A stinky new normal

I was not going to say anything about this initially.  Only a few people are currently in the know.  Then I realized who am I kidding...I am a venter.  I need to talk things out and just get it out of my system or say it out loud.  This does not always thrill my family.

I remember coming home from school or work when I lived at home and I would rant and rave about whatever was bothering me for at least 15 minutes and then I was fine, over it and could go on about my day.  I still do this... although I turn to writing more than speaking.  So bear with me while I rant.

I remember the phone call from the first specialist when they said that they though D had Crohn's.... I had just gotten to the grocery store and was getting out of the car when the phone rang.  The doctor said, "it looks like the early stages of Crohn's disease."  The news crushed me and I slid to the ground where I just sat until a friend happened along and helped me up {Thanks Jessica!}  Then I had to get up and pretend like that phone call hadn't just happened because I had kids to pick up and an afternoon to get through before my husband would be home.  Being upset would have to wait.

Of course I cried later.... I cried because I knew all the horrible things this meant.  I knew because I watched Crohn's kill my mom bit by bit.  I have another family member with it & I have watched it re-arrange and scramble their life.  I knew the hard road that was ahead... and for an 8yr old to have to travel it just seemed beyond cruel.
But maybe,  just maybe this doctor was wrong.... so we found another doctor who within 15 minutes of talking to us and examining D said, yep Crohn's.  He wanted to do another colonoscopy to verify.
When discussing the results of the colonoscopy with us I cried again... there was no pretending that there was another possibility anymore.     To have to explain to Dylan why he was sick and what his future involved was so hard.  It is heartbreaking to take him to have his blood drawn constantly, to hold him down while they start his IV each month, to explain that yes he has to take all this medicine and while it makes him temporarily feel better he is not better yet... nor will he ever really be all the way better. Dealing with this disease is his life now.   Crohn's never goes away & you deal with it daily.


Fast forward 5 months.  I wake up one morning in extreme pain and drive myself to the ER.  I suspected a kidney stone or wonky appendix and my 4am web md search seemed to support this.
A cat scan, massive amounts of blood work, X-rays, colonoscopy and 6 days later I had a diagnosis as well.  Crohn's.

When they first told me in the hospital that it was a possibility I laughed out loud because the possibility of it seems so absurd to me.  It was my worst nightmare coming true again.
I said, "No I have an appendicitis and you are going to take that out and I will go home."  Then they laughed.

So once again life has changed greatly..... today I started IV infusion treatment.  Soon D and I will go together to get it done.   My sister said "Wow you are taking helicopter parenting to a whole new level" when I told her of my diagnosis.  That was hilarious....it still is.   We are on heavy duty meds.  I pray that this works for us.... that it gets us into remission with little to no scary side effects.

The new normal is hard for me to accept.  It seems like so much to take on and yet here we are and making the best of it.  I run the gambit of emotions.... angry, sad, resolved, determined and  more.
I realize that medicine has advanced a great deal since the days of my mothers diagnosis.... I know that no 2 cases of Crohn's are alike which is both a blessing and curse.  I know that we will get through this and be okay.  I know that there are people going through things that are far worse.
I also know that I would really really love to have rocky road ice cream again but I can't.  So thank you for listening to me vent, for all the prayers that have been said and help given to our family.  We are truly grateful for it all.

Down The Rabbit Hole We Went

Alright .... I don't intentionally go months and months without posting .... I have all kinds of plans each day and life tends to show me that it has other plans for me.  But here I am carving out a few minutes to update the blog and hoping that I can string together some coherent sentences since it has been so long since I wrote.

So last time I wrote we were living here: 

(How incredible is it that I lived in a place that a giant crown in the middle of town... it seems so appropriate as I am sure I am long lost royalty ... anyway)

Sadly we had to leave there unexpectedly.

One of the boys got really sick while we were across the pond and we spent over a year trying to find the answer all the while we were watching him deteriorate day by day.  It was extremely difficult... we looked at many options and in the end we decided it was best that we left there as a family rather than split up for a large amount of time.  We applied for a transfer and once we were notified that it was approved and where we were going we were gone in less than 30 days. Sometime called a turn and burn.  It was insanity to leave that quick.



While Yorkshire will always have a giant chunk of our hearts this helped:

We went from cold rainy, dreary weather to HOT.  One of our first stops was Old Navy to essentially buy new wardrobes for everyone because long sleeves and wellies were not going to cut it.  Thank goodness for the pool at the apartment or else we might not have survived June and July.

