I promise to do better.

Okay, I will admit, I have been avoiding you. Honestly. When I let the blog slide for as long as I have been, I hate to come in and try to catch up. Its just awful. And the guilt... I feel guilty for not having been here. for not tattiling on my kids, for ignoring you, now I feel quilty for lumping it all on you at once.

So I wont. I am going to run down what has happened. It will be a crappy post. But if I get it all off my chest now, I can pick back up. I have wanted to come in and tell you a few things, but then felt bad because I would be ignoring other things.

First of all, I am NOT happy about quitting smoking. I dont lead the type of life where I can just drop a habit that helps to keep me sane.

So, here I am diving in with both feet.

Animals (wild and otherwise)- *My chickens were disapearing at an alarming rate, Finally we got the coop where they cant get out. We hope. I have lost well over a dozen.
*While I was doing my hair getting ready to go somewhere and Matt had been sent out to let the chickens out, He came busting in the bathroom door. With an adult female cardinal in his hands. He had caught it. He had failed to let the chickens out or feed the hogs, but he managed to bring a full grown wild bird in my house.
*a week or so later, Matt found a differnt cardinal dead outside the coop. They are trying to get in and eat the chicken feed. Not sure what happened to this one, but it was just dead. We were in a hurry, and they couldnt burry it. So he sat it on top of the BBQ pit and it was forgotten about. for over a week. We traced down the smell and disposed of it later.

* while at the coop one night right at dark the kids were driving me nuts, we were putting up MORE chicken wire and I finally told Matt to take a barefooted Bow home, he had terrorized the chickens, the hogs were convinced he was food and he was hanging on the wire. Matt did, but not with out being upset. Rayley went too. Brett stayed, because Brett doesnt listen. As we were gathering up the tools ready to head home Darla (the mo-ron dog) started barking and baying something about 15 feet from the coop. Where the kids had just been playing. we went and looked. There was a copperhead. VERY poisonous. After it was killed and fed to the hogs, we went home, with strict instructions to the kids to NOT go down barefoot again, and me on a mission to find Bow some rubber boots. I found some, but his foot is too fat to fit in them... I dont know what I am going to do.

School- *Brett cant seem to keep his mouth shut. AT ALL. he gets at least one demarit a day in one of his classes. I dont get it. Now he doesnt get to do the school carnival this month because he lost too many demarits.
*Matt got suspended for taking a popcicle stick to school with yarn wrapped around it. Apparently it resembled a shank. (prison term for a homemade knife). He said it was a backscratcher. But did admit to me that if you wanted to pretend it was a knife you could. Of course, it all depends on the kid. If a little less boyish child had came to school with it, it could have been a magic wand ala Harry Potter, or a conductors stick. Its all in their imagination.
*report cards, my kids made As and B's. EXCEPT Brett, he had a C in conduct. for talking. GGGGGGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRRR

Birthday- *We drove all over hells half acre in a blinding monsoon to get Matts birthday present -- correct that. I drove. In Beaumont. BR sat in the back, and my dad beside me. BR bitched the whole time about my driving. Yet never offered to turn the key. But we did get them 2 3-D targets for achery. a turkey and a deer. They LOVED them.
*my dad came in for about a week, to see the boys play ball and visit, and for Matts birthday party.
* I made Matt a birthday cake. Well, the week started by me making 36 baseball cupcakes for Matts baseball team. They turned out really cute.
THEN, I made a beer can cake for a friends husband. This is the beer can:



This is the cake:



AND then, the next day I started Matts cake.

this is what he wanted, when I vetoed trying to do a shotgun...



This is what he got:


All told I spent about 45 hours that week baking and decorating cakes and cupcakes.

But it was worth it.


Baseball- * Matt finally got to pitch. He started the game. OMG. you would think they handed him the keys to the city. If our city was worth handing keys to.
He didnt do badly. He had some great pitches. He had some bad pitches. He walked 6 kids. BUT never walked in a run. Instead we gave them 6 runs by throwing the ball around like drunk monkeys and giving them bases. They didnt steal them, we just handed them over. 3 kids hit, and got on base because again, we acted like we had never seen a baseball before. and he struck out 2 kids. ONE time we were able to get someone out when they tried to steal.
He wasnt great, Lord knows that, but he was good. And it was his first time. and he NEVER walked in a run. would he if his team hadnt have given away all the bases that they did? I dont know. Because he never had that chance. I just hope he gets the chance to pitch again. He enjoyed it, and with some guidence, he might be a decent pitcher.
When he went up to bat he hit a GREAT hit. I mean a HARD hit. unfortunatly, he hit it right over 2nd bases head and 2nd base is like 7 foot tall. The kid never even knew he caught it. But Hoover was out.
He didnt care. He was just so thrilled with having struck out 2 kids. and I was very proud of him. VERY proud.
It almost killed me. My nerves were SHOT. He was up there, sinking, no matter what he did he was just digging in a deeper hole, and I was having to watch it. But he was on cloud nine. I kid you not. they beat us 8 to 0. We had 3 go up in the first inning to bat, and 3 went down- Brett and another kid hit, but were thrown out, and in the second inning 3 went up and 3 went down. hoover was the only one to hit and got out on his flyball.
* 2 games later, Brett started the game. 1st inning he walked 2, struck out 1 and one hit off him. but we were able to throw out 2 of those that got on base, so they only got one point. The next inning he went out, walked 2 and they pulled him. We ended up going with 2 other pitchers before it was over. then they put him back on the mound with 2 outs and 2 on base. He walked the first one, hit the next one, (we got one of them out in the meantime) and then struck out the last one. Ending the game. we only lost 9-6 that game. Hoover hit but was thrown out and got walked once. Brett was walked twice.
* After their trouble with school all week I told them that to play they would be running 15 laps after the game. They offered 30. I am not talking bases here. I mean all the way around the field. Their daddy wasnt able to go. He had to work, Well, last night we got there late, 10 minutes late. and Brett wasnt able to start pitching. Since the game was started by the time we got there. They were at the bottom of the line up and Brett went up with 2 outs. A kid got thrown out while he was batting and so we took the field. we were up by 5 runs already. They got 2 runs out of us that round with Brett catching the ball on 2nd to get the 3rd one out, and we got to bat. Brett was up first, He walked. Then wanted to pick at the kids by jumping off 2nd base when he stole it. Trying to get them to throw away the ball. he LOVES to do this. And honestly, he had everyone in the stands laughing at his antics. He is such a clown. Matt was up next. They had been put at the bottom of the lineup since they were late. Usually Brett bats 3rd and Matt 6th. Well Matt laced one out to the dirt, they fumbled it a little and he was able to get to first safe. where they threw it away! he got second, then they threw it away again! he took 3rd and Brett went home.

