Gary came home

Very late from baseball tryouts tonight. Have 1`mentioned that he Has started coaching baseball again this year after more than a 20 year layoff? With his technology assignments cut back, he decided he wanted to do something.

I,ve told him that I am fully supportive of it, on one condition -- that he cannot get kicked out of any games. That happened just a few too many times for my liking during our younger years.

I remember being mad and leaving a game he got kicked out of for arguing with the ref. The girls were just little, probably 5 and 3. Tiffany wondered why we were leaving and I told her the ref had kicked dad out of the game. She became very indignant and said that he could't do that to her dad, and she was going to go kick the ref. What I didn't explain was that he deserved to be kicked out of the game and that I was going to give him the silent treatment when he got home. I'm sure that was scarier to him than getting kicked out by a ref.

So, between baseball and my work and projects, life is busy. I am spending 2 to 3 hours on most days taking incoming orders, invoicing for others, and recording them all on a spreadsheet. I enjoy work like that and will really enjoy as I am involved in more events.

Another Bishop

Birthday!  2 years ago another little ball player was born.  

Marshall Zane

A few days ago, Misty sent me the above picture with this text:
"Marshall refuses to let us keep the calendar on feb.  I keep it on my fridge and he likes to look through the months.  He's chosen March as his favorite and when he sees I've changed it back he stands there until I've changed it!  We might have a whole year of march!"   (If you look closely at the March calendar pictures on the left, you'll see why he likes it so much)

Here he is at a few days old with his proud brothers and sister.

Here he is at Christmas when we were trying to get a picture with him,
 and we were not very successful.  He is very attached to his Dad!

 Happy Birthday, Marshall! We love you!

(Consider this a hug, even though you don't want one.)

Harrison Jess

Today is Harrison's 7th birthday.   The fact that his middle name is "Jess" is very appropriate.  Gary's dad's name was Jess, and Harrison looks more like an Ashton than any of our grandchildren. 

When I was talking with Misty about Harrison and his birthday, she mentioned what a fun age he is at.  His energy is boundless and he gets so excited about everything.   Last summer when we went to Missouri and watched baseball games, Harrison was the most dedicated bat boy to his brother's teams.  When the awards were presented, he got more applause than the players.  

Harrison, we love you!   Happy Birthday! 

Consider this a hug!

7 years ago today!

As I'm trying

not to eat quite so much sugar, this is my new favorite treat (besides chocolate)

And the saga

Of the "Deep" continues.

Misty called today and asked me what I was doing. I told her I was taking a break from the deep. I started to explain, and she said that I didn't need to explain anything. Just saying "the deep" says it all.

It's amazing how free I feel once I've gotten the deep in order.  It's like cobwebs have been removed from my mind.  (I agree, I need psychoanalysis). Anyway, it is as done as it will ever be. I made Gary come down and exclaim, because I need praise and acknowledgement.

 I felt comfortable working down there,

because the two remaining mouse traps (with peanut butter)

have remained empty since we caught #4.

 If anyone needs any ribbon, you know where to come.

 I saw this cool idea somewhere. Take a jar with a lid.  Punch a hole in the middle of the lid, and pull the end of a string of ribbon through the hole.  Put the other end of the ribbon in the jar.  I probably have 30 3=yard spools of ribbon in this jar.  They pull out very nicely.

I'm feeling proud of myself today.

Seeing

RED, in cars anyway.

Wonder Car

Dream Car

Real Car

(which I'm loving, by the way)

Today we celebrated

valentines by going to dinner at Goodwoods.

and by going to the movie, "The Vow." 

The movie had an interesting premise, and is based on a true story of a woman who lost all memory of her husband and the last 5 years of her life.   So the premise is, "Would you  fall in love with your husband a second time if you no longer had any memories of them?" 

Well, in our case, that would take us back to being about 11 years old.   Of course it wasn't true love until we were 14 years old.  I think I would fall in love with him all over again.  After all, he was "cool," didn't "drink or smoke," and looked cute in a t-shirt and cowboy boots.  I can think of a lot more reasons why I'm in love with him now, but that was a pretty good start.

Just so everyone

knows that I have a life beyond mice, I have been absorbed with other things this week. 

I've been spending 2 to 3 hours a day learning the computer aspects of my job.  So far I'm loving it.  I still have a lot to learn about the products, but once I do, I'll be comfortable with it.  I also love the flexibility it provides.  

I've tried made these from the "Best Bites" cookbook.  They are really good!

I tried made these little tortilla bowls with the these molds. 

They are so easy and bake in just 8 minutes. 

