Ironic

Can I tell you, there is nothing more fun than being in an elementary school just before Christmas, the energy could light the world. So fun. I went and made gingerbread houses with my cute nieces tonight. I got lots of big hugs and love.

It seems to be so ironic that I can't have kids because I LOVE THEM. I'm not kidding when I say I want like 12. I have 450 students by the end of the week and I still love my job. Now, I realize that there will be moments of ... not so much love, but I just can't wait. Until then, thank you to everyone who shares theirs with me. :D

Thanksgiving Part II

Finishing off the fun of Thanksgiving. While Andrew and I listened to the entirety of the Harry Potter book on tape (cd) there were all kinds of fun things happening at the Shaw's in St. Maries. Apparently someone ran into the electrical box (barely) and sent the power out in the entire house while dinner was trying to be prepared. They made do while the back-up generator was running, however the generator had problems of its own as it surged power into the house breaking all the phones and killing the beaters.

Meanwhile many of the boys traditionally go dear hunting on Thanksgiving morning. Nels accidentally shot two. I know, how can someone accidentally shoot two deer? He shot one and as he hiked down to retrieve it, it jumped right in front of him, so he shot it again. It was the same size and coloring and antlers had the same pattern, but it was a seperate deer. He turned himself into the fish and game who made him pay a fine and get the meat processed and donated. They said it would have been much worse if someone else had turned him in. The ordeal with the fish and game just added to the Shaw festivities.

When we finally got there things went relatively smooth. We did get stuck once on the way up the hill to Andrew's parents, but after Andrew jumped on the back bumper after about 15 minutes, it gave us enough traction to get up the slope.
Andrew got this deer head mounted for his parents, and they weren't able to find a stud centered so they were a little nervous about it staying up. Andrew is ready to catch it if it falls.

Andrew's Dad spent all of one morning outside shoveling everything. He didn't want to change to come in and eat, so he is enjoying breakfast on the deck. Huckleberry pancakes...yum.

We hadn't seen Marcus and Christa (especially Christa) for a really long time, so it was really nice to get a chance to catch up and be friends. :)

Alexa and I are pretty good pals, she was sweet enough to give me a nice smile.

Thanksgiving....Part 1

Where to begin. I have told this story a few times, but it is quite lengthy which is why I haven't posted it yet. I have been told that this would make a good Chevy Chase movie. The events that occurred are not serious enough to be too sorry about and looking back are so crazy they are funny.

It all started with the Blizzard. There was a lot of buzz about a historic blizzard coming through Utah. Many roads were closed and we got calls from Andrew's family about the storm coming through. As scheduled it hit about 3:00. We were originally hoping to run up to St. Maries that evening, but as Andrew called me at 3:30 and told me I needed to get home or I wouldn't make it home from work, it was clear that we wouldn't be going anywhere that night. It was tricky driving home with wind and snow and literally the taillights in front of me kept me on the road. I came home to find that someone had slid through our yard taking out the mail box and missed my newly planted oak tree by about 2.5 inches.

I really wanted to go and see Andrew's family, particularly Marcus and Christa because we hadn't seen them for a long time. I pushed Andrew to go the next morning despite his hesitations with the weather.

We made it 4 hrs, just past Anaconda Montana when it popped, or so we thought. The back wheel to our truck had sheered off the lug nuts and removed the whole wheel sending it flying down the median while we skidded to the side of the road. Lucky for us it was a back wheel and lucky the roads were clear...at that particular spot. 4:00 p.m. was about the time that we lost the wheel and 4:30 the tow truck came, 5:00 was when it was too late to get anything fixed. 6:00 was when we couldn't rent a car for an affordable price. 7:00 was when we finally decided to check into the Motel until after Thanksgiving.

