Monkey See Monkey Do

It's official, Parkin has learned how to climb the playhouse and now he can sit on the roof just like his brother and sisters. He was very proud of himself as shown by him lifting up his shirt to show his belly, a gesture that he does when he thinks he should be rewarded. We of course tickle it, who could resist an open belly. The dismount I am told was quite eventful, Benjamin couldn't stop laughing,.

Better Than Fiction

In the early morning I woke up to a terrible nightmare. The kind that you can't go to sleep afterwards. I tried everything, sing a song, say a prayer, no relief to my suffering. I am so sick of dreaming, I hate the chases, the foreign lands, the spy's the old friends from elementary school and all other random things my mind comes up with. I will gladly trade the ability to fly for just a dreamless sleep.

Anyways because of the nightmare my day did not start off well. It didn't help matters that I remembered that Olivia was in charge of snack for her class (why do they need snacks again?). Now I not only need to make sure the girls are dressed the boys must be semi dressed as well, to go shopping to get the snack before school. Parkin never did make it out of his PJ's. Anyways I needed to do my laundry so I was racing to get that all ready to go. We make it to walmart, get the snacks for both girls (bella has it later this month, 2nd grade has snack rotation !) we check out and thats when I realize I left my debit card at home, so I can't get cash back, which i need to exchange for quarters at the laundry mat. I drop the girls off at school drive all the way home again and pick up my debit card. I have to go back to the walmart to get some random item so I can get cash back. We make it to the laundry mat and i drop the boys off inside and go back for the clothes baskets. I try to carry everything at once, and that's when my laundry soap hit the pavement and crushed the cap, spilling over half of the already low level laundry soap. I get all the loads started and have to guess with how much soap to use. Meanwhile the boys and I go back to the car to watch a show on our dvd player. Finally the washing is done. I start to put the clothes into baskets to transfer to the dryer and in walks a lady with a bunch of wet clothes in baskets and she proceeds to fill the remaining available dryers. ARRRG. So I wait for other dryers to become available..... Meanwhile a lady starts smoking outside, close to our open window movie theatre. I reach for the keys to role up the windows so we can role down the other side windows , only to realize I can't find the keys. Twenty minute late after I have gone through two trash cans ( because I always clean out the car while we are waiting) we find the keys on the back seat, giving the lady just enough time to smoke a pack and fill our car with her addiction. The dryers finally become available, the clothes dry, I start to fold them and I find Holman's PJ"S that he had peed the night before. I hold them close to feel the warm and notice they smell like hot urine..... I guess the measuring cup for laundry soap is actually important.

After we leave the laundry mat the boys and I go to the Library to request new books because the ones we want are never there; I over hear the librarian complain that he is having a very off day. I bit my lip and thought amen brother, amen.

Sharks in Benson, they smell fear

About once a year I re-learn why you can't send a woman to do a man's job. What can I say I am a slow learner. Benjamin saw in town a sign that read "Have you gotten your oil changed for free today?" So naturally when he called from work to have me go check it out, I was leery. But the Yukon was in need of an oil change and i wanted to find a place in Benson I could go to and support the little town. I am not completely gullible, I did not think they would actually change my oil for free, but I did think that at the very least I would get a card to buy "four get the fifth free." Well when the boys and I were sitting in the lobby reading a Pooh Bear story in walks the repair man. "After looking over your car you need to replace your whodawhata for 35 dollars as well as your thingamabob for another 35. Also your chunkochange needs to be replaced for 110 dollars." Then he shows me the air filter from my car and says this is very dirty and recommends that it be replaced for 20 dollars. I think to myself are you kidding me I run a vacuum cleaner filter into the ground and it looks a whole lot worse before I bang it clean. What am I suppose to say, put it back. So I tell the man I need to call my husband because he is the car guy. Which I am sure he knows when he saw the fresh meat walking through the door. I try to recount to Benjamin all the jive that man was spinning at me, Benjamin tells me just get the oil changed and air filter and then we will take it to Jen's dad (thank goodness there are honest car mechanics). Well the price of the oil change plus filter still came to 70 dollars, ouch. I know it could have been worse by almost 200. And as for the "free oil change" my name gets entered to win a free oil change, they pick one weekly. Yeah sure you do.......

Cake Coincidence

Today the boys and I were grocery shopping at the Mart, Walmart that is, and I asked Holman to help pick out our treat for Family Night. Every Monday evening the kids get to pick a dessert of their choice, and Holman I think likes chocolate just as much as any woman does, so I wasn't too surprised about his choice. We had only bought this kind of cake once before.

Today was the day we had the Pima County inspector coming to inspect our electrical and water pumping station. We were quite nervous about the re-visit since he had failed both sites before. There were a couple of things that he could get technical about if he wanted to, so it definitely wasn't a gimme that it would all work out.

Well we passed! Could it be that the inspector was in such a good mood because the Cats are going to the sweet 16? Or is a more likely scenario that the chocolate cake that brought us luck in the past ( remember the awesome eclectic company man who gave us power, despite our failing mark) is truly some type of good luck edible charm. When we picked out the cake I forgot all about the inspector coming, it truly was a coincidence. I think somewhere in my subconscious I knew that the cake must be purchased. I was talking to my friend Sarah Allred yesterday about such serendipity with the electric man, so maybe that too helped me to buy the cake.

