What's happening at the Love Shack...

Remember the post the other day?

You know, the one in which I left you hanging?

Well, wait no more.

Because I just know that you guys have been on the edges of you seats just wondering...

Nah, I'm just fun with mystery like that.

(snort)

Anyway, we live in the woods.

Many of these trees are old.

Some of them grow diagonally.

Diagonally through and leaning on other trees.

Diagonally toward the house.

Diagonally into the power lines.

And since we now have (part of) a house that we actually care about,

Well, it was just time to get them taken care of.

So we marked the offending trees with caution tape, got some estimates, and hired a crew.

A crew that kept me waiting all morning and then showed up 10 minutes into nap time,

but hey...they showed up, right?

That crane was high up.  I took this pic from the boys' second story window,

and he had about 35 feet on me.

I thought it funny that one of the crew members looked like a lumberjack.

And then the carnage....

And the lack of driveway...

And the family night hauling logs and sticks...

Even better (!) that the tree closest to the house was a box elder tree.

Which means more more of these babies all over the back of my house.

 And today, the carnage gets removed.  At least, the messy parts.  The stumps may be there a while.

Hooray for one step closer to the addition on the addition!!

Hooray for one less worry this winter!

Deer hunting season FREAKS me out.

Ah, yes, my friends.

That time of year is upon us again.

Bow hunting season, rifle season...

Deer hunting.

As a child, deer hunting season was always celebrated by the men-folk in our family.

I understand that the men need to go kill it and bring it home.

I get it.

I actually encouage my husband to go on these hunts for a few reasons:


1.  No dishes for 3 days - paper products only.

Oh, the freedom.

2.  I usually get a bug up my butt and do something fun with the house that I normally don't do when he's here.

I go under the guise that its easier to ask for forgiveness than permission on this one.

I have big plans this year.

Big plans.

3.  My husband doesn't take vacations.  He does nothing for himself.  Really, nothing.  He's got a servant's heart, and sees no practical use for sport and golf leagues in his life.  This is the only time he takes to recharge his batteries.  I totally encourage recharging.

And I take this time he's away to recharge my laundry batteries.  :)

But his time away be it one or two nights...always ends up in some sort of issue for me.

And by issue...I mean

something not nice happens.

Let me explain

Four years ago, a bat decided to get into the house.

I felt something ssswwwwooooooopppp over my head when I got up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

Ugh.

Flat sheets make great bat catchers.

Betcha you're glad to know this, right?

Not half as pissed as I am to know this to tell it to you.

Three years ago, I sprained my foot. 

C. was 3 months old.

I ended up on crutches.

With a baby

still in a baby carrier.

Then...2 years ago...

Ohhh, 2 years ago...

...to be continued.



Can you guess...

what happened (or is happening)

at my house today?

T Minus 48 days

No pressure or anything, but Christmas is quickly approaching.

48 days to be exact.

Me?  I'm -----1  1------ this close to being done.

I'm joining in my dear sweet, totally pythony friend, Mama M's new Christmas Meme.

I thought it was a great way to get new ideas,

and help some of my bloggy friends out in finding good ideas of their own.

The first week is Children's Books.

This is an awesome idea.

I love giving books over toys to kids.

I love getting books over toys for my kids!

Of course, my boys....love the toys.

I'm going to highlight three of our favorites.

#1.  Not a Box by Antionette Portis

This was a gift from the boys' Aunt Erin last year.

She's an elementary school teacher.

She gives the BEST kids gifts.

The bunny has a box.

And uses his (her?) imagination to turn the box into other things.

There's also some great positioning* words in there.

*(in, behind, on top of)

And some great language usage with questions and answers.

It's also easy enough for A. to read to C.

They love this book.

#2.  Hedgie's Surprise by Jan Brett

First off, Jan Brett books are a favorite of mine.

Illustrations galore.

Fun words.

The boys pick this book almost every night.

I could recite it by heart.

It's about a Tomten who always takes Henny's egg for his breakfast.

Henny wants babies, so Hedgie (the hedgehog) comes up with a plan to trick the Tomten.

When reading this book, you must make funny voices for the characters. 

The kids will laugh and laugh.

I promise.

***SPOILER ALERT: Conclusion below****

So, in the end, Henny lays her eggs, and Hedgie hides them so she has a chirping brood at the end of the book.

And the piece de resistance (said with french accent):

#3.  Dear Polar Bear by Barry Albett

I cannot tell you enough about how much we love this book.

Love it.

It's got geography, social studies, animal awareness, and tons of fun flaps.

It's about Polar Bear who is sad about his boring cold igloo.

He decides to write letters to his other bear friends around the world to be delivered by postman penguin.

Each bear receives a letter from Polar Bear that you get to pull up and read.

Then you get to read the return correspondence, and see what they sent Polar Bear to cheer him up.

It's fun to watch the igloo become a fun little abode.

****SPOILER ALERT: Conclusion Below*******

In the end, Polar Bear was sad that he hadn't heard anything from his Thank you notes, and then postman penguin delivers one last package.  Full of friends.

There you have it.  Our favorite books.

A few ideas with books:

1.  Book buddies.  My mom is a kindergarten teacher.  She does book buddies with the kids.  The idea is to sit down with a book and a stuffed animal that corresponds with the book.  For example, my nephew, Jaden, LOVES penguins at the zoo.  So, I got him a penguin book and a stuffed penguin for his birthday last year.  Going to the zoo is one of my favorite things to do with my nieces and nephews.  It was a great way to remember something neat about him.