The town of Anaconda is quite small. The only places open on Thanksgiving day were Albertson's and the gas station. This made for quite the feast. The microwave and mini fridge aided slightly in our attempt at dinner.
Andrew got us into the hotel where there was no dogs allowed. We had to sneak Charlie out every time he needed to use the restroom and keep him out of sight from the owner. This was a little tricky because this is a little Motel in a small town....it just added to the fun.Andrew was in much better spirits than I was as you can see his smile is genuine even though the temperatures that morning in Anaconda was 2 degrees. We are in a generously lent SUV that was provided by the nice guy Mick that towed us then fixed our truck.
My smile on the other hand is completely fake, but it helped me to pretend anyway.

Hello Peeps

Today has been a great Saturday. Partly because it has been productive, talked to family, cleaned. I actually love cleaning...I don't like washing dishes, but I actually enjoy everything else. The pleasure I get when my house is completely clean makes the process a happy one. I also was given the treat of being able to eat out..we have cut back dramatically and I am currently munching on the deliciousness that comes from A&D cheese curds followed by their amazing root beer.

This week the music teacher came to me and said she wanted to come and watch my class. She had been talking to another teacher and she told her that all of her students just LOVED art and couldn't wait to come every week. Now she wants to come and see what I'm doing. That made me feel good :) It gives me confidence that maybe I am making a good career move.

I only have 3 weeks left of the semester! Pretty fast work. I really have learned some things that I am really excited about. One of my favorite classes is a technology in education class. Awesome, I am learning about all these programs I had never heard of that are really handy.

I am now going to go and do a few blocks to my quilt that I think I can figure out with out Alice, my neighbor who is teaching a class in my ward. I think I might try to turn a pair of my jeans into skinny jeans...I know I never would have thought. I bought some boots that only look good OVER your pants...well you can't stuff regular jeans without it looking dorky.

Gardening is fun

http://www.gardeners-index.com/
http://www.gardeners-index.com/profile/DeAnnaShaw

I joined this website, which I have already loved. They featured my picture on their main page and gotten quite the response from my carrots. FUN!

Eh Whatever

I'm too tired to care about anything right now. I have some friends that will be showing up shortly for dinner. I sit here and blog instead of inspecting the house. Instead of squeezing in any homework. I do this instead of working late to meet my goal of 10 policies a day. I sit here and blog even though I know that I should probably baby proof my house. I have hardly seen a moment of Andrew today, yet I sit here and blog instead of visiting with him. (he is outside in the cold after all...I don't belong outside in the cold).

I have a little bit of a beef to pick with some out there. I have tried to visit a few of your blogs recently only to find I CAN'T... Please invite me to be a reader, there are a few of you, but I won't assume our friendship except for my BROTHER with whom I demand to be added. (please) That is if you don't want to see the monster at the end of this book...if you know what I mean.

Students...a poor kid got pegged today with a lunch box from an apparently unexplained bit of rage. I saw the 90 degree angle welt left on this poor kids face. He is such a cute kid too, he reminds me of T.J. Sheffield when he was a little kid. I watched this same kid try to be a man and solve a bully problem just earlier this week in my art class when he told me about two kids and when we all talked about it, he burst into tears. The thing is, is this kid is well-liked, nice, funny, appropriately energetic. He just has had a bad week.

Another student. Wes. Asian. Genius 6-yr-old. He brought his show and tell. After about 10 minutes of a million items coming out of the bag I was ready to start class until he explained that he prepared a quiz for the class. Out came a little bag full of taffy. I really needed to get going with the class, but he kept asking his mentally prepared questions and all of the kids bolted their hands in the air to answer.."what did I do to make the fish" he asks as he peers back into his bag. The smile of glee that spread across his face as he took complete control over the class was quite amusing.

BUZZZZZY

I love James Christensen.