We searched and searched for a house.  Searched some more and were just about at our wits end and we stumbled into a great home and a great neighborhood.  Pictures to come later on that.  Still painting and hanging pictures and sadly unpacking a few remaining boxes.

After debating home schooling versus enrolling we decided to enroll the boys at a fantastic school.  I was incredibly nervous but all three boys have amazing teachers & they have settled in nicely.... although the older two are NOT fans of the uniform.  In fact one day the boys were able to catch a ride in this at school.   Not too shabby huh?

My time has been primarily spent at the hospital or clinic.   We were blessed to find a local pediatric GI specialist who quickly gave us a diagnosis and started a treatment plan.  Unfortunately after being basically untreated (despite our best efforts) for some time, D's illness had progressed to the point where the typical beginning meds were not going to cut it and we had to jump to the much more aggressive ones.  The catch being that there is a possible side effect of getting cancer.... so left untreated he would die, and treated there is a chance we opened the door to cancer.   

 After the first infusion there was almost a night and day difference.... come what may this is the best course of action for him now and it is making a big difference so we will continue on this path for the time being.

So long story short it has been a crazy 7 1/2 months.  As much chaos and heart ache we have endured we also have had so much laughter and joy in visiting family and friends.  We are settling into life here & it is a good place for us.  I was NOT happy about our destination but life is what you make it & I think we are making the best of it and it is pretty good :)  

More to come later y'all.

Baffling Love

Many things in life baffle me.... generally what baffles me involves my children.

Here is a list of things that I thought my kids would have down by now.... I have been surprised & baffled by these things for awhile now.

1) Putting the lid back on the toothpaste
2) Rinsing out the sink
3) Flushing..... if nothing else how does your own gag reflex not prompt you?
4) The lack of aim in the loo.... it is astounding to me how many times and how much they miss...
5) Our inability to get out of the door in a quick manner
6) How the genuinely seem stumped as to what they need to do to get ready for school each and every day
7) How going to the grocery store involves at least one battle.... 


Now having ranting about all that here is what else just blows me away about my kids:


1) How amazing of a builder G is.... his mind just creates the coolest things.
2) How generous D is .... he is always so happy to help and to share
3) How funny B is... he can always make me laugh
4) How much just a smile from them can totally alter my life
5) How sweet and rowdy they can be at nearly the same time
6) How much they will defend and help one another
7) How they love to read and imagine and act things out .....


There are days where I am baffled for sure... and days of sighs and frustrations but I would not trade any of them or any of it for a second because what is always there is LOVE.

Hodge Podge

Hodge Podge Happenings

So life has been nuts and if I don't have time to at least get my Hodge Podge post up then I have to much going on in my life :)  So here is to simpler times and doing less and maybe if I say it enough times it will happen - judging by my entire family not likely.

1.  So, do you like beer? 

No.  Once upon a time long long ago I did but I no longer drink.

2.  What's your least favorite repetitive task? 

Cleaning bathrooms.  If you are new to reading my blog no worries I am sure I will rant about it soon - in my defense I have three boys to clean up after... I think that entitles me to a few rants every now and then.

3.  When was the last time you rode a bus?  Where was it headed? 

The last time I rode a bus was to swimming lessons with my son's class at school.

4.  What song from your childhood or from your own children's childhood could make a parent's nerves stand on end? 

I think there is one something about a song that never ends which is annoying but what really irritates me these days are my kids running around screaming Braundo commercials that they saw on you tube...

5.  The US Presidential election cycle is drawing to a close (can I get an AMEN??), and the third and final debate was held last night...what was the last thing you 'debated about'?

Hmmm....well I don't know that we 'debated it' but conversations were held about where to hold my son's upcoming birthday party.

