Why Can't I Sleep?!

I am so fed up with not being able to get a good night's sleep! I'm so sleepy when I lay down. I'll drift off for about an hour, sometimes two, and wake right back up again. I'll be up tossing and turning or doing what I'm doing now, venting here. I'll be up for a good three or four hours before I'm so exhausted that all I can do is crash. Then it's all I can do to crawl out of bed in the morning.

We can't be late getting up tomorrow. Caitie is going on an overnight trip to St. Louis with her girl scout troop. It's their reward for selling cookies. I hate for her to miss it cause mom couldn't roll out of the bed.

And if all that isn't enough, poor Ruby has fleas like you wouldn't believe. She went to the groomer this past Monday. The girl gave a good flea bath. The next day I put a flea treatment on her- Sergean's Nature's something or another. Ok let me tell you now, if you're even considering using this product, DON'T waste your time! It's worthless. The only thing it accomplishes is making your poor dog stink to high heaven and greases down thier coat. So now I have to put up with Ruby's itchy lil friends for the rest of the month. I don't want to double treat her and take a chance of making her sick. I am going to give her a really good bath with Dawn tomorrow though. I've heard it's pretty safe and really effective in killing fleas. So maybe a bath with Dawn once a week for the rest of the month.

Woo-Hoo!!

McKinney's came the other day and fixed the a/c, just in time for the heat wave. Our home never gets as cool as we would like it too, but at least it's tolerable. Do you know what the problem was. I'm such a putz. I mowed the lawn last Thursday. Well I got a little too close to the a/c unit and cut the thermostat wire. Three little thin wires! If I had realzied that was all that was wrong with it, I could have fixed it myself. But Mr. McKinney and his wife were very nice and in and out like a firecracker.

Buttons Galore

Mom has been trying to get me to take these tins full of buttons home for about the last 6 months or so. I kept forgetting. I swear I'd forget my head if it wasn't attached. Anyways I finally rememered them yesterday. Plus she also found me 2 old milk bottles. Now I'm on the lookout for more bottles or old mason jars. Any shape and any size.

Ruby's New Do

Our baby, Ruby, went to the groomer for her very first time the other day. She wasn't happy. Ruby really doesn't like many people. My Ruby can be a biter. That poor girl defiantely would have gotten tore up. But isn't she sooo pretty? And she knows it too!

Busy Weekend

The a/c went out Friday afternoon. I have been really grateful the temperature hasn't gone up too high. It's stayed right around 80 and little under. It got really warm in the house Friday and even hotter on Saturday.

Saturday I wasn't home much so the heat didn't really bother me. I started out early going to yardsales and the flea market and then to Flare on the Square. I've lived here most of my life and have never been to this event, so I decided it was time I checked it out. Games for the kids, food, music and of course homemade gooodies for sale. This gal had a candle booth set up. I found one in my favorite scent, LoveSpell. And then there was another one, and I'm not really sure exactly what the scent is but she called it Hillbilly Homebrew. It kinda reminds me of my dad's pipe tobacco.

Later Saturday evening, Jeremy and I went to Evansville to do our usual shopping and dinner. He's been talking about buying a guitar for as long as I've known him. He's been using his uncle's. So he finally bought one. The guys said he got a really good deal on a Martin. I guess you could say Jeremy's still a beginner, but I love to listen to him play.

I missed church this morning. I had to do something about the heat in this trailer. I got up early to dig the window screens out from underneath the house. Hosed all of them off and put them in. It is much cooler in here this evening. It's almost too cool.

St. Clement's Yard Sale

The kiddos and I went to the church yard sale this morning. Fill a brown paper bag for $5. Woo Hoo!!! My kind of sale. Jeremy will just love me. Guess what I found??? More rooster stuff for the kitchen. He thinks I need another chicken like I think he needs another cowboy hat.

The pic doesn't show everything that was in the bag. That's just my part. Caitie found a fairie figurine and a cd wallet. Matthew got a police car. I think he found something else but now I'm not sure. Hallie is a grabber. She found a lion, stuffed dog, a trinket box and boxing gloves. Not sure if the boxing gloves were a good idea or not. If not, ya'll will hear about it soon enough.

Ruby & Her Lil Itchy Friends

Poor Ruby! It's that time of year again, itchy flea season. She's not over loaded, but she's a scratchin. Frontline doesn't really work for her and I don't like those strong flea shampoos. We use Dawn dish soap. Get her all suds up and let it set on her for about 5 minutes and then rinse out really well. Had about 30 dead fleas in the water when she was done. She feels much better now.

A Day at the Museum

Matthew sees a therapist about once a month for his anger problems. She gave him a pass to the new children's museum in Evansville during his last visit. It was really nice cause it got all of us in for free today.

