Nukka at 11 weeks

 Oh hi mommy, how are you doing....

Agh, get this kid off of me! I'm choking!!

not so Haiku Tuesday

  The simple fix rarely holds

shattered china is never returned to its original beauty

find hope in what it can become

instead of longing for what it once was






click for Kristen

urgh.

  Okay okay, I need to vent a bit. My girl came home and happily told me that her teacher saw fit to move her down in her reading classes to a 1.8 level. I know by experiance that with her disibilitys if you move her down she will not grow as a reader but regress! I fount that true when I was homeschooling her. She could read 'hank the cowdog' and Ivy and bean just fine but if she read too many dr. seus she would complain about how hard it was to read chapter books. Urgh...vent vent vent.....When I cool down I will send Greg into the office for a chat. The last thing I want to do is talk to someone while my two boys are wresteling on the floor. vent vent vent....
  Okay, thanks for listening!

hat for Jamie

Woot! I finished the hat this afternoon and it should hit the post with the fingerless gloves come Monday. I love the feeling I get when I finish a project!

My girl and her dog

I thought you needed a good reference for this pup's speedy growth rate. I was even shocked! Only a few weeks ago my girl cradled her on the way home. Soon Nukka will be the one holding her!

Five minute Friday-Growing

  How often I have thought myself moving forward when I find myself in the same exact place I have always been. Its like getting lost on your street only to find yourself parked in the front of your house.
  Yesterday I had a friend over. One of the local moms. As we chatted I found my face was growing hot. "oh my word!"  I thought. Not only was I fully blushing, she gently mentioned it in a concerned voice. I had not had a blushing fit like that since high school. I ran upstairs to change my shirt to something cooler. Nope. I stopped drinking tea....nope. I had to own up to the fact it wasn't a medical condition but just who I am. I blush. Not as frequently as I use to but apparently it still crops up at inconvenient times! I thought I had grown past the stage of embarrassment and discomfort in front of people.
  So here I am back in the same place wondering if I have lost some ground or just needed to return home for humility sake.


click for link

Nukka 10 weeks

She is still a puppy. What did I expect? Nothing....I just have to remind myself that she will eventually turn into a dog, and then I will like her. Its not as if she is ill behaved or destructive. I am just not a puppy person. She is growing on me. This AM was the second time we went on a walk without her sitting and staring back at the house. In fact she kept pace with me for nearly a mile. I had this theory that I am testing out with her. It involves being a polite leash walker. You see, Frank is fantastic on the leash. The kids can even walk him and he rarely pulls or stops short. Nancy on the other hand was IMPOSSIBLE. She would pull and tug unless you had her by the neck in just the right spot. I remember a helpful person suggesting those nose halters. All I could think of is, 'people will think its a muzzle and assume she is mean.' Reality is, I should have put my pride aside and got one. Who cares what people think! The biggest training difference between the two dogs is Nancy only was on leash when we were in town. Frank lived on a leash. He walked every day behind the stroller. So to test my hypotheses I am walking Nukka on a leash behind the stroller every day. So far she is a loose leash walker, but that could change with her energy increase at 6 months. We shall see. For now its just a hypothesis./
 Things she knows now. Out. Which means spit it out. Usually she will release whatever she is holding. Outside. This she is still working on. Alaskan Malamutes are famous for their stubbornness. She pretends like she doesn't know what I am saying when she would rather stay inside.

For pete snakes!

  Our cat Charlotte..who is a boy... has become quite a hunter. He enjoys catching moths, bugs, and other small critters. Yesterday he brought home a snake. His boy, Mr. Steel, pried it from Charlotte's kitty jaws and found it still alive. Around here a pet like that is rarely let go again. He is doomed to spend his afternoons dreaming of escape from a plastic prison. Believe me, I was glad when we discovered the tree frog had dug an elaborate tunnel system behind a poster in his cell. Unlike my kids I feel a little empathetic for the slimys as they are tossed about and made to wear bonnets. The snake, while doomed to a life in a glass cage and constant handling, will be a good pet. Lets just hope this one wont 'run' away and die in the heater vent....*cough*.....not that this has happened before?!

Haiku Tuesday

  All the wonders come

A heavy frost sparkling

The death of summer

click for Kristen

Here we are

  Here I sit after an hour of purging our old computer of files, pictures, and my brothers junk. He used it for the last year or two.  I love that boy but he doesn't exactly dump his temp files...ever.'
  Its funny to think back to when we purchased it. I want to say six or eight years ago. In my world that's a lot of 'befores'.