There was a few walks, and then a wild ball and they sent Hoover home, He came in flat on his back. We have to slide if the play is close, or we are out, and by george he SLID. literly on his back. But it was WONDERFUL!

Then, after 5 more points, we took the field, the same kid was pitching but getting tired after he walked 2 and we only had one out they decided to change pitchers. BRett came up. He struck out the first kid and the second hit a good one, but it was fielded and he was thrown out. We mananged to win 10-2!!!
* Both boys were told after the game that they would pitch again soon. This is VERY hard on my nerves. VERY hard. BUT Hoover hits better when he has his mind on something else. I tell you, he lets his head get in the way. I am not kidding. this night he was worried about getting suspended and what was going to happen to him.
And I feel sorry for the coaches. I keep the books, and honestly, you couldnt pick a more scatterbrained person to do it. I swear I pay attention, but writing it down, I miss the next play. I KNOW they cant fiqure out what I have done. LOL

Bowdrie *still refuses to talk. He points and grunts. If you ignore him, he will just get it himself.
* I am ALWAYS dragging him off the table, out of the fridge, out of cabinets.
*and digging things out of the fish tank that he has put in there. He has stripped about 6 inches of vention blinds from my window and broken them up and put them in the tank, all the leaves off the ivy. and YES I do disipline him. He just is hard headed.
* He thinks he is as big as the other kids, doing everything they do, but messier.
* And he LOVES the chickens and hogs. If someone leaves the door a little open, he is headed to see them.

Rayley - *Drama QUEEN. but we have gotten a pretty good attitude adjustment and she is doing MUCH better.
* LOVES to go down and throw food to the chickens and hogs. Unless you ask her to. Then she just doesnt want to go.
* was counting something the other day, and I was playing with Bow. She told me "mom, will you be quiet. I keep running off track" It took me a few minutes to fiqure out she meant that she couldnt KEEP track of what she was doing.
* told me "ya know, I reckon being a girl isnt so bad, at least I dont stink like the boys do" when they had been playing outside for hours and sweating. I was nice and didnt tell her that she did indeed stink as bad as them.
* has decided that I 'contribute to her headaches' by 'being contrary and annoying her'

There are some others, but honestly, I cant remember them. Sorry.


I did make the boys run those laps. They only got 10 because they wanted to turn out the lights at the feild. So they will be giving me the 5 they missed plus more when we practice this weekend.


I have also been working on the Friends of the NRA banquet, I am having alot of fun, the other committee members are fun to be around and make me feel very welcome. Almost too welcome. Concidering I am now the treasurer.

I have been spending my spare time trying to get items to raffle off, use as door prizes and selling tickets. I just hope I dont sell so many that I sell my way right out of winning a gun or three. :)

I think I have hit the highlights. I am sure I missed something, or alot of somethings, but the sit ups have me addled. Oh yea. I am DETERMINED to get in some sort of shape other than 'round'. I want that tatoo that I was going to get the weekend I found out I was knocked up with Bow. I want it BAD.

So, I have promised myself, if I can refrain from smoking, and can wear something other than sweatpants with out having things hanging out that shouldnt, I will get it.

yellow roses with the stems entertwined. I dont know why I want it so bad. But I do.

Now I have to fiqure out how to get the kitchen clean, and pork chops fried, (that I have to cut out of a 12 pound loin that I need to carve up and freeze), a loaf of quick beer bread made (homemade of course), taters mashed (and cooked), peas and corn done, before BR gets home in 30 minutes. He called an hour ago and said he was headed this way, but I didnt want to stop while I was on a roll...

Damn guilt...

ACK! I just heard his 18wheeler drive by!! why wont my twitching nose do anything for me??






while I wrote this, the school called, with their automated thing, to tell me that my son was absent today- They call at 6:30PM. To tell me that he was absent, and to contact the administration office to let them know why. THEY SUSPENDED HIM!!

AND, he is in 3rd grade, I KNOW he wasnt there.Because he was with me and if he was older, school skipping age, dont you think calling me a little earlier would be smarter? That way I might could find my kid within hours of them leaving the house and not halfway into the night when they have been gone 12 hours if they dnt happen to show up at home after school.