I had really big plans to do all sorts of things with the kids this summer. Things that I was afraid to do in the past, like drive to Marengo to see the caves. I wouldn't have made that drive last summer for fear the old van would have never made it that far. But back in March the old one died and I finally broke down and got a new one, well newer and in much better shape. But now with the gas like it is and work slacking off, I was really afraid I wouldn't even be able to take the kids on our outing today. And once again our summer plans far from home are grounded.


But we are trying to make the best of things. Cat had a couple of friends spend the night last night. Her first sleep over. Everyone but Matt seemed to have a good time. I can't blame the poor guy. He tried really hard to just mind his own business, but the girls just had to harass him. Give the guy a pat on the back though. I know he really wanted to blow his top, but he kept his cool and walked away. Anger management is working some. Maybe not all the time, but it's making a difference. I ran the girls back home early this morning. Then the kids and I headed for the museum.

The children's museum is just what it sounds like. Everything for kids. There's nothing they can't touch or play with. Main floor has the faux fossil dig, build a bridge set, the playhouse, origami table, gift shop... Upstairs is a room where they can dress up and put on their own play, face paint, building blocks, shadow puppets, the noise room. Then you go over to the other part of second floor to find the huge nose, play with a statue's intestines, listen to your heartbeat and other neat things that teach them about their bodies. Then is the basement is the Wet Deck. Yeah it's just like it sounds. They get to play in water and usually get soaked although they didn't come out too soggy today.

We took some nice pics in and out of the museum. The city had some heavy equipment trucks set up outside for the kiddos to check out too. The kids really got a kick out of that. They had seen pretty much all these trucks before but never that close.

After we were done playing at the museum, we walked down and along the river a little bit. Went down and set by the boat ramp and just smelt the water for awhile. It was a really nice day.

A Little time in the Dirt

Sometime back Hallie and I was in Wal-Mart. Normally she pesters for a new pair of shoes. I know most kids want toys, but my Hallie has a BIG shoe fetish. But this time she didn't want shoes. She wanted this small flat of Petunias.

I'm not very good with plants. I told her it would be up to her to make sure they had plenty of water. Since then I found some Geraniums on sale for 10 cents a piece. I thought for about $2 it would be worth a try. Besides I knew I would have help. For a six year old little girl, Hallie's pretty good with plants.

We finally got around to putting in her flowers in a pot today. I know bout time. Poor little things were about to choke themselves in the flat. Hallie learned something else about flowers today and we got to get the dirt up under our nails. And of course Hallie got to do another one of her favorite things- pose for the camera.

This is Hallie with my Geraniums, but i think she's really the reason they're doing so good.

Window Trouble

Replacing the broken window was a no-go today. :-(

I was told it would be the easiest thing to do. Just buzz out these screws, pop the old window out, put a bead of silicone around the new window and screw it into place. Sounds simple enough.

I started on it about 8 am, thinking it wouldn't be hot yet. Yeah right. At least it wasn't a 100 degrees, just about 90. Everything went like clock work until time to put the window up in place.

"Houston we have a problem!" The new window is about a half inch to big for the hole. I tried notching the frame out some, but I'm not the greatest with power tools. So I gave up and put the old window back in. Removed the broken pane of glass and will start my search for a piece of Plexiglas this weekend.

Weekend Play and Work

My kiddos are spending the weekend with their dad. So it's just me and the critters and Jeremy when he gets off work.

One of our poor lil' babies got overheated yesterday. Just happened to be the same kitten Hallie just about drowned in the water bowl. Gabriella was so pitiful. Just laying around and every now and then let a rrrreeeooowwww. I brought her in and tried to get her to drink some cool milk. She took a little, but wasn't really up to it. I couldn't even get her to eat some lunch meat. I washed her face with a cool rag, but she just wasn't perking up. I really thought I was going to lose her. I put her in the bathroom and closed the door. (It stays really cool in there with the air running.) I went back about 15 minutes later to check on her and noticed she had moved around some. I picked her up and she moved her head around more than she had been doing. I took her back to the kitchen and got her to eat and drink quite a bit. She laid back down in her basket and took another good nap, before going back out for the evening. Gabriella is doing just fine today.




Saturday mornings are yard sale days! I did better than I usually do. I spent about $8 and got 5 tops for myself and a pair of capris, a pair of jeans for Matthew, a pair of boots for Caitie ( I almost passed them up, but thought nu-uh. Cowboy boots for a buck, better grab 'em.) and I got a really cool basket.

After all that I stopped at the grocery store for a couple of things and then came home and put my clothesline up. It's about time!

The day isn't over yet, I still have a house to clean, window to replace, dinner to cook and whatever else comes up...

Hallie "Bells"

My Hallie Bells is a child like no other. She is very lovable one minute and then meaner than a snake the next. Hallie has the most contagious laugh. At the end of the day, when we have been like mixing fire and gasoline, getting ready to go to bed, and she's still mad at me and I'm still not sure I'm real happy with her, I get a hold of her and tickle till she catches enough air to scream "MERCY!" It's amazing how laughter is an instant cure for bad feelings.

