the window, and started hollering "OP!! OP!!" so now we KNOW, it was POP that he was saying!

He has let it slip a few times that he can talk. He will get mad, or excited and say something. He still runs to BR and will say 'daddy' if he gets mad at me he will holler 'momma' and he does go to the door and holler for Duke. We have also heard him holler for Matt. its more of a "MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTT" type word though.

Mostly he just grunts and points.

Speaking of BB's. Yesterday I was going to town, the boys gathered up all their money, where they keep getting money I dont know... and were counting it. They wanted to buy BB's. I am still smarting about them letting theirs go to waste, so I told them I didnt know about that. Then I overheard them talking about buying a toy. I put my foot down. they were NOT buying a toy.
"But mom, we have 15.00 in cash " (I think everytime my grandfather sees them he gives them some money) "and 7.00 in change"

"I dont care, you are NOT buying a toy. You wont even clean your room"
"well, its not really a toy, its a gun, you wont let us have our BB guns, so we are gona get a few fake guns, so we can at least pretend to have guns when we play outside- They have little sucker things we can hit targets with"

"NO! you got double barrel pop guns a few years ago, along with the bullets to go in them, NICE guns, your daddy drove hours to get them, and y'all left them outside and let them get ruined- and you lost your BB guns because you left 6,000 BB's outside IN the rain, to get rusty and ruined. ALONG with a BB gun."

"well fine, what are we supposed to do with our money? buy life insurance?"

This from Matt.
"it might be a good idea, at least enough to bury you with, so I dont have to dig an unmarked grave behind the house"

I did relent and allow them to get some BB's. I had actually planned on buying them myself, but, since they offered.....

The last few weeks BR and I have been getting ready for the National Wild Turkey Hunting Heratige banquet. It was last Saturday. We spent Friday setting up, then Saturday morning BR and I went to the Masonic Lodge for my grandfathers 50 year Eastern Star pin. and then we went back and set up the rest of the banquet. We came home to get ready and go get more ice, and ran into a STORM. I was driving, BR was bitching, and I couldnt see my own windshield, much less the road. It started hailing and everything. But I wont complain. Matter of fact, its raining here today. ANd I am thrilled. We needed it sooo badly. Anyway, we got the ice, and headed back to the banquet. The food was GREAT! and the prizes... WOW!! There was some really nice artwork, and it was a great banquet. Quite a few things went for pretty cheap, and I wish I had had some money to buy them. There was some really cool stuff, that went for practically NOTHING.

We won a few things in the drawings, but alas, no guns. THis is my first banquet in years that I didnt come home with a gun. I think its cause of my boots. But it might be because I didnt buy the raffle tickets that I usually do. LOL

See years ago, BR bought me a pair of lime green and periwinkle fat babies. I always wear them to the banquets. Well, being on the committee means I wear a Texas Flag shirt. Lime green is NOT a color on the Texas flag. I was just gona wear my crocs, I have a red pair. BUT BR suprised me with a pair of new Red and Brown fat babies. I honestly cant remember the last time I had a new pair of shoes. Its been at least 3 years. They are beautiful. The bottoms are brown, with the uppers, or 'tops' the part that is usually covered by your jeans, being red. They do have 3 small stars cut out that are lime green underlay, and the inside of the boots are lime green. YOu dont see that part, but I know its there. maybe it wasnt the boots, maybe it was just not my year. :)

The boys went with us, and they had a blast.

They won quite a few things off the Jakes table (the kids section of the NWTF) including some little bug houses... YUCK. when Rayleys name was drawn, they got her some .22 or BB targets, little clay targets on stands. She LOVED it!

I did win an archery target, a wooden box with a knife, a set of wire baskets, a really nice hen and rooster pocket knife, a set of filet knives and cutting board, and a pop up hunting blind. Oh and our districts reps wife was there, she had bought tickets for the womens table and won a hair cut in town. Since they are from up North (north Texas, not yankee north) she couldnt use it. So she gave it to me. Come to find out, its from the beauty shop I use!! whoo-hoo!!





