"Life on the Farm: Part Two"

Changing clothes from the bus to the house without getting caught was a major thrill.

The Japanese Umbrella Tree really will keep you dry in a rain storm.

Caring for animals will make you a better person after all.

Bonnie , the milk cow did not like to be ridden.

Pigs do not like cowpies.

No matter how dry a cowpie looks, there is always a little goo under the crust.

The wetter the cowpie the better they fly, resulting in your older sister running in the house yelling, “I’m going to tell Mom.”

Cowpies do stick to you in a “cowpie” fight.

Cowpies do squish between the toes just like mud does.

The newly delivered manure piles brought new meaning to “King of the mountain”.

If you yank Bonnie out of the stall quick enough, you can ALMOST keep all of the excrements from landing in the stall.

Bonnie did not like feeding the cats at the same time she was milked.

Chickens don’t like milk squirted at them.

Chickens will eat ANYTHING including your unwanted table vegetables.

Chickens do bounce off of walls.

Chickens do fly when properly propelled.

Chicken heads do not make good door stops.

Even when the blasted rooster, that is hated alive and well, is wounded it brings out the soft spot in your heart.

Knocking the blocks off the chickens with the broom handle made it much easier to get the eggs from the chickens making them much more cooperative.

The dog REALLY does like eggs, but prefers to have them without the shells.

Deserted chicken coops do made good play houses.

Life on the farm......

While my parents were away...far far away.....in Malaysia serving a mission for this AWESOME CHURCH, my mom put together a document that she sent us kids called, "Life on the Farm". It was all about the things she'd learned raising us on the farm. My father grew up in SanDiego, CA and my mom grew up all over. Her father was in the military so they moved a lot. Both she and my dad we would call.....city slickers.......don' know nuthin' bout cuntree livin'.

She and dad moved from Plainfield NJ when I was one and moved all seven of us children to MT. A new way of life. They wanted to raise their children in a way that would build character. They gave up a lot. I'm sure I'll never know just how much they gave up to start a new life all over again. But, I can tell you this.......they gained a lot more from moving because they told me so. :o)

So, mom wrote this document about the things she learned on the farm and my baby sis, and my big sis right above me read her document and then busted up laughing cuz we had a document of our own that we wanted to add to mom's.......how we as the kids felt about the things we'd learned "on the farm".

Indulge me, over the next few days I'll be posting the things we learned because they really are priceless.

Part one of "Life on the Farm"


If you let the rototiller bounce off of the fence, it is much easier to turn around.

Mowing the lawn or gardening was a great way to work on the tan.

Mowing the lawn with the riding lawn mower was a great time to read a book and resulted in artistic mowing patterns.

Somehow Mom could never be convinced that all the “new” growth at the end of the row in the garden was supposed to be there because the row didn’t go to the fence that far.

Even if you puttered around in your row of the garden all day, you still had to finish it before you could play.

Things really do grow better over the septic tank.

Cars do not make good target practice from the top of the apple trees.

Even if you hide in said apple trees, occupants of car still know where the apples came from.

Mom said we had to pick every apple on the tree. She never said we how we had to do it. Only that we had to gather all those good apples from the tree and off the ground. If you shook the tree hard enough and then stomped on the apples, throwing the evidence over the fence to the horse, you were guaranteed only a small basket of good apples.

No matter how much you try and convince your dad that the bend in the pipe came from the cow, he doesn’t buy it.

Trying to change pipe by hooking it on to the back of the lawn mower only results in bending the pipe more.

If you yank hard enough on the pipes, the fence post still will not budge and the pipe will bend.

If you get really ticked off at the pipe and slam it down on the fence and jump on it, it makes a really cool bouncy toy.

Even if weather is warm enough to wear shorts in the afternoon, changing pipe barefoot before the bus comes in ice is never a good thing.

No matter how soft you try to slip one end of the pipe into another, it will always undo another link somewhere further up the line.

Swearing like a sailor in the field and then speaking like a cultured lady in the presence of parents was a fine art.

You really can carry all the pipes from one field to the other in one load, especially when Mom and Dad aren’t home.

