RTT--Lazy Weekend, sick kid, etc.

Random with Keely.  Go check it out--go, but read mine first.

We had the laziest weekend we have had in a while.  Saturday morning Nick and I went and shot archery--he got me a new bow.  It was fun and there were no children there.  I enjoyed doing something adult for a little while.

Then we came home and grew roots in the couch.  We did nothing constructive for the rest of Saturday.  It was great.  (I did get laundry done but it took all weekend.)  Saturday evening we all piled in our bed and watched Mary Poppins.  Popcorn and everything.  Great way to end the evening.
Sunday, we didn't do much either.  Turbo and I played video games--Tomb Raider(one I can play and enjoy).  In the afternoon Nick and Turbo went skiing--the last one of the season.  They went four miles--a long way for Turbo. 
While they were gone, Bruiser got his nap in and when he got up he had something for mom.  He threw up all over me and him.  Oh joy!  Bath for both of us.  New outfit for both of us.  Then Bruiser threw up two other times Sunday evening.  Poor kid.  He didn't feel better until Monday evening.  At least it was me holding him cause Nick would have sympathy puked had he been holding him.  Then Bruiser decided that sleeping was for wimps.  His stomach reversed gears again around midnight.  Thus, the reason I was in the shower at 12:30am with Bruiser.  Fun times, people, fun times.
Anyway, on to happieer things, or at least less sick ones, I survived a trip with my mom and mother-in-law on Friday.  We went to Ft. Collins and had a nice time.  I got new jeans, Turbo got new jeans--he keeps growing even though I tell him not to.  The day was a success and noone offended anyone else--at least I don't think that happened. 
Easter is fast approaching and we are going for the gift vs. lots of chocolate and candy.  Turbo is getting a soft BB gun.  It's something that he and Nick are going to have to use together.  Bruiser is going to get some board books, the kid loves books. 
Has anyone out there ever watched Top Gear on BBCAmerica?  It's an amusing--sometimes down right funny--british car show.  I like watching it--remember I live with boys-lots of them.  At least this show is not to technical.  The hosts do silly and crazy challenges and races.  It's fun to watch.
And anyrandom--the weather continues to be rather psychotic--snow over the weekend and Monday it hit 55 in our back yard, excuse me,  Mudville.  Today promises to be warm too but rain and snow for the next two days--Go Spring!!

Well that's my random for today.  Go see Keely, it's worth it.

Hey-I got a button!!

I got the button thingy figured out!  check my side bar--oh yeah!!  I have to give lots of thanks to Jen at My Crazy Life for designing it for me.

I figured out how to get it up with just a bit of interweb research.  Now I can show buttons on my blog and share my button with you guys, so woot all around.  Now to go get pics of the master bathroom.

MEme Monday--Home

with

MommyBrain

and

SupahMommy

What's your most favorite part of your home?

Is it a special reading nook?

Is it the broom closet you hide in ?

Is it your drawer pulls in the kitchen that took 34 years to re-do?

Is it your deck on a summer night?

Show us in a picture and tell us in words.

What's your most favorite part of your home.

My favorite part of my home...I like lots of the parts of my home.  We have wonderful gardens that look great in the summer, (now not so much).  We are halfway through a kitchen remodel (will be finished when the money comes available to do the other half of the cabinets).  I like the changes we have made in the kitchen and will love it when it is finished. 

I love our main bathroom--remodeled about four years ago and oh so much better than what we had before.  I love our basement, which has been remodeled completely since we moved in.  Our bedroom and Bruisers is down there.  It is cool in the summer, pleasent in the winter and feels really nice down there. 

But right now my favorite place is the master bathroom we put in a year and a half ago.  I had always wanted a master bathroom with two sinks.  We didn't put in a large master bath but we were able to get those two sinks, and a tub shower combo.  It is just the right size.  I really love have my private bath, especially with two small boys in the house.  The tub is deep and perfect for soaking and reading a book with a glass of wine and I have my sink and Nick has his.  His shaving debris stay on his side and I don't have to worry about stray hairs in my concact lenses.  It's marvelous. 