Here is the boys with my grandfather. It was not planned that they all wear the same color. it just worked out that way. I asked them to wear matching shirts, so I could find them easily at the banquet hall. And remembering ONE color when you are doing 8,000 things is MUCH easier than trying to remember 2.

 
 
 



Oh and here is a picture BR and I took. I bet its the first picture we have taken in years. and years. Usually I am behind the camera, and BR is hiding. My hair had fallen in the 30 minutes it took to drive to town, but it started out looking good.


I wasnt able to get a picture of us in our Texas shirts and my new boots. You will have to wait until Next year to see how absolutly beautiful we looked. ROFLMAO.





We didnt take the other two kids. For one. Bow wont sit still that long, and two, we had to leave there and go set up the banquet hall. (yes, I did change clothes) So the other 2 were already dropped off with my mother in law.

Speaking of which, my sister in law was going to keep them, but Bow started throwing a fit around 8. His bedtime. she couldnt get him to shut up. So she took him to my mother in law. I started getting text messages around 9 that he was throwing a fit. nothing made him happy. I couldnt leave and get him, told them to just bring him to me. I would get him around midnight otherwise. Well at 10 he went to sleep. My mother in law said he was fine when I talked to her the next day, he wasnt throwing a fit once he got to her house, but I dont know.

anyway, she said to just leave him. She had him and my sister in law had Rayley. BR and I got home around 1:30. watched some TV and went to bed around 3. at 4 I woke up to my mother in law standing over my bed with Bow. He had woken up and was walking around looking for us. So she just brought him home.

He settled down and went right back to sleep. But its obvious that BR and I cant go anywhere overnight. Good thing we dont have the money. LOL




I also spent about a week cleaning out my house. I had a garage sale. Unfortunatly, I had it at the wrong time of the month, and only had a few customers. A few other families out this way are having one the last weekend of this month so I am gona try again. I was in the middle of the garage sale, and it was time to clean it all up, and BR decided we needed to rearrange the living room. It was NOT fun. But we got it done and its much easier to clean, looks less cluttered, and has more room. We also did our bedroom the week before the garage sale. THAT was a nightmare. Because my bedroom is the catch all. We dont have much storage space, so we use the bedroom to shove everything from extra wrapping paper, to school keepsakes, and everything else.

And I STILL havent found my PTA book. On Friday night before the garage sale I stayed up ALL night putting clothes on hangers, HUNDREDS of hangers, and ran out, I ran out about 45 minutes before I was supposed to start setting up at 6am.

It was VERY hot outside, and I was pouring sweat before 7am. With so few people coming in I fell asleep a few times.

I have been trying to get school clothes together for the kids. and trying to find BRett some decent pants to wear. He is in uniforms this year, but I cant find ANY khaki pants that you can wear with boots. Of course, I have to buy these pants IN ADDITION to his normal jeans. Jeans he can wear at home and on the weekends. The minute he comes in from school he will change into jeans to go and play in. I just dont belive that I should be buying special clothes that he cant wear everywhere to go to school. THis is a BIG bone of contention with me. THis is a public school. a dress code that mirrors decent dress would be fine. Thats how its always been. But dictating them having to wear clothes that they would not normally have in their closet is beyond rediculas. Yes, I KNOW when he grows up and gets a job he will have to wear what is expected in that line of work. A suit and tie for a lawyer, a uniform for a cop, firefighter, military man, or even some truck drivers. BR wears one. BUT, for one, you are almost ALWAYS provided said uniforms. BR has had many jobs where he wore one, and they were ALWAYS provided free of charge. BUT, despite that, he was being PAID to show up. either in his own clothes or theirs. HE was being PAID. I PAY for my children to GO there. I am already paying MORE in school taxes than some people pay for wardrobes. heck, its more than I spend on all 4 of my kids a year to dress them.

Sorry, didnt mean to get on a a soap box. Again...

My kids brought me a present the other day. All wrapped up in a hankerchief. They hadnt even gotten dressed yet, heard the dog barking and ran outside. as you can tell from Brett, he was in MY crocs...


