The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly Part 8

Because some days you need more than others,

and in the spirit of keeping it real, here's a glimpse of

recent events with my five men!

While vacuuming with the handheld attachment,

I thought I'd take the dust off The Mister's laptop

that was sitting on the dining room table.

I was horrified as I saw the "O" get sucked away!

Fortunately I saw it happen! And even though digging

through the bag of dirt and dust wasn't any fun,

I did find the missing key and it snapped back on!

****

I didn't notice that I bought grapes with seeds in them! Now I don't care for grapes with seeds, so I can only imagine how gross they seemed to autistic boys with lots of food issues...and very healthy gag reflexes! My first clue to the seeded grapes were all the seeds spit out on the kitchen floor. ha.

****

I found Taylor sleeping on the living room couch the other morning. He said when he got in bed the night before that it was full of ants. Great. Of course when I went to investigate, he had 3 days worth of dirty dishes on the empty side of his bed. Ants...duh! Smart, cute college guys can be ...well, lazy. Hopefully he learned a lesson after he changed his sheets, vacuumed, removed the dishes and sprayed bug killer. Sigh.

****

Remember me losing my hub cap on the van and Taylor miraculously finding it while he out...20 miles away? Well, as excited as we were...the tabs were broken off and it can't go back on. Poor van...it's looking pretty bad with it's naked wheel, rusty paint, possessed wipers and missing gas cap cover. The Mister says we look like the Clampetts. I think we look worse! LOL!

****

My regular readers know that my coffee maker is on my bedside table. I use it as an alarm clock and have my first cup before getting out of bed in the morning. It's a wonderful treat...unless you sit your full mug in front of you on the bed and reach a little too far for a Kleenex....spilling the whole thing on the mattress!

****

Speaking of coffee, I start saving the used grounds in a canister beside the kitchen sink every spring. When it's full, I take it out and dump them in my garden soil. In a rush last week, I quickly dumped the wet grounds...oops ....into the wrong canister! They landed on 3 pounds of newly purchased Ghirardelli chocolate chips. Oh my.

****

Yes, I'm laughing...so laugh with me! Oh my, oh my....this is a crazy, crazy life!

OK...I need more coffee....

The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly Part 5

Because some days you need more than others!

And in the spirit of "keeping it real", here's a look

at what's been going on around here lately.....

1. Our bed broke...again...but worse this time! One last jump from Spencer and the frame broke in two. Of course, it happened late at night when The Mister was still at work! When he got home, because of the late hour, we slid three buckets under the broken side to hold up the slats. More on this later, as it deserves a post of it's own! LOL!

2. The electric can opener died over the holidays! Would you believe we didn't have a manual one either? Not willing to make a special trip to the store on a holiday, we made do. Thank goodness for kitchen boning shears, pliers, a hammer and a screwdriver! LOL! It's not pretty, but we got it open! When Harry asks for his green beans, you gotta get the can open somehow!

3. The windshield wipers in the van have developed a mind of their own! They go fast when I set them on slow speed! They start up on their own when it's sunny outside! And this week, they wouldn't stop when I turned them off! Here I am at our mailbox at the entrance to our neighborhood. The van is off. The keys are out of the ignition! They just kept on wiping!

4. Earlier this month, The Mister and I celebrated our 26th anniversary! A couple of days before, the power steering went out on the van. So, in lieu of gifts, we had the van repaired. It also needed a water pump. I had to choose between power steering or the wipers. Of course, I opted for power steering! LOL! So, Happy Anniversary to us! We did go out for a nice lunch and actually had few hours of quality time together. Very nice.

5. Conversation this week...Taylor ~ Mom, this old van is really starting to look cruddy! When are we getting a new one? Me ~ After we get you through college! Taylor ~ Oh. .....thanks, Mom. :)

And...haha...yes, I'm laughing, so please laugh along with me! It really is the best medicine, isn't it? Hope we're done with the catastrophies for a little while, though! :)

Metamorphasis Monday = Boys' Computer Room Redo

To see other bloggers with renovations,

visit Metamorphasis Monday at Susan's blog,

Between Naps on the Porch!

