Take Action Now!

So, I'm an unashamed "Ditto-Head" and I just bust a gut with Rush's humor! But, that's beside the point! While briefly listening to him today (because I only listen to him while I'm driving -- and while owning a diesel, I won't be able to afford to drive much longer!) he spoke about a website Newt Gingrich, another of my political heros!, has come up with. He has fashioned a means with which to take all our signatures to congress to show that we want to drill here and drill NOW! So, please join me in signing such petition by clicking here (or any other colored text on this post!)

And while on our farm, we don't own sheep to trim the grass, we do our green part in owning a small herd of bovine and one equine! wink!

Kids Say The Darndest Things: Part VII

This one is too cute! It comes from Charlie - boy!

While we were homeschooling the other day, Charlie was learning measurements of time and length, etc.

Here's a sample of the fill-in-the-blank:

24 hours = 1 Day
2 cups = 1 pint
7 days = 1 week
365 days = 1 year
12 mos = 1 year
12 inches = 1 ________


Nope! It does not equal "1 foot"! According to Charlie, 12 inches = 1 ruler!

I think that's pretty clever and is truly a sign of genius!

Charlie's crop of cucumbers from last year!

Me and my kiddos!

Mommy & Daddy w/ Charlie for his 8th B-day!

Toothless - Charlie!

Kids Say The Darndest Things: Part VI

Today's Word: Driveway!

What is a driveway, you might ask? Well, at our house it is two things...

1. A place where you park your car. (and why do we drive on the parkway, but park on the driveway?)

2. And if you might be an "Ein - hi - mer" then a "DRIVEWAY" is where you drive thru to get your food from the fast food joints!

I honestly can't remember which of my kids started this saying, but it's always been a part of our family, so I'm thinking it must have been one of the girls. Nevertheless, when we go to a Wendy's or Mickey Ds, the kids always ask, "Are we eating inside or going thru the driveway?"

Catch of the Day: Part I

Just wanting to put up the "Catch of the Day!" I've gone thru the bin of photos and here's some great fishin' pix with the ones that didn't get away! I'll continue to add more as the days allow!

Charlie - with dinner!

Kellar - with dinner! Of course, we had to eat his

first big catch!

When my folks were here, Papa pulled a huge joke

on Charlie, acting as if he'd pulled in a big one! Charlie ran

out to the pond, faster than the wind, and learned the truth

that it was a 'stuffed pillow fish!'

Cousin Zach with his first catch out of the pond!

Cousin TanTan - with a winner!

User Error!

OK... so, for the last couple of weeks I've been pulling photos from my old files... because my computer wouldn't let me download my latest bunch of pix! Well, that's what I tho't was the problem.... but after asking Don nicely to try it for me... he gets them downloaded with no probs! Definitely user error!



Here's a collection of some photos that I wanted to share! Hope you enjoy them, too! I'll be working some posts around some of the great photos too!



Don't you just love 'blog-booking!' I can get more done this way than I could ever dream about getting scrapbooks done!

Hannah! what a beaut!

The boys out snowboarding on sleds!

Kellar's first BIG CATCH!!

Yes - there is an Easter Bunny!

It's My Birthday!

This is my Gma, me, sissy, mom, cousin, & sil!

This is Jen, E, Sissy, & Me!



Me & my bro! the 2 peas in a pod!

just a decade apart!

How can I say it so modestly? It's my birthday and my youngest son claims that I'm 28! Yep. I'm sticking with that one! My sister claims I'm an 'old fart.' And my bestest friend from grade school wrote on my card to have a 'great 37th birthday!' So - I must be so old that no one can remember my exact age! That's why I'm going with this next picture! cuz 'girls, we just wanna have fun!'

So, how did I get to start my day, you may ask? Well, you know I've blogged about our run-away cow, Dory! Well, she decided to start in on bellowing outside our window at 2am! Yup - it's her 'special' day of the month! Lucky me, she cycles every 2 weeks! We try to ignore it, until we hear our horse, Star, tearing up the turf running to and fro - freakin us out! So, Don & I get up and dress, haul our tired ol' butts out to the barn and arm ourselves with bushels of sweet feed for all - cuz when Dory's not happy - ain't nobody happy! So - yes - happy bday to me! I'm ready for a long winter's nap! (is she 15mos yet so we can get her knocked up already?)

Our Dogs! Head of Ranch Security!

Shadow with our neighbor's dog, Hope. Good buddies.


Shadow and PugPug in the snow!

Shadow with the boys!

Charlie with his dog, PugPug!