2.  A. is getting to the age where he's looking for something more in his books.  He's looking at chapter books, and asking me to read them to him.  So, we're going to venture into the world of Flat Stanley this Christmas.  For those of you who don't know, Flat Stanley is a flat paper thin guy who travels all around the world via the postal service.  The idea is to mail Flat Stanley out and ask your friends and family to write a little thingy about his adventures and take a few pictures of him during his visit.  I'm going to make A. a bulletin board out of acoustic ceiling tile and wood with a map over top.  We'll mark where Stanley has been and keep a little scrapbook of all his adventures.  It will be a fun ongoing lesson in letter writing, geography and (most of all) patience.  I can't wait!

Today is "F" day

Every week, C's preschool has a letter that they work on.

Every Monday, C's color group gets to bring a show-and-tell that begins with that letter.

Last week was E.

There were about 6 elephants on her counter last Monday.

This morning, we were looking about the house trying to find something that begins with "fffffff."

A. found a Front end loader.

C. called it a "ball-cap" (translated: bobcat)

But, into the bag it went.

Then, C. found a phone.

He was adamant about bringing it to school.

You know, since it began with the "ffffffff" sound and all.

I tried to explain to my three year old about "ph."

He wouldn't listen.

He was too busy talking to his Father on his Fone.

So, yes...the phone (Fone) is at school with him today.

Along with the Front End Ball-Cap.

Cause, you know...when mommy fails to explain something,

I can just pawn it off on the teachers.

I will be accepting Mother-of- the- Year Nominations soon.

Random Friday List (and some 5QF!)

1.  My stomach is not my friend this week.

2.  Or this year.

3.  Or this decade.

4.  I don't know what its deal is, but I want a new gut.

5.  I'm getting a crap load of work done this week.

6.  My house is showing wear because of it, though.

7.  I need to find balance.

8.  Our house has been without milk since Monday.

9.  You know you need to go grocery shopping when:

10.  Your six year old wakes you up at 6:30am with a shopping list placed on your nightstand.





1. If you could have any talent and turn it into an occupation, what would it be?

Hands down- photography.  I love it.  Love it.  Landscape, portrait, all of it.  Love it. 

Except I don't think it will ever happen.  Here's the thing, everyone is purchasing the great super expensive cameras and snapping away.  Professional photographers are becoming a thing of the past.  Nowadays (with the overwhelming purchasing of uber expensive cameras), everyone considers themselves a photographer.  So, there's no demand for someone with limited means (i.e. me, who can't afford all that equipment) to join in.

Sigh. 

Bummer girl, she delivers....

Moving on.


2. Would you rather have a house at the beach or a cabin in the woods?

Cabin in the woods.  Oh, heaven. 

I grew up on Lake Michigan, so I am kind of a water girl.  The waves, the boat motors in the background, listening to a storm roll in off the lake in the middle of the night...those are very addictive sounds.

How about- a cabin in the woods on a secluded lake. 

Yep, that's my final answer.
3. Is there any meaning or reasoning for the names you chose for your child/children?

Their middle names are family names.

A's middle name exists in both families.  It is my father-in-law's first name, my husband's middle name, my father's middle name, my brother's middle name, and my nephew's middle name.  So, we took that name and just beat it to the ground.  :)
C's middle name is my husband's first name, and my oldest brother's first name.

Their first names?  No meaning behind them.  They were just the only ones we could agree* on.

*This really is a story for a whole 'nother post.

4. What is your guilty pleasure? (I know we've done this one before, but I'm guessing people's "guilty pleasures" change frequently. At least, mine do!)

Reading.   I really enjoy reading.  Magazines, books, paper, Internet.  I love it all.  Wish I had time to do more.
5. Do you live in a house that is deep cleaned or straightened?

See #6 in my Random Friday list- above. 


It's straightened....for the most part.  We each have our "piles" that need to be gone through.
Then, about once a quarter, my husband's OCD gets the best of him, and he starts rocking...and cleaning everything in sight.  Then we all join in and help until the house is spotless. 

I once saw a sign for a wall that said, "A spotless house is a sign of a wasted life."

I love that.  Not that maintaining your house is a waste, but the whole spotless thing just kills me.  I really want my boys to remember a mom who spends time having fun with them...not cleaning everything in sight.

But that could just me my not-at-all-a-type-A personality coming through.

Every morning

Every morning, this guy wakes up at 5:45 AM:

Every morning he cuddles with his daddy.

Every morning, he eats a king's breakfast (2 bowls of cereal, 2-3 eggs, and 2 strips of bacon).

Every morning, this little guy wakes with his brother because he's a light sleeper:

Every morning, he makes a bee-line down to his mommy who is still sleeping warm in her bed.

Every morning, he climbs in and cuddles up with a soft whisper, " I love you so much mommy."

Every morning I whisper back, "Good morning, I love you so much too."

Every morning we slumber for an extra hour.

Every morning we wake around 7am and start our morning routine that ends in hugs and kisses.

Every morning, the house falls silent around 9am.

Every morning, I say a prayer of thankgiving for my little miracles that, technically, I should not have been able to carry full term.

Every morning starts the day anew.

Every morning is another reason to give thanks.