New Blog Look???? Spring is in the air!

Do you like my new blog??? Isn't it just perfect for our family??? I was blown away by it! Here is a challenge for you...go through the blog header only and pick out how many animals are actually "OURS". I took pic's of every animal that is ours to create the "farm"! I am also in process of changing out ALL my side photos through all the "Chicken Tabs"....how creative was Jen with that?? Visit her at http://www.jensdesignshop.com/ to see what great things she can do for you!!! She's awesome...beause we all know I am a pain in the wazoo until I get it exactly how I want it!!!

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Catch up news: This week has been REALLY tough on me. First the stomach flu that kept me in bed for days it seems(almost a week!)....my poor kids and hubby...I was so sick, but yet they still wanted everything under the moon, so I was very snappy. Where is my mommy when I need her to get her butt down here and take care of things???? I know mama' you have enough going on! BLAH! Chris was great about taking Maddy to and from practices of all sorts and Lyza and I spent a great deal of the week outside so she could be in her sandbox, swing, outside toys and I could be getting fresh air vs contaminating the house. Yesterday I woke up very early, actually feeling pretty decent, but within a few hours the blisters in my mouth/throat had flared up pretty good. This has put quite the damper on my eating and drinking (liquids in general...not alcohol!!!!) habits. For that matter I can't even take the medicine they are prescribing me to take.......it stinks. Hopefully tomorrow will be better!!! (For those of you who do not know, I was hospitalized for quite a while several years ago (then at home with a picline and home health nurse for a month) with blisters in my mouth, memory loss, amnesia, fever, etc...and those are the same symptoms I have now...but I am trying to let it resolve on it's own without being in the hospital!!

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Today was an "ALMOST" great day...although Maddy's soccer game was at 8:30, Chris picked Madisyn up from Chelsea's at 8 am. Being the sweetie he is, he wanted Lyza and I to sleep in (we don't normally get up until 9:30 or after anyway....yes, curse me now!:-). Madisyn had her last school dance for 7th grade last night and she went to the movies afterwards with a bunch of girls going to her friend Chelsea's slumber party (yes, moms went and hid in the back :-). They watched "17" and she liked it.

Ok...I say "Almost Great" because at noon one of Chris' friends/coworkers came by with his family to look at our Golden Retriever "Chloe". I didn't think it would be hard on me....but the tears stung and I was a mess. They were here about 40 min and when Chris came back inside....Chloe was still with them. They were going to "discuss" it. Well, that gave me a glimmer of hope. The only thing keeping me happy was the thought of no more shredding EVERYTHING all over the entire 2 acres that are fenced in. No more huge holes in the fields....no more knocking me over everytime I go to the barn or garden (this was HUGE problem). No more holes in the pool if we set up another redneck one to get Lyza and I through the summer~~ (no offense....Redneck is my middle name, and I love those inexpensive pools to last me just for the summer...does the job and does it well for Lyza and I!). Back to Chloe: Lo and Behold at 6 pm, they came back for her. I was feeding Lyza dinner, helping Madisyn put together her rabbit cage and I told Chris to tell them best wishes, if it doesn't work out, to bring her back but I just couldn't say goodbye anymore!!! So 1/2 hr later I am still crying.....and Chloe is gone! It was tough on all of us. Gracie and Molly will get to go back to life as normal now...and have already been in for the evening!!! They were great, they are trained and well behaved dogs...and get along with my cats! Lyza sat on the couch with them and gave them snacks!!

Chris also took Madisyn to the "flower market" to get the flowers in baskets and to plant for the season...and all the mulch. Lyza and I took a 3 hr nap (yes, I am treasuring my naps at this point!).....while they got everything, laid everything out and then Christopher mowed the rest of the field. I got up to plant flowers, spread mulch and fix landscaping....then I decided he did not buy enough, so I went back to town and bought double what he did!!! HEY....I sit on these porches all summer, I like them beautiful!!!! That is my serene getaway!!

It started raining late, late this evening...so maybe it will be just enough to water what we have planted. We are having our garden tilled in the next week or so....and then we'll start having our own produce again. Maddy got a headstart and got starwberry plants today! Sorry, but last year they failed miserably....let's wish her luck this year!!!

Happy Spring!

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No...my kids aren't really slobs.....it was "FAMILY NIGHT" and Maddy was in charge of cooking dinner.....and of course FAMILY NIGHT is all about cutting up a little more than one would EVER get away with on a "Plain" night!

"Monkey See, Monkey Do"

Family Dinner Night by Miss Madisyn
Spaghetti, Salad, French Bread, Lemonade




Daddy Planting.....Lyza not happy because she got in trouble for pulling flowers! WHOOPS!

Can I pull JUST a LITTLE????



House with landscaping ALMOST done....where's the wreath for my front door???!!!







"OH NO, I"M IN TROUBLE, I PICKED IT ANYWAY"!!!!








"WEEEEEE, I"M SO Glad Summer is back and the shoes are HISTORY"

One of the flowers I bought today. At night they curl up like this.....I'll have to see what kind it is, very neat though!

Gerber Daisy's....my favorite!!

Dandelions.....the "FUN" weed......they have flowers, and you can blow all the seeds! Lyza has discovered she LOVES These! :-))

I think I'm going to have a tree climber :-) YEAH!

This is our bathroom mirror! About once per month, someone takes the initiative to leave a note to someone on it before work/school.....then it just escalades. It is done with a lipstick that i just not my color...and since it seems to get done about every month, we leave it up for one week, then take the magic cloth, cleaner too it. Just something extra to clean...but is sure is fun to wake up and find the notes of encouragement (Hmmm, most of the time!)!!

"Benjamin" the Easter Bunny who never left??? Now has a nice cozy mansion cage in Madisyn's room. He is a mini, so won't get much bigger. He chases the cats like he is a cat.....very cute! Loves to be outside too!

Madisyn making her "Lyza" face before school on Friday! :-)

Maddy and Brydon playing w/cars and Nonny's computer!!!