 

 

Actually, when they walked in the door with it they said " WHERE IS DAD?"
"taking a shower, why?"
"we got y'all something"
"I really dont want it, I refuse to take care of it, and you KNOW your daddy is NOT gona be happy if its a snake"
Now, mind you they are standing, holding this hankerchief like the stork holds a baby, not at arms length either.

so BR walks out about that time see's everyone standing and says "WHAT?"

"the kids brought you a present"
"why?"
"because they are morons?"
"dad, can you tell us if its poisonous?"
"if whats poisonous?"
"this...."
"tell me you dont have a snake wrapped up in there that you dont even know what it is... IN my living room.... "
"we dont know what kind it is, do you?"
and they started to open it. Now, I had thousands of peices of clothes stacked in the living room about 3 feet behind them, piles of stuff, for the garage sale.
"DONT OPEN IT IN HERE!"
so out on the porch everyone went. It turned out to be a juvenile hognose.
Not poisonous. But a typical start to a typical day around here.

BR was NOT happy. he does NOT like snakes. PERIOD. He will kill them, but would rather just leave them alone. He isnt freakish like I am about spiders. He doesnt scream and run. He just gets the heebie jeebies and stays as far away as possible.
Unfortunatly, its not a trait he passed on to barefoot Jim and Crocodile Dundee. As you can see, Rayley is just as interested. Bow is too. You cant see him in the picture, because BR is holding him back.


We have started getting eggs from our chickens, and the hogs are close to breeding age. I have hatched out a few dozen chicks, and a few dozen quail, with more in the incubator. I cant wait to BBQ them, but it seems like everytime I get some hatched out, someone offers my sister in law enough money that we end up selling them.


I fiqure the rain is fixing to make me loose electricity. Not always fun, but it does remind me, I HAVE to take the generator in to the shop THIS WEEK. huricanne season is coming up and I dont want to be stuck with out it. I cant afford for my entire freezer and fridge to go to waste, plus I cant live with out TV. or the computer. No matter how crappy it is.

a brief catch up.

* I have written this 3 times. and deleted it 3 times.

I didnt mean to, I just hit the wrong button while trying to edit my pics and it deletes. I dont know how to get it back. I am near tears. This has been such a great day, BUT this has killed it. WEll that and BR called me to come get him, his truck is broke down again. This is the 4th time in a little over a week.

Well, its been a while, again....

The boys started practicing for allstars. Every night for about 3 hours. Till around 10. Our first game is Saturday, so we need the practice.

I have been working on Rayleys cake. Its supposed to have a tiara on it. I made about 6 of them. The first one has stayed together perfectly, BUT I dont like it. at all.

The second one stayed together, BUT, it wasnt smooth. I was still learning how to use the gumpaste.

The third, fourth and fifth, wouldnt stick together. OR they would stick together, I'd let them dry overnight and when I tried to take off the wax paper they would fall apart.

This is the second Tiara, I drew a pattern and then rolled out the gumpaste to match it.

I was very proud of it, until I picked it up to set it on the butter dish to dry in a rounded shape.

This is what happened:

notice the one on the left? that was the second one to die.

Then, I got it all together, reglued it with gumpaste and put it on. WHEW~

Now its time to paint my gelatin butterfly. The body is gumpaste. Not bad. This all edible cake might just look good after all.

Once I got that done, it was time to paint it. I was impressed. The gold was very nice, and I thought it looked pretty good.

After it dried, it fell apart too.





So, I decided to just roll out some purple gumpaste and stick the tiara on it. NOT what I wanted, it looks like crap, but its there.

From Blogger Pictures

From Blogger Pictures

From Blogger Pictures

From Blogger Pictures

This has been one of those weeks where nothing you do seems to come out right. Brett was supposed to do some of their laundry, we were trying to clean in preperation of my dad coming. They had a dozen loads they could do, instead he picked towells. about a dozen VERY large towells. He was just being lazy. He doesnt realize that he now had to do the towells- that I would have done myself- PLUS his clothes.


Well, someone, (I am guessing its our friend N.M.- short for NOT ME) put it on small load, and someone else didnt check. so he broke my washer.

it was full of water and wouldnt do a thing. I had to drag out 125 pounds of wet towells. and get the water out of the washer.

