Five Pines

This blog has moved

2010-07-07T22:42:00.002-04:00

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www.jcm5pines.blogspot.com

Life is good

2010-06-27T19:00:00.006-04:00

Finally.... We were able to take our new trailer camping for the first time this weekend. We LOVE our new trailer! We camped up at Silver Lake in a Jellystone (Yogi Bear) campground. That's not our type of a campground but some friends that we met up with already had reservations there. We prefer to be out away from the commotion and a little more secluded. The campground was nice and clean but very crowded and everything was geared towards young families. It's a great place to camp with young kids. Anyway.... We enjoyed ourselves just the same. About 10 different times this weekend I would say to Craig "Have I told you that I LOVE our new trailer?". It's so spacious compared to what we had, so much more comfortable.

Of course Craig spend most of his time out in the dunes. I went for a few hours Saturday morning and took my camera with us. I had a fun photo shoot with Craig and his beloved Jeep.

He loves those dunes and he loves his Jeep.

The weather was beautiful, sunny and 80's during the day. We did have an awesome thunderstorm roll through about 4AM Sunday morning. I love thunderstorms! And by the time we got up the sun was shinning again.

When we got home this afternoon Craig filled up the doggie "kiddie" pool for the dogs. They love it! All 3 of them.

Fiona is doing wonderful! We took her to the vet last Monday for a checkup on her hip. The vet was impressed with how well she was doing. He was so pleased that she is already weight bearing on her leg. He said that most dogs at her stage are just starting to toe touch. Yay for Fiona!

Graduation 2010

2010-06-15T21:30:00.003-04:00

What an amazing weekend...... Saturday was Jordan's graduation open house and Sunday was Graduation. After months of planning and preparation it was all we hoped it would be. So many friends, family, and teachers came out to help us celebrate Jordan at her open house Saturday. I was so proud of Jordan as she made a point to go out and personally greet and thank every person who arrived. She was so gracious and appreciative.

Graduation itself was very emotion for me. I easily cry at occasions like this and this one was especially emotional. How much more proud can parents be when their daughter walks up to the podium and gives a 5 minute commencement speech to her classmates, teachers, parents, family and friends spoken from the heart? Jordan struggled for several weeks pondering what to say and how to compose her speech. Three days before graduation Jordan woke up at 3 AM and for the next 2 hours was somehow inspired to write her speech in the wee hours of the morning. I would have read her speech ahead of time had she allowed me but she refused to let anyone read it so I got to hear it for the first time along with everyone else at graduation. And actually I'm glad she did it that way. It made it much more special for me. How she finds the words and feelings to put down on paper amazes me. She is amazing. Craig recored her giving her speech and the quality of the recording turned out pretty good. I tried to post it on Facebook but it tells me that it's too big, so I need to figure out how to post it somehow for you all to watch.

Thanks to everyone who made Jordan feel special... she deserved it!

Congratulations Jordan

2010-06-13T22:42:00.002-04:00

Jordan graduated today. More to follow soon...

Music to my ears

2010-06-10T23:18:00.003-04:00

Listening to my birds. Even it's only for a moment or two. I steal a minute here and minute there and every moment is worth it. I have this Momma Wren (above) nesting in my back yard. I could sit out there for hours and watch her. She's one busy little Momma. And if I get too close to her house she lets me have it! She's very vocal and I love it.

Listening to Caleb's car pull in the drive when he gets home from work. I love the sound of those mufflers as he coasts into the driveway. As time goes by I know the closer we get to that inevitable day when Caleb will spread his wings looking for a nest of his own.

Hearing Jordan excitedly say "Guess What Mom!", when she wants to share something with me that makes her happy. I'm the luckiest Mom in the world.

The click of my camera shutter. It gets my creative juices flowing and I'm always excited to get my photos uploaded. Just wish I had more time.

The wind whipping around me when we are going for a Jeep ride. It makes it difficult for Craig and I to talk to each other but there's no talking necessary. What a stress reliever.

Listening to the words of country songs. I'm not a huge country music fan but lately I've been listening to the words and stories of the songs on the radio on my way to work. "The House That Built Me" is an amazing song and always makes me think about my own childhood home where I grew up.