6.  Can a person make too much money?  How much is too much?

Is there something like too much money?  It seems like we and the world always need more.  Seriously though yes, I think that a lot of celebrities and athletes make way to much and often have little to show for it.  I know lots of people donate to charity and all which is great but if you have ever watched an episode of Cribs on MTV you know that someone has too much $$ and time on his hands after you see a few of those houses.  How many gold plated sinks do you need?  How about a few normal high end sinks and buy groceries for some peeps?  Just sayin


7.  Pop-soda-coke-something else...what's it called where you live?

Joyce could probably answer this questions better than me as she speaks fluid England Speak :)  Where I grew up though we always said drink or coke....so you might say, "hey want to go get a coke?" but you might get chocolate milk or ice tea.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

I am full of random thoughts today.  I am slightly overwhelmed at attempting to do this B Day party when I seriously just did a blow out Mario party for my other son about a week ago.  Two B Days in October is sometimes rough.
My niece is in the hospital delivering my new great niece tonight and I cannot wait to see pictures and really wish I could be there in person.
After two years of working on a medical problem of my son's with a variety of Dr.'s I feel like we are finally making some progress.  Prayers are being answered and I am beyond grateful and feel very blessed.
Lastly, it is super foggy again today and I would rather curl up on my couch and read and/or sleep all day but out into it I go.  This is not one of my favorite things about being here.

Park Park Park

Have not been posting because the weather currently rocks and so we are here as much as possible.  Until the weather turns.  

Catch up Time

Catch up time on ye old blog.  Friday I have no idea what we did.  Probably not a whole lot I am guessing since I can't remember it.  I think I cleaned or something.

Saturday we wandered around downtown Harrogate which was very fun actually looking for rain jackets and buying iPhones.   The phones we had did not even take a pictures.  They were the cheapest ones we could buy and we got them a few days after we arrived and we just needed something right then.  I figured we would sort out real phones later.  Well here we are a 18 months later and we have jumped on the technology band wagon.  Yay!

 We also went to a shake shop & they actually do soy shakes so it was FANTASTIC to go somewhere that there was an option for Greydon that was just like ours.  We often don't get treats out because it can be hard to find things that he is able to eat or if we do get treats out it is usually planned ahead and I have made something special for him that I bring along.

I find Harrogate to be really fun to wander around in & maybe part of that is because I have actually rarely done that or maybe because we were all together instead of me nervously keeping track of three howler monkeys myself.

Sunday it was gorgeous and we woke up late and so I decided we needed to get out and go somewhere so we went to Bolton Abbey, took a long walk, played on a rock beach (where the boys were in heaven throwing rocks & building with them) had ice cream and just relaxed.  It was fabulous.  I loved it because it is close by, very reasonable and there is a lot of different walks or things to explore there so I think we will go multiple times and really get our moneys worth.

Monday we went to the library where they were yet again astounded by how many books we returned and checked out.  We all like to read.. isn't that a good thing?

Today we (and I mean me) we cleaned for a house inspection tomorrow.  Super fun.  I should probably really get on packing some boxes since we are moving sooner than later.

And finally you can go to the new blog and catch my latest post "It's Okay Tuesday" where I rant and rave about the injustices of my life this week. Maybe I should have go with the name "Krista's Crazy Kool-Aide Drink It" instead of Mindless Ramblings of the Hand.  You wouldn't think naming a blog would be so tough or such a big deal but you would be wrong.  Branding people.... very touch subject.


Hope the rest of your week rocks & the rest of my week here is dry.  Whoever is doing all these rain dances     needs to be whipped.


Oh and yes I really am going to make this private this week sometime so please follow the other blog because I probably will post here very infrequently :)  

Going Private Reminder

This blog will be going private on the 16th.  Please leave me a comment if you want to receive an invite to keep reading it.  It will primarily be family pics of our outings on here & updates on the howler monkeys.

I will post scenery pics, etc on my other blog also as well as all my other chats.

The other blog is mindlessramblingsofthehand.blogspot.com

Thanks again and I hope you stick around one of them to keep reading :)

4th of July

Here we do not celebrate the 4th of July on the actual 4th due to large protests they have here.  So on another weekend they had a big carnival on the base and I took the boys and the dog since Bill was on a business trip.  We left Finley in the car for the first half & we wandered around and the kids had a blast on the rides!  We got Finley out later and that was a huge mistake because he was freaking out... I felt really bad for him and next year will board him at the kennel for the celebrations.  Here are some pics from the night.  We were there from around 2pm until 10pm that night and it rained off and on pretty hard.  At one point the boys were just soaked (while they were jumping on trampolines) & I almost headed home but we managaed to find a tent to dry off in for a bit & they were not ready to go.

This ride seemed like a happy medium to me between to small and to big but I think G was not too thrilled with it but I was very grateful he was willing to ride a few times with B. D loved it all.