So - I've promised a post about our dogs... and today seems like as good as any to post about them. Now, I am NOT a dog person - strictly a cat person! However, I'm wise enough to realize the value of cohabiting with as large of a dog as we can come by! Our first large dog was named Ta-Tonka, Big Ta-Tonka, as in "Dances With Wolves." We shortened his name to Tonka. He was my gentle giant. We got him from the Lab Rescue and only had him for 22 mos. He was geriatric to begin with and died of lung cancer. Broke my heart. He taught me that dogs can be great animals and that they all don't have to smell, jump, lick, and drool! OK - so none of the other dogs we have can live up to his moral ethics!

So, I went back to the Lab Rescue to a Meet n Greet Park Day. Needless to say, a huge yellow lab can bundling out of an SUV. I knew right away he was going to be mine! I rushed over to him and walked him and told them I'd take him! He has a lame name... it's not highly original, but it has a different meaning... his name is Shadow. Basically, it's due to the fact, that wherever I go, even on days when there is no sun, I cast a 'Shadow'. And if I ever stop short, I get a cold nose up the rear... that's not endearing! But he loves me. (not as much as Tonka did... but he still worships the ground I walk on!) Shadow is about 125# of pure shedding material! He's got to have some Akita mix to him, as well. His latest obsession is also not endearing! He seems to get pure delight of chasing skunks... and then wearing their scent for the following month! No - tomato juice does not nix the smell - especially when we're talking a 125# mass of fur with several layers of thus said fur! When we got him, he was 2 - he didn't know how to fetch or catch food mid-air or eat 'gently' from his master's hand! But, he's perfected all of it now! He also loves to swim in our pond and then walk out looking like the swamp monster with mud and gunk clung to his fur... again, not endearing! And where would we be without the gas! Oh my... one of the names we immediately tho't of was "Gas-imus." His are stealth! (ie... silent, but deadly!) Anyway - he does his thing. He scares off the would-be sales ppl by his shear size! gotta love that!

And then there's Pug! We moved to our new state and Charlie wanted a pug. We told our realtor, who also wore the hat of the head of the local humane society. Low and behold, the following week she called us with a Pug in the kennels! So, we go pick up this creature and he's smelly and graying around the face and just so ugly that he's cute. We're told that he has kennel cough... but really - it's a collapsible trachea! go figure! Evidently with short nose breeds with smushed in faces this type of occurrence is not uncommon... and we just got lucky to get the guy who has this! Now, he's smelly, he farts, he moans, he snores and shakes the windows, he whines, he cries, he can't get off the couch by himself in the mornings, and he hacks! If he exercises (ie... walks to the pond with us and back), this will ignite his tracheal problems! He sounds like a cat coughing up a hairball. It's pathetic. These attacks last at least 2 weeks. not endearing! Oh... and he does this 'licking the air' thingy! At random points thru-out the day he'll be laying there licking the air - reminds me of a snake smelling the air... who knows. Originally his name was Smoosh... but now it's just PugPug! He's a big hit with our guests... as he thinks he should be a lapdog! (I don't think anything that stinks that bad should be near any one's lap!)

That gives the summation of our 2 dogs! I'll have to post about Baby, our cat... he thinks he's one of the dogs!

Kids Say The Darndest Things: Part V

Ok.. So, you notice a trend here with Kid Sayings! That's because if I don't get them all written down, I'll forget... You might also notice another trend - they're all sayings from Charlie and Kellar.... so - if any of my sibs and sils can recall the girls' sayings - please remind me so I can 'scrapbook' them, too. My mind is shot!

So, you wonder why the pix of a smoke stack, eh?

Well, on our way to my inlaws, which happens to be quite a long drive, we pass a huge facility that has hundreds of these thingy-ma-bobs. And Kellar shouts out (because whispering is not part of his vernacular, let alone in his repertoire)... "Look guys - a CLOUD FACTORY!"

He believed that these smoke stacks were how clouds were made. Now, mind you , this was about 3 years ago... when he was 3.5ish... So, now whenever we drive by a smoke stack w/ plumes of smoke/steam bursting forth, we all state, "there's the cloud factory!" To which Kell indignantly tells us - "No! It's not!"

Kids Say the Darndest Things Part IV

What's the difference between a "Concession Stand" and a "Concussion Stand"???

Not much, if you're an "ein - - hi - - mer"!

Our weekends are filled with sporting events in which there is invariably a concession stand in the near vicinity. Our boys are often heard yelling out, "Can we go to the *Concussion Stand*?"

No - they're not going there to get their heads knocked around, nor are they headed there for any butt-kickin'. What they are looking for is a yummy ring pop or Starburst or hot chocolate these spring days. Oh - and of course, one can't forget to mention Krispie Kreme donuts while limited supplies are available! {If they weren't such natural athletes, I'd begin to wonder if they didn't play sports, just so they could dig up some change and run off to the Concussion Stands!}

So, can anyone tell me why it's warm all week long, but as soon as Friday night rolls around, it's so cold and windy and rainy? Guess we're not in Arizona anymore!*

*Disclaimer... I'm the only one who thinks it's cold... 37y of desert dwelling has made my blood so thin that I just cannot warm up! So, while I'm dressed up in many thick layers, others are running about in shorts & Ts!