BR tried to see if he could fix it. picked it up, messed with the belt, which was fine, and then accidentaly dropped it.

It started working. I had been in tears.



Mid week, the washer stopped working again. Things were just awful to start with, so I was at the end of my rope. When that washer wouldnt start I just started praying. Begging God to help me get through it. Telling him I knew that he wouldnt give me more than I could handle, but I was starting to loose it.

IT started. I kid you not.

we had our yearly homecoming last weekend. It was nice to visit with all the old folks. Of course, it came on the same day I had to go to town and do a car wash to raise money for allstars. But I managed to get both done, and brought tater salad and snap beans to the picnic.



Rayleys party turned out nice, she got about 4 outfits for school, and 2 new pair of boots. My sister in law got her a pair of tennis shoes for school, I told her that the boots I got where size 12 and to get that. She did. Unfortunatly, Rayley is now wearing a 12. She grew over night.

From Blogger Pictures

The cake didnt travel well. It wasnt quite held like it should have been. Of course if you ask BR its all my fault, my driving, the way I boxed it, that I was breathing too hard... whatever..

From Blogger Pictures

I did brush her hair before we left, and she was cute. But when we got there she decided to run around like a hoodlum....



She had asked for no toys. she didnt want to clean them up and I was glad I am tired of telling her to clean them up!

She did get toys, some folks dont listen. Her wish was answered though, She got firepower!!

From Blogger Pictures

From Blogger Pictures

From Blogger Pictures

and then something for her feminine side.

From Blogger Pictures

Of course we did have drama before the party, almost making us miss it all together, or at least making the boys miss it all together.



It all started earlier in the week, I took the boys grey pants, washed them, scrubbed them by hand, and got them spotless. Then I dried them, folded them, and handed them to them. Telling them "put these up, you can wear your white pants to practice all week, and keep these clean."

So fast forward to Saturday morning. On Friday night, I told them to find their stuff. They said they did. I saw everything except the pants. Cause they were in the drawer right?

well, Saturday morning I asked for another uniform check, we were short one pair of pants. So off on the pant hunt we went. Or they did.

3 hours later I explained taht with one pair missing, it meant that NOONE played ball. PERIOD.

They had already been jerked out of ball, I had to make a trip to Houston on wend for my aunt and told my mom and them that they had to water and feed the pigs 2 times while I was gone. They failed to do it period. It was 100*. To say I was livid was an understatement.

But their coach begged me to let them play. So I did. Then they loose their pants.

I refused to just 'stop and buy another pair'. The shirts and hats alone were 60.00 per kid. Then the Deisel I had to waste to drive to town for 8 practices, plus Saturdays car wash.

Not to mention the fluids I lost sitting at the ball park for 3 hours a night, in 100 degree heat, watching them act like drunk monkeys on the field.

So about 10 minutes BEFORE the party started, that we had to leave and get to, they finally found the pants. NOT in the same drawer that the first pair were in, instead they were in a differnt drawer. One they keep momentoes in.

they were allowed to go.

THEN, once we got home from the party it was time to haul butt, We had to drive 40 miles the other side of Jasper, we live 20 on this side.

My dad was in for the weekend, so he was able to go with us. Or was too polite to decline the invitation. He was blessed to see us practice on Friday night.


Dont get me wrong, I commend the coaches for taking the time to do an allstar team. But I have to say that its not in your best intrest if you are not well versed in baseball to not take advise from those who are. OR at least read the rule book.

To say they were clueless would be an understatement. At our first practice, we were bad.

The only way I can describe it is:

You know the show 'Bad News Bears'? At the begining when they were just really awful. before they got the girl who could pitch? they would have whipped us. At the begining of the show. before they learned teamwork and all that mushy stuff. Luckily, we were consistant. because at 10:00 pm Friday night, we were still the same.

We went an entire week, and no one played the same position twice. None of the kids knew where they were playing. and of the 5 pitchers who made the team, 3 were used. 2 kids who had never seen the top of the mound were put in to pitch.