18 years and four boys can do this to a spare bedroom!

We didn't notice how badly the wallpaper had faded

or how dirty it really was until I removed part of the

chair rail border. Ugh!

The wallpaper steamer came in handy! And Nugget was my constant companion! Everyone needs a giant lop-eared bunny for a supervisor! Here's that fun wipe-clean couch I told you about earlier that I found at Big Lots. It's called a Click-Clack sofa and can fold flat to make a twin sized bed. Taupe colored walls, black furniture and red accents make the room look great for boys who are now young men. Since it's a small room, I kept the furniture to the walls and left as much floor space as possible. It makes vacuuming much easier, too. I framed some prints from an old calendar. Here's that funny 1931 print from the Toy Train Society. The colors in this print were perfect...love the lady traveler in her 1920's outfit! I did the poor-man's style of framing here...cut out the print from an old book and attached it to a piece of printer paper with rubber cement for a 'mat'. All the frames were thrift store finds that I painted black. And I made a sign to put above the window. It was originally a shelf....the only part of a bookcase that wasn't damaged. The rest went in the trash and the shelf became a sign! I got my inspiration from the talented Susie Harris at Bienvenue! I'm so pleased with the room that I immediately started on the hallway....1980's striped walls and floral border...they have to go! LOL!

Playing Hooky!

Harry and Spencer

I had to go get Spencer (in the black pj's) from school

both Wednesday and Thursday afternoons last week

because he threw up. He didn't seem sick at all

after getting home. I think he was faking! When

I put everyone to bed Thursday evening, Harry

sounded like he was getting a cold, so I thought I'd

just keep them all home. I couldn't bear the clinic

calling me again! So, we lounged in our jammies

and had a relaxing day. Hopefully I broke the

cycle for Spencer and today will go without

any calls from the school nurse!

Or maybe I won't answer and let that call

go to The Mister, again! ha-ha!

Did you ever fake sick or play hooky?

You know, I never did! In fact, I would cry

if I was sick and had to miss school!

(what was wrong with me!?)

****THIS JUST IN****

The boys' teacher just sent me an email saying Spencer made himself throw up after lunch and requested to go to the school nurse! Finally, she's on to him and said "No!" See...moms always know, don't they? Now if teachers would just believe the moms! LOL!

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Part 4

Because some days you need more than others!

And in the spirit of "keeping it real", here's a look

at what's been going on around here lately.....

1. The school clinic called. Alex threw up. He threw up on Spencer. Could I please come and pick up Alex and bring a change of clothes for Spencer? There was only 2 hours of school left, so I just brought both of them home. Nice going, Alex. But it's better you did this on your brother than on some other non-related student!
2. As I was leaving to go get the two boys, I realized that The Mister had my wheels. Fortunately, Taylor was home between classes so I took his car. After peeling myself off of the car ceiling from the radio blasting when I turned the ignition, I drove over to school in the pouring rain. I had to scoot a bunch of junk over in the seats to make room for Alex and Spencer...getting soaked by rain....fishing poles, tackle box, water bottles, gym shoes, extra jackets, books...you name it. There was so much stuff that a lady walking by in the parking lot said "Have a nice trip!" She thought I picked up the boys early from school for a little vacation...fishing some where. No...just driving my sons's car. Looks like a homeless person lives in it. Sigh.
3. I gave myself a fat lip. No, really! I bumped my top lip with my thumb nail and gave myself a little cut and fat lip. One of those freak accidents that is hard to explain to someone without them giving you a strange look. (I see that look on your face!) So, I have that sexy, full-lipped pout that so many women are paying big bucks for. LOL!
4. Earlier in the week, the boys' teacher sent a note home. Their behavior for the day had been downgraded from the usual "good" to just "OK". Apparently Harry and Spencer didn't wait for their aide when they left Art Class. They ran on ahead of her...back to their regular classroom...racing to see who could get back first to ask for Free Time on the computer. I actually had to just laugh...this is SO them! I'm surprised it hasn't happened before now. Alex, who was in Social Studies at the time, kept his "good" grade for the day.
5. Last August, Taylor rolled through a stop sign on a deserted road just out of town and got stopped by the sheriff. The sheriff was so apologetic for the ticket and said normally he would just give a warning, but there had been 3 accidents at that corner recently. He told Taylor he would get the ticket in the mail. If he intended to pay, he did not need to show up in court. So, we waited...no ticket! We thought maybe the kind sheriff just didn't turn it in, seeing he was so reluctant to give it in the first place. In the busyness of life, we completely forgot about it.....until this week when Taylor received a letter saying his license was revoked for failure to appear in court and pay his ticket! Yikes! We have to make some phone calls Monday and get this taken care of and his license reinstated. Meanwhile, I'm chauffer again...neither of us too happy about that! LOL!
6. On the good side...we received an anonymous cash gift this week! We have no idea who would do such a generous, encouraging thing! Must be from one of God's angels here on earth! I don't think this person would have any idea how timely this gift was or how appreciative we are! Maybe this person reads my blog and saw that I was making mittens out of old sweaters and felt sorry for us. LOL! Anyway, what a wonderful thing, huh?! Just makes us forget all about court dates, the rain, messy cars, throw-up and running in the halls at school! LOL! Happy week everyone...hope your days are happy....keep a sense of humor and remember that it could always be worse! :)

