Top Stories.....

I am excited to give you an update of the latest happenings.

Lots to keep up with,

here are the highlights worth noting....

First, 

yesterday while Ryker was mowing the backyard lawn,

he witnessed this dove being struck from the sky by a hawk.

He called Ethan outside and they decided to tame it, 

and keep it for a pet

until it's wing is healed enough for it to fly away again.

They named it Riplakish.

This little guy has been quite the spectacle.

As far as I could tell, 

he was not going to make it through the first night.

With all the kid handling, and "seeing if it could walk yet",

eat spinach, watch them play Skyrim,

hang around while they ate pizza, and so on.

At one point the boys and their friends took their money,

hopped on their bikes and went to purchase a large bag of birdseed

from Walgreens

(after looking up what doves eat on the internet).

I will say that Riplakish is loved by all,

(not me really....because it pops a whole lot)

he is admired by the young and old alike.

This morning M called us all into the boys room.....

we ran in.

Riplakish was perched up on the edge of his basket.

It was a happy celebration.

Our wild dove has survived one night.

Next, 

I finally made it to the temple again.

It was good to be back.

Colleen Johnson and I drove out together.....

that really sweetened the deal for me.

We had a chance to catch up with each other a bit.

The three hour round trip drive seemed to go by in a flash....

I didn't mind it at all.

Unfortunately the only picture documentation I have is that of our 

froyos cups.

 YUM!

 I keep forgetting to tell you about the best, coolest garage sale trade

I made with Tina a few months ago.

I finally got a radio for our kitchen!!!

Whooohooo!

I love this boom box so much!

Tina was selling this for $8 

(is she insane?....it is probably worth like $25....don't tell her I said that)

anyway, 

her son William got interested in our GeoSafari electronic game.

Voila! 

The trade was made.

I can, and do listen to lots of cds.

Picture in your mind,

 books on cd while doing baking, cleaning, etc.

Also.....I am smartening up listening to talk radio.

It is kind of fun being able to hold a conversation about what is 

happening around the world with politics and so forth.

I'm cluing in people!!!

This past Thursday 

I got home from my shift at Our Club and noticed the

house was sweltering.....it was 81 degrees and rising.

I checked the air handler in the garage,

the air conditioning unit out side,

both were pumping and seemed to be working normally....

the problem, was that no cool air,

actually no air at all,

 was coming out of any of the vents.

WHAT IS HAPPENING?!

I texted K.

Left a phone message.

He happened to be out of the country at the moment...

I waited around for a bit....

like 10 minutes.

Let the house get up to 84.

I turned everything off, worried that I was going to burn up a unit.

Then I made the dreaded call to Air and Heat, inc.

They sent a rep over a few hours later.

Um....

this is what he found.

Horrendously clogged filters.

All three of our in door filters were jam packed with shiz.

Yes, this is very embarrassing.

As well as pathetically expensive....$89 for him to spray off our filters.

(jerk)

.....sorry, but I couldn't stand the sight of this guy 

once he told me the price for his "cleaning" services.

Well, lesson learned.

You to can learn, once again, from our mistakes....

GO NOW AND CHECK YOUR FILTERS.

gooooooooo....don't delay!

Ryker had his first Deacon's quorum presidency meeting here this evening.

He made up agendas and so forth.

I heard them in planning and making assignments, etc.

Once the serious tasking was done,

Ryker "taught" Henry and Aaron how to make his world famous

Chili dip.

2 cans Hormel, 1 cube of cream cheese

The other boys committed the secret recipe to memory and each 

took turns stirring, until it bubbled throughout.

Then they ate and enjoyed.

Sure do love this little band of soldiers.

Ryker is so blessed to have these good buddies.

 Our kids were arguing today over lunch,

I decided to take away turning on sports for any reason

for the day.

I never want them to have it on,
on the Sabbath,

but I compromise as long as we get our scripture reading in,

Faith in God, Duty to God, and any other Sunday activities deemed

important, done first.

Today, like I said, there was no distraction.