Listening to Seadra snore at the foot of the bed (Seadra is only allowed to get into bed with me until Craig comes to bed). And hearing her suckle her nookie. I love my sensitive neurotic Boston.

Just a moment

2010-06-08T08:28:00.002-04:00

I have just a moment to post a quick photo and type a few sentences. We are down to the last few days before Jordan's graduation open house Saturday and graduation on Sunday. It will be such a relief when Saturday is here and we can relax and enjoy it all. In the meantime we are frantically trying to make use of every moment we have to get ready. I have a few hours off of work this morning and I'm trying to prioritize.

Take care and have a great week!

We Celebrate Jordan

2010-06-03T22:30:00.005-04:00

Yesterday was Jordan's last day ever of High School. That morning it was pouring outside. While Jordan was upstairs getting ready for school Craig and I snuck outside and put Grad flags and magnets on both sides of her car. We followed her outside.... As soon as she saw her car she got a big smile on her face, then she says "Get that stuff off of there! I'm not driving to school looking like that!" We snapped a few photos (sorry the photo is so bad, rain drops were on the lens), then took it all off and away she went. Craig waited a bit then ran up to the school parking lot and put it all back on her car so she could smile again when she got out of school.

I can't tell you how much we love that girl! This is a big milestone in Jordan's life and we love to celebrate Jordan! All her hard work and dedication is being honored and recognized at every turn this past few weeks. Senior academic awards night, senior athlete awards banquet, track banquet, band concerts, symphony concerts, dance recitals. I will be here all night if I wrote about every award she's received recently. The ones that make us the most proud are the ones based on her character, integrity and being a role model for others. Each year one senior girl and one senior boy receive an athletic award that is the highest honor given each year to a senior. The recipients names are put on a plaque and remain displayed in the High School forever. Students for this award are picked by all the coaches collaboratively based on character, dedication for all 4 years of high school. Jordan received the award this year!

At the end of the senior academic awards night they showed a DVD of the senior trip the class took to Florida. I just sat there watching with tears falling down my cheeks the whole time. Seeing the photos of those kids having the times of their lives and knowing what a bond they have formed all these years is the best thing ever. And it's not just Jordan that we are proud of. I know I'll cry just as hard when I see Ty walking across that podium to receive his diploma, and others too. So many of those kids are a big part of our lives. We wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

This Sunday we honor our graduates at church and then the following Sunday is the actual High School Graduation and so starts a very emotional week for me. But it's such a good emotion.... one that makes my heart happy.

Our Sweet Puggy Baby

2010-06-02T22:55:00.002-04:00

Fiona had her first hip surgery today. We got to bring her home about 6:30 tonight. From what I can tell she is doing amazingly well. Jordan sat on the floor by her and hand fed her a few handfuls of dog food kernel by kernel. I was surprised she would eat. She isn't doing much walking or standing at all. She did take a few steps outside and peed, I thought that was a good sign too.

She is definitely not her happy self and I do feel sorry for her. I'm sure she doesn't understand what happened to her or that this will make her better. Zoe went up to her and tried to sniff her incision and Fiona snapped at her. It's the first time I've never seen Fiona get mad at one of the other dogs. I guess she has a right to be grouchy.

They did Fiona's right hip today because we suspected it was the worse one. After the surgery the vet x-rayed the left hip. He said it's broken and crumbling as well. It's amazing she did as well as she did for these last few months. The vet said she had to be in a lot of pain with the hips the way they were. He said that her hip that was operated on today will immediately feel better other than the muscle and tissue pain, but her joint pain should be gone immediately.... I guess you don't have hip pain when you no longer have a hip joint. She has what is called a "false hip" where the ball is cut off the femur and they live with the leg attached by ligaments, no hip joint at all. Amazing, huh?

Well, we are happy she is home and she is getting lots of kisses and attention. Jordan's last day of school was today so she's going to stay home tomorrow and cater to her every need. Her other hip surgery will follow in about a month.

Poor Momma Robin

2010-05-24T21:40:00.002-04:00

At my request Craig built me this robin nesting box that I found in a birding magazine. We put it up on the back porch and for the last two years I have anxiously waited for a Robin to build a nest in it. Much to my delight this was the year. She's been a good Momma and before we went camping last weekend Craig climbed up on the railing to take a peak..... 3 eggs.