Folks...I have a confession to make. I really like being busy. I do. I get so many more things done. I feel fulfilled and I am just fine once I get into my groove.
Last week I discovered the mormon channel ap for my phone and was able to download it and guess who now gets to multitask while they drive. Yep me, I have listened to my scriptures more lately than I ever did when I wasn't busy. I also worked out 4x last week...I can't remember the last time that happened and that was my MAJOR! ALSO, I worked an extra half hour at work last week and have been able to get caught up on some things. I haven't missed class or a single assignment. We went to the temple. I can honestly say that didn't happen as much as it should have.

I start to wonder why it is that I am counting down the days until school is over and this crazy schedule is done with because I really am enjoying how things are going. I also really like being a student, so no complaints there. Tonight I GET to go see my friends in class. Maybe I should post a picture for you. I see them more than I see most of you, so I would like to introduce you to them.. maybe next post.

Homework

I don't really have any new news for this post nor anything particularly interesting to say. I did however, want to put up a different post that wasn't homework. As was the last 5 posts.

I am so excited this weekend to see my family as well as seeing my in-laws. I got a beautiful little niece not too long ago that was blessed on Sunday and she is so precious. Cheesy I know, but I'm okay with that.

I also thought it was pretty cute today when my students lined up to sign up for next weeks show and tell. I think it is going to go well.

Benson Sisters

Lee Family Generations

Lee Family Generations

I love this

Grrrrr...to put it nicely.

I have 2 disturbing stories. But befor i tell them i will tell you that i'm typing one-handed and this will take me 100 yrs if i try to correct all te errors.

A few weeks ago Anrew left fir a hunting trip. While he was gone i saw this mouse in the middle of the day run rright across the floor in front of me. I was in bed a few nights later and pretty sure I heard "something" rattle te dishes in the kitchen sink. Another night I was sleeping and felt something on the back of my neck and when i reached back IT SCURRIED AWAY! I was so freaked out I got up and set a mouse trap. I was avoiding this earlier BECAUSE IF YOU CATCH A MOUSE YOU HAVE TO DISPOSE of the mouse and I wasn't game for touching a crushed dead mouse...until he showed up on my neck and then I decided it was worth it. Well the outside cat slept with me the next night and andrew set the trap the next day when he got home (the one i tried to set in the middle of the night broke while I was setting it si I had to go buy more. We caught him in a half hour.

Last night I was in bed so tired. I felt something on my forehead. I thought it might have just been a hair that was getting adjusted to my new position, but then i felt it again. This time i reached up to check and it STUNG me!! It was a wasp and yes it got killed. It hurt! stupid wasp. My finger immediately started to swell. This morning my poor finger is so swollen I feel like it will burst. The swelling has spread down the back of my hand and knuckles,,it really hurts :(...stpid wasp. so I couldn't play the piano in church. I can only type one-handed. I couln't chop anything for dinner. Lame-o.

Bed should be a safer place.

Golly What a Day

I made dinner 2 days in a row folks...not just little dinner either. We had roast and potatoes yesterday and then today I made crock-pot chicken with rice and potatoes (I like rice better) and then homemade eclairs for dessert. That is what I'm talking about.

I'm coming to terms with the surgery situation. Andrew came to the Dr. with me when we went we found that I currently have about a 0-15% chance of getting pregnant and hopefully with surgery they can increase those chances or prevent problems like ectopic pregnancies etc. SO, we have to get some better insurance and sign up for that before any of that can take place...either that or save $5,000.

Andrew is still pretty optimistic that we will have our own kids, meaning kids that share our genetics. :) His optimism is helpful. I think I'm okay with whatever happens and most days I am pretty content with how life is going.

Andrew is going on another hunting trip this week, he is pretty excited. He even wore his elk tie to church this week for good luck. Do you thik it will help? Life is good.

Sugery

The verdict...surgery....I'm not really in the mood to talk about it.

Here we GO!