Yesterday I gave a talk on overcoming disappointments and finding hope, in jest I mentioned that while riding the storm out, a little chocolate always makes it better. Who knows the true power of the coco bean?......

Two Idaho men make 60 trips around the Sun!

This is a shout out to my father and father in law who turned 60 this year! Both of them managed to survive their youth despite their many trips to the dump and lighting various things on fire. It's funny they both grew up in Idaho but in separate towns, but in many aspects they are very similar, maybe it says more about the spud state. A couple of months ago Ron impressed the Howe family with being able to sing the Idaho state song, so naturally I wanted to see if my Dad was up top par, and of course that guy was! He too was able to recite all the lyrics. Both these men had crazy sidekicks that followed (or lead) them into trouble. My Dad's was David Long, Ron's was Bucky Nelson, oh these two can tell a tale. Both of these men are great handy men ( or at least produced a son who is, yeah Benjamin!). Both are awesome Fathers and love their grand kids who adore them. Both have been married to their wives (Yeah Joyce and Barbara) for over 38 years!





My Dad turned 60 in January, Hillary flew in from DC and Lindsey drove form Utah, John and I trekked in too, although at not such great a distance, we surprised him at the Mesa Temple with mom. It was great fun!







We are celebrating Ron's birthday on Sunday with the Howe's famous desserts. Today is his actual Birthday! So Happy Birthday!This is a picture of Ron getting his toes painted at one of Bella's birthday party's what a real man!





So here's to another 60 trips around the Sun ( well as long as your bladder, eyesight, hearing, joint. limbs, mind are still intact).

Treading Water

Time has not stopped, but we have not progressed! We are now squatting at Scott and Suzie's rental in Benson, and for the moment are enjoying the modern day comforts that now are quite meaningful, instant hot water (who cares about the dishwasher), toilets that flush, regular soap not hand sanitizer, a waching machine......aah the living. But none the less it is not ours nor is it permanent, thus treading water. Eventually the plans will get through the county and we will start the build, eventually. When asked by a friend how things were going I said , "good we are treading water, not moving backward, not moving forward, not sinking, just treading". She said, "good that means your building muscle." Love that thought. I want toned arms not body builder arms, just toned. So hopefully we can start building soon, or I will be awesome at arm wrestling.

Never say never

After 6 months of living without electricity we finally were able to proceed with getting temporary power. When we were applying for a construction loan they told us not to do any improvements on the land i.e. electricity until we closed. The loan process started in August and we finally closed in November. So those four months we had to sit on our hands and not improve anything (even if we were going to pay out of pocket). Then in December we were not sure if we should just wait till we got our house permits and just get our permanent electric line in and not waist the money for the temporary line. Well getting all the permits in order has taken longer than expected. Oh, the red tape. Getting trenches dug, Benjamin and Scott setting up our electric box and pedestal, all that stuff takes time. But with Suzie's little Franklin being born 10 weeks early our need for temporary power seemed eminent. We decided that the extra cost would be worth it to receive temporary power (it ended up being less then 500 dollars, are you kidding me!).

Finally the day arrived Monday January 26, the county inspector would come to see our set up and see if it met the code. If it made code he would then "green tag" it. Once it is green tagged then the power company comes out and puts all the power lines in and juices it up. The power company was scheduled to come the very next day to set the lines and turn it all on. But.......... we didn't get green tagged. The inspector came (or as I like to call him the dream crusher) and he failed us. We would not be getting power. Six months we have lived with out. Six months. SIX MONTHS.

I was devastated. I woke up on Tuesday knowing this was the day we were suppose to get power but wouldn't. I was really getting pruney in my sadness. I was shopping with the boys and Holman says to me"Mom will we ever get power?" I turned to him and said, "no son we will never get power." I bought a chocolate cake from walmart and took it home.

When we got home from our shopping trip I called the power company told them we weren't green tagged and almost cried on the phone, they asked when we would be able to be green tagged and I said, it would probably be another month until we could get all the stuff done that we needed to. I explained that I didn't want a worker to drive all the way out here only to find out that we weren't tagged to go ahead. Then at 1 in the afternoon a worker shows up. I apologized to him for not getting the message and for waisting his time. He said he got the message and was just going to place all the wire and get it set up, and that he would come back to turn it on once it is green tagged. Then he says, "How long till you get green tagged"......I nearly cry again as I tell him my woes. He smiled and said "Oh".

I picked up the kids from the bus we all crammed in my trailer and I pulled out the cake and we ate to our mediocrity.

At five thirty when I was making dinner I hear the workers telling me they are leaving. I thank them for coming and as he is leaving he says, "mam, you got power now, just run an electric cord to the outlet by the pedestal." I say, "but won't you get in trouble?" He turns to leave and shrugs his shoulders and says, "maybe." Love that man! The kids were so excited and asked but how mom how did we get it? I told them that the man saw a damsel in distress and decided to become a hero. Never say never!