• before Thomas
• before our house
• before true exhaustion

The list could go one eternally, but I spared you. My insight here is, as I plunk on the keys, I cant help to remember where I was when I first cracked open those huge shipping boxes and logged on for the first time. It was perched on the 'big thing' in my folks house. I loaded ALL my Christmas music on it and blasted it three full months before Christmas. Were you there for that Em?
  It came with us to our house in OP. There it served as a movie player and music station. Its gathered dust and grime. Pictures galore. The memory was more than clogged. So I set aside what small amounts of sentimentality and deleted everything. Did I crack open the photo file and make sure I had copied everything. Nope. No time. I just went for it.
  Now on top of having painted press board as flooring, I have a computer on top of a random shelf in the living room. Oh how I envy all those who have talents in making a house look homier. So far my house just looks torn apart. *sigh*

Nukka week 8

Nukka the fluff ball continues to grow at an astonishing rate. She eats and sleeps and pants. The things she has been taught are sit. She came knowing sit, but she has gotten better at it. She sits VERY nicely when she wants a treat....she will follow you through the house sitting in front of you, letting you know that she deserves a treat...right now. She is getting better at the command lay down, not hitting it every time yet. She knows 'go potty' and will in fact go potty right then and there. Note to self:don't say "do you need to GO POTTY" because all she will hear is the last bit and there will be a puddle on the floor. I happened to make that mistake this AM.
  She loves to garden, or UN-garden in my opinion. She has sampled more plants than the deer and is happy to try new ones when I am not looking. She also likes  loves to dig, get covered in sand and lay in dirty water. (sigh) I feel for Kristen right about now.
  Frank still loathes her. No joke, he sits on the couch and stares at her. When she comes near its *growl growl growl* What happened to my 'great with everyone' dog?

parting shots

 Here is my latest knitting project. They are for Jamie. Had to get them done before the snow comes to Montana...at that point no one wants gloves without fingers!

Here is my girl enjoying the vanity aunt Kristen gave her. She loves it and was admiring herself in the mirror right before I got this shot. Apparently I am not as sneaky as I had hoped.

Writing

  This morning I lay in bed contemplating commitment. I kept asking myself if I wanted to get up and write. I need to write. Not only do I have assignments due, but I need to make writing daily a priority. (blogging doesn't count) Yesterday I told myself that after the boys were done with their schooling I would jump right in and write for an hour or so. They are happy to play with each other. Did it happen? Umm....not quite like I envisioned. For some strange reason, unless I write before my day begins to happen, all the worries and needs and things I must do crowd out the ability to be creative. On Saturdays I usually go to a coffee shop. I sit and type while sipping my coffee. Its noisy at times, but its not the same. Every noise isn't attached to a need. Somehow I must work this daily writing into my day.
  So I typed and rubbed my eyes. I yawned and told myself to keep going. Eventually I will be happy to get up early and write? Lets hope.

Haiku Tuesday

Oh rain stay away

I dread precipitation

board kids and wet dogs

click for Kristen

wigtastic

okay so here is my new wig....please excuse the exhausted woman under it. Isn't it fabulous? I got it for $22 at a garage sale on memorial day. It had been used once by a chemo patient and she found it uncomfortable. Originally it was a $200 something wig. As weird as it sounds I have always loved wigs and wanted a nice one. Here it is in all its blond bob glory. ;) perhaps I will wear it to my next opera along with the vintage dress I purchased on my anniversary!

School

  My girl starts her second week of school today. She woke up promptly and said, "I don't wanna go to school today mama." Considering the only complaint is that the work is too hard, we are pressing on.

  Every week the teacher sends home a spelling list to study, write, and copy. It is due on Friday. She also has one math paper to take home each week. 
  Nukka is now over 8 weeks and weighs 16 1/2 lbs!!! That's double her weight from last week! She still hates to walk and likes to sleep outside. Poor thing was panting up a storm in her kennel last night. I had to open the window on the back porch just to keep her cool enough. Its an all new experience to have an outdoors doggy. I have never really liked them because they seem unhappy. I suppose some dogs are just made for living on the porch. Nukka is one of them!

Remembering

  Its hard to believe that 10 years ago our country changed so dynamically over a period of days. My husband and I were siting in his grandparents house watching as the drama unfolded. It was harrowing and chilling to watch burning people...people who had families and lives...throw themselves from the crashing towers.
  It is typical for humanity to forget, to move on, to look back with little care or feeling. It doesn't surprise me that Google has no memorial pic.
  But to me it will always be a real thing. A memory burned into my very being. Thank you to all those who fly flags today, those who stop and remember, who help others to know what took place and the lives that were lost.

Five minute friday

  I find funerals a good place for study on humanity. Being the daughter of a pastor I attended funerals from a young age and became a bit analytical about them over the years.
  From the start I have always been baffled about a few things. I suppose I still am. Why do humans morn the loss of their loved ones by only recalling the good things? Even as a 6 year old I knew that the people being lowered into the ground wernt perfect and yet all the people stood around murmuring good things about them.
  When I was an adult I took my husbands grandparents to a funeral. The deceased had been in and out of jail, lived a very hard life, and hurt many. It was the most real funeral I had been to. The people there were honest about who he was and recalled the good and bad stories about him. There wasn't the same feeling of peace and yet it felt more whole. From a passer by view it was the real life funeral. No one was waxing eloquent about his great deeds, making it feel as tho he was unreal.
  A clear view of who we are in real life may not be beautiful, but it is honest. The truth is painful for most people. Its much easier to believe the flowery things covered with a rosy glow, but the truth...oh the truth is a refreshing drink in this desert life.