The sad news is that when we got home Momma Robin was no where to be found. Again Craig climbed up on the railing and all the eggs where gone. We found the shells scattered around the yard. We have no idea what got them. Do squirrels like eggs? We have a lot of squirrels around the yard. Or maybe it was a raccoon? We see them around outside in the evenings. Poor Momma Robin.......

A new hobby

2010-05-23T09:37:00.005-04:00

Craig and I took Friday off work and headed up north to Silver Lake area camping... just the two of us. We are still here and at this very moment I am sitting around a campfire blogging and enjoying the peace and quiet. I am very content! Craig left a bit ago to run into the dunes for a few hours and I was very happy to be left alone and do nothing but enjoy the cool breeze and crackling of the fire. It's been a wonderful weekend. As much as we love and encourage the kids and their friends to join us when we go camping, I need a weekend like this a few times a year.

We decided to try something new this weekend... Geocaching. If you don't know what it is check out their website. www.geocaching.com It's a hobby where people hide caches all over the world and then put the GPS coordinates along with clues online for others to find. It's really easy. You simply program the GPS coordinates into your GPS which takes you to the vicinity and then you use the clues to find whatever is hidden. Usually it is some sort of box or container. Inside you leave your name, where you are from and the date you found the cache. It's interesting to see when the last person found it and where they were from.

We went hunting for 3 different caches this weekend and were able to locate 2 of them. The first one we found was behind an old historical cemetery a few miles from our campground out on a dirt road. It was a beautiful place!

We found it just into the woods tucked under a fallen down tree. It was an old army ammo box. People leave little trinkets. We didn't have anything to leave but we signed the register.

The next day we went hunting again. This one was by far my favorite. We had no idea where the coordinates were going to take us but away we went. Much to our delight it took us down this little two track at least 3 miles into the woods! We ended up at a nature preserve and then had to go on foot on some hiking trails... right up my alley!

It took us a while to find this one. Just as I was about to give up Craig says "I found it!".

This one was a Tupperware container hidden under a rotting stump.

Here I am signing the register.

If you look at the website you will be amazed at how many caches are hidden all around the world. You can put your zip code in to find ones hidden in the area you are at. Almost anywhere you are at in the US there is a hidden cache a few miles from you. What a great thing for families to do and I'm sure kids would love to do this. And for hardly any cost at all if you have a GPS. Give it a try!

Time For a Fiona Update

2010-05-18T07:06:00.003-04:00

Fiona has been to 3 different vets for consultations on her hips (Calve Perthes Disease). All the vets agree that she definitely has the disease, definitely needs surgical correction, and all are recommending the same surgical procedure. We were encouraged that she might only have it in one hip when we heard that only 10 percent of dogs with this condition actually have it in both hips.... no such luck there, it's in both hips.

Cost has been a big factor in this decision for Craig and I. In years past Craig and I have had general conversations stating that we would never spend a huge amount of money on trying to save a dog. Never did we think that we would actually be in that position of having to make that type of decision. When I'm at work I would be telling myself that we had to make this a practical decision and not let our emotions make this decision... then I would get home and see her and I would absolutely melt. Ultimately, our decision was finally based on the fact that she doesn't have some condition that can't be helped. It's not like she has a terminal or chronic condition that can't be cured such as cancer. All the vets have told us that these dogs go on to live long productive painless lives. They said that after surgery we will not be able to even tell that she has this disease. They will not fix both hips at the same time so she will have 2 surgeries about a month apart. The vet we are going with quoted us about $700 per hip which we were very happy with as the other vets quoted us double that amount. We feel this is doable.

Fiona's first surgery is set up for June 2nd. In the meantime Fiona is getting lots of attention and pampering. Her every whim is catered to and we love babying her. Twice a day she is given anti-inflammatory' and amazingly she gets around pretty well.

More to follow.....

Our Princess and her Prince... Senior Prom

2010-05-16T08:22:00.002-04:00

Another Proud Evening

2010-05-08T23:25:00.005-04:00

Yesterday afternoon our community Lions Club had it's annual Community Honors dinner celebrating the top 10 graduating seniors, the Hartford Citizen of the year, and the Grant Hitchcock Lifetime award.

Eight of the top ten seniors with Principal Kent.

