WWTK--Happy Happy

Time once again to answer some pressing questions or not so pressing questions.  Any way here goes:

1. What were you doing the last time you had a really good laugh? Watching the puppy be a spazz. Also Bruiser says stuff that makes us laugh daily.  The most recent was when he was being a superhero.
2. What song always makes you happy when you hear it? There are so many, but Pontoon makes me think of summer and having fun.
3. What is your favorite room in your house and why? I love the living room.  It's cozy, comfortable and a great place for us all to hang out.
4. Share something you are currently looking forward to: Cross country skiing this winter.  I can't wait for there to be enough snow for us to take the boys skiing.
5. What never fails to put you in a good mood? Getting a chance to read and hugs from my boys--both big and little.

Grab the questions and play along!

Link up with Kensie and Scriptor.  They would love to have you join in.

Tuesday Randomness--Thanks!

Time once more for Random Tuesday stuff.  And a bit of thanks cause it's November and everything. So here we go:
I'm thankful for:

• A wood stove and the ability to warm the house when electricity fails us.
• Turbo hugs.  He gives the best squeezes.
• A puppy that can twist up like this:

• Carmex. It makes my lips nice and soft and holds the chapping at bay.
• Melatonin for making going back to sleep more possible.

And now for the random part of the show:

• Lucky me. I get to go back for another visit to the Mammogram people.  Dense tissue or some such thing (I hope.) 
• Facebook has done another annoying thing with the news feed. Re posting a post from someone that the original poster commented on again.  I could see it I had commented on it, but no.  I really don't care for the news feed anymore.  But it's an evil I can resist checking.
• Turbo still likes playing his Baritone.

 

• Turbo and Bruiser really like pomegranates.  And since it's not a fast thing to eat it's a great snack for in front of the TV.
• We are almost back to a routine.  Nick is better, I'm cooking dinners again, I have a system where the dishes are done before I go to bed--kind of nice when that only takes maybe 10 minutes to do.
• Thullee is a leaner.  He leans against you and slowly takes over space. I like to think he just likes to be close, but it might just be a bid to take over the prime spot on the couch or bed.
• Thullee also stops dead for sunbeams and, as we found out this weekend, the warmth from the wood stove. The dog loves to be warm. He will be interesting in snow.
• And we have more of the white stuff supposed to come down tomorrow. 'Tis the season and all.

Stacy is being the Random Rebel, so link up your random!

Busy, Busy and MMMM

Well that was an interesting weekend.  It was fun and passed by far too quickly.  Things have a way of doing that when you are having fun.
So, about Saturday.  It started off with a trip to Cheyenne with my mom and the boys.  We hit the stores we needed and wanted to and had some fun.  There was teasing for Turbo when he complained that I was looking at shoes.  He doesn't get what's so cool and interesting about shoes.  And purses.  I told him it is a girl thing and he should just accept it. Mom and I teased him some by spending extra time in those departments.  It was made up to both boys when we cruised the mall to check out the pet store and hit the candy store. They were really well behaved this trip.
Once we got home, I helped Nick bottle his Cascade IPA.  It definitely needed to be bottled, but it tastes pretty good even flat. 50 bottles of beer later it's aging and carbonating in the bottles.  By Thursday Nick will be checking it out.  Now to order more supplies.
Saturday afternoon, a friend invited us over to hang out, I took the boys as Nick was still not ready to send time out of the house.  We had dinner there and headed home around 7ish.  Saturday was a very full day.
Sunday started before the sun was up when I woke up and discovered that the electricity was out.  The house was getting cold, so I got Nick up and we started a fire in the wood stove and snuggled in with the boys in the basement. Turns out the electricity had gone out about 2:30am and didn't come back on until 7:30am.  After it was back on I took Turbo tot eh store and did the grocery shopping for the week (and managed to forget celery for Nick).
Once we were home we settled into the basement and had a movie marathon.  Things started with Man of Steel, which I liked but Nick is not sure of yet.  Then we watched the Hobbit and started Fellowship of the Ring. I fit most of a puzzle and it was nice and cozy and fun with my guys.
All in all it was a fine way to spend a weekend.  And today, Nick is feeling well enough to come to work.  So things are looking up.
 adn now on to Monday's Mucis Moves Me:  Theme this week is songs with pink. 

Here is one from Aerosmith Pink:

ANd while it doesn't ahve words, the Pink Panther theme is a classic:

So there you have it, Our weekend in a nut shell and a couple of "pink" songs.  May the week go quickly.