We have a dog, Ruby, and three outside cats; Gabriella, Stormy and Smokey. Hallie has a way with the critters. They love her, but I honestly can not understand why. Ruby's favorite toy is a rope tied in a knot. Usually Hallie has one end in her teeth and Ruby has a hold of the other end and they are both growling and carryin on. Hallie will play rough a little too much, Ruby will snap at her. They both go off pouting and now they are curled up on the couch together. Ruby will not sleep with me unless Hallie's in my bed too.

Hallie has always been kind of a terror to animals but I didn't realize how bad she could be until I happened to glance out the kitchen window this evening while making dinner. What did I see?! Hallie had a hold of Gabriella, our 8 week old baby kitty, dunking it in the water bowl, hind in first and then head first. If that wasn't bad enough, then she took it over to Jeremy's truck and tried to wash his truck with a soaking wet black kitty cat.

The poor little thing is fine now, although I do believe she really hates Hallie. Jeremy and Matthew saw her before I did and they just sat there in disbelief. I guess they thought Hallie could never be that mean. Jeremy is not a cat fan, but even he said that was just plain mean.

I asked Hallie just what did she think she was doing to that baby. She told me she wanted to give it a bath and Jeremy's truck was dirty too. Rotten, rotten, rotten.

Quiet and Secluded or Dark and Creepy?

When you think of living in town, secluded and quiet are not words one would use to describe their home usually. My family and I are far from usual so why should our home be any different?

We live in a mobile home parked in a trailer park. Have you just painted a picture of the trailer lined streets filled with the folks that reside in them? Good now erase that. That is what is across the street from our home. But our landlady owns another small section of ground only large enough for three homes to sit on. This is where we live. The way our homes are set up on this piece kind of resembles a horseshoe. Our home is the one farthest away from the open end.

My neighbors are very nice folks. Well, what close neighbors I do have. On the left, is an empty home. There's talk that the park owner will be having that torn out and won't be putting a new home in it's place. My children are really looking forward to this. They will have more yard for riding bikes and whatnot. On the right, is Bill and Rosy. They are a very nice couple. The have a catering business and aren't home much at all. Now on the left of the empty home, is a modular home that was foreclosed on a couple of years ago and no one has lived there since. And to the right of Bill is an older couple. They have kids that come to visit with their kids every so often. So you get the picture it's a quiet spot to live for the most part.

I wish I had pictures of my home so I could just show you, but I don't and it's too dark outside to take a few right now. Besides this will give your imagination a good work out. So right now, you are envisioning a horseshoe driveway with three mobile homes around it. You are standing looking at my home with your back to the street. My yard is fenced around the sides and back. The front is open. On the other side of the fence is nothing but dirt. There was another trailer park there at one time. It was tore out a couple of summers back and rumor has it the new owners will be building apartments for empty nesters on the property. But for right now it's vacant.

When you think of living in town, what is another thing you think of lining the streets? Street lights..... There is one way down at the end of our driveway. It doesn't do much to light up our end of the driveway or our yard. So it's very dark at night.

Our yard has it's pros and cons. The front yard offers a large maple tree with plenty of shade in the summer. And the back fence row is lined with locust trees. Plenty of shade. And not to mention the fragrance in early spring with the locust tress in bloom. In late spring and early summer, our noses are treated to loads of honeysuckle vines covering the fence. Beware we also have plenty of poison ivy too! As long as the kids have their toys picked up, we have a really pretty yard. But once night falls, those shady trees turn into very dark hiding places. Which honestly didn't bother me until tonight.

I had went to bed shortly after 9. I've had trouble sleeping lately so I got up to get a drink at about a quarter till 11. My kitchen window overlooks the driveway. Right now my outside light doesn't work. Oh believe me it's on my to do list! But I happened to glance out the window and turn to walk out of the room when I did a double take out the window. Who's car is that beside me van?! Some small convertible was parked right beside my minivan. This made absolutely no sense at all! (Still doesn't.) If the car had been parked at the far end of the drive, I wouldn't have given much thought to it. The man that owns the empty home on the left occasionally comes in the middle of the night to sleep. But he parks closer to the road. Bill's friends and family always park behind his car.

So hear I am freaking out. I'm home alone with my three children. I don't even own so much as a baseball bat for protection. (Which after the scare tonight, this will change.) So I decide the best thing to do is call the dispatcher and have her send an officer out to check the car and find out why it's in my driveway cause it really shouldn't be. While I waited for the officer to come and check it out, I called my mom and talked to her.

So the officer came right out, ran a check on the plates. Turns out it was someone I know, but still haven't got a clue why they decided to park their car in my driveway. I'm not sure if the officer tracked him down or if he saw the patrol car and figured he better get it moved somewhere else.


I'm really glad it turned out to be nothing but still kinda of scary.