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Part 3

Because some days you need more than others!

And in the spirit of keeping it real,

here's a look at my extra crazy week!

• Harry pulled a bag of tortilla chips out of the pantry and knocked the olive oil pitcher to the floor....there was a small pond of oil on the floor before I got there to stop the flow. Harry just smiled, held out his bowl and chip bag. :)
• I was in a building in town where there wasn't any reception to my cell phone. The Mister got the call to his office from the school that Spencer didn't make it to the restroom and needed a change of clothes. This has only happened a couple of times in all of their years of school, but I always get the call. The Mister swears I didn't answer my cell on purpose! ha-ha.
• Taylor fell on his head playing intramural basketball at the University Monday night. He blacked out for a second and then couldn't feel his arms. Scary! So we met them at the ER, had xrays and then had 3 doctor appointments in the next 3 days and went back to the hospital for a CT scan. He's recouping very well....still sore, but prescription painkillers and a muscle relaxer have made a huge difference. He has a concussion and some spine trauma. He'll do some physical therapy sessions and another doctor visit later this month. We're just thanking God that he's OK! It could have been so much worse! He can go back to classes on Monday. Thanks to those of you who read this on my sidebar and sent good wishes and prayers our way!
• The mouse has outsmarted us so far.....the traps are set!
• The Mister kicked me in his sleep while having a dream! Hmmmm. He doesn't remember the dream, the kick, or me screaming! I told him if it happens again, he's on the couch. LOL!
• The morning after Taylor's trip to the ER, I ran to Kroger to get some groceries. I used one of the self checkout isles and pressed the appropriate buttons to receive $80 cash back. Yes, you guessed it....I took my groceries and walked off without the cash. I returned 15 minutes later but it was gone...of course. I think the creepy looking guy behind me buying a loaf of bread helped himself to my cash!

So, there you have a glimpse at my week! Taylor is so much better as of today! God is good...and the good always outweighs the bad! But I'm really glad this week is over! Enjoy your weekend blog friends! I'm baking 7 dozen chewy ginger cookies...some to freeze, some to give away and some to eat! The house smells heavenly! Taylor must be feeling better...he's eaten 6 so far! :)

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly #2

Because some days you need more than others!

In the spirit of keeping it real,

Here's a look at my week so far....

• The school called and needed me to come. Alex was tantruming and they couldn't calm him down. Ugh. I hate calls like that. I arrived just 3 minutes later and he was in the 'time out' chair...calm, but having that "Boy, am I in trouble now" look about him.
• A bee rode home in the van with me from Sams Club. More distracting than texting while driving, let me tell you! LOL! He stayed the whole 25 minute trip. I know I smell sweet, but good grief!
• Taylor's car kept making a horrible noise and finally the power steering went out. All is fine now...after $450 in repairs. Ugh.
• Our huge burning bush is beginning to turn red. It's centered right outside the window in front of my computer. I enjoy it every autumn!
• I went on a little road trip with my sister and her family. We had such a good time! I haven't laughed that hard since...well, since the last time I was with her! ha!
• Taylor saw a mouse in his room yesterday. Every year when the weather turns cold we get one! Ick! I'm not scared of them, but hate the unsanitary havoc they cause in the pantry and kitchen. I'm adding traps to my shopping list!
• I just realized my driver's license expired on my birthday last week. Hmmm...I hope there's a grace period! I sure wouldn't want to try to take that written exam again after all these years! And can I at least wish for a good hair day when I go for that picture? ha!

