Smelly Cat

Soooooo.....Last end of summer/beginning of fall, The Mister had left the car outside and the window's down overnight.  Not the end of the world since we live in the middle of nowhere. We did wake up to a car FULL of flies. 

No biggie.

However, over the next week or so I started feeling something move inside the drivers side seat.  At first it really freaked me out.  As the weeks went on, I worried I might just be going crazy.  We all know it's bound to happen, I just didn't realize it would happen so soon.  I sheepishly asked the Mister one night if he ever felt it too.  He confirmed I was going crazy.  

Then, one night, we were driving back from the train station after picking Rhiannon up.  The Mister was driving.  All of a sudden he sat straight up and said something along the lines of 

"What in the hell was that?"  

And then I knew. 

I was NOT crazy.  

There was just a mouse who lived inside our drivers car seat back. 

If you think about it, it was a very smart move by the mouse.  The kids constantly kept him fed, there were no predators after him and he was always warm.  

I didn't mind sharing with him as long as I didn't have to see him.

On Sunday we went to the Pride Parade.  My car sat in the sun all day.  When we got back to it, there was definitely a smell.  A dead, decaying smell.  My sister and I both commented on how disgusting it was and how it was probably a rat in the alley or maybe some food the girls threw on the floor and I missed.

I detailed the car.

It wasn't food.

It's our mousy friend.  

He died.  Inside our car seat.

Although I have been telling him for almost a year that we need another car, The Mister has been putting it off saying 

"It isn't  necessary yet, we can still wait, we might not need two cars, yada yada yada....."  

I'm going to have to thank our little mouse friend.  
He has changed my husbands mind.

The Mister is going car shopping today.

Happy Wednesday!

jj

Be My Friend!

This weekend we noticed our very scary guard dog sitting at the very edge of the fenced in area of our yard.

After a few minutes we realized he was sitting there watching four deer eat, not even ten feet in front of him.

He's so lonely out here he is trying to get the local wildlife to be friends with him.

Good work, buddy.

Good work.

(Better luck next time.)

And We Danced / Rhiannon is 14!

Today is Rhiannon's birthday!

She is the big 1-4!

Last Thursday, two of her friends and I pulled off an epic surprise party.  I told them to take care of the guest list and  I would take care of the rest.  We prayed for great weather, (and it came!) I bought a ton of food, sodas, a pinata - if you ever been to any of her childhood parties you will get why - and of course an ice cream cake.  Because my crazy child hates cake.

  The weather cooperating was especially helpful because those gals delivered on that guest list, about 40 teenagers!  

Yikes!

A few days before the party I had set up a hair appointment for Rhiannon that was to start right after school.  On our way there I told her The Mister was going to take us to the city for a fancy dinner (something we try to do often).  

She's grown so much this year. I told her we were just going to run to the store to get her a nice outfit and shoes.  I made sure to bring my make up along so she could be completely ready before we got home, because, you know, we were in SUCH a HURRY!  

(I even dressed up to the part, sporting a fancy dress and heels.)

She had NO CLUE I was actually being a big, fat liar.  

Since we were leaving "as soon as we got back" she was dressed up with her make up and hair all done up cute.  

It was fabulous.  She looked fabulous!

She was so surprised when she opened the garage door.  She screamed in terror and looked at me with an expression I will never forget.  

Since today is Rhiannon's official birthday I am dedicating this song to her, and since it is her fourteenth birthday here are fourteen reasons why!

I'm adding where my comments are directed at in the song.

I love you, my most favorite sweetheart!

 

1. You probably don't remember, but we used to dance around the house to this song together.  Like, a lot.
2. 0:01  This looks like a town you would love to end up living in. 
3. 0:06  Look!  It's The Mister's dream car!  
4. 0:32  I can see a Drive-In Theater experience complete with a terrible zombie movie being a great night out for you.  
5. 0:37  Um....That man in the watermelon shirt!  Purely  awesome! I'm going to make us matching ones...and a Melodica, because YES.
6. 1:10  That lady in the black dress dances JUST LIKE YOUR MOM! (She must be cool.)
7. 1:20   The band dances like your mom, too.  See?  Proof your mom is cool.....
8. 1:54    Unintentionally locking your friends in the trunk == another scenario I can see you getting yourself into.  Lucky for you white lightening has that handy glow-in-the-dark trunk release pull!  
9. 2:47    Old man Hawk Harrelson look-a-like has FAILED at his rescue mission!  
10. 3:15    That love between the concession stand boy and the girl in the yellow shirt.  Get ready for lots of awkward moments like that!  Lol.  Yay teenage experiences!  
11.  3:24    Everyone is dancing like your mom now! 
12. 3:37    Stereotypical motorcycle gang scaring a nerdy boy. 
13. 3:46     Kicking things usually (wont) solve your problems.  Unless your friends are stuck in the trunk, that is.
14. 3:53     The zombie party has officially turned into a dance party.  
15. 
    

(For your birthday, obviously!) 

Happy Wednesday 

and 

Happy Birthday Rhiannon!

Spring Has Arrived

Happy belated Mother's Day!

Clara's garden plot.  The mushroom top of her birdbath broke and she refuses to let us replace it.

I'm always spoiled on Mother's day.  I'm not allowed to do any of the cleaning, which is nice, but in reality it just means the next day I wake up to this.....