Aly, Jordan, Lindsey, Emily

Jordan's good friends.

Each year the Lions club awards 3 scholarships and Jordan received the highest honor scholarship! Way to go Jordan!

We love our Jordan!

Morels

2010-05-06T22:27:00.003-04:00

When the workers were here putting our fence in last week they found some morels in the yard. Later that night I walked out into the woods behind our house. Boy did I find a bumper crop this year. I found so many I had to run back to the house for a bag, My total for the year was 60! I may take one more walk out there this weekend to check for any last few that might have popped up.

Caleb is always the cook. We enjoyed so many that we were starting to get tired of them. I gave some to my parents and some to the neighbors.

My orioles are back and enjoying the grape jelly I put out for them. They are so beautiful! I'm STILL waiting for my hummingbirds. I really think they have been here but I just haven't spotted them yet. My Dad's been having some at his feeders for the last week.

Tomorrow is Friday. The week has flown by! It's supposed to be cold this weekend... just as long as it's not too cold to do some more yard work.

Weekend Projects, Fiona and a Bluebird

2010-05-02T15:30:00.004-04:00

With the new fence in the back yard we've got our work cut out for us with all the landscaping we have planned around the house and around the fence. This area under the bay window of the kitchen used to have ornamental grass. Jordan sprayed it with weed killer a few weeks ago so yesterday Craig and I dug it all out. That was a job!

Fiona is having an OK weekend. We are continuing to give her pain medications. She was so happy to be outside with us all day yesterday. She's hobbling around but getting around pretty good. She puts no weight at all on her right back leg. She'll be seeing the specialist soon.

We are edging and putting river rock all around the fence. Our goal is to edge and rock the west and south sides this year.

Some more Fiona cuteness....

Zoe is a big help, she just makes sure Daddy is doing it right. Craig is edging wide areas around the corners so I can plant pretty things in the rocks.

Craig's working hard!

This part is already for the rocks. In fact, Craig is outside right now spreading the rocks. I'm inside nursing a headache, blogging and watching the Andy Griffith Show. I'll post more photos of our progress soon.

The last 2 days Mr. Bluebird has been visiting us. He's been checking out the bluebird house but unfortunately a pair of house sparrows have also been checking it out. If you know anything about bluebirds you know that house sparrows were responsible for the near extinction of bluebirds. Craig is trying to get rid of the house sparrows. House sparrows are one of the few birds that are NOT protected. The sooner we can get rid of the house sparrows the happier I will be and so will Mr. Bluebird.

Another Fiona update

2010-04-30T18:11:00.002-04:00

When I left for work this morning all the dogs were in the back yard. A short time later Craig went out to let them in and found Fiona shivering in pain and not putting any weight on her back right leg. Instead of waiting until Monday Craig took her to the vet today for X-rays. X-rays confirmed the suspicion of Calve Perthes disease and not only does she have it in one hip but BOTH hips. The vet thinks her right hip may even be broken already. Our hearts are breaking for her. We have been referred to a specialist.... more to follow.

Fiona Update

2010-04-29T22:53:00.002-04:00

Fiona goes to the vet on Monday to have x-rays of her hips. She isn't getting any better and it's more evident all the time that somethings wrong with her. She walks funny... she uses both of her hind legs together like she's always pushing herself along instead of normal walking. She easily falls over when she tries to run and play with the Seadra and Zoe. Today I watched her try to make a sharp turn while she was running and she fell over and yelped in pain. Also today I gently picked her up to put her on the couch with me and she yelped again. The vet suspects she has a genetic hip problem called Calve Perthes Disease. It's a deterioration of the head of the femur due to insufficient blood supply. As a result of the insufficient blood supply the femur begins to die and disintegrate. It's a known genetic disorder in pugs and shows up between the age of 4 to 9 months. Fiona is 6 months old. We'll know more from the x-rays Monday. We'll keep you posted.

Best Season Ever

2010-04-28T22:15:00.002-04:00

Jordan had a track meet this afternoon and I got some great shots of her. She was first in the 100 hurdles. She was clocked at 17.5. Her PR (personal record) is 17.3. Her goal is to break into the 16's before the end of the year.

I love this photo! And we love track season!