I've made cupcakes with a marble inserted into the tin 

(after the batter is in)

to make them heart shaped. 

They aren't perfectly heart shaped

because the bottom is rounded and not triangle,

but they are still cute.

 

Now, back to the important stuff.  Thanks to everyone for your expressions of sympathy and suggestions on how to catch the mouse family.  I am happy to report, but freaked out about it also, that so far we have caught FOUR of them.  I told Gary that he is my hero for getting rid of them in the traps, and I really mean it.  I can't stand to see them alive, but then I can't stand to see them hurting.  I would not have been a good pioneer woman who had to go kill the chickens before she could cook them.  Or even worse, shoot the rabbits for dinner.     

Gary is

trying to clean up my computer that has no disk space left on it. I'm posting this on my new ipad that I got for work. It is really cool.

But I just keep getting sidetracked by my little unwelcome houseguest. I'm getting really upset by him or her, whichever it is. I've set out 6 traps, but so far, no go. He/she keeps running out from under the couch. Right past my traps and me. Right now I'm very frustrated by mice and technology (my laptop issues). I'll go to bed and see maybe my laptop will be fixed and the mouse will be thrown in the garbage because GARY will check the traps before I get up.

I'm an optimist (or maybe just have wishful thinking)

Evil

Sometimes I have a hard time believing that people are evil.  If they are doing bad things, I usually think they are misguided, selfish, desperate, or a product of a bad environment.  

However, from the moment I first heard from Josh Powell, after the disappearance of his wife, I have despised him.  Every time I've seen him interviewed, I've told Gary how vehemently I dislike him.   Gary would agree, but would remind me that we really don't know that he killed his wife.  I could not give him the benefit of the doubt.  His story was so bizarre that it was obvious he was lying.  When his boys were taken away from him, I was ecstatic.   I couldn't imagine them living with him, especially after it was revealed what was going on in the home with the grandfather.  

Yesterday, when I heard that he had murdered his children and killed himself, I was heartsick.  Mostly for Susan's family and those who loved them.   That was one sick and evil man.  Today when I was out and about and saw children about the age of the boys, I felt such sadness.  My only consolation is that the boys are now outside his realm of influence and with their mother.  What a reunion that must have been.   I'm sure that gives the family some consolation, too.

So now I need to let it go and be glad that I'm not the ultimate judge.   But I'm still very sad. 

Two minutes left

and they haven't fallen asleep at all this year.

Last year

I think

we have a family living in our house.  And I don't mean me and Gary. 

The other day I saw this little furry ball moving across the carpet.  At first I thought it was a little ball of hair being blown across the carpet.  Then I realized it was a mouse.  A little baby mouse.  Because it didn't move too quickly, it didn't startle me too much.  The next morning Gary saw him in the bathtub and put him in a plastic container.  I threw the container away without looking at it. 

Then, just 10 minutes ago, I saw another little one come out from under the couch.  I am now getting a little creeped out.   The little ones are kind of cute, but where there are baby ones, there are probably parents.  I just told Gary that I would get traps, but that he had to check them every morning and get rid of it before I see it.   Right now Gary is walking around the room saying, "Here, mousy, where are you mousy."


It is silly to be afraid of them.  They are defenseless against me.  But at the same time, Natalie had a resident mouse that chewed through her computer cord before she was finally able to trap him.  Tiffany had one that chewed through her dishwasher pipe and caused it to leak and damage her floor.  I just have one (or maybe more) that has me nervously looking out of the corner of my eye for any movement.

I know this is not earth shattering stuff.  Pretty boring, really.  But I can't think of anything else to write about tonight.     

It feels good

to be back at Yoga again.  My instructor did not teach in the fall, and I didn't pick up classes anywhere else.  I'm glad she's started up again.  Even when I don't feel like going, I'm always so glad I did.  I start out the session with every joint in my body hurting and end up feeling so much better.  Depending on the flow series she does, we may be up and down as many as 15 times.  That is generally not something I want to do, believe me.

I went to a Rheumatologist yesterday for arthritis.  Mostly for stiffness and pain in my hands.  My finger joints are getting very knobby and crooked and are sometimes very painful.  I would be more bothered with how they look, but they remind me so much of Mom's hands that it takes a little of the sting away.

Anyway, the Dr. asked me to bend down as far as I could toward touching my toes.  When I I could touch them, she was surprised.  I told her it was because of yoga.   I still can't do a lot of the poses, and I'm sure I look very ungraceful during most of them, but It really has helped my flexibility.

Sorry, but you won't see any pictures of me in yoga poses.