The older two really really loved the funhouse and spent a lot of time in that as well as riding this spinning thing with another friend of theirs.  At one point they went three times in a row and I was amazed that they could walk & no one vomited.  B could have rode that car thing he was on all night & be thrilled.  We ended up leaving before the fireworks.  When we did get Finley out of the car he was not dealing well with all the people and the noise and lights.  Last year he was very afraid of the fireworks and I figured I was not up to dealing with him & the boys solo during that and I felt like it really was not fair to Finley.  Luckily I ran into some friend at the carnival who helped with Finley for a bit so I was able to ride another ride with Ben.  So that is one weekend here :)  I am hopeful for better weather soon &  more trips and pictures.

Going going gone.....

Well folks for a variety of reasons I am going to soon make this blog private and for family only.  If you are a follower/subscriber/etc. I am deeply grateful and I invite you over to my new blog that will be open to the public:

mindlessramblingsofthehand.blogspot.com  (It will be good !!!)

Thanks so much!

Let Freedom Ring

It is late here so I typed these answers out quickly and half asleep so hopefully they are coherent for you :)  It has been a long week already and it is only Wednesday.  Hope your week rocks !!  Please stop over at Joyce's great blog, From This Side of the Pond to say hello when you are done here.  

1. What do the words 'freedom' and 'liberty' mean to you? Does your mind go more in the direction of not being persecuted or discriminated against or does it head in the direction of doing what you please?

I think as a military spouse maybe my thoughts on freedom & liberty differ from most peoples.  I think of having the freedom to say & write what you are truly thinking without consequence.  I think of being able to wear what I want, drive myself around & basically do what I please as long as it is within the bounds of our laws which give quite a bit of room.
Primarily though I think of all the men and women who have served to KEEP us FREE.  I think about how many Christmas Celebreations, Birthdays, Anniversaries, etc that they have missed.  I think about all the time their family is left alone & how hard it can be.  And I think about all the people who have given their lives to ensure that we are able to live the way we do in America.  
Unfortunately I think many people out there don't realize the scope of sacrifice military members and their families make.  For those of you who do thank you.
Alright since it is 1am, I should move on from this topic so I can finish and sleep :)

2. Nathan's sponsors a hot dog eating contest every 4th of July. Last year over 40,000 people attended the event and almost 2 million watched it on TV. The winner ate over 60 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes. How do you like your hot dogs?


Wow I can't imagine eating that many hot dogs... really it is kinda gross to me but my boys would love it.  
I like mustard and sweet relish on mine and I prefer them grilled.

3. If you were going to enter an eating contest what would be on the menu?

Desserts... ice cream, cake, brownies or cupcakes.... or perhaps muffins.  Yes, I think I will switch to muffins because they are not as sweet so you could eat more.  

4. Do you run your house more as a dictatorship or a democracy?


Well it depends on how everyone is behaving.  If the behavior is good then it is democracy and when they go wild it switches to a dictatorship.  I do try to give them some freedoms but at the same time they are small children and they need guidance, and rules and routine.

5. Where was your favorite summer place when you were a kid?


I don't know that I have a favorite summer place from my childhood.  I did love to play outside & there is a lake close to my home town that I love because I just find it beautiful.  We didn't have a particular place we went to each summer which since we move so often my kids won't have a "place" either.  

6. Do you have a guest room? Would you want to stay there?

I don't currently have a guest room, if someone comes we kick out one of my son's from his Queen size bed and make him bunk with his brother in bunk beds.  In our last house we did have one and it was nice & yes of course I would want to stay there.  I am a hoot to be around and I make fabulous muffins and desserts :)

7. Next Wednesday America celebrates her independence. Do you have any special plans for the 4th of July? If you live outside the USA when and how does your country celebrate its own patriotic holiday?


Well, here they don't hold the 4th of July celebrations on the actual 4th due to protestors so it is a different weekend every year.   I will take the kids for a bit & then we will come home before the fireworks because my dog is terrified of them.   

8. Insert your own random thought here.


I learned how to turn on a lawn mower yesterday and I mowed our lawn for the first time ever.  I was quite proud of myself but I was surprised at how much of a work out it was.  We have a large yard and it has been awhile so it actually had to be gone over three times.  Amazing how you use different muscles that you did not know existed when you do new things.  It seems like a silly thing I now all kinds of woman do it every day but for me it was out of the norm :)

Sleep... we all need sleep & other random things

So random things to tell you about:

We have been busy around here but in the evenings and then we end up going to bed late... really late which is not good for any of us especially small children.