I'll post pictures later.  Promise.

OK, here are the promised pictures.  I also need to mention that I am so lucky because my marvelous husband is handy and can do most of the remodel work himself (with minor help from me).  The bathroom is not completely finished--trim and such-- but it is so usable.

Misc. Saturday Stuff

Jen at My Crazy Life made me a button.  It is so cute. Now I can play the share the button game.  Thanks to Jen and her talented creation skills.  I think the button looks great and shows how surrounded by boy stuff I really am.  Thanks again, Jen.  Now I just have to figure out how to get it posted.  I'll work on that on Monday I think.

In other news, I got another award from Momma Fargo over at The Boogie Man is My Friend. 

I am honored that she thought of me.  We Wyoming people have to stick together--there aren't that many of us.  She is a mom and police woman and she has the most interesting experiences at work and coins the best phrases--Mantard, and such.  Head on over and check her out, she's always fun.

Now the rules say you have to tell 7 things about yourself and then give it to 15 other bloggers.  I'm going to take the easy way out and give it to a couple of people but not 15, sorry.  And I just did a post about my self.  Go see it for more about me.

Jen at My Crazy Life, I give you the beautiful blogger award.  Treat it well.

OK so I can't think of anyone else to give it to that hasn't already got it.  So if someone who follows me wants it, go ahead and grab it.  I know, it's the lazy way out but hey it's Saturday.

Spin cycle--All about ME

Time for another Spin Cycle. This one is all about me. Listed below are some random things about me. If you want to know anything else, ask away and I'll write up some posts about it later.

• I'm really shy.  I hate being in large groups where I don't know anyone.  I tend to let myself fade into the background.  Once I'm comfortable, I talk and interact and have fun.  It's just getting comfortable that is tough.

• I love reading.  I read lots of books. There are authors I like and I wait for their new books to come out.  I have a harder time finding new authors to read; I'm picky.  I also have a bias against the best sellers, I often avoid the highly hyped books just on principle.  I think that's why I have never joined a book club.  I couldn't read a book just because everyone says it's good.  Feels to much like a college class.
• I have had a cat since I was a little girl.  I love cats.  I like their independence, affection, and personality.  I don't care for the strategic puking, hair and litter box, but the lap sitting and the cat at the foot of the bed makes up for it.
• I have liked taking pictures since my first camera at age 11.  I feel I have an eye for it.  I get some great shots.  I am hoping for a better digital SLR eventually.  For now I will make do with my point and shoot.  To go along with this I like to scrap book.  I have made several of different trips and events in our lives.  I need to get back to it.  Soon, I hope.
• I have found I really enjoy blogging.  I started to make friends and find other moms who were dealing with the same things I was.  I get a thrill when I get a comment about something I wrote.  It's fun to know something I wrote made some one smile or laugh or just connected with them.
• I have found a lot of satisfaction in cooking and finding recipes.  I'm getting more creative and learning the tricks and techniques to make cooking fun.  I have to say I envy Nick--you can give him a flavor or taste you are looking for and the ingredients and he can run with it and make something fabulous.  I'm getting there.
• Now baking is something different from cooking.  I like to bake.  I like to bake even more now that I have my Kitchen Aide mixer.  I like to make quick breads for weekends, muffins, and bread.  Tastes pretty good too.
• Another hobby I'm good at is fitting puzzles.  I have been fitting puzzles since I was about 7 or 8.  I would fit them with my mom and then I got some 1000 piece puzzles of my own and I would fit them over and over.  I still like to fit puzzles again and again.
• Gardening has been growing on me (no pun intended).  We have two small (4x8) plots for vegetables and several other flower gardens.  When I was a kid I hated the gardens that my parents had because I hated bugs and being out weeding.  I like it better now because we garden on a much smaller scale.
• I have done posts about my dislike of bugs, spiders and such.  I just don't like things with more than four legs. Yuck!
• I am a mom, wife, daughter, friend and geologist.  Funny when thinking about that sentence the first two I define myself by are mom and wife--the two best roles I have ever taken on--and both of them voluntary.
• I love chocolate turtles--dark chocolate turtles.
• I have to sleep completely covered in blankets--the thicker the better.  I love my down comforter.  I always have to ask for more blankets at hotels because the weight is just not there wiht the thin blanket they put on the bed.
• I twist my hair--bad enough to put knots in it sometimes.  I've done this since I was little.  I can never go undercover because anyone who knows me would recognize me the minute my hand reached for my hair and it would becaues I have no will power.  (Bruiser has this habit too, just in case there was any doubt who his mother was.)
• I get one perm a year for wash and go style.  I get trims every couple of months.  In the morning I wash or wet it down in the shower and then towel dry it and put in leave in conditioner and some styling gel.  If I'm going somewhere-like out in the evening-I might blowdry it some but that's it.
• I like to take road trips and travel.  Hitting that city limit sign makes it all feel better.  I like to camp--we have a pop-up camper-- and we really like to find dirt roads we haven't bumped down before. 