Trying to get rid of mice by plugging up the ends of the pipe only results in plugging up the heads of the sprinklers.

Stay tuned for part Two, "Life on the Farm"

From point A to point B

Common fact: The shortest distance between two points is a straight line.

One should never ask why me. It is a question with a dead end. I think that sometimes or maybe most of the time we as earthly humans wander through life trying to get from point A to point B but we do it in a real round about way.

We see something interesting over here.....and then we wander over there......We have our eyes on our end goal but like a drunken sailor our paths are kind of loopy.

Heavenly Father knows that the shortest distance is a straight line so he sends things into our lives/paths that we look at as road blocks when in fact they are hyper drives that launch us faster and straighter to point B.

Does any of this make sense?

surgical masks

There are pro's and con's to wearing a surgical mask.

Pro: If you fall asleep while wearing one, it is great for catching your drool.......

Con: If you burp while wearing one, the only person you'll offend is yourself........

Motherhood

This is an analogy of sorts........and a tribute to mother's. Mine especially.

While in the hospital my mother would come and sit with me. One of several taking their turns "babysitting". On her first watch my mother sat and worked on an afghan she is crocheting. I don't know if it was on purpose because she knew she was coming back the next day.....when she left, she left the afghan in a bag along with the yarn and crochet hook. Brian was watching over me, saw the afghan and carefully taking it out of the bag placed it across my shoulder's as I tried sleeping.

When my mother returned the next day she found me curled up in her afghan and I had to apologize that with my "tossing and turning" I'd undone a bit of her work. "Not to worry" she said. Day after day this happened. Mom would come and work on the afghan and then leave it so I could snuggle up in it and then I'd spend the night undoing what she'd spent hours the day before working on.

I got to thinking about that and when my mother showed up one morning I laughingly told my mother, "I'm still doing it. This is mother hood. You work all day and your kids come behind you and undo in a matter of seconds what you spent hours working on."

I've thought a little more about this analogy because I'm still stealing my mother's afghan but being a little wiser have made sure the loop of yarn is pulled out really long so as not to undo her work. It is a beautiful afghan with an interesting pattern. Yarn woven in and out creating dimension.

That is mother hood. Hours and hours of hard work that we see as getting undone and yet progress is made and in the end........the finished product is spectacular!

Guess what my MM is doing right now?

I do not normally post on Sunday's beings as it is a day of rest and all........but since I am resting..........a lot...........I got kind of bored and thought I'd share cuz I'm nice that way.

I think pretty much everything my MM does is pretty awesome. There isn't anything he doesn't try that he can't/hasn't figured out and over time mastered. I tease him all of the time that I'm supposed to be the creative one.....the cook......the talented one........but ya.....he pretty much shows me up in just about everything I do in about two seconds and that is okay because I love him and he loves me and he can't help it if he is so good at EVERYTHING!

I do not like most veggies. In fact, I pretty much hate most veggies. They are supposed to make up a pretty good portion of our daily fuel intake so I have been bound and determined over the last few years to find a way to make them edible. There has GOT to be a way to make every vegetable at least gaggable don't you think? If there is one thing I learned growing up in regards to gross food, if disguised well enough........eventually you can get it down. I think liver was about the only thing that it didn't matter what you did to it.......it was still liver. Liver was more ketchup than liver. You ate liver one TBL. ketchup to one millimeter liver and could still taste the horrid stuff going down.

One of the many vegetables growing up that I heaved up more than I gagged down was butternut squash. My mum loves squashes of all sorts so in the fall........we'd have a lot cuz don'cha know.....that which you like the least.......grows the most prolific in the garden.......

I have sitting on my kitchen counter a butternut squash. I hit the internet determined to find a way to disguise it into a divine chocolate truffle cake. The internet world is big. There's got to be a recipe out there. I came across this recipe. This is off a blog that is actually a dear friend of mine's sister. My friend is Michelle Tweeny you might know her. If not, you're missing out. Actually, that isn't really her last name but that is how my wittle babies say it.

It isn't chocolate truffle cake or anywhere close but it IS a pie......and it IS Mexican......and I LOVE Mexican food.......so I thought to myself, "self, I bet this just might actually be pretty good!" Only problem.......I'm in bed.......and the butternut squash is down in the kitchen........