So, if you can't find us on the fields - check out the Concussion Stands!

Another Win!

Just for Charlie's scrapbook, aka this blog, we will record that his baseball team is now 4-1! Tonight, bottom of the 6th and final inning, he's the lead off batter. He hits a single... and eventually after subsequent hits by teammates he makes it to 3d by sliding in! (yah - more laundry for mom!) Needless to say it was a close call and the ump called him SAFE! So - game ended when they were still rallying - but we were up by 2 at that point! 10-8!

Sorry - will attach a baseball pix later!

Chachie - you're so cute out there... the smallest and youngest player on the team! But the one with the biggest grin... and the biggest heart!

Love ya kiddo - mom

Osprey!

A few weeks back my hubby and Charlie boy and I were driving down our country road. Don spotted what appeared to be a Bald Eagle, but really turned out to be an Osprey traveling on its migratory path back north for the summer. (We looked it up in several of our Birding Books! - we're avid Birders!!!!) It was so awesome to see this magnificent creature hover in place and then fold his wings and dive head first into the pond. We just stopped the car and watched for about 5 minutes until his mission was successful and he flew off at a quick clip. Here are photos of what this looked like! And for those of you who have never seen an Osprey, they're found in the Mogollian Rim and the mountain lakes... we got to see them there, too - years and years ago.

Happy Mother's Day

Today of all days - may you have a blessed day! Happy Mother's Day to all the women in my life! And thank you to all the daddies out there that made it possible! ;) wink... and all the chillin's who make motherhood so divine!

I'm Fighting Back!

I'm fighting back! On our goofy low-budget 10p news there is a segment called: 5 Things You Need To Know Before You Go To Bed. Tonight I learned that researchers have found that the dyes found in Blue 2 and Red 40 in M&Ms candies have the potential to bind to cancerous cells and ward off this disease.

(OK - so don't quote me on the exact science - in case you haven't noticed it's 12:30a and I'm waiting for my Dr. Pepper from dinner to wear off and my sleeping pill to kick in!)

So - rest assured. I eat my colors almost on a daily basis! Now I'll pay better attention to up my intake of the Blues & Reds!

BATHING SUIT CHALLENGE

One of my blogger buds, Shellie, has thrown down a challenge for all her online workout buddies!

So - here's the jest of it all:

We have 6 weeks to bust tail and firm up... we are to take a before and after photo to be posted on our own individual blogs on June 7th. So, make sure to *not* visit my blog at that time! LOL Unless you truly want to be scared of a beached whale! ha

So - for anyone else who is wanting in on this super challenge - join in! It's time for the swimsuit competition to begin!

(now, if I could only look like that!)

Aimee's Birthday!

Today is my friend, Aimee's, birthday!

Pop on over to her blog and leave her a special birthday wish!

Aimee and I have been friends since the 5th grade! This is an amazing feat for her, because sometimes I'm quite difficult to get along with! So - thanks Aimo, for being such a wonderful friend. Hope you have a great day!

Love ya much - cheri

I Won!

I won a blog naming contest at The Sweet Spot ! This is only the 2d contest I've ever one!

X-Citing!

My dearest friend, Aimee, has a friend Brandi that is getting a blog make-over. And part of the blog make-over entails a new name! So, I threw in my $0.02 worth and came up with "A Splash of Brandi". My sweetie pie, Don, not to be outdone, came up with: "Brandi's Whine" and got placed as an honorable mention! woo - hoo! I guess you can say that with a life filled with 4 chillin's we-be-funny! Yes - my family - and - my friends - Ms. Anal Annie aka Cheri - does have a sense of humor! Proven by winning a major naming right of Brandi's blog! : )

OK - for reals. If you're searching for that all encompassing blog name - look no further! ha

And when you're looking for that awesome blog make-over - look no further than:

Shauna!

(So, I tried to upload her blog button pix - and it didn't work - this time - but I'm out of time to play with it... can you say - soccer practice for 4 kids AND a baseball game for 1 of them AND toting our sweet little baby that we watch AND making it to Pizza Hut to share a common bday with my friend's girl, Hannah & Charlie!!! Of course, all of this done without my loving hubby who is working late tonight in the Ville.)

and ps..

I must say that I got a blog make-over by Shauna. She did my header pix with the wording and font! Isn't it great!?!

So - go visit her because she's really expanded her business and has so many cute options one can include to spruce up that boring looking blog!

RELAY FOR LIFE

We are involved in the Relay For Life Walk-A-Thon for the American Cancer Society. This disease has most likely affected someone in your family and/or people you know in the community. Not one of us is unscathed by it.