Thankful Confessions

Since it is that time of the year--thanksgiving and all that--I'm trying to remind myself that I have so much to be thankful for.  Today the thanks is for the more guilty pleasures.
I'm thankful for:

• Satellite TV and the DVR.  Having the ability to record, rewind and such makes evenings a bit smoother.
• No more missed shows or moments in shows.  
• Cause our boys? Super talented at timing a question, outburst or interrution for that critical moment in a show.
• Would drive Nick and I nuts.
• Now not so much.  Just rewind and catch what was missed.
• My Kindle--both the Touch and the Fire.
• I like the Fire for HO games and checking the Book of Face and IMDB and email and such.
• The Touch for reading.  It lasts longer (battery wise) and is better for travel and camping and such.
• Blogging.  Not that it's so guilty, but it is a pleasure.  
• My connection to other women--friends--and I so need that sometimes.
• Crunchy wonton strips. Or croutons.  Totally not good for me but a hard to resist snack.
• Dry roasted sunflower seeds.  Again with the nibble snacks.  Slightly better for me than salted sunflower seeds in shell.
• Shopping.  Not that I get to do much of it but I do enjoy it.
• Even Thrift Store shopping--I have mad skills with this one.

That about covers my Thankful confessions for this week!
So what are your weekend plans? Link up with Aubrey and confess it all.

Spin Cycle--What Beauty Is

Beauty is such a part of everyday life--we get bombarded with "beauty" in just about every way--magazine, models, movie stars, internet.  Ask anyone and they can tell you who they think the most beautiful person in the world is.  Usually a celebrity of some sort.
Beauty is so very surface, but it is the ticket to get people to look closer and see if the person behind the beauty is a truly beautiful person.
I see beauty every day when I look at my family.  As exasperating and frustrating as they can be, there are just as many moments of laughter and fun. that is the beautiful thing about family--that balance. 

My guys.

The other way I see beauty daily is by looking outside.  WE live close to mountains and I wouldn't have it any other way.

The Veedauwoo area about 20 minutes from town.

A Sunrise

The French Creek Drainage about an hour from home.

The Snowy Mountains, an hour form home.

The natural beauty in our area of the country is incredible.  we are so very lucky to live here and to be able to get out and enjoy it as often as we do--summer or winter.

So what is beauty to you?
Spin it up and link up.
Gretchen and Ginny Marie would love to have you!

WWTK-Preferences

And we have hit Wednesday.  Hump day or a camels favorite day! So without further ado--We Want to Know:


1.) When was the last time you were able to "unplug" or get away from technology for any length of time? In August for the float trip.  Four days on the river--no phones, no computer, nothing but us and the river and having fun.  Truly, we try to go as tech free as we can when camping.  And we try to camp at least once a month in the summer. It's easy here to get out of cell range and as the kids get bigger, it's easier to occupy them in the great outdoors.

2.) Which do you enjoy more: being indoors or out? Depends on the time of year. And what we have to do outdoors.  I love heading to the mountains summer or winter. Not so thrilled with yard work. Hate, hate bugs so terribly buggy times of the year send me inside.

3.) Do you tend to prefer daylight or nighttime? Daylight right now.  used to be, before kids, there was more fun to be had at night.  Now I just want to sleep.  Sadly, sleep doesn't come as easily as it used to.

4.) Are you emotionally affected by rain/snow/inclement weather?  Rain can depress me if it goes on too long, but the nice thing abut living here is that rain doesn't tend to be a lasting feature. I love it when it snows.  Especially if I can snuggle in have a fire and just be home. Wind on the other hand, which we get tons of, is just annoying

5.) If you could make it stay one season forever, would you? And if so, which one would you choose? I like that the seasons change.  I wish fall and spring were a bit longer here, but mostly I like how our seasons change.  Perpetual summer or perpetual winter sounds like a drag.

And I'm off to the rest of my day.  Everyone, please send good thoughts to Nick.  He has viral bronchitis.  He's really not feeling well.

Grab the questions and play along!

Link up with Kensie and Scriptor.  They would love to have you join in.

Random Thanks

Hey, it's Tuesday!  No more Monday this week.  That is great!  Yesterday was so much a Monday.  But on to bigger and better things. 
Some thanks for November:

• Thank you for our house.  It's not so big but it fits right now.  We have space to get away form each other, but still be close.  It's cozy and homey.  I love our house.  We have been there for 16 years now.  It's had some changes and face lifts, but it's still home.
• Thank you for our general good health.  The colds and such are so minor compared to the major health problems some face.  I am very thankful for our health.
• I am thankful for our animals.  Guiness has taken to Thullee very well.  He tolerates him most days and actually plays with him too.  Piper has yet to accept that the puppy is staying, but she puts him in his place quite effectively. Thullee gives us reasons to laugh daily.  Animals are a blessing and joy as well as a pain at times.  Kind of like kids.

From this...

...to this and still growing.

And in other random:

•  We have given up on Nick getting better and are sending him to the doctor. He's been down with this for more than a week and is seeing no improvement.  I'm getting better, slowly, but he's not.  So off to see if modern medicine can do anything for him.
• Turbo is still playing the Baritone.  There are times when he's practicing that he sounds like a sick goose, but he doesn't argue about practicing and seems to enjoy it. The dogs are no longer terrified of his horn. 
• Bruiser has been wearing his glasses more often, and I think he's starting to see taht they do make a difference.  He's asking to wear them.  Slow movement on the potty front, but I'm ever hopeful that eventually he'll get it.