Yesterday I was in the truck with Andrew and as we drive down my favorite road...the one to my house he says "You know what I really want to do...". pause...(I'm getting really interested because Andrew doesn't say in depth thoughts or share those type of things very often, so when these moments come I really am interested in what is going on in his brain.) I look at him as he continues..." I want to drive like 100 miles an hour and drive smack into a cow"....He looks at me and smiles "wouldn't that be so cool".... I shake my head and smile. Ha ha ....sigh. Oh well, maybe next time.


Moving on. The whirlwind has begun. My classes have started both at college and at the elementary school. The kids have mixed feeling about my hair, but I think they will get used to it. I am a little nervous about this program. I have heard mixed things about it. I hope that I'm doing the right thing. The good news is that after this school year I get an internship that acts as my student teaching, but I basically become a teacher after that. The bad news is, they don't necessarily have to hire you after, which I thought was a done deal. I'm sure it will all be fine.

Cool thing about today is that I bought my very first Apple tree...Andrew doesn't know, but I'm tired of waiting for him to say yes, he has the whole huge yard plan that he wants to put together before he will let me do anything, but he won't touch the yard if he can help it. Therefore since I'm the one that works in the yard...I get to pick...not to mention it takes a few years before they will fruit and I don't want to put it off any longer...AND He chopped down the other tree without my permission so there.

Speaking of cows...my friend down the road took this picture..so funny.

Cranky

I'm having a bit of a downer day and it is mostly because I am cranky. It makes me more vulnerable during these times to negative thought and a "wo is me" attitude. Luckily I have been preparing my Sunday school lesson for tomorrow and who better to study than of course JOB. Despite all his hardships he was faithful and full of integrity. One of the quotations at the bottom emphasizes asking the right questions when you are having hard times. He suggests to avoid "Why me?" questions and focus on: "How can I remember my many blessings in times of trial?”
SO...time to make a list of all the positives that have come due to my inability to have kids.
1. Plenty of one-on-one time with Andrew
2. Able to buy a house
3. Able to finish school and go back again!
4. Had a chance to pay off some loans
5. Able to relate and sympathize with others in the same situation
6. Will fully appreciate the blessing of kids when the time comes which I may not have otherwise.
7. Have time to develop hobbies like quilting, scrapbooking, painting, piano.
8. Don't have to worry about car seats (I know I'm not going to love that)
9. I may get the option to help a kid through adoption somewhere, which would be cool.
10. I will never be confused of being my child's sibling because I will be OLD!

Reunion Time

I'm so excited to take a break and go up to Bear Lake with the Shaw's. We just did all the shopping and are going to have a ton of food!

Crazy Week

What an interested week. This week we had a funeral in our ward for a young guy that committed suicide. Very sad. We also had a lady get hit by one of the young women while she was out jogging and was in critical condition, she probably should have died, but I guess it wasn't her time. It was very sweet to hear her husband and son bear their testimonies in sacrament today....not something I think they would do much.

I also had a Dr's appt and they found out that I'm half broken. I'm a little emotional about it today, but initially I was pretty interested and happy to know what was going on. One of my fallopian tubes is blocked, meaning I only get half as many chances to get pregnant. I imagine my Dr. will put me on clomid to help me get prego...hopefully it will help.

Good News is that I'm one week away from finishing my summer math class and I have been officially accepted into my program and will be working towards my teaching license for the next 3 semesters. FYI, I probably won't be able to do much so don't feel bad if we turn down invitations.

We are so excited to be seeing a lot of family in the upcoming weeks!! I love them.

Fun Times

4th of July pics

Little John

This is little John, he hasn't been ridden in a little while so is a little on the chubby side, but it is better than the opposite right (starving). He is half Clydesdale half thoroughbred. We get to bring him over to our pasture at the end of the week after he gets shoes. Until then, he is only half a block away, so we decided to take some pictures. Fun stuff. I may even get riding lessons from my good friend next door. She teaches a 4-H class, so I might join the other 10 year olds :D.

FUN!!!