"Hey Shweetie! Would ya like to fix me up a pie? Oh, and by the way......all those peppers in the crisper in the fridge? Ya, those ones.......they need to be roasted........"

You know what? He is down there right now. In the kitchen.......with his laptop following the recipe.......making my house stink from roasting peppers (trust me, the smell is worth it!!! Oh heaven's. Have you ever made your own chili relleno's? Nu? Well, just as soon as I get better you hop on over here and we'll make you some......mmmmm). Where was I? Oh ya.....waiting for my shweetie pie to make me some pie.........

I'll let you know how it tastes......meaning.......how it "doesn't" taste. :o)

Post Script: BINGO! We have a winner. This was not just edible. It was incredible. Took my MM forever because he made everything from scratch but oh man was is worth it.....at least from my lazy bum point of view. We found a way for me to eat butternut squash.

Some changes my MM made to the recipe which we felt made it a tidge better. He made both a top AND a bottom crust, pureed the squash (I didn't want to find/taste any tell tale chunks), and felt that next time instead of adding cheese to the top before cooking......waiting until it is almost done so that the cheese is gooey, stringy, and stretchy. Mmmm. AND, he made TWO so we get to eat it again which I'm more than willing!

P.S. Oh and by the way......if you do happen to make this and want to make both a bottom and a top crust....bake the bottom crust first for about five minutes before adding the stuffs to put in it and the top crust for the final cooking.

scrubs

I would like to declare something here and now! I would like to make it mandatory that everyone wear scrubs.

Do you know what my manly man did for me? When I came home from the hospital he went and bought me several pair of bright and funky scrubs. It was either that or looking at me day after day in my bathrobe and although I admit my bathrobe is yummy and comfy and snuggly.......it is........a bathrobe.

They are to be worn as a symbol I am told. To me, a reminder that I am not well and to take it easy and slow, and to the outside world, a reminder that I'm thick and sick in the head. :o)

I've worn them now for several days and they are FABULOUS! They are so comfy. A classy pair of sweats with really cool pockets! I'm not sure my MM is ever going to be able to get me out of them and I'll tell you a secret. They have PINK PANTHER ONES! I know.....cuz I got em....

Confession

What I am about to confess I realize will be shocking, will disappoint some if not most of you, and will jeopardize our friendships but I can't stand it any longer and need to get this off my chest.

I'm not an environmentalist! Phew! There. I said it.

I like to waste water, I believe strongly in clear cutting, and I can't stand the spotted white owl.

I FINALLY got to take a bath today..........awwwwwww it felt SO GOOD and then I just went crazy out of control and chopped down the red wood forest. When I got out of the tub and walked past the mirror I shrieked in horror at the white freckled owl staring back at me and yelled at Brian to get me to a tanning bed!

Okay, so maybe I do feel a tinge bit guilty about wasting water so to make up for my wasting so much bath water I drink soda instead of water. I kid! I KID! Well.....about the soda part....I kind of like my baths.........

Hmmmmm

I find it very interesting that a lot of what I went through with this last "episode" is all stuff I have watched Levi go through.......

A purpose in all things? Perhaps so I am able to care for Levi a little better now knowing a tiny bit how he feels........

Wahooo!

Seizure free for three days and three nights!!!

I do believe my manly man just might be able to sleep in his own bed again without feeling like he is going to get bashed in the head or kicked!

A parting gesture

Farewell my angel nurses at the hospital. I wasn't able to tell them all good bye so I did it the only way I knew how. Did you know that a bedpan turned over is in the shape of a head?

I took a marker, drew googly eyes, nose, and a big grin on my over turned bed pan (IT WAS CLEAN.....). I then placed it on my pillow, took the gazillion other pillows I had and placed them in the bed, and pulled up the covers.

Would love to have been a fly on the wall when they found my art work...................

BINGO

Somewhere down the hall from me was a man who had Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. All day long and all night long he would yell out the vowels of the alphabet. I got the biggest kick out of him and several times when he'd get to the letter "u" I wanted so badly to yell out from my room, "And Bingo was his Nameoooooo"!