Yes, you have to take the good with the bad! LOL!

We'll just keep taking it one day at a time. :)

The Good, the Bad, and the Part 1

Because some days you need more than others!

Here's a few tidbits of life that we've experienced over the last few days...all in the spirit of keeping it real!

• I got my hair cut ~ 6 inches shorter! All 5 men approved! Actually, the triplets didn't even notice. But Harry did gave me a second look as I brushed his teeth tonight. :)
• We had a fast but violent thunder storm. The Mister looked outside in the lightening and hail and noticed we had a gutter stopped up. He had the pleasure of going out in that stuff, getting on a ladder, and unclogging it. Do you think it was Murph?
• Harry used the shower curtain for toilet paper. No, really...he did.
• The refrigerator door was left open about an inch...all night. (my fault!)
• One of the stove burners was left on 'high' ....all night. (Taylor's fault!) ..and no, not the same night that the refrigerator was open. ha!
• Nugget grew a few more inches.
• Spencer did a flying leap and landed on our large, four-poster bed, breaking part of the bottom support.
• The Mister repaired the bed using some left-over baseboard trim he found in the garage, only to have Alex throw a little tantrum, landing on our bed and breaking it again two days later.
• Taylor is enjoying the beginning of college life and brought home a new girl....named Taylor...( you say "No way!"....I say "Way!" )
• Speaking of The University...The H1N1 virus has arrived with 2 confirmed cases. Chapel was cancelled all week in an attempt to slow the spread. Ugh.
• Some of you may remember the skin burns from mincing jalapenos.
• I was sitting here at the computer with a cherry Tootsie Pop in my mouth. Spencer walked by and pulled it out of my mouth and popped it in his own, never missing a beat in his step. Ugh. I scolded him and he tried to put it back in my mouth. Um...no thanks.
• The Mister and I enjoyed huge bowls of chocolate icecream topped off with my thick, gooey hot fudge sauce. Because, we definitely deserved it! ha-ha!

Goodness! I wonder what next week will bring! It's all about keeping your sense of humor, isn't it? And taking it one day at a time....which, sometimes can be more than enough to handle!

Oh Yuck!

The other day The Mister sat down at the boys' computer to trouble shoot a problem for them. He came out in the kitchen and said, "Have you looked at their keyboard lately?" I said that no, I hadn't...that I never sit down to that computer. We have a spare bedroom that has turned into the boy hangout....complete with all of their DVDs, videos, a TV and computer. I pick up the stuff off the floor and vacuum, but that's about it. This is also the room that lost the slats to the window blind a while back. It also needs the filthy wallpaper stripped and fresh paint all over....I have the paint and am ready to start on this project as soon as they go back to school! But....I went back and looked at that keyboard...oh my....I am embarrassed to say that something this cruddy is in my home! But no longer....as I bought them a new one and a new mouse yesterday. It was far too gone to take apart and clean like I have done to my own. And yes, I did the ceremony to throw out the old. Just Keeping it Real, here.... but may be a bit too real! ha-ha!

That Lived-In Look

Is this why they are called "throw pillows"?

Lighting

Thomas Edison's light bulbs.

googleimages.com

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Have you any idea how many children it takes

to turn off one light in the kitchen?

Three.

It takes one to say, "What light?"

and two more to say, "I didn't turn it on."