I had a very fun weekend last week with the Beans and Andrew. They came to stay with us for a bit to take a break from "city" life. A bit of country was the ticket ;) We went to our favorite sushi place in town that Marcus and Christa got us hooked on. Much to our pleasure they agreed it was as good as we claimed. I LOVE sushi.

Unfortunately about a half hour before the Beans arrived...it hit. My monthly bit of H-E- double toothpicks. I pretty much hit a wall and couldn't stand up straight for the next 2 days. Luckily Carillisa was perfectly content relaxing on the couch with me. I will save the details of the agony. I will tell you about the incident in Texas Roadhouse. The Beans had never been there before, so despite my logical desire to stay down I wanted to experience it with them. Everyone walked at half pace to help hide the fact that I had to go slow and they didn't laugh as I half hunched my way through the door. I had been down all day up to that point, so the walk from the car to the door was a first for the day. The walk from the door to the table over did it. As we sat C grabbed the metal bucket to break her peanut shell into. I quickly snapped my fingers and she handed it over. I dry heaved a few times until it finally happened. She was very gracious about handing over the bucket she obviously wanted. It would have been great if I thought I could have made it to the bathroom...unfortunately it was too late especially with the pace that I was going that day. Very embarrassing.

I would love to say it was all worth it, but unfortunately Texas Roadhouse was having a bad day and didn't give them the impression I hoped it would. They were unusually slow and the food wasn't cooked well at all. Oh well, I hope they will give it another shot.

Here is the good news of the whole bit. Because of the trauma I went through, I was much more determined to get this fixed. As of July 22nd I should have a chance to meet with an OBGYN (who is also a surgeon) about getting surgery to fix my issue. I'm also on a cancellation list so if an earlier appointment comes up I should be able to expedite the process. I really hope that will be the case so I don't have to go through this again. Hopefully this will help the infertility as well as the stomach pain. Overall I'm happy to be getting it done!

Cute Project

I stopped my former landlord from taking these cool old milk cans to a yard sale a while back and he let me keep them. I wanted to plant flowers in them and was thinking I would arrange them around the mailbox. Carillisa came over and I told her my plan and she asked if I was going to paint them. I had originally decided not to because I had seen some painted and I didn't really like them, plus I liked the old rustic look. She made a good point though and said if I put them by the front door the red would contrast really nicely with the white house and green would contrast nicely with the red also. I went to the garden shop after work and made a project out of it tonight. I have to say I'm pretty happy about how they turned out. I ended up painting them red, but I mixed some darker paint into it and didn't blend it to keep an old not-perfect look to them.

I’m Grateful to be an American. I thought about the statement being proud to be an American, which I am, but when I think about how I really feel, Grateful is a more appropriate word. I am grateful to live in a place where people can be themselves and live their religion and raise their families in freedom. A place where everyone can vote and have a job. Where people can freely let their voices be heard and stand up for what they believe. I’m grateful to live in a place where people want to come and live because of the blessings we are given here. I’m grateful that I am able to freely pray to my Father in Heaven without fear of persecution.

I love thinking about the 4^th of July with the flags waving and fireworks. The summer BBQ’s with friends and families. Watching drive-in movies and going to carnivals. There are so many things that I love about being here. 3 cheers to those who serve, 3 cheers to those who vote, 3 cheers to those that are grateful to be American.

Memorial Day Weekend

This picture wasn't from the weekend, but we did get to spend some time with both Lee families and enjoyed watching these cute kids. Garrett pulls his play car up to this tree, climbs to the top and is just able to reach the lowest branch. It is just big enough for him to get a nice swing in hanging from the branches. We had a great time at Kenny and Jamile's playing rock band...way fun..they just need country songs :)
Alishia and I fought over who got to hold Libby, I let Alishia have a turn while I helped C make onion rings to go with our fish fry.
Saturday morning while the boys went fishing C decided to spontaneously chop her hair off. Turned out WAY cute.
I got my turn to hold Libby and Charley didn't want to get left out. hmmm...wonder if this is going to be a common picture when I have my own kids.
Richard, Kenny, Beaner and Andrew spent the day fishing at Utah Lake and they brought dinner back for the whole gang. We think this should become a yearly tradition.