What I'm Loving Right Now

2010-04-24T10:52:00.002-04:00

A puppy who has stolen my heart... Yes, I'm ready to admit it.

A major transformation of the yard and all the work that goes along with it. This is a huge hole in the side yard where we had a tree cut down and the stump ground out. We are temporarily using it for burning a lot of junk wood. We are having a truck load of dirt brought in to fill it soon. The fence posts were installed and cemented in on Thursday and Monday they are coming back to string the fence..... Yahoo... I've wanted a fence for as long as we've lived here! There's going to be a lot of work landscaping everywhere we want and it will probably take us a few summers to accomplish it all but I'm loving it!

Spring! And all the great stuff spring brings, including Jordan's track season. I love watching my little girl reach goals she's set for herself and knowing what an amazing life she has ahead of her.

A simple anniversary dinner out with Craig last Monday night celebrating our 24 years and both of us getting teary eyed when we talk about how much we love those kids!

A hammock in the back yard with a big pillow and Seadra snuggled next to me.

Sleeping in on Saturday mornings. I was one to never sleep in but I've so needed it this past winter and spring with my new job.

And speaking of my job, I'm going to add it to this list too. As I've shared on this blog before it's been a tough transformation for me (and my family) but there are so many good things about it. Patients that warm my heart and leave me with feelings of gratitude. Doctors (my bosses) that are compassionate, caring and understanding when I get overwhelmed. They are also so appreciative of what I've been doing. There are some major changes forthcoming that I am excited about that hopefully I'll be able to talk about soon. All good stuff!

Anticipation of an awesome summer ahead.... Lots of camping visiting new places and old favorites. Spending days at the cottage, going for Jeep rides.... my list is long.

Listening to Caleb sit in the living room playing his guitar and hearing him sing in the shower while I'm in the kitchen working. He's not singing to impress anyone, he doesn't even know anyone hears him... he just feels like singing and I love it! Caleb is a true gift, a gentle spirit, a huge heart. Everyday I am more thankful for the person he is.

Our outside fire pit. Last night Craig built us a fire. It was sprinkling but we didn't care. I love those fires and what they mean to all of us. We solve life's problems, we laugh, we plan our lives, our stresses from the days melt away.

Life is good.......

24 Years!

2010-04-19T07:00:00.000-04:00

Twenty four years ago today I received one of the greatest gifts of my life...

...... my Hubby! Happy Anniversary to us!

He's my world!

He's my All!

He makes me happy!

He makes me feel safe!

He brings me joy!

I love you Craig!

Fiona Update

2010-04-11T22:06:00.005-04:00

It's been awhile since I've done a Fiona update. She's growing but she still has that puppy look to her. She's soooo darn cute. Just yesterday she turned 6 months old. She's still a tiny thing at only about 10 pounds. I thought she would be bigger at this age. Maybe she's just going to be a small pug. Zoe is a monster pug at 26 pounds so I guess she looks tiny compared to her.

She LOVES her dog beds. We've tried to get Seadra and Zoe to like dog beds but they never cared for them. Fiona is very attached to her dog beds. She about wore the first one out so last week she got a new one. She was very happy!

I'm happy to announce she's pretty much housebroken. She rarely has an accident and usually only when we've neglected to take her out in a timely manner.

She loves her Daddy and the feeling is mutual. Craig is quite smitten with her.

I have to tell you about her bark. The poor little thing hardly has a bark at all. Don't get me wrong... she loves to use her voice. She's already learned to bark at the neighbors, barks excitedly when she's being fed, and barks when she plays.... but we still can't believe it. When she barks it's the littlest whip of a bark. It like a deep soft sound. At first we thought she would outgrow it and acquire the sharp shrill sound that dogs make when they bark but so far no such thing. And we LOVE it, we are really hoping she keeps her bark. I have never heard a dog bark like she does.

She is slowly winning my heart like I hoped she would. I've had my days (OK, weeks) where she has stressed me but they are starting to be fewer. I've noticed that she is not so relentless in her badgering of Zoe and I even seen glimpses of Seadra playing tag with her outside, I thought I would never see that.

Seadra has an affectionate nickname of Boo Boo, Zoe is Zo-Zo, and I'm catching myself calling Fiona "My Fiona". I guess that means I love her.

Another post with no photos..