Well, that is some stuff about me.  Since the Spin cycle was supposed to be all about me, I think I did a pretty good job of listing out some stuff about me, without the whole look at me, look at me thing this could have totally turned into.  I'll leave you with one of the more recent pictures of me.

I guess I did get the look at me part in after all.

Tell me About it Thursday--#25

Well, this Thursday Brittney over at Mommywood is hosting a new meme.  She gives you a number and you go to your picture folder and find that number, post it and tell the story behind it.  So here goes:

This picture was taken last year the day after Bruiser was born. 

Turbo had a nasty case of the flu, but was so excited to see his new brother we couldn't make him stay at home.  We talked to the doctor, who said it was allright for Turbo to hold Bruiser if he was masked and washed his hands.  The nurses helped out by offering a gown and mask for Turbo to wear.  He scrubbed up and settled in the chair and then got to hold his brand new brother.

Turbo had picked out a stuffed animal to give to Bruiser(he's holding that too) and he thought that Bruiser was so cute.  I thought Turbo looked aweful cute in his clean getup. 

Well there is the first meeting of my boys-two thirds of the reason I am surrounded by testosterone. 

Now go link up with Brittney and share your #25.

WIMST--The Mom Edition

Chief over at (Hiding From the Kids) is hosting What I meant to say Wednesday again.  So tell us what you really meant to say and go link it up with Chief.

Today's WIMTS is brought to you by my mom.  I love her dearly but she drives me nuts sometimes.  Last week over Spring Break she took Turbo to see family up north.  While she was there she hit some second hand stores.  That is all well and good but she saw some "wine glasses" and thought I might want them.  She called to check and got Nick on the phone and he said sure.  Now, what she brought home were water glasses goblets in a tulip shape, large heavy things that don't work as wine glasses unless you drink your wine in bulk.
What I said:  Those are pretty.  Thanks for thinking of me.
What I meant to say:  Oh God, Mom, those are so not my taste and they are not wine glasses.  I don't like them and we don't need them.  I don't care if they were cheap and wine glasses are on my wish list.  I don't want them.

When she came over the next day she checked to see if we had them in our cupboard yet.
What I said:  We were busy this weekend and haven't got them cleaned yet.  They may not all fit in the cupboard, you want some of them?
What I meant to say:  A couple might make it into the cupboard so you see us having them there but the rest are going in the attic until I can safely get rid of them.

I'll let you all know how the saga of the "wine glasses" works out.  I might even post a picture of the ugly things.

RTT and Post-It Notes.

Random it up at Keely's place with all your random thoughts. 
Here goes:
• Nick stopped chewing--tobacco, not food. He is using Nicoret gum and doing his best to deal with the cravings, irritability and crazy dreams. However it is not a good thing when his jonesing for a chew coincides with my moodiness. Friday evening was mildly ugly. Tears were shed, things yelled, feelings hurt, and intentions misunderstood. We survived and are better prepared for the next round. And Kudos to Nick for quitting that nasty habit!


