Saturday, March 26, 2011

Family Roots and all that jazz

Excited to be going to spend some time with my cousin, Rhonda today! She is hil-ay-ree-us!  We're going to get working somemore on the family tree book I have been working on!  Yay!

Just got an email back from another Norwegian cousin! Glad to meet you, Ole!

One of my nephews was in the hospital last night. Hurt his... ah, tenders when he landed splitsville on a 2x4.  Poor guy! (you're quite welcome for me not using your name as I am sure you don't want this connected with your name all over the cyber space grin)

My brother and I hijacked one of my facebook statuses (on my personal acct) last night with our silliness... I think there may be about 60 non-pertaining messages on that one.  Love him to pieces!

Friday, March 25, 2011

It's not you; it's me

Seriously.  I can guarantee that I will be extra quiet around here for a bit - not because I don't like it here and certainly not because I don't love y'all but here is why.  Two days ago I was offered full-time at the doctor's office I work at. YAY! This is going to mean a lot of nights until 5, rush home for supper and be out the door  by 6 or 6:30 for the work at B.D.'s church I have been told I have to do.  I need to adapt and adjust to this new schedule, the new regime, the new structure and that may mean a bit of extra silence for a bit.

So, as of Tues I start full time at the doctor's part of the week doing pre-testing and part of the week doing surgical booking.  Looking forward to this new adventure.  I will try to check in at least once a week for the next bit - at least...

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Saving money! LOTS of money!!!

Why? Well, you see my new best friend (AKA my cousin, S - who totally rocks {you know who you are}) is coming to meet us from Italy in July! Whoooo stinkin' whoooo!

So today, on facebook chat, he tells me that he is buying himself a cowboy hat, a belt, a vest and jeans, stopping at the nearest bar when he gets here, buying himself a glass of bourbon and going to watch the local ladies. (I am pretty sure humor is a strong family gene)

I told him I would have bail money for him and that we would keep our phones on.  Pretty sure I'd better start saving now... {grin}

I'm looking so forward to meeting him (and the other cousins that may be coming). S and I will be co-cooking a nice big lasagne since it is, apparently, both our specialty dish... mmm that will be tasty!

Maybe by then he will have a nickname... He needs a cool one. If you have any ideas for my cousins nickname (unless I find out if he has one all ready) you let me know, for now he's the Norsk Rockstar!

Monday, March 14, 2011

And cue scene

from the Wizard of Oz; you know, the one where the witch is "melting".

Why?

Because I got off work today, I was greeted with the gloriousness of zero degrees and the snow melting at phenomenal speeds.  There are puddles EVERYWHERE and I am fighting back the most intense urges to throw dignity and class to the wayside and start splashing in the puddles RIGHT NOW!

So, my first day off this week is Wednesday and I will be off to get us (well, me and the kids) some rubber boots to kick Spring into gear with a fabulous puddle splashing party! B.D. probably will not be joining in on the spectacular festivities - not really his cup of tea.

I know there will still be a bit more "winter" but this is the beginning of its end. Take a big whiff of that! You know what that is? That's the smell of digging in the earth to find earth worms, of freshly mowed grass and steaks on the grill! 

Woo stinkin' who!!!!

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Coming out the woodwork

Picture it. Christmas time. (those of you who have been with me for a while know we had an adventurous trip home that was anything but what we had planned) But look at that, I digress before I even began to type the post...

I got home to an email from a gentleman who thought we were related. Turns out we are! He's my cousin. Technically he's my dad's cousin but you get the idea! He is from my grandpa's side of the family and that is all I will get into as far as that, given that I have tried to maintain bloggerworld anonimity for the safety's sake.  But the cool part is we have been getting to know each other, fill each other in on family and he is planning to come meet us this summer!!!! I don't think you guys want me to use the amount of exclamation marks I need in order to protray how excited I am about this!

Now, like just now! I received a message on facebook (my personal, not blog related) from another second cousin from one of my grandpa's other brothers. I am over the moon with excitement and joy and happiness over getting to know my family... family I have dreamed of knowing since I was a little girl.

Friday, March 11, 2011

$5 Dinner Cookbook giveaway

I just came upon this site with a contest for the wonderful cookbook I mentioned above, chock full of frugal yet fabulous dinners to feed your family.  Contest entry deadline is Mar 13 (if I remember correctly) so hurry to get your entry in!

I know I have my fingers crossed... well, if I crossed my fingers for those kinds of things they so would be!