Five minute Friday link

and the magic wears off

I remember being a little girl and anticipating something only to find it wasn't what I thought it would be. My girl has hit that. Honestly, I hadn't expected this until a week or two into school.
  Yesterday when she came home (day two) she said, "I don't think school is fun any more. Its hard and the teacher doesn't come over and help us." It will take some time to get use to not having mom around. I am not married to this public school thing, but I want to give it a chance to see if she improves in the areas she needs too.
  I am sure looking forward to my weekend with her!! Movies and snuggling and hanging out. no wonder other parents live for the weekend.

At this point Nukka does NOT like to go on walks. I have to coax/drag her until she cant see the house. She begrudgingly follows until we reach half way and start heading back. No matter where I am on the road she figures it out. 'Home!' her doggy brain shouts. *sigh* Lets hope she snaps out of it someday. Right now she is laying outside in the cold because the heater is on. She also hates the heater. Funny dog.

Homeschooling day one!

  Doing only one grade is FANTASTIC. och. Sorry for the obscene use of capitals there, I cant help myself.
  This year my little girl is attending regular school while I hang out with the two boys during the day. Thomas is enrolled in K12 and Mr. Steel is hitching a lift on his curriculum. The 1st grade work is familiar to me since my girl did it two years ago and I am looking forward to repeating it. My confidence is much higher also because I am not spread between two grades. Last year stretched my abilities quite a bit and now that I have scaled back its more relaxing. Mr. Steel has a bigger attention span this year and was happy to participate this AM in all the work. Thomas' teacher called and seemed very willing to work with our schedule and timing.
  I did cave and have Greg buy me caffeine laced coffee. We haven't had caffeine in the house for close to a year because with all the stress...the caffeine was making it really hard to not panic over little things. If I start blogging about how I stayed up until 2 am vacuuming all the sand off the floor, that will be your cue to give me that friendly comment about scaling back. (wink) As always I hope you are all doing well in your own schooling/homeschooling endeavors.
  

Not so haiku tuesday

Here I stand on this steep hill, a place I was so long ago. The cold air brings me bitter sweet memories. Now it is my turn to stand and watch my own catch her breath at the journey ahead. It is a difficult task, this motherhood phase. To hug and listen and pray. I shall bear this greif with joy and cherish my moments with her even more.




click for Kristen

Nukka at 7 weeks

Look now my children have a pet that is just as messy as they are!

 Here they are teaching her how to dig..lucky me.

Whoever said that Malamute's don't bark was seriously mistaken. They bark, howl, grumble,whine,and all the other doggy stuff. The only difference is they do it more. 

It was 85 degrees yesterday. Nukka did NOT enjoy the heat. She kept trying to find a cold spot. She decided the water bowl was the place to go. 

a few shots

 The civil war. The boys and my dad went to the reenactment. This year they REALLY got into it.

My girl...just as silly as her mom but with much prettier eyes.

garage sale girl

  I had my fair share of shuffling through other peoples trash to find my own treasures when I was young. Much to my mothers horror, my dad would take us to the city dump and let us bring things home..One particularly stinky teddy bear lamp comes to mind. Garage sales, yard sales, thrift stores, and places like Goodwill were frequent stops. I cant deny how fun it was to be the person who found that priceless treasure but now that I have a household of my own that fills up with junk I am less likely to buy others. 
  My daughter is much like me at 8. She loves LOVES loves garage sales. Yesterday she wanted to go spend her money on a few 'treasures.' I said yes. She came home with 4 old lady wigs two dollies and one movie. The thrill on her little face as she pulled the money out and paid for her things was worth it all.
   I even found a score. A wig. Not just any wig, a blond bob worn once made with human hair. Oh its so cute! Just what I have always wanted. Don't worry when I find the time I will take a pic for you. I suppose there is still a tiny bit of bargain hunter left in me after all!

life

  We went to my girls school for pizza and get to know the teacher night. Seeing all the little lockers and cubbies made me nostalgic for times past. My greatest hope is that she gets a new lease on learning. She is nervous about how well she will get along with everyone there. VBS was difficult for her this year but I assured her that school was a bit more structured and disciplined than VBS...I hope I'm right.
  The last few days I have been soggy and sad. I couldn't quite put my thumb on it until I realised that having my girl grow up and go to school was the cause! Its good for her. To branch out and become the person she will be. My head tells me one thing while my heart tells me another. It just means I will spend more time in prayer and less in worry. (theoretically) Its a lot harder to remember at 3am!