The Flippin' Moon

You know what?  If you don't laugh, you'll end up with more than one crack. You have to take situations and enjoy them for what they're worth.  This post is being half dictated by Rachel to Kristen.  Kristen is "butt"ing into this story to make sure that it stays decent enough for innocent eyes.  But it really is a crack up.

First of all, you have to understand what a seizure is like—or a convulsion or whatever these things are that have been Rachel's exercise regime for the last week.  These things are hard to describe because they are a complete split between the mind and the body.  The mind takes a vacation—while the body explores new shapes, evidently considering a possible career as a contortionist.  In doing this, it burns up approximately the same number of calories that it costs an athlete to run a marathon.  When you're done with it, you feel like your muscles are ripped to shreds.  Certainly, your dignity gets pretty shredded.

They come on kind of like tornados.  First there's nothing, then there's everything, then there's really nothing.  And while Rachel's mind is, actually, somewhat conscious of what's going on, or at least, it thinks it is, it has no say whatsoever in what the hands, arms, chin neck, stomach, legs decide to do.  And they are all deciding on their own.  Independently.  Emphatically.

At first, all this was pretty scary.  But you kind of get used to it, and you begin to think about what all this probably looks like from the outside.  And all of a sudden, you start to see the humor in it.  (Kristen's note: dark humor.)  So as Rachel became a pro over the days, while she was jerking around on the outside (not being a jerk), she was actually giggling on the inside.

When you couple this with the elegant indignity of the backless gown—well—it can get awkward.  Especially when you are in the quick response room, which is situated directly across from the nurse's station so that they can see straight into it at all times.  And the bed is arranged so that your head is in the far corner of the room, while your feet are presented to the world.

During one interesting episode (out of so many), instead of just doing the pretzel thing, Rachel's feet decided to head north.  Which kind of posed a big problem.  With her pose.  At least from the south end—at which were the hall (where anybody can walk by) and the nurse's desk (where people are actually keeping watch) (and eating lunch).

"Dang," Rachel would have thought, if she had been thinking—because it seemed to her that the moon must be rising, early.  It was unbearable.  Oh, wait—unfortunately, it was VERY bare able.  For days, Rachel got a big kick out of having exposed herself to the world (one of her great ambitions) until her mom ruined it by informing her that OF COURSE she had been completely modest, draped, guarded by the angel mother who has spent days leaping around the bed, pulling blankets back down—just in time.

Her mother also points out gratefully that Rachel's arm and hand, which have decided that convulsion time is actually pointing time—are actually point with the pointing finger and not some other, less socially acceptable finger, which could prove awkward.  As it might have been yesterday, when the pointing happened to be directed at a very awkward region of the body of a male nurse who was only trying to help at the time.  Rachel's mother would like everyone to understand that she did try to raise her daughter up as a lady.  Mooning and flipping were not on the agenda.  But we all know Rachel, and how futile her efforts actually were.

It aint worth the crime

Dear officer,

I realize when I told you that blue didn't look good on you I should have kept my mouth shut. I did not realize that your mother in law had bought and sewed you that lovely blue out fit you were wearing. I do however feel that making me wear a blue backless dress/cough sheet/rag/curtain/call it what you may day after day with matching blue booties stuck in a padded cell with blue pads all around me is taking it a bit far don't you think?

May I make a small suggestion? If you do not want me to start writing on my padded cell walls with what you what consider graffiti then I would suggest you put a little starch in your under pants and let me out of this dang place.........or is that another problem you have? Does your momma starch your under's too?

Just curious.........

I've been duped

"They come, the eat, the leave.........they come, they eat, they leave........they come, they eat, they leave."

I have come to realize who my captors are..........vampires...........

P.S. In all serious ness. I am not allowed visitor's but PLEASE PLEASE keep the comments and e-mails coming. They make me happy and feel loved. Sometimes Brian brings his computer and reads comments to me. I miss you all.