Please consider donating to our group's Relay For Life. Our church has many members who are affected by this disease, and it is a group effort to raise the monies to meet our goal of $2000.


The Walk-A-Thon starts out as a party in the evening and goes all night long. Candles are lit and placed in bags named with those we know and love who are affected by these disease.


This year our family will be walking in concert for the following people: my mother, Sue, and several children who have been affected: my cousin ~ Jodi; and others: Ryan, Jack, Andrew and Brianna; and my new blogger friend, Shellie! Some are survivor stories, others have taught us courage and bravery and the love of angels sitting around bedsides welcoming the little ones into heaven.

Kids Say the Darndest Things Part III

OK - So, this one deserves its own separate post. Kellar & I were sitting at the table doing his Spelling Workout book. Each lesson has a word list that they learn to spell and to use the vocab appropriately. There are various types of drills with each lesson and this particular one was a fill-in-the-blank for a 'short story!' Here's a small section of the Word List and following, a portion of the story to be filled in!

bath
white
when
mother

___________ I go to bed at night, I brush my __________ teeth. I also make sure to take a ______________.

So, we work thru this and the first blank is "when".... then "white". So, what might Kellar think goes in the last blank? Sleeping Pill! Not 'bath' - but 'sleeping pill!' I about lost it!

"When I go to bed at night, I brush my white teeth. I also make sure to take a sleeping pill!"

Yes - I suffer from insomnia! And yes, I've finally resorted to taking Sleeping Pills, OTC. I had no idea that my kids were so in tuned with my inability to sleep without these favorite blue pills of mine! I guess I must admit I get a bit freakish if I can't find the bottle... I'm not addicted to them... but I am addicted to SLEEP!

So - once again, Kellar proves that kids can say the darndest things! Speaking of which, it's about time for me to throw back one of those blue pills!

Week in a Nutshell!

What can I say? Another week has come and gone and I've yet to post anything! Can you tell how far behind I'd be *IF* I did scrapbooks for my kids? Again, I'll try to nutshell the week! FWIW - my computer is not wanting to accept any downloads from my digital camera - so the photos posted won't be current.

OK - Skelly & Uncle Don arrived at 6a on Sat. morning. They slept till noon-30 and got up and shot ball with the kids. Don and I talked Soccer Talk for most of the time, trying to catch me up to speed with what we could be looking at with Grace and her soccer talents! ohmigosh.... mind boggling! We had a great time with them and can't wait to see Skelly at one (or more of his games!)

Baseball season started with Charlie. Mind you, he's still 7 - and playing on a machine-pitched 9-11yo team! He's still the best one on the team - and the smallest! Such a natural athlete. First game canx due to rain - freezing rain! He had another game on Thurs & they won 21-19! He went 4 for 5 and crushed the ball each time! The crowd loves him cuz he's so dang cute and he grins ALL THE TIME!

Charlie also lost a tooth (can we say that Grace did a repeat from her younger years of busting out Hannah's teeth!) G & C love to bang the soccer ball around in the basement and she threw an elbow that landed square in his mouth! Needless to say, the tooth went black in 2 days and I got to pull another tooth!

Charlie also turned 8 this week! Big excitement!!! Since he was 4 he has wanted a skateboard. Each year he'd remind me "4y until I turn 8 and get a skateboard! 3y til I turn 8.... 2y til... 1y... and now I'm 8 and I should get my skateboard!" So - Don asks what we're getting him for his bday - and I say - a skateboard! Can you believe, Don absolutely freaks out! He does NOT want this child owning a skateboard because he'll bust his head wide open! (I'm thinkin' if anything happens, he'll break an arm instead!) So, he drills me about getting him a helmet and pads and the whole works. Now, let me explain - we are NOT Anal Annie parents! If the kids want to climb a 50' tree - they climb it. If they want to swim to the middle of the pond, they swim. If they want to ride the dirtbike, horse, whatever.... they do it! (ok... they do wear helmets for the dirtbike & the horse) - but they DON'T wear them for their bikes or scooters or anything else! Needless to say - he does not have any skateboard gear!

Yes - Dory really almost ended up in the freezer! The meat wagon was on our street and kept driving by... thank you honey for calling them off! The poll was a joke - but after the umpteenth time of her getting out - I had it! and I think Don had it with me calling him at work and me threatening to get out my .45 to blow her away!

We're waiting for the momma duck to hatch her first clutch of ducklings! Pix when this occurs!

And to round off the week... I'll make a second post because it needs its own title!

Thx for being patient with me... I'm even farther behind in posting on my other blog... but once soccer and baseball season are over - I'll be better... ps... we do year-round school, so I won't be *that* current, but hopefully better!

Enjoy your life folks! It's the only one you get in the physical sense!