-- Erma Bombeck

~~~~

I just had to laugh when I saw this quote! We have a real

problem turning lights and other electronics off in our house!

Well, I'm just being polite when I say 'we'. I feel like I'm

the only one that notices and walks around turning things

off! A few months ago I had to leave the house before

anyone else on a school day. The Mister got everyone

out the door for me. Later in the day, when I came home

to an empty house, there were 15 lights on, 2 computers

and 2 TV's! On the other hand, only half the men

remember to flush the toilet. Hmmm...saving water?

Maybe we are even-ing out our carbon footprint.

Good grief!

A Little Pep Talk For All of Us

"Don't waste your effort worrying about what you have not done. Spend your time working on what you now can do. It's amazing how much you can accomplish when your heart is in it. Drop the doubts, self-criticisms, and anxieties, and positively put your heart into what you're doing. Enjoy the delicious feeling of making real progress based on your own focused efforts.Have fun watching yourself accomplish as you complete each task. Taking effective, meaningful action will put you in a positive frame of mind. And that will open the door to many great new possibilities.Go beyond wondering about it, or thinking it through, or planning for it. Just go ahead and get it done.Choose your destiny; delight in the fulfilling effort that makes it happen. You can do it, and now is when." - Ralph Marston

Living in Chaos

Train books spread out over the kitchen island.

~~~~

Oh, these days of summer vacation!

Cooking alone in my spotless, uncluttered

kitchen is only a faint memory now!

~~~~

Grilled beef and cheddar sandwich courtesy of Taylor.

Train books courtesy of Spencer.

Spencer, Spencer, Spencer!

I've shown a picture of our living room before.

This is what it normally looks like.

But this summer, Spencer has taken over the room! Notice how he's moved all the furniture so he would have room to line up his train pages?

Notice the stacks of train pages on the mantel?

Notice the floor lamp and trash can teetering on the window seat cushion?

Notice my eyes rolling? Oh, sorry..you can't see that!

So, in keeping with my motto of "Stay Calm and Carry On".. I made the best of it and vacuumed while the furniture was out of the way. :)

Blind Troubles

The boys had raised and lowered the window blind

so many times over the last 10 years that the pull cord

finally broke. What was their solution? Just pull out all

of the slats! Someone, please tell me this did NOT happen!

Everything You Touch Shines A Little Brighter...

In the spirit of Keeping it Real, I must confess that my windows

are filthy. I mean really, really filthy. As in...I haven't cleaned

them in years! Well, the one at the kitchen sink

has been cleaned on the inside

since it gets splattered and I look out of it a lot. But the rest....yuck!

What's your favorite way to wash windows?

Is it with vinegar? Newspaper? A bucket of soapy water

and a hose for the outside? I'd love some advice

so when the weather gets warm enough, I'm ready to go!

googleimages.com

Metamorphasis Monday

My blog friend Susan, from

Between Naps on the Porch is hosting

Metamorphasis Monday over at her blog.

Anybody that has a great before & after

renovation of something they did in their home can

join in. I added my kitchen pantry that I cleaned out

and posted a couple of weeks ago. It's great to look at

the others...some really inspiring renovations

going on in people's homes!

If you don't visit Susan's blog, go check it out!

She has a GORGEOUS home and you will enjoy

browsing through her house!

Metamorphasis Monday = Kitchen Pantry

I'm almost too embarrassed to show this, but the

end result is so wonderful! I was going to clean out

the kitchen pantry today...remove everything and

wipe it out. But after everything was removed, it

was obvious that 20 years had taken it's toll!

The marked up walls, worn out shelf paper....yuck!

I washed the carpet scrap in the washer and rummaged in

my left over paint cans and found a nice

blue-gray for the walls and white for the shelves.

Ahhhhh....every inch of my house needs this

kind of attention! At least this fun little project

only took the morning!

Keeping it Real

I sent this picture to Willow (my sis) this morning.

I said "look how gross my keyboard is after the

boys used it 24/7 all summer!"

It's the first day of school and I'm reclaiming my desk!

I removed all the keys ~ soaked them,

vacuumed the keyboard and put it all back together.

Willow said I should blog on it and I said I was too embarrassed!

But.....remembering how Modgirl does her "keeping it real"

segments, I decided to let you see it.

All clean now ~ looks brand new!

Now for the rest of the desk......