One of my children thew up in a giant container of Legos yesterday... that was not fine to clean.  Imagine soaking hundreds of tiny Legos in the bathtub,then using a colander to strain and rinse them before lugging them into the other room and let them air dry all over the towels you have spread on your bedroom floor.  It took me over 30 minutes.  I really am not a huge Lego fan right now.

I learned how to turn on a lawn mower and I mowed the front lawn.  I was proud and exhausted and hey if when I made the first pass over the lawn it looked like a drunk had done it oh well.

I am addicted to a new muffin recipe I discovered.  It is an egg-less recipe that has bananas and chocolate in it.  SOOOOOO yummy!  If you want the recipe let me know & I will get it to you.

My dog is not getting enough exercise & so he is driving me bonkers.  I feel bad because it is not his fault he is annoying and I currently can't take him out more for a variety of reasons so we are stuck in a vicious cycle of loathing and loving one another.

The dog did eat HALF a pizza... I was not very pleased about that to say the least.  That was my food.

I had book club tonight & those ladies crack me up!  I know someone who belongs to a book club but they don't actually read books anymore they just go do things together which also cracks me up.

I meant to write this but in funnier form & more stuff yesterday but obviously that did not happen so that brings us to today which is very often the case around here.

Alright enough randomness I am going to go eat some ice cream.

Cheers!

You is kind, you is smart, you is important

So I finally watched The Help.  Wow is all I can think.  I really liked the movie & now I motivated to pick the book of my bookshelf where it has sat for months and read it.  My thoughts are jumbled and I can't really articulate my feelings about it... part of that might be due to the fact it is 2:30am.
I can't imagine living in that time & I can't fathom some of the things that happened just like I can't believe much of what happens in the world today does in fact occur.  How much happened/happens that we are clueless about.  A scary thought.
Love one another, be kind.  To me it seems like it really is that simple.  At least it should be.

Thursday post although technically it is Friday as of five minutes ago......

So today is the one day in this week that my kids slept in.  It was also the ONE day we had to be somewhere in the morning.  One of my children woke me up at 9am {and yes it was glorious to sleep in until then which they never do} and I panicked because I had somewhere to be at 10am.  Never gonna happen.
No breakfast yet, two were still asleep, two of us were in need of showers, we still had to drop off the dog to doggy daycare.  Then the power went out.
I rolled up to my friends house at 10:45am.  I am lucky that she is one mellow lady and is use to our antics so I am sure she wasn't really expecting us at 10 anyway.  But I try really hard not to be late and if I am late no more than 15 minutes.

It is now 12:09am I am still up and my kids went to bed at about 11pm.  I wonder what time we shall all wake tomorrow.  I am betting early because in lieu of real dinner my kids had lunchables at 5:30pm, some vegetables sometime later and part of a box of Kix Cereal. As to how much they actually consumed of the cereal I could not say because when I went up to check on them and their snack the majority of the box was all over the floor.
See I invited some girl's over tonight for adult conversation and giggles so after feeding the kids I sent them upstairs to watch a movie and snack on cereal.  While I vacuumed up said box of cereal at 10pm I thought maybe it had not been my best plan BUT, they were quiet and good up there and it was delightful to laugh and talk and get to know these girl's better.

All day long I had an actual post topic in my head but now it eludes me so you are stuck with this :)Enough rambling I must sleep because I have to wake up early for breakfast... surely the God's will not be kind enough to let me sleep in TWO mornings in a row :)   Maybe tomorrow I will share my tale of why I had to watch Wonder Pets for several hours the other morning.  Cheers!

Summertime & the Hodge Podge is easy

Summer should be easy right?  Lots of relaxing and fun?  Hodge Podge has that :)  I find it relaxing that I don't have to come up with what to blog about on Wednesdays and I always have fun with the comments here and reading other people's blogs as well.     After reading my answers head over to Joyce's blog where it all started at  From This Side of the Pond. 

{I actually posted another post today (shock and awe I know) but it has a very funny video clip so check that out also}

1. Summer officially rolls in with the Hodgepodge, for those of us in the Northern hemisphere anyway. What song says summer 2012 to you?


I don't know that there is a song that says summer 2012 to me but, whenever I hear the Beach Boys, particularly the song Kokomo I think of summer.

2. What is the quintessential summer food?


Watermelon which sounds delicious so I think a trip to the store is in order today.