2010-04-10T07:56:00.002-04:00

I rarely ever do a post without photos... That tells you how my life has transformed the last few months. The plan is to be outside a lot today so I'll for sure have my camera out there with me. We've called the fencing company and told them we are ready for them to install the new fence around the back yard so we are doing a few finishing touches getting ready for that. Last night Craig and I went to Lowe's and bought huge patio blocks to place under the gates and also to expand the fire pit area. We still have to move a small tree that is in the fence line and I have a lot of ornamental grasses and hostas to move. Poor Craig's been getting overwhelmed and exasperated. He's been out in the yard every night this week in the dark and in the cold and in the rain trying to get stuff done. I've promised him that I will help more this weekend.

As we speak, Jordan is taking the ACT again this morning. She is consistently getting a 29 each time and needs a 31 to bump up her scholarship. She's determined and we are proud of her. This is her last attempt to try on her own. If she doesn't get a 31 this time we are enrolling her in the Kaplan class at Western. Ferris is giving her until the end of August to qualify. Jordan and I were talking the other night... she very excited about the end of her senior year, so many fun things coming up. Track season is in full swing, senior trip to Florida in a few weeks, prom, etc, etc. Life is good for Jordan!

The last 4 weeks at work have been stressful to say the least. The workload was overwhelming and everyday I have frantically been trying to dig myself out of a hole. I was finally seeing a light at the end of the tunnel and then all in one day I was drowning again. I about lost it. I literally thought I was having a nervous break down. Knowing I was near the breaking point one of the doctors came into my office to talk to me last week. All I could do was sit there and sob! They are concerned and caring and we are coming up with ways to delegate some of my more mundane tasks to others. For the first time EVER since I started the position in January this past week has been manageable. Yesterday I found time to clean out my email, organize some files, catch up on correspondence... I even dusted my office and washed the windows. You have no idea how good this past week felt. We'll see what next week brings... it's so unpredictable. Good thing I love this job!

One day last week one the receptionists called me and said there was someone here to see me. I went out there and there stood one of my patients families. They had 2 dozen donuts and told me they were for me to share with the whole office staff. They grabbed me and hugged me and told me how much they loved me. They told me what a huge difference I had made to their whole family, they said I went above and beyond the call of duty in helping them prepare and understand everything for their father's surgery. I almost cried..... that makes it all worth while.

It's time to go.... there's never enough time on the weekends to get stuff done, especially these days. Have a wonderful weekend and I promise my next post will have some photos.

P.S. The hummingbird migration map is reporting sightings of hummingbirds half way up Michigan already. I saw my first hummingbird April 26th last year but I'm going to hang my feeders today. Are yours up yet?

Compassion

2010-04-03T08:56:00.003-04:00

One of the best things about my new job is the people I meet and get to talk to. My official title at work is surgery scheduler but it involves so much more than just scheduling them for their surgeries. I try to get to know my patients and see their needs. It's important that I am compassionate and caring. It is always my goal to help them and make the burden lighter for them, but I'm finding more and more that they are the ones that touch me.

Yesterday I met a farmer. He didn't look like your typical farmer. He was short stout and muscular. And he had red hair and red eyelashes. He had that pale skin complexion most redheads have. He wore a shirt that was unbuttoned half way and his thick chest hair was exposed and he wore big gold jewelry. Now, would you think I just described a farmer?

After we got the medical business out of the way he started talking about his farm. His eyes sparkled. He told me he bought his first farm when he was still in high school. His parents had to sign the note at the bank and they were not supportive at the time. A short time later he bought his second farm a short distance from his first farm. He went on to tell me that the farm was his life and how he's poured his heart and soul into those farms. He's up there in age now and he's worried about what the future holds for his farms. He grown children are not showing interest in keeping the farms running. Further into the conversation I asked him where is farms were. I couldn't believe it when he told me the name of the town and the road.... the exact same road I grew up on and spent 10 years of my childhood. And I had never met this man until yesterday. His farms were a few miles from our home.

I liked that short stout man and I'm still thinking about him this morning. I told him he could leave his farms to me, that I would care for them. That made him laugh. Next time I'm in that area I'm going to drive down that road and look at his farms.