Ryker baked,

Lawson read, 

E worked on his essays,

I taught M her high multiplication tables in 30 minutes with 

this beloved little program called 

"Times Tales"

I used this with all the boys while we were schooling at home

and became a fast fan.

(It is practically how I learned my 6's and up)

We had a blast.

She is a speedy learner.

I tested her twice afterwords.....her fastest time was 3.06

(ask me about this if you would like to make a copy of the program)

She also memorized the 8th article of faith for her primary assignment 

for next Sunday....

and after,

 I got to sneak off to write.....

also an acceptable Sabbath day activity : )

My point is....

it was such a wonderful, quite, enjoyable Sunday.

Lastly, 

Yesterday M, Claire, Izzy and I got to attend one of their 

little friends baptisms.  

It was wonderful.

McCauley will be eight next month....

a little hard to believe.... the last baptism for our family.

One of my favorite parts of the service was when 

Brother Wilson got up to give his talk on the Holy Ghost, 

he invited three people to come up and share how they 

personally felt the Holy Ghost.

Since all of us feel it so differently,

he thought it would be good for Hailey to hear from a few different 

sources on what it might be like for her.

Her sister said that she felt safe and protected, like nothing could hurt her.

Sister Wilson, talked about how she noticed that she usually needed to get her mind right

before she could really feel the spirit.

That if she was busy, or upset and running around,

she knew she may not be in tune enough to hear, or feel the spirit.

This reminded me why I love Sundays so much.

It is my time to slow down.

notice.

listen.

feel.

It makes me realize why it is so important to meet regularly...

it is so easy to get caught up in our everyday living.

I forget to seek out and invite the spirit.

I loved Brother Wilson's description of an experience from his mission

when he felt the Holy Ghost especially strong.

He demonstrated how it felt like someone had peeled back his scalp

and literally poured sunshine into his head.

It sounds funny...

but I believe when he says he will never forget it.

It got me thinking about how I feel the Holy Ghost.

Even during the baptism yesterday,

I distinctly remember the exact moment I first felt the spirit

whoosh in...

when Brother Tucker invited the missionaries to share their testimonies.

Even before they opened their mouths to speak the spirit was present for me.

When I feel the spirit I feel Home.

I feel so comfortable, I want to settle in and stay forever.

The feeling is nothing short of delicious.

I want more.

I do not want it to leave.

.....ever.

What about you?

August 8th, and there they go.....

It's that time of year again.

FB is flooded with back to school pictures.

I guess us moms are all the same.

We all think it is such a big deal that our kids are heading off to school again.

It is.

HUGE.

The first day is always so surreal.

I have so much I have been letting go,

waiting until the kids are back in school....

(floor mopping being one of them).

that when they finally do walk out the door, 

I feel like I am in a 

dumb stupor.

I can't get my mind around what I am supposed to be doing.

...........

I did remember at the last minute that I upgraded from school store chair,

to secretary at Ryker's school. 

I managed to change out of my work out 

gear (too bad), and make it on time to our two hour meeting.

(hope I made the right choice!)

(it was really only 2 hours because we had to go to the bank to make some 

school account switches, etc.)

I also knew I wanted to get a post off on my blog.

Priorities!!

It is 12:25 already.....make that 1:00 now.....!

Geeeezzz.

The time is slipping away.

First, 

We said good bye to Cookie and Challemander last night.

Our friends the Quigleys are back in town.

(They were recently featured in the local paper also.....famous!)

I actually got up and turned to go let her out this morning,

caught myself before opening the boys door.

She was a fun little addition for 40 some odd days.

Cookie is a sweet and lovable dog.....

character and charm to spare.

But truly I am

happy she is back home with her family where she belongs.

....she might be missed just a little.

Saying good bye.

 McCauley wanted special hair for the first day of school....

I totally agreed.

I love these sleep in rollers so much!

 I made sure the kids started off with only the best in sugared cereal.

Come on....it's the first day!

It is supposed to be a party!!....right?

 Quality lunch fixins below
....practically the only thing salvageable
from our recent freezer disaster were the several boxes of
Uncrustables I had purchased.

I rode with Lawson (6th grade) and McCauley (2nd) who leave first at 7:50.

