Just thought I would share some recent pictures =)

Been Awhile...

First off, I'm sorry for going so long between posts.. It has been an interesting few weeks. By now, I'm pretty sure everybody knows what is going on, but to try to keep the telephone game down to a minimum, here is the Reader's Digest Version...

Chris and I are getting un-married. (I hate the D word. So, "un-married" it is.) This is not a sudden, non-thought-out, heat of the moment decision, it has been a long time coming. Putting it simply, we bring out the worst in each other, and that is not the kind of environment I want our kids growing up in. It is not fixable. We have been trying to fix it for years, and have gotten nowhere. Chris and I are on very civil terms, and plan to keep it that way. In all honesty, we are probably getting along better, now that we are separated, than we have in almost a year. We both would rather have our kids grow up with two happy divorced parents than two miserable married ones. Thankfully, they are young enough that they don't understand what is going on. They are just excited about being at Grammie and Grampie's house with the horses and big yard.

So. The kids and I are holding down the fort at Mom and Dad's for the summer. I truly am fine, so please don't ask. This is the happiest I've been in a very long time, and I'm going to get on with life. As is Chris. We will just be doing it separately.

That's all for now...

Well, Hmmmm

Don't really have anything exciting to blog about today, so I think I'll just share some pictures =)

Scratch that, there was a rather interesting conversation that happened in the Tahoe on the way home from town today!

Cody: "Mommy, Austynn farted in her butt. Yes she did. I heard it. And it was stiiiiiiinky."
Me: (While trying to hold back hysterical laughter) "Is that so??"
Austynn: "I farted!!!"
Cody: "Yes you DID! Austynn, you're stinky!"

Wait. There is more to say while these pictures are uploading.. When we came home today, the valley was filled with smoke. Not sure what's on fire, but my allergies are surely going to be extra worse tomorrow. When we actually pulled into the driveway, our neighbor came out to tell us that a water line busted on the street below us, so we had to water. GREAT. It was already bathtime, and we had no water.. It finally turned back on about 800-ish. THEN. When I was unloading some stuff out of the Tahoe, I heard a weird hissing noise. One of our tires has decided to pick up a screw (I'm assuming that the window people missed when they were cleaning up), and the tires is leaking air like it's nobody's business.. Totally thrilled. THANK HEAVEN we have a Les Schwab in Gardnerville!

Quiet Mornings... Well. Mostly Quiet Anyways =)

I have to start this off by thanking Aunt Sally for teaching me how to drink coffee! I really don't know how I would get through the day without it. I have many times taken the advice of my best friend, and washed my coffee pot in the bathroom sink because waiting until I finished the dishes to wash it in the kitchen sink, just wasn't going to work that morning... Coffee, Aunt Sally, and Amanda, I LOVE YOU.

It's been pretty toasty here the past few days. It's about time! I was beginning to think we were never going to see summer weather! My tomato plants are much enjoying the sun! =) The yard is looking fabulous, because thanks to my Dear Momma... I'm a professional sprinkler mover hahaha. Seriously though, housing tells me not to leave the sprinklers going in any one spot for more than 5 minutes. I'm like, "Ummm, what? They run all night long at home!" I will say though, the ground here definitely doesn't absorb water like it does at home.. So I compromise at an hour per section of grass =) I find it a wee bit comical that the only two people on my street who actually water their grass religiously, are me, and the people across the street who also came from 29 Palms. What can I say, we hate sand and ugliness! =)

Momma and Daddy, correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't remember our old swamp cooler making the whole house feel damp and sticky?? Our cooler puts out some seriously cold air, but dear goodness it makes the house feel disgusting. I don't remember our cooler in 29 Palms feeling like this either. And at least that one was run through all the ducting, and the air came out in all rooms, not just the one hole in the wall in the livingroom. Upstairs gets really hot during the day, and the only way to cool it off at least a little bit at night, is to leave the cooler running downstairs, and crack a window upstairs. By the time the alarm goes off at 6am, it's at least at a tolerable temp upstairs, but downstairs, its cold enough to kick the heater on at SIXTY. Which now that I think about it, may be why it wasn't any cooler than tolerable upstairs... Because the heater had been kicked on. Definitely have to check that out.. Anyways, now we just have to make sure the doors and windows stay closed and keep all the heat out during the day!

As annoying as the crazy shifts Chris has to work are, they become worth it when he's home before noon every now and then =) Sooo, I think I'll go try to con him into helping me fold laundry. (HATE HATE HATE folding laundry. Like, more than any other chore there is...)

More pictures to come when I find my camera that Cody lost somewhere!!

Toodles!

Fishing: Success!

Chris and Justin went fishing at Twin Lakes again today... Chris caught a 4 1/2 pound Rainbow Trout, along with a few other normal sized ones. He's just a wee bit excited! He says, "Babe! You have to put my fishing pictures on our blog!" So.. Here they are!

Tomatoes!

Our tomato journey definitely hasn't been easy! I'm thinking that Coleville weather just isn't ideal for the plants that like sun and heat! We started the plants from seeds in my bedroom window sill in early March. At that time of the year, my bedroom was the only part of the house that saw direct sun! It finally started warming up outside, so we decided to move 3 plants to a big planter, and one to the Topsy Turvy planter that Chris got me for Valentine's Day. (I know, fabulous substitute for flowers... Thank you dork husband!) After a week or so, we were kind of regretting the decision to move them outside, because the weather turned crappy again, and they were seeming to die =( Actually, the one in the Topsy Turvy DID die. I'm talking, shriveled up, no hope of living, DEAD. I followed the directions to a T, on this so called, "Super Easy to Use" planter, and it DIED. So, I quit watering it, and gave up. A couple weeks ago, the darn thing started growing! Like, really growing! Austynn fell on the middle plant in the planter, so it had to get cut off half way down. We'll see how it decides to grow back! Pretty excited to have home grown tomatoes this summer! =)

New Windows

Can I just say that windows that actually slide, are a FABULOUS thing!? Half of my old windows, I had to use two hands to open/close. It was a little ridiculous... The crew of window guys were really nice though, and best of all, they cleaned up their mess when they were done! They're pretty stinking fast too! I'd say that 4 houses per day is doing good! Housing looks so much better now. I'm hoping that maybe one of these days, we will get new screen doors.. The ones we have, match the old windows, and now look rather dumb. Not to mention, they're kind of falling apart too. But, for now I will settle for just new windows. Starting next month, all of the houses are getting PAINTED! I'm so excited to not see Barney-Purple and Mustard-Yellow anymore! They must have used crappy paint or something when they built these houses, because I guess they used to be a really pretty red & tan, but faded to what we have now. Aaaaanyways, thought I'd share a before/after picture of the windows =)


BEFORE (Yes, the kids attacked the inside of the window with sticky notes!)



AFTER (I'm hoping the new trim is going to look a little less retarded once everything gets painted..)