And the catchers were no differnt. 2 made the team, and they played the infield. A kid who had caught a few times, 2 years ago, against a pitching machine was used.

The line up didnt fair much better, One of the power hitters was first up. Kids who were consistant hitters and baserunners were at the bottom of the lineup.

He took our first pitcher and had him pitch 44 pitches. Then took him out. That put him having to wait another 4 days before he could pitch again. Our next game was Tuesday.

The next ones he took out at 20. so they could pitch again.

But it didnt matter, We walked in all but about 6 earned runs. Well, not even walked them in, I think we walked in a few. The rest were 'stole' by past balls.

Our catcher couldnt stop anything. a strike, a throw, a ball. They all went past him.

It got so bad that by the second inning, the coach for the other team was having his kids bat left handed. Or bunt.

Of course, by now Brett got brought in. I dont even know how many runs we were down by. well over a dozen plus. like 17-18. Bases were loaded, no outs, the kid at bat had 3 balls on him, and no strikes. He throws in a pitch, it gets past the catcher, and in comes a run. on a STRIKE! this happened all night. But the beautiful one was when we had two outs, a bunt was laid down, neither first base or third base tried to get it, down runs Brett. He scoops it up, turns to throw to first and there is first laying flat of his back, he had tripped over the base.

So he turns to home, a kid was running in. the catcher is turned around adjusting his padding.

Finally we get out of the inning.

This crap goes on and on. The last inning they are heading out, the coach calls back a kid. This kid had made or assisted in almost every out. Had been chattering to the infield the whole time (ie '1 out plays at first' or ' 2 outs, play at any base'), was a consistant player. He called him out and told another to come in. His nephew. And I hear... I kid you not " Cant I just go home? I'm bored and dont wana play."

Luckily we were able to eventually go home. the last inning at our bat we got 3 runs, so the final score was 24-3.


Monday we pretended to practice again.

Then Tuesday was our next game, It was a double elmination tournament for district champs.

We batted first. And got runs on the board. Brett was pitching. He did a pretty good job. He had a few mistakes. BUT, when you throw strikes and the catcher doesnt catch them, its obvious that you wont win the game.

The coach pitched Brett every pitch he could. plus a few. At this age, a kid can only pitch 75 pitches. Brett pitched 79.

He got a few outs. In that last inning he pitched he caught 2 pop up flys to get the outs.

We were able to get out of his last inning with the score being 8 to 8. He didnt walk anyone in, but if he threw a ball, the other team learned quickly that you could steal home, cause the catcher didnt catch the ball.

Brett also got on first. no outs, and a kid that can hit was coming up. the coach made him steal to second. my slow as molasses kid didnt make it. No idiot sends a slow kid to second, when a hitter is up to bat, with NO outs.

I take that back, ONLY an idiot sends a slow kid to second, when a hitter is up to bat, with NO outs.

guess what happened next? yep. this kid walked the next 4 kids. had he left Brett alone, we would have had one less out adn one more point at the end of the first inning.

We had a good game at first. Then they just laid it down. Brett was out as pitcher, and they got a few runs on us.

But thats not the worse part. Matt sat the bench for the first few innings. Then he sent him out. He was put in the 3rd slot batting and in right field. This was during Bretts 3 up 3 down inning. where he caught the 2 popups on the pitchers mound. Then they went up to bat. The coaches sent in the wrong kid in Matts place.

The other team didnt catch it. it was a 3 up 3 down inning.

Then he took Matt back out and put him on the bench. You cant do that. you have to play each kid, and they have to bat.

So 3 differnt men went and told the coach. SO then he sends him up in the kids place that went in instead of him at the other bat. NO CAN DO. if you read the rules, you would know this.

THis time the other team caught it. Matt had 2 strikes and 3 balls. full count.

They had a meeting of the minds at the plate, and I say that with complete levity.

Come to find out Matt wasnt allowed to bat. Of course, we had already told them this. 2 of the guys in the stands knew it and told them. Not just regular joes. But the coach that ours had two scrimages against and learned all he knew from, and a guy on the board of JYBA.

they pulled Matt out, put the original kid in and he struck out. That was the extent of Matts playing for the night.