Can you relate?  

This year The Mister and the girls gave me a few new wind-chimes to hang on my hammock trees.  I've wanted to have a bottle/wind-chime tree for years now. I'm glad it's becoming a reality! 

I strongly believe that swaying in a hammock while listening to the soft tinkling of the wooden and brass chimes while looking up at pretty hanging colored bottles is something you should do at least once in your life.  

Since the weather has finally decided to become agreeable, The Mister and I have been stupid busy trying to keep up with the park, I mean the yard, we are now responsible for.  Trust me when I say it is a full time job. 

However, I am not complaining because spring is my absolute favorite time each year.  Here are a few reasons why......

Lilac bushes in full bloom...

Our ornamental weeping willow looking like it grew a big ol head of funky looking hair....

Window boxes filled with flowers......

And entire days spent outdoors.

Happy Monday!

Golfer Baby

We found a used golf equipment store in our little town that will custom make golf clubs to fit your child.

For a bag and four clubs this cost us $30.

It also only took 2 hours to make.
Steal!

If you are in the Chicago area and are interested in getting some for your tyke too, message me!

Happy Friday!

White Castle Candles

I enjoy reading our local newspaper for a few reasons.  

First, the police blotter is laughable.  

Second, front page news usually involves what is happening with the senior citizens in the area.  For example, this week it talks about the Senior Citizens Idol contest.  

For an entire page.

As an added bonus, this week someone is trying to sell two slightly used white castle candles.Yes folks, for only $13 you can make your house smell like a white castle burger. 

That's the stuff dreams are made of. 

In other news, I am in the process of planning Clara's 4th birthday party.

How is it even possible this little buggar is going to be 4?!?!

I still see her like this.

Happy Friday!

Snow Dog

Since I chose to live in the Chicago area of the world it is rare that I bitch about the weather.  

From the months of October, November, December, January, February, March and unfortunately most of April we will have bitter cold and winter weather.  

I'm totally okay with this, too.  We are completely stocked with hats, gloves, scarves, snow pants, igloo makers, snow ball makers, sleds etc ect to help get us through the long cold winter.

However, this really is a cruel joke mother nature is playing on us right now.  

There are two times when my kids are pumped to go to school.

• After summer vacation.
• After winter break.

This means I have two kids with severe cabin fever who are itching to go back to school.  

Instead, we are having forced snow days where it is to cold to even go outside and play!  

Oh, and the internet and cable went out.

AAAAGH!

This feels personal, Mother Nature.  

Yesterday was especially brutal.

 Rhiannon was so distraught (upon finding she had no immediate access to the outside world) she said to us, 

"Is this what it was like to live in, like, 1995?"

(Why yes.  Yes it was, Darling.)

 Finally I couldn't take it anymore.
I decided to bring the outdoors in.

You've had a pizza party+snowman building party in the bathtub before, right?  

This is totally normal?

I don't even care.  

This killed about three hours.

The snow was very powdery and not at all good for making snowmen.

Clara did a superb job at misting the snow and took her task very seriously.

(Make it BIGGER mama.  It needs to be BIGGER.  Hold on, hold on.  It needs more misty. There.  That's better. Make it BIGGER mama.  Wait, wait.  More misty...)

TA-DAAAAA!

Almond eyes, (Because who keeps coal in their house?) Candy Cane nose (those carrots are for supper!) and Candy Cane arms (it was way to cold to go looking for sticks.)

She was very proud of her snowman dog.

Buehrle was incredibly suspicious of him....

So I gave him some to eat as a snack.

And then pizza was had by all!

She had a pizza/tea party with her new friend Snow dog for a good 40 minutes afterwards.  

Thankfully, the internet came back on later last night.
(Phew, that was a close one!  Yea instagram and netflix!)

Happy Freaking Snow Day!

E-I-E-I-O

 Remember when I was bitching about all the leaves I had to rake out of my front yard last week?  I feel like I need to finish that story.

(Apparently living in a forest doesn't exclude you from leaf raking.  I still don't understand.  Even my dad, who ALWAYS has the best looking yard has never raked up his leaves.  Ever.)

Trip 5,826 to the compost pile.

 Rhiannon came home from school that day and helped me finish up.  While taking the last pile to the compost, these guys stepped out of their little home, in the back of our yard.  

I had seen them about a week before, but I was under the impression they were just passing through looking for food.  I had no idea their home was literally on the edge of our property.  

Rhiannon became really excited and wanted to go over there to "pet" them.  

(She forgot, for a moment, that she is not Snow White and  telecommunication with wild animals is in fact not something she is capable of.)

I told her a firm NO. 

Actually, I told her that they were wild animals and that they had babies with them therefore they would probably attack her.

I went on, telling her if they did attack her, I would jump on our teeny tiny tractor and high tail it to the house.

With or without her.

Then I reminded her of the time the whole family tortured me by taking me here, just so she knew I was serious.

Deer petting zoo in the Wisconsin Dells.
A.K.A. the scariest motherfucking place on earth.

She promised me she wouldn't go near them.  We stuck around the deer long enough for me to take this picture of her in front of our leaf pile.

This is only from the front yard.  
I refuse to rake up the back.
But, from the front we (still!) have the cleanest lawn on the block!

Take that, neighbors!
(Dad would be so proud!)


Have a great weekend!