Kitchen video and "why we moved here" video

Happy

I have learned from my wonderful husband just how much happiness is a decision. I have had to work hard, but I feel like I'm getting there with help from the Big Man upstairs. (I think prayers from others have helped too ;)) I also have been taking my anxiety pills which helps.

I feel like for the first time in a long time that I'm not waiting for the future to happen to be happy, I am taking life in the moment....not something that I have been very good at. I am happy here in my little house in the country. I am happily married to the cutest "tough" guy. I have my sweet little charlie that has truly been heaven sent.

You know I used to have all kinds of qwerks too. Things that bugged. I used to HATE it when people would smoke on the sidewalk. I used to HATE it when people used bad grammar. I used to think some testimonies on Sunday were....well, embarrassing for them. I had very specific books I liked and movies I liked. There was only one perfect car, there was only one right way to coordinate clothes. I have decided that these things just don't matter....as Andrew CONSTANTLY used to say "why don't you just chill out about it"...Whenever I would go on a tangent and want to express myself he wouldn't respond. (Yes, this really bothered me.) However, by default I have learned to not go on tangents. Living in the country I have lived with a lot of people with bad grammar and I have really loved them, and their bad grammar is part of who they are and I wouldn't want to change it. Most testimonies on Sunday when received with the Spirit have a good message to bring, whether the bearer followed testimony protocol or not.

Coming from a family that analyzed everything and formed opinions about everything (which isn't necessarily bad) I felt like it was very normal. Then I married Andrew....I'm not sure he has an opinion about anything, at least not ahead of time. His family doesn't analyze anything. I don't have to care about the little stuff. I don't have to care about what happens in the future. I only have to keep the commandments and choose to be happy about today.

Problem Solved!!

I had some of the worst stomach pain I have ever had in my life yesterday. Let me rephrase, it was THE worst pain I have ever had in my life. I was border-line on my way to the ER. I rode it out and waited for the pain to pass and made an appointment with a DR. this morning.

Before I went to the DR. I googled my key problems "intestines, menstrual". I have had these same problems for the last 2 years and always attributed them to IBS or I found sites to Chron's disease, but today I got a different site that I had never found before. Intestinal Endometriosis. I found this at infertility physician.com

"A woman with intestinal Endometriosis will tell me that she has significant GI symptoms that vary with her menstrual cycle. (Yep, thats me) The symptoms may be present only at the time of the menstrual period or they may be present all month long and worsen at the time of the period. (Yep, thats me) The most common symptoms include loss of appetite, (Yep, thats me) nausea (but vomiting is rare)(Yep, thats me), diarrhea(Yep, thats me), increased gas(Yep, thats me), significant bloating (Yep, thats me), crampy abdominal pain (Yep, thats me), painful bowel movements (Yep, thats me), and sharp stabbing rectal pain(Yep, thats me)."

Having found this site I felt very emotional. I didn't know what it all meant, but I was in tears knowing that this could be the answer and reason for us not being able to have kids and also the reason to this horrible pain I have been experiencing.