3. I've spent a lot of time traipsing up and down the NJ turnpike in recent weeks. Did you know the rest stops on the turnpike are named after people who lived or worked in NJ? Clara Barton, Walt Whitman, James Fenimore Cooper, Molly Pitcher, Joyce Kilmer, Thomas Edison, and Grover Cleveland just to name a few. Of those I listed who would you most like to have known and why?

I think they all would be very interesting but I think I would pick Clara Barton because the work she did was amazing.  I think it would be interesting to pick her brain and see what she had to say about all that she did.

4. At what age did you move out of your parent's house and what prompted the move?

I moved out when I was 18 to go to college.  

5. What's more satisfying to you-saving time or saving money?

Well I love to save money so I have more to spend on other things so probably that but I am not great at either.

6. Name something you think brings out the good in people.

I think someone in need brings out the good in people.  When we know of someone or a group that needs help I think we all try to do a little better and help.  

7. This last question comes to you courtesy of Kathy at Reflections...are you taking a vacation or staycation this summer? If so where are will you go? If a staycation is on the calendar have you made any special plans to fill the time?

Well I did get to take a vacation by myself back to the States to see my family.  My husband has a work trip to the States & he will take some time to go see his side of the family.  Also I am sure we will travel around here on some short day trips but we are saving for a big trip next year.  We have planned to go to Germany in the fall and hope to go to Ireland and Spain next year.

8. Insert your own random thought here:

Well I have decided to start a new blog.  Because the two that I rarely post on aren't enough...lol.   Actually it is because being overseas there are a few family members who just want to see what we are up to & see pics of the kids and that is it.  They don't necessarily care about all my ramblings that I do otherwise :)  But I love the Hodge Podge and blogging so I decided I should separate them.  I have zero ideas for a blog name though so I am up for suggestions.  My husband suggested:

"Krista's Crazy Koolaide - Drink It"  It is a contender because 1) it is all I have so far & 2) I find it weird and funny which I like.  So, got any ideas?

It's Okay It's Tuesday... except it is really Wednesday

So originally I was going to write the post meant for yesterday & then do my "It's Okay" post that I started doing to coincide with the blog, "Airing My Dirty Laundry One Sock at a Time" but things are just not working out for that to happen so here goes just my rant instead.  Enjoy, hope over to Amber's blog and play along.

It's Okay that my youngest woke up from his 5hr power nap at 9:30pm raring to go....

It's Okay that after trying to wake him up for 30 minutes & he was not having it I just let him sleep because I thought he was down for the night with him being sickly & all

It's Okay that what keeps running through my mind is from the movie "The Other Guys" where he says, "Did that go the way you thought it would?  NOPE"

It's Okay that we are not sticking to a great sleep schedule this first week of summer vacation & by not sticking to I mean we have zero schedule at all

It's Okay that I crave a veggie tray and chocolate chip cookies at the same time which is weird.

It's Okay that I have yet to mail any Father's Day cards out to the Dads in my life... I did call them.

It's Okay that even though we are most likely moving to a different house in about a month I want to hang new pictures up in this house before I have people over on Thursday.

It's Okay that  I totally overworked and overwhelmed myself last week.  It was all worth it & I learned some great lessons.

It's Okay that I want to start a new blog and I have no name for it yet.

It's Okay that it will most likely be named "Krista's Crazy Koolaide - Drink It " which my hubby suggested which I found pretty funny so it is a contender.  Suggestions welcome.

It's Okay that I love the Big Bang Theory and stay up late top watch it.  Have you seen the Tiara episode?  Hilarious people hilarious!!

See for yourself here:

It's Okay that when I tried to add that video in the middle of the night here there was an error, everything shut down and I thought I had lost the post I had just spent considerable time on (since I was being interrupted by a three year old who should not have been up but I digress) was gone & I wanted to smash the computer.

It's Okay that this post is late.  At least it is a post right?

Enjoy the rest of you week peeps and I hope it is more than okay :)

Neighborly Hodge Podge

Welcome back for Wednesday Hodge Podge.   I don't know how she does it but Joyce at

From This Side of The Pond comes up with great questions week after week for us to answer.  Hop over to her blog and join in.  

1. In what way are you your own worst enemy?


I think I am way to hard on myself.  My expectations are a bit high when it comes to what I do & so I am often disappointed because I set unattainable goals.