When I come home I won't be able to have visitor's for awhile either. My immune system hit rock bottom but know that I will still want to hear from all of you via e-mail, letters, comments. Just rolling over in bed right now wears me out and takes me awhile to recover from. Good thing I am so danged tough right? ;O) Plus I have my MM who answers phones for me and types for me. I think I'll keep him around a little bit longer.

I'm still on vacation

The food sucks, my butt sticks to the bed pan, and the only drugs they let you snort in these tubes up my nose is oxygen, The other tubes stuck in me just make noises and set off alarms and the budget in clothing must be small cuz half of my dress is missing, I think I'd like a refund,,,,not to mention no one knows how to do hair around here,

Gone Fishin'

Rachel will be back. She's taken off for a little junket in the Caribbean.

This is NOT Rachel in that nasty two piece bathing suit.  But if you look real close, you can see her hanging off the smoke stack of that big barge out there, waving at you.

This is what happened when she tried to come ashore.  Now, we don't know exactly where she is.

We think she might have picked up a few friends.

Or maybe she just took a little dip.

But she'll be back in the saddle again soon.

We promise!

Who's my mommy?

Picked Levi up from school and had this conversation with him.

Levi: I had spaghetti today!
Me: You had spaghetti for snack time?
Levi: I'm messy
Me: You love spaghetti.
Levi: My mommy makes me spaghetti.
Me: Who's your mommy?
Levi: Mrs. Thibault. She makes me spaghetti all the time.

P.S. If you should drive by and see my son sticking out of the garbage can no worries......I dumped him there when we got home. I'm now sitting in my kitchen eating SPAGHETTI!

Dear Diary,

Dear Diary,

Had a pretty rough day today. Got in trouble for flushing my cars down the toilet, got kicked out of my brother's room because I dismantled his Lego's, got put in time out cuz I threw paper clips into the piano,




got spoken sternly to (in other words mom had a cow) cuz I climbed up on the kitchen counters and when mom wasn't looking dumped a bunch of salt into the bread she was making, got put in time out cuz I shoved crayons down the heater vents,




No one understands me........

The proper way to make applesauce

Step number 1: If you do not have any of your own, find some local neighborhood boys. They will find the "plunging" quite entertaining.



Step number 2: Have your baby girl taste test the applesauce so that she can squash all of your hard work and effort by telling you it tastes "just like in the store".



Step number 3: After hours of working hard in the kitchen go and look at the photo's on your camera only to find out that one of your punks has once again stolen your camera and has filled it with photo's like this. The subject matter being quite darling but the background being less than desirable.

In the future who ever took this photo would you please warn the big bahootie lady at the sink to kindly go and stir some applesauce or something SOMEWHERE ELSE? This photo is quite disturbing to me. I wonder....could it possibly be the glaring apron strings so strategically placed????

Step number 4: After viewing this photo go and hide in ones closet for a few hours curled up in a ball on the floor sucking ones thumb.....repeat after me "it is only the photo, photo's add 5 inches to ones butt, it is only the photo, photo's add 5 inches to ones butt, it is only the photo, photo's add 5 inches to ones butt.....and make them appear saggy and baggy".

The honeymoon

Define honeymoon. If you go to Dictionary.com it says:

1. a vacation or trip taken by a newly married couple.
2. the month or so following a marriage.
3. any period of blissful harmony

I used to think there was only one kind of honeymoon. Definitions 1 and 2. I never knew number 3 exsisted until Levi.

The first time I heard number 3 used was when we asked Levi's neurologist why when it seemed the medication he was on was working........why did it all of a sudden stop?

"This is what we call the honeymoon period. Medication is given, seems to be working, and then a month or so later stops working."

Okay, I can deal with that. New medication given......a trial period to see if it will really work.....No problem. Honeymoon number 3 doesn't seem too bad. It's a honeymoon right? Honeymoon is supposed to be beautiful. Enjoy it.

New definition of honeymoon number 3. "Your son is in a honeymoon period or stage in his life. Enjoy it while it lasts. In about 2-3 years all hell is going to break loose again and epilepsy will most likely start."

Seizures......I hate them. Levi has them now but they are at night while he is asleep. Sleep is good. It is kind of like denial.