He had ran hundreds of bases, slid till he had skin lost and strawberries everywhere, rug burn and bruises, been hit by countless balls, hit hundreds of balls, Sweated and cried, worked harder than I have ever seen him work. to play for 7 minutes and get taken out of his only bat. To say I was pissed would be an understatement. He was as good as anyone out there, (this coming from OTHERS, not just me) and better than quite a few. But he had been treated like crap.

The coach actually told the people that went there to tell him "but I put him in"

NO he didnt.

SO, the coach that had tried to help said "since your other Byerly boy didnt bat,
you can protest the game". We died laughing. why would we protest? for more of the same torture? LOL

One inning actually ended with the bases loaded, and the coach sent one of the slower running players to steal home. they got him in a rundown. well not a real rundown, more of a throw, gotcha type situation. He was WAY too slow to even be stealing.

and the bases were LOADED!!

It was just pathetic.

We lost 8 to 14. But we did try, for the most part. Our poor catcher caught EVERY inning. THis is one of the boys that played catcher in the regular season. He isnt bad at it. But if they took the pitcher out at 75 pitches in the 3rd inning, then the catcher needs to come out too. He has thrown BACK to the pitcher EVERY pitch, plus a few down the lines.. This poor kid was exhusted, but gave it his all the entire game.

I am glad its over. And more than a handful of people asked BR to coach next year. a few dads even offered to help him coach. People asked him if we could meet at the ballpark to practice, just play around, but learn something.

They had seen what BR tried to do, and were happy with it.

this week has been much of the same. I have been getting up early and pickin in the garden, shucking corn and putting it up. Yesterday alone was over 100 ears of corn.

I have done peas, maters, squash, corn and cucumbers this week. Last week, I was staying out till 10:30 and then getting up around 5:30 to get in the gardens. and its been SOOO hot. easily into the 103 plus range. Some days it was 110 heat index.


and being the mean mom I am, I make my kids help. EVERY time I am in a field they are helping. if I am cleaning, pealing, silking, cutting etc, they are helping.

From Blogger Pictures

And yes, I am a slave driver.



and this is what else I have done.

9 out of 10 eggs hatched, for 9 new chicks, and my sister in laws quail started hatching.

aint they cute??

thats a normal size chicken egg and the quail eggs.

From Blogger Pictures

And I just had to show a cute little quail with a real chicken egg.

From Blogger Pictures

Here is a 3 day old chick, beside the 2 day old quail.
The chick came out of that egg, the quail is now in it.

From Blogger Pictures

From Blogger Pictures

From Blogger Pictures

Again, I just thought it was cute to put the quail in the larger egg. It doesnt use it as a home, or wasnt born out of it, or anything like that. I just had a newly hatched chicken egg laying around, and a new baby quail and thought I'd show the size difference.




Oh, and this morning, Brett came into the living room, I was trying to watch the news, but instead was bombarded by crap about Micheal Jackson. I think that South Korea could have bombed New York and they'd still worry about Micheal ODing on demoral.

So, Brett comes in and sits down. He looks at the TV and says "THATS Micheal Jackson?"

"yep, who did you think it was?"

"oh, I have seen her... I mean him before, but thought it was a woman, with really bad hair... that maybe she had that armadillo disease or something"

He was refering to Lepordsy.

"no baby, that is the one and only Micheal Jackson"

"I thought Micheal Jackson was black"

"he was born that way"

"is that his real nose?"

"no... "

"Didnt that really pretty woman die yesterday too?"

"you mean Farrah Fawcett?"

"yeah, that one that was before my time.. why aint they talkin about her? At least she was pretty, and didnt act weird..."



I gotta say, I couldnt have said it better myself.

Heck, Ed McMahon was just a passing thought at the end of broadcasts. Farrah was cast to the side with in minutes of Micheals heart attack. And sadly, HUNDREDS of hometown heros, loving fathers, mothers, grandparents, children and innocent babies died yesterday without a peep in the news. Instead we cant get away from a pedophile with serious identity issues.