2. Jacques Cousteau's birthday was Monday, June 11th...ever been scuba diving? Is that something you'd like to try? What's your favorite 'under the sea' creature?

I have not been scuba diving although I would like to try it.  I did not care for snorkeling... I don't like things being able to approach you and you not realize it because you can only see directly below you.

3. On a scale of 1-10, how comfortable are you in and around the water? (1=not at all, 10=very) Do you know how to swim and if so how and when did you learn?

I would say 5 or 6.  I really enjoy the water but I really don't know how to swim.  I can doggy paddle pretty well but that is about it.  I really want to learn to swim properly and I want my boys to learn how to swim.  I think it is invaluable.

4. What's something you do to motivate yourself to tick an item off your to-do list?

I say if I get things done on my to do list so I am basically caught up then I get to scrapbook or read for like 3o minutes.  Work then play.  

5. What makes a good neighbor? Are you a good neighbor?

Quiet People :)  No, not just quiet people.  I think people who are courteous and friendly but not overly.  Being in the military you often get to know your neighbors well but I don't think we have ever been really good friend with any of our neighbors.  Maybe part of that comes from the fact that people come and go so often.  I think I am an okay neighbor.  We are fairly quiet and friendly but I don't really know them or make a huge effort to get to know them better because generally I am busy and caught up in our stuff.

6. Who loads the dishwasher at your house? Is there a right way and a wrong way?

Primarily I load it and my husband loads it also.  We are training the littles to help.  They do help unload.  Wrong way?  I hesitate to say wrong but I would say the Mr. and I do it differently and I prefer my method :)

7. You know it's summer when_________________________.

I live in England I don't know if it is ever really "summer" here...lol.   When you see people lounging all over the Stray maybe?  When I can stop wearing long sleeves everyday.  Sigh.  Can you tell I long for warm weather which we are not enjoying here.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I hosted a baby shower for someone today & it is fun to see how excited she is by this baby.  {It is her first}  I think that people often want to tell you all the horror stories they have about when they had their baby or things their kids have done.   Yes, there are those moments that are not great... moments where you think that bedtime cannot come fast enough.  Oh but those moments of joy are so FULL of greatness and there are far more good times than bad.  Find the joy folks!

It's Okay Tuesday

I love "It's Okay Tuesday" because I feel like it is a legitimate time to vent or rant without anyone giving you any lip about it & let's face it we all need to vent sometimes.  Sometimes being daily for me to a few select few and weekly in public here.   Join in on the fun at Airing My Dirty Laundry, One Dirty Sock at a Time,  a great blog I stumbled upon one day and I now stalk :)

It's okay that I paid an outrageous amount of $$$ for a tiny vegetable tray today for a baby shower I was hosting.   It made people happy & it was worth it to not have to set up and break down tables for 50 people.


It's okay that I stayed up until 2am to work on a project and then realized today that I should have done it opposite of how I did it.


It's okay that it is now 12:18 am and I am still not done with my to do list..... from yesterday


It's okay that the shoes that I bought and shipped to myself while I was on vacation in the States are still not here even though I am dying to wear them


It's okay that I find it completely hilarious in Madagascar when King Julian says, "Does anyone else have the Heebie Jeebies?  No?  Good so shut up."  Even though I don't let my kids say shut up.  It cracks me up every time.


It's okay that that one of the first thoughts that popped into my head on Sunday in church when we were talking about prayers getting answered was how much easier it would be if Jesus would just message me on facebook with what I needed to do...


It's okay that I am going to start another blog even though I barely keep up with this one...


It's okay that I am going to go to bed instead of blog more or finish my to do list :) 


Happy Tuesday folks & may the rest of your week sail by smoothly!

Return to Hodge Podge

I am returning to Hodge Podge (yay!) after a get away vacation to the States & catching up on the crazy schedule that was awaiting me here.    I am very grateful to my amazing husband who let me hit the pause button for two weeks and spend time with my family.  It was amazing but it is good to be back home with my boys.  Thanks for stopping by and after you read my answers hop over to Joyce's great blog, From This Side of the Pond to join in!  You won't regret it :)

1. How many students were in your high school graduating class? Did you know most, if not all of them?

There were 64 students I believe in my graduating class.... maybe 65.  Yes I knew each of them as well as most every other student in the school.  Sometimes it was really nice to be from some place so small & other times not so much.


2. What was the last thing you photographed?


The last thing I photographed was a giant room of chairs at an antique warehouse.  It was insane how many chairs they had.  The picture really doesn't do it justice.  