How does one cope knowing that as each day passes we get closer and closer to a terrible monster that will inevitably one day take our son from us?

I can't answer for anyone but myself. For me, I hang out of upstairs windows gazing at a sun peaking over the mountains when in fact I should be scrambling getting my kids ready for school, I gaze in wonder at a beautiful flower that has withstood storms for several days and I bask in the love of our Heavenly Father. I let that warmth embrace and cover me.

Marriage today is so fragile. It means nothing to a lot of people. They enter marriage and over a short period of time, fall out of love, and the marriage ends. Where is the commitment? When we said our "I do's" do people have one foot out the door already looking for their first break? Do they enter marriage with their defences in place?

I do this sometimes with Levi. I know the end is inevitably coming so I hold back. Why hurt more than need be right? Wrong. It has been said many times that the tears shed at a funeral are feelings of sadness over things that weren't said, things left undone, etc.

I have to keep reminding myself that Levi isn't going to leave me. He'll always be with us. If not in body, in spirit.

I'm doing better (I hope) at letting the little things go. Enjoying the moment. Realizing that the most important things of this life are our relationships and time spent with each other. Material things.....they are just that....

So, let's rethink definition number 3. This life we live here on earth. It is the "engagement".....and when we leave this life and are reunited with our loved ones.......THAT will be the honeymoon!

I will be on my honeymoon for eternity.

Hey lady! Get your head out of the clouds

The other morning,





I was hanging outside my upstairs window precariously perched on my windowsill hoping none of my wee punks would catch me lest they try to simulate what I was doing.





Completely mesmerized by the beauty of the morning after two days of dreary rain WHICH WE NEEDED... the realization of just how precarious my situation was over came me and I looked down trying to assess just how messy it would be if I fell,




and that is when I noticed this little lovely.......protected by the over hanging roof had survived the thrashing winds and rain.




I jumped down from the windowsill, ran downstairs, and out the back door leaving my family wondering what all of the excitement was about.



Little droplets of water left on the petals.......the only trace that it had just been through several days of drenching rain.........




and some people say there isn't a Higher Being......snort.......I beg to differ.

Dear D.I.

Dear Deseret Industries,

We have been friends for such a long time. I've given and you've taken and you've given to me and I've boughten. Over the years our friendship has blossomed and grown. At first I was shy and I wondered what others would think of me if they saw me hanging out with you but you've never let on that you were embarassed. You stood there waiting patiently for me to warm up to you.

We've had some great laughs especially shopping for costumes. Oh we've had some good times. That is..until last week. I know I shouldn't let my feelings get hurt so easily but we do have quite a long history and I thought that well....you know......I was good enough for you.

When I brought by my recliner and you wouldn't take it, I was just so hurt! I mean my first reaction was I'll admit.....I was upset. I mean, beggers can't be choosers right? And for you to say my chair wasn't good enough? Not good enough for who? I bought that with my meager funds from a garage sale for the incredible amount of 25 bucks! It was good enough for my family for several years and so I thought I'd share some of the love.......you know........but I guess I'm just not good enough.

Sooo, I'm kinda down in the dumps. Well, the recliner is now. I had to take it to the dump.

IS THAT ANY WAY TO TREAT A GIFT FROM A LONG TIME FRIEND? Okay, so I'm still ticked I guess. I mean, who do you think you are? ZCMI or something?

Your used and trashy friend.......

sigh...........

And yet another Levi moment

Levi observing my nieces baby doll.

My niece: Do you wanna hold the baby?

Levi: The babies hungry

My niece: No, the babies not hungry.

Levi: Well then put on it's lid. (The binki)

A little spot of sunshine.

Yesterday morning was beautiful.



Fantastic photo opportunities awaited me. What? What was that noise? Do you hear it? A tiny little tapping noise?



Why hello there you little monkey!



The sun just came up and I'm melting.........

Sun, where art thou?

When one gets up well before the sun spectacular things await.



I wish I knew how to photo shop so that I could show you the splendid colors.



But I don't.......so you're gonna have to come over in the wee hours while it is still dark........



and sit with me while we watch the sun come up.





Over these beautiful mountains that I love.