I went to the Dr. at the University Clinic, her name is Mary. The nurse that took me to the back room noticed immediately that I was having stomach issues as I was hunched as I walked down the hall, she smiled and said "your having stomach pain aren't you" I couldn't help it, but I replied yes and started to cry. She handed me a tissue as we walked past a box and apologized for starting me off early. I talked to my Dr. for a while and we discussed the possible problems, I mentioned that I had attributed it to IBS and she nodded in agreement confirming my thoughts, but then I also mentioned the Intestinal Endometriosis and that we have been trying to get pregnant for quite a while. She lifted her eyes and nodded again and said that it was easily fixed. She will have to do a few tests to confirm, but asked more questions to try and verify and all were in agreement. She stayed and talked for quite a while with us about the different options we had. Overall the best thing was that she said she could easily fix it. I have to go back in for some tests and get a colonoscopy (yay). She also gave me some interesting information about my anxiety that I didn't really know before. I didn't realize your intestines were so closely tied to your brain, she is having me up my dosage for my anxiety meds and ordered me to gain weight. My BMI was at about 16.3 and she said it should be at least 19. Plus she said being as old as I am I shouldn't still be skinny like I am, I should have put on some womanly fat. She also asked how much school I had left, I replied that I had 3 semesters and she said good, that is enough time that we can get you better and pregnant. I pretty much love her for saying that. Overall I think she felt like my anxiety was a key factor in all of the problems and wanted to get that under control.

I am still in pain today, she didn't really fix that, but wanted to wait until my period was over to further any tests and fix it in the future. Hopefully the future tests will work out well and I can get better!!

Time for an update

College is finally over (for now), finals week was last week and I got 90% on my stats final!! Which was much needed and bumped my struggling grade up to a B. Yay. I am looking forward to having some time off. Sadly my other school is almost over and I'm sad to see it end. It has really been fun here near the end. I got a big hug from Fernanda in the 4th grade at Walmart today, she saw me and ran over and gave me a big hug.....Yes, it made my day. Her Mom seemed a little curious from a distance wondering who her kid was randomly hugging. :) These kids just touch me in little ways all the time and I just love them. It has been by far the most satisfying job I have ever had. Which isn't too surprising I guess, but still is just the same.

Above is a picture of Mark (1st grade). They had free art time and all the girls were taping these bead pieces to their ears and he joined in, it was pretty cute. He also won an award for participating in the Doodle for Google art contest, I put a gold sticker on his and I'm pretty sure it was about a half hour of bragging as he mentioned how much work it takes to get a gold medal and it was pretty amazing. He is definitely one of my favorites....don't believe what you hear, teachers do have favorites....I just have lots of them.

Not much has been going on here except a lot of work. Almost the day after closing I decided that the wallpaper must go, shortly after plaster came and now I'm painting the cupboards. It is going to be very pretty when I'm done, but I'm waiting to get completely finished to get some good before and after pictures. I have also been trying to plant my garden in the middle of it all and also rearrange my yard. Andrew has been demo-ing the basement and helping the previous owners clean out the big shed. There has been a lot to do. I haven't been feeling 100% tonight to I relaxed a little and tried to do some cleaning instead.

Andrew has bred Sage again and updated a subscription he has to a gun-dog website. We have raised the prices ($1,000 for F and $800 for M) on them and still already have 4 deposits on the puppies and they aren't even born yet! The deposits are even mostly for the girls. Not a bad deal. It will be helping me get through the rest of school here. Speaking of School (again) I should only have 3 semesters and I will be done. Yay. I'm so having a REAL party next time I graduate.

Well, I'm going to go to bed early tonight. Hope you all have a wonderful week.

Project A & B

The last items to be taken care of before we can close on the house was the roof and painting the garage...Done and Done!

Not too many mishaps either. Only 2 people fell off the roof, I watched one, and he stood up smiling, which I gathered as a good sign. One of the windows were broken! Guess I will have to get a new one (darn :) ). I got nailed in the head with a chunk of plywood that came sailing off the roof, yes you can feel the bump. I was so worn out at that point of the day too that I stomped inside mad and almost in tears. The only other crazy thing was that I nearly swallowed a bee with my cream soda (he was hiding in my can) and he stung me on my tongue. Don't worry, Mom was sure to stomp that bee.