3. Pickles-love 'em or loathe 'em? If it's love what's something you eat that needs a pickle?


I do like pickles.  I grew up loving sweet gerkins.  I love sweet relish on hot dogs and I love dill pickles on hamburgers.


4. What's a stereotype you perpetuate without meaning to?

Tough one.  I really am not sure.  Probably something about not being on time to things.  Maybe if you have small children you will never be on time.  It is a struggle to get us out the door in prompt fashion which makes my military husband nuts.  Poor man.  He is 15 min early to everything and 

then there is us :)

5. Ever been horseback riding? If so, is it something you enjoy? If not, do you have any interest? Did you watch the Kentucky Derby? Will you be watching the last leg of the Triple Crown this weekend?


I use to own a horse and my Grandmother started the American Bashkir Curly Horse Registration so I grew up around them.  I miss riding.  I did not watch the Derby and I will probably miss the Triple Crown but I really hope to attend some horse events here in England next year.

6. What's your favorite wedding movie?

Favorite wedding movie.  There are lots of great movies but one of my current faves is The Proposal.  Not your standard movie I know but great :)

7. What is one 'tourist attraction' in the USA you'd like to see in person?


I have three areas :)    1)New York and the Statue of  Liberty, Time Square, etc.  2) Washington D.C  the White House & all the great stuff there, 3) Zions National Park in Utah


8. Insert your own random thought here.

We went and saw Elton John in concert last night and it was so much fun to get out with other adults and just have fun.  The concert was very good & the 
people watching amazing :)

Two Post Hodge Podge

Welcome to Wednesday Hodge Podge.  Read along and then go to Joyce's page at From This Side of the Pond so you can play along!  

1. Shakespeare's birthday is celebrated on April 23rd...when did you last read Shakespeare? What's your favorite Shakespeare play?

Well I probably last read Shakespear in college.  I am not sure of a favorite.... hmm....I really enjoy Midsummer's Nights Dream... maybe because it was one I acted in.

2. What food(s) would you recommend a foreign visitor try when they visit your home country?

Food recommendation.   Another tough one.  Something that was very popular in Idaho was ice cream that looked like a baked potato.   I adore ice cream and I thought it was funny that it resembled something so different.   I would recommend you try all kinds of things :)

{Here is a link if you want to see a pic of potato ice cream}

Also speaking of potato ice cream, lol, in Japan there was a ice cream that was made from purple sweet potatoes and it was SO good!  If you ever go you must try it.  Ube is the name I believe.

3. What's a lie you often tell yourself?


That I won't drink anymore soda even though I know how bad it is for me.


4. What's something you're good at that might surprise us? Remember this is a family friendly blog!


Well maybe a leader.  In my own life I am quite disorganized, I procrastinate, indecisive at times, etc. but when I am working or in charge of a project I am generally a go getter and am able to get everyone to work well together and create something great.

5. Who is your favorite animal character from a book?

Well right now some of our favorite books are by Mo Williams and involve a Pig and Elephant.  They a pretty funny & they make my kids laugh big belly laughs which is the best.



7. Speaking of rainy days, which one of the following activities would you most want to spend time doing on a rainy day-

sort photos and create albums

bake cookies

read a good book

hold an all-day movie marathon

clean and organize closets, cupboards, or bookshelves

try a new recipe

fix something that needs fixing

Well I would have to pick more than one because I don 't like to do anything for an entire day.  I get restless easily.  I would start with making some cookies so I would have a yummy snack for later, I would then work on a scrapbook, then read for a bit and eat some cookies, then finish off with a movie :)  

6. April showers bring May flowers...do you have a green thumb?


Well I am out of practice we have not had a garden or too many live plants in a bit but are working on getting more plants into the house again (now that I don't have crawling babies that might eat them) and we want to start a garden.  I use to have a green thumb and help my Grandmother when I was younger... she could grow anything.




8. Insert your own random thought here.


I am intrigued by your friends link party for May involving Pinterest because I have loads of pins and have made one thing from it.  I need to get going :)  

Also the date is drawing close for a trip of my own and I am really excited yet nervous.   I cannot wait to eat at Panda Express, Olive Garden and all those yummy places and to shop.  It will be great!  I will try to take some smashing pictures so I can blog about it in a non crappy boring way :)  I might be too busy eating and shopping though to really document :)