• Spring Break is not so fun when you feel as though your head is stuffed with cotton and then stuck inside a fish bowl. My sinuses hated me last week; actually they are still a bit miffed with me. Bruiser was sick too so things were great fun for spring break at our house. My mom took Turbo to visit family and he had a great time.

• Nick started archery shooting about a year ago. This weekend the club he belongs to had a turkey shoot. They shot at paper targets of turkeys hung up with various obstacles in the way. Nick came in sixth--missing winning a cash prize by three points. Pretty good for his first time at a turkey shoot. I think I need to start shooting too. I shot when I was a kid and it was fun. It's a lot less noisy than guns.

• We had a success this weekend. Bruiser stayed with Nick's folks on Sunday morning while we ran errands. He didn't scream the how time we were gone and he was at their house. The last time we left him there it was not so fun for the grandparents. They have been watching him at our house but now he's old enough to go there. That makes things lots easier.

• Congrats to Bruiser—he has figured out straws. Now if only he would drink milk. Can’t win them all can you?

Now I'm gonna double up today and do Post-It Notes with SupahMommy.

MEme Monday--I had to have it

The theme this Monday is that one thing you begged and whined to get as a kid that you just had to have, and what you did to get one.  If you have a story about something you had to have link up with SupahMommy and MommyBrain and let us know all about it.

For me, I had a lot of wants but very few gets. I really wanted one of those ugly cabbage patch kids during the first craze, but what I got was a pretend-a-doll that was admittedly cuter but was definitely not one of those coveted dolls. I really wanted a pair of those jelly shoes but Mom said they were just cheap plastic so I didn't get those either.  I did get an Esprit book bag to carry my books to and from school when I was about a junior.  mine was black with colored lettering--so cool.


I was dressed in thrift store fashion way before second hand was shabby chic. I learned to shop for myself at those places so I did not look like a seventies reject in ruffles and lace (what my mom thought was cute on me) when those thing were so not cool.

But I did go and ask my mom if I could go shopping for new clothes when I was 13. I asked if I could shop for new clothes (with my own money) and she said sure. She wasn't totally keen on my style tastes but said if that was how I wanted to look she was OK with it. Of course my style was not like what you see today--I was totally covered in the late Eighties fashion I was sporting.

One of my greatest thrift store finds was a pair of acid washed jeans. Remember those? Well I really wanted a pair but no way was my mom paying for new ones. Second hand was all she would do. Well, I scanned the racks for months at the used stores and finally I found some. Mom was skeptical but bought them for me. Now this was the time of the pinch and roll pants, you know so they would taper and show off your multiple colored socks? The pants I found were straight legged and boy, would they wrap around my leg before I could roll them, but they would stay rolled all day so there was that.

I thought I was so cool cause I finally had my acid washed jeans. I wore them until the holes in the knees were so big they should have been shorts. However by then the acid washed trend was over—so was the pinch and roll thing.

Here is a shot of what the jeans looked like—sort of.

Free Therapy Friday--Spring Fever

Free Therapy Friday with Ali and Mommy's Daze.  This week is Spring Fever.  Spring Fever hits early around here but we don't get a cure until much later in the year than most places.  I like it when things start getting green, usually around the end of April.

I am looking forward to all the summer things we like to do--gardening, camping, hiking, canoeing and grilling.  Just being able to be outside is going to be great.  I'm looking forward to making sending Turbo outside to work off some excess energy play.

A couple of days ago we had 50 degree weather and Nick took Bruiser outside for his first walk.  Bruiser loved it.  He got to hold a stick and walk on the brown grass and the sidewalk.  Nick brought him back in when he started to eat the rocks and dirt.

Now of course we have snow on the ground.  that's the thing about spring in Wyoming--she's a little, OK a lot, bipolar.  I'm looking forward to the nicer days but I hope that spring gets her mood swings under controll soon.

Spring fever lasts for quite a while around these parts because the cure is slow in coming.  How does spring fever affect you?  What do you look forward to?