Unfortunately Andrew had to finish up today (Sunday) before the rain comes tomorrow. He told me to be sure and tell the ward that he was a sinner. A cute lady in my ward got up and bore her testimony and said that she was so happy that we would be staying (made me cry), I decided to get up too. So, I told them what Andrew said and proclaimed that he was a sinner, but that we were very grateful for all the selfless help we received and that it was very Christlike and one of the reasons we loved it here so much. Funny enough when I got home from church a few of the men that were in Sacrament meeting were now on my roof helping Andrew finish. :) Guess they weren't too concerned about Andrew's sinful behavior. They were so great thank you, thank you, thank you, to all those that helped, as you can see by the pictures...it looks beautiful.

Question...If you are trying to keep the Sabbath, even though your hubby is finishing the roof, do you stand there and watch as the neighborhood works on Sunday for your behalf, or do you put on your gloves and show your appreciation by helping out?

www.deannasgraphicdesign.blogspot.com

They Love Me

I'm like a fairytale princess and all the animals flock to me.....:)

Celebrate good times COME ON!

I want you to text me every time that song comes into your head after reading my title.

Today I thought wasn't going to be a great day, but as it turns out it ended up being a great day for a couple of reasons.

This morning I woke up at 5:30 with a headache, not a migraine, but a can't fall back to sleep bad headache. After attempting to go back to sleep I got out of bed and took some pills and debated calling in sick. When I wake up with a headache it is never a good day. I worked on turning my brain off so I could fall back to sleep and eventually did. Alarms off at 6:30 and snoozed by 6:30.01. Back to sleep. Woke up at 7:20...yep still had to shower, yep I'm was going to be late. I was. My job is pretty flexible about being on time and so I wasn't stressed about it, my headache was gone and I took the time to eat breakfast at home, that happens never.

By the time I actually did get to work I was refreshed and fed and didn't have any anxiety which I have had pretty bad for about 2 weeks. All good things. I had even turned in my last bit of homework before spring break and was released for a week...yay.

My school kids were cute today, they always are. I got invited to two of my first graders birthday parties last week. My fellow faculty members were nice and asked me questions about the house and we talked. (They are a little clicky so it has taken me a bit to feel that I fit in.) I give out blue cards to my kids (they are rewards) when they help me clean and now I have kids begging to help me clean all the time. I have one student that doesn't really like Art and she always asks me if I need help with anything and I don't mind having her organize stuff, so my classroom is clean and my things are organized.

My Principle Maria told me today to make sure my job application was up to date and that I be sure and get screened by the district so I can get a teaching job. She got some good news that day and feels pretty confident that she will be able to hire me as a second grade teacher next year! Oh, that would make life so much easier (as my eye twitches).

When I got back to my title company job I found out that the purchase contract had been signed and we faxed it to Beaner (our lender) and are full force ahead to buy the house!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The good thing is that we got him down on the price, the bad thing is, that we have to get the appraisal up to be able to get a loan for the right amount or we have to pay the difference, which we could do, but only to a certain extent. Overall I'm thrilled and my anxiety is better already.

When I got home I decided not to go to my class tonight and went to the grocery store instead (I got me some cute socks too). We got Little Ceasars pizza and had an American Idol celebration party with our pizza and cream soda. Telling you about the grocery store reminded me that I bought 3 containers of peanut butter to add to my food storage. That reminded me, I did an assessment of my food storage for FHE on Monday and figured how much food we would need for a 2 year supply for Andrew and me. I was happy to find that I am about half way there. I have all the wheat I need and about enough beans and oats. I need more pasta, rice and fruits & veggies.

(LOL...we just mopped the floor downstairs and used a considerable amount of bleach to relieve the pee smell from the puppies. Charlie has been sneezing like crazy, it is so funny to watch a dog sneeze.)

We also have sold all of the puppies and they can't even leave their momma for 2 weeks, we have deposits and everything. Holy cow are they cute. I love having little puppies around.

I love this puppy she has such droopy eyes and is so mellow, it is so cute.

I have to say we aren't having any luck in the baby category yet, but the Lord is sure making up for it in all the other aspects of my life. I am pretty happy and today was a good day.