• As soon as we feel like humans again, we are most definitely getting our butts moving again.  A membership to the rec center and regular visits are in order. Got to get moving.  Reducing food intake will only take you so far.
• Kind of nice to have Thanksgiving late this year.  Gives the illusion that there's more November. I'm trying not to think too hard about Christmas.  Difficult to do with the holiday commercials bombarding us so regularly.

So what's your random?  Are you randomly thankful for anything?

Stacy is being the Random Rebel, so link up your random!

Getting Better

OK. So we got hit with the sick bug.  Both Nick and I were down for the count all weekend.  Even so I still managed to get the laundry done and keep up with the dishes. Pretty good for not being able to talk for two days.
We really just kept it quiet for three days.  Yes, I didn't work on Friday.  I didn't even get the grocery shopping done until Sunday. Still sniffly and congested, but I can talk again, as long as I don't over do it. At least the kids haven't gotten this (frantically knocking on wood here).
Turbo got a sleep over with a friend on Saturday so it was just Bruiser at home.  Not that we were exciting or got to do anything, but try to get better. Bruiser did OK with it though.

He was a superhero of one sort or another all weekend.
In keeping with his superhero leanings, we watched superhero movies all day on Sunday.  The Amazing Spider Man, Spiderman 2, all three Transformers movies. I liked the newer Spider man over the Tobey McGuire one.  A bit less angsty.  And less enchanted with the special effects.
I think we will be getting some movies to watch this weekend.  Man Of Steel comes out and Monster University is out.  The kids will probably like both of them.  From now until Christmas lots of the summer movies will be coming out. I want to see Red 2 and there are some other superhero movies that we will need to see.  I kind of want to see Thor 2.  It looks fun.

Now on to Monday's Music Moves Me.

In honor of Veteran's Day:

I love this song about riding with a soldier who never made it home. Riding With Private Malone.

I like this one too, Letter From Home:

And one last one from Carrie Underwood, Just a Dream:

I honor all who served our country and especially those who gave all.

Spin Cycle Halloween Wrap Up

Time for the Halloween wrap up. Lots of pictures.  I can't share the ones Nick took--he is at a class and took his phone with him. But I have plenty to share:

Digging the guts.

Stenciling

Carefully cutting

Dad does the tricky parts

Apply face makeup

Holiday confused

Mummy/ghoul.

Papa gets into the spirit.

On the hunt for the loot.

So nice to be able to stand back and let them go.

It was a wonderful Halloween.  The kids got tons of candy and we won't need any until Christmas at least. The kids went trick or treating with their cousins and in a new neighborhood.  Large candy bars were given out at some houses.  It was pretty cool.  I froze my butt off, definitely need to dress warmer for next year. How was your Halloween?
Spin it up and link up with the Spin Cycle. Gretchen and Ginny Marie would love to have you!

November Thanks--Family

Trying to do the thankfulness thing this month.  Not daily, because my dedication is not so good, but at least weekly.  It will be good for me to stop and think about all I have to be thankful for in my life.

First up, my family.  Nick, Turbo, and Bruiser are the immediate, there every day all day family.  I love them so much.  They keep me on my toes.
Nick, the man I married, the love of my life.  Strong, kind, courageous, skilled, funny, mine.  I'm so glad that 20 years ago I called you for that first conversation outside of German class. It really is true that once you find someone who's weirdness matches your own, you can call it true love.  We have had our ups and downs, but at least we keep moving forward together.

Turbo, my oldest, my first kid.  You are so quirky, funny and so dedicated to the things you love.  I count myself lucky that I am one of those things you love.  It's going to be interesting watching you grow up. You are doing pretty good so far.  Keep moving forward and don't forget the lessons we are teaching you.  Every day is brighter with you in it.  Thank you for the Turbo hugs that you give so freely.

Bruiser, my baby.  I love you.  You have a wonderful imagination, you are fun and funny. I just wish you'd figure out the pooping thing.  To be honest, that is the best gift you could give Mom this Christmas--a fully, all the time, potty trained Bruiser. I know you are working on it.  Just try a bit harder. I love that you are loving preschool.  It neat to see you singing the songs they teach you, sharing the foods you make there, and displaying the art you create.

I can't talk about family without mentioning the grandparents.  Without them we would not have kids.  They have been babysitters and saved us untold amounts of money and time.  they genuinely love their grand kids and we so love that our kids have good relationships with them. We are blessed to have family close to us and ones we (mostly) get along with.

Papa and Nana and the rest of the fam.

Grandma.

 Yep, definitely thankful for my family. We wouldn't be where we are without them.
There will be more thankful posts coming this month. It is that time of year after all.