I was anxious to meet the new cross walk helpers.

We have been so spoiled over the past several years to have the kindest

most loving couple you would ever meet.

They finally retired.

Very sad.

The new ones seem ok at first meeting.

We will see as the year progresses.

I remember having mean cross walk people a few times.

It makes a difference I think.

Ethan is in 10th grade.

I have not seen him in jeans forever!

I was happily surprised when I saw he was wearing a pair today.

I liked it.

He seemed chipper and happy to be heading off.

He even turned to give me a picture....hmmmm.

He usually walks the half mile or so to school, 

 he did as well today.

 Ryker (8th) is the last.

This kid was pumped and ready to go....

he didn't say so,

but I could tell.

He didn't leave until 9:10.

I walked out with him and got a few good bye photos.

I love how they all have their new clothing on.

I think they each got four or five new shirts, new undies, some socks.

M purchase one extra shirt with her own money and has been soooooo

excited to be able to wear her new fashionable shirts.

I remember getting lots and lots of new clothes.

Our kids are not so lucky (or spoiled),
mostly just got what they really needed.

That doesn't mean I don't want to get them more....
(I half way bet I want it more than they do!)

I just know I shouldn't, because they have enough, 

I think it would take away from some of the specialness of it all.

Love these guys so much.

I hope this year is rewarding and magical.

Is that asking too much?

There is so much potential for a wonderful experience....

but also potential for things to go in another direction.

We just get to wait and see....

and hope

and pray.

I started on some of my projects.

I found the purple button I have been missing in my scary makeup 

drawer.....gonna get that sewed on.

Then I plan to get on to the removal of the green crayon smears in about 

thirty spots on the office floor.

Then I am going to try and fix a favorite shoe that recently came apart,

then mop,

then bake bread,

then make cookies to welcome the kids home.....

and prepare to devour every detail 

of their one and only first day of school for this year.

Sooooo excited! 

One bigger project I have on my mind for ASAP,

is to create a new blog page.

I finally dared to remove our family photo from the top of this blog.

I did it in hopes that it would let me change it to a new one....

no way.

It appears, like it has been telling me all along,

that I am out of space for this one.

So, time to start over.

I have got to research and find out how to make this guy into a 

book to keep.

.......see.......

another project I will have more time to tackle.

FREE Freezer to a Responsible home.

For the past two days I have noticed a different 

smell in our garage.

I noted it in my mind yesterday,

and this afternoon I verbalized it out loud as we were 

all coming in after running around getting a few last minute 

school supplies and what not.

I said,

something smells very wrong in here.

It is different....rotten, animalish.

Ryker said, probably a dead lizard or something.

yes.....my thoughts exactly.

I came inside and started tiding this and that.

Put on a little light jazz while Kev and the boys started the grill.

Ryker comes in shortly after with a crazed grin on his face.

What?

I know what that smell is in the garage.

What?!!!!

My heart plumets.

I run outside and open the freezer.

EVERYTHING HAS THAWED.

Everything is dripping.

Ice cream tubs are bloated.

Every shelf was jam packed with food.

Goooooood food, bagged veggies,

roasts, chicken, tons of butter that I have been collecting package by

package, making our stash grow and swell.

Everything was saturated in stinking pheasant blood!

I cried my eyes out.

I ranted and raved.

I threw crap everywhere.

I insulted every member of my family on several occasions.

I am in mourning and will remain so for many days....I suspect.

I am morning for the loss of money.

I am morning for the horrible waste and irresponsible loss.

I am so disappointed.

WHY CAN SOMEONE NOT PLUG THE FREEZER BACK IN?

WHY?

why can't we use a fraction of our brains and plug the 

brown plug back in?

This is NOT the first time this has happened.

We are freaking idiots.

We can no longer justify having an extra 

"out in the garage freezer".

it is NOT a money saver for this family.

The freezer will be on the curb.

Come and get it if you have a responsible family that

  chooses 

to use their brains.

ps - I know I am just as much to blame if not more.

I am probably more mad at myself then anyone else.

Sorry to vent on the blog.....

I do feel a little better.