While your there, check out Canadian coupon Mom's site... I haven't explored it a lot yet (recent find) but what I've seen looks great!

Thursday, March 10, 2011

I'm Rubber

Nope, not going to finish that with "your glue"...

For "family time", B.D. and I took the kids to the gym to go walking/jogging on the track. B.D. spent a fair bit of time in the weight room but, as the kids are too small to be in there, we spent all our time on the track. Almost 7 trips around gives you a mile.  I did 16 trips around.  One of those trips was 3/4 around the track at a fastish jog. 

Oh, did it sound like I was proud of that 3/4 jog trip?

I would definitely like to have been able to make it all the way... at least once!  But that will come.  I have never been one to like running.  Get me a partner and let's kick the crap out of each other... oh yes, Tae Kwon Do was the sport of my youth. Well, that horseback riding, walking all over the farmyard and any outdoor chores I was assigned to do (you know, like cleaning the pig pen and the chicken coop).

Bug ran just about the entire hour we were there...

Jellybean ran about 3/4 of that hour...

$12 for our family to go in and enjoy a clean, safe place to walk or skip or frolick or do tricep curls or whatever... {grin} Saw my cousin's husband; he coaches a girl's soccer team (or assists, not sure).

I was just thinking though, how much money does it cost to take a family of four to a movie? About $30 for the tickets and then what for popcorn, etc? I really don't know; it has been so long since we have done something like that. A meal for 4 at McDonalds is about $25-$30...but for $12, we went and got some exercise, taught our children that fun can also be healthy and showed them that family time is not simply stuck on a couch or with a BigMac in your face... Yay!!!!

Pretty sure tomorrow my legs will look, and feel, a lot like I am standing on Jell-o...
Just sayin'

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

The Middle

is not a place I like being unless it's in the middle of a good day with my friends and family... maybe even the middle of a good piece of cake. MMM cake! {grin}

Anyway, it seems like I am in the middle of a lot of things today. I am in the middle of a job decision - pretty sure I made the final decision today however, in the middle of a pantry/freezer clean out month, in the middle of a few projects... (one of those projects is HUGE, like making our family tree HUGE for an upcoming family reunion - YAY!)

I find no dismay about being in the middle.  I, simply, would much rather be at the end. I am a finisher, a list-crosser-offer. {Don't even begin to tell me that that is not a real word because it so totally has to be! grin}

I have decided to make an executive decision. You know because I am the executive of... of... I am an executive decision maker of my househould (not the)... no more projects will be started by me until I get at least two crossed off my current list.

I better get going here though. I am, after all, in the middle of making supper. {ha ha!}

Thursday, March 3, 2011

There is a full out attack on my nasal passage

I am not taking this lightly! Oh no! I brought out my Mr. Clean Febreeze Meadow and Rain scent. {sidenote: how does Mr Clean Febreeze capture that meadow/rain scent. Hmmmm? "'Splain" that to me, as Bug used to say.)

Anyway, this full blown attack, this war of the nasal passages - one of the worst smells I have ever had to smell (and I grew up on a farm that raised horses, cattle, chickens AND pigs and my uncle raised sheep!).

Rotten potatoes!!!!!!

It hits you like a rusty nail through your sinuses, right into the very center of your brain!

And I know you are all wondering 'did the Mr. Clean Febreeze Meadow and Rain scent make your home smell like meadows and rain?'.
No stinkin' chance! {grin} It made my house smell like rotten potatoes frolicking in a meadow with rain....

I think I need to bring out the big guns... tomorrow... me, the rotten potato smell and bleach!  {but mum's the word, ok.  I don't want the word to get out on the street. No snitching my plan so this deviant smell knows what to expect. mmmkay?}

Why couldn't my house smell like... homemade bread or apple pie or the sweet chili chicken and sushi rice I made this evening... {to clarify it was only the meal I made today. I certainly didn't have time for the homemade bread nor the apple pie... just keepin' it real y'all. GRIN}


Two and a Half men Days with my Girl

Tuesday of last week we got a phone call. Could Rush come and visit for a couple of days? We got all the bus schedules and such lined up and by Wednesday at two she was here and visiting us. Yay! The two of us went to a local coffee/cheesecake shop, got a couple of slices of lemon meringue pie and had a very good conversation. We cooked up her favorite meal and went off to visit my dad and Jude's and had more laughs!


Our visit with Rush was absolutely fabulous. She and I laid on my bed, watched a couple shows on the laptop and just enjoyed each other's company visiting.