I met another man yesterday. Totally different. He was confused and alone. He shuffled when he walked and talked with a slur in his voice. It was hard to understand him and he obviously didn't understand anything about his medical condition or what we needed to do. "Oh Boy" I thought, this was going to be a challenge. It took me a long time to get him scheduled and set up for his testing. I had to tell him everything over and over. I would just get done explaining something to him and he'd want me to tell him again. He had no one to take him to appointments or take him to the hospital for his surgery. He asked me to call the senior center and see if they would take him. I did but being Good Friday they were not open. I told him I would call them on Monday for him but 2 minutes later he would forget everything and we'd have to go over it all again. I was starting to get exasperated. About this point I could tell he was feeling overwhelmed. He lowered his head and in the softest voice said "You know, I don't have much education". This exact moment my heart broke for him and I wanted to cry.

At this point I told him not to worry, that Monday I would work on making some calls to get him help. There was no point in trying to get him to comprehend, it was only confusing and overwhelming him. I walked him back out to the reception area where the receptionists were going to call the public bus system that dropped him off. Being it was Good Friday the bus system had stopped running at noon that day.... so there he was, no way to get home. A Good Samaritan in the waiting area overheard the conversation and spoke up.. "I'll take him home".

I learned a little more about compassion yesterday and that there are still good people in this world. Would I have done what that Good Samaritan in the waiting area did and offered to take that man home? I hope I would have.

Last week I had a patient in my office that was recently paroled. He was still semi-incarcerated in some rehabilitation program and he was tethered. He had just been diagnosed with cancer and was facing a big surgery. I had no idea what this mans crimes were or what his circumstances were. All I know is that here sat a man across from me scared. He needed an over the counter medication as part of his prep for surgery. He told me there was no way he could get to the store to purchase this item. On my way home from work I picked up the medication and dropped it off at his facility for him. I have been criticized by my husband for this act. I simply do not have it in me to not feel compassion for everyone.

It was a beautiful week... weather wise

2010-03-20T17:51:00.002-04:00

I'd like to say it was a good week other wise as well but it's been a tough week. As you know from my last post I've been sick. I worked Tuesday with a fever and all. Wednesday I stayed home and slept until noon. I managed to go to work the rest of the week but it was not fun. I'd much rather have stayed home but just staying home the one day I did made me return to a mess that I am still trying to catch up on. I've had a headache since Tuesday, and one of the worst colds I've had in a long time. The only enjoyment I've had all week is laying in bed with Seadra and Zoe curled up next to me. They love me and the feeling is mutual. Of course Craig has taken good care of me. And then to top it all off Jordan woke up sick this morning. I hope she gets over hers faster than mine seems to be going.

Sorry I don't have anything exciting to blog about. I walked around the yard Wednesday with Seadra and Zoe and snapped a few photos. The weather was so beautiful! And now that it is the weekend it's freezing and snowing. Oh well, soon we will have nice weather to stay.

sick....

2010-03-16T19:31:00.002-04:00

I woke up at 3:00 this morning with a raging sore throat. I got up to take some cold medicine and get a cold drink. I went back to bed praying for a miracle. At 6:00 I was no better but something processed me to go to work. I thought I'd try to work at least half a day and hopefully come home early to bed. I should have known better. It was crazy busy, one issue after another to deal with, I didn't even have time to take a lunch. As the day went on I increasing felt worse... raging sore throat, feverish, body aches, head throbbing. After 10 hours of work I could barely walk out to my car. I already told the doctors and my co-workers that I will not be to work tomorrow.

When I got home I immediately went upstairs, put on my most comfortable pj's and crawled into bed. Seadra is curled up next to me and I'm not moving the rest of the night. My wonderful hubby brought me some cold tea for my throat and at my request made me some rice for dinner. He's taking good care of me.

Just the other day I was thinking "Wow, I haven't had so much as a cold or a sniffle since last fall". Usually something attacks me each winter. I thought maybe I had escaped it this year. Hopefully this will be short lived.

So here I am, laying in bed, watching TV, and blogging.....

My beloved Robins returned this week. I've already been chasing them around the yard with my camera. Craig and I were outside doing yard work last night and the Robins were just singing away... such music to my ears.

Craig took me to Allen Michigan last weekend for a day of antiquing. The photo shows my latest obsession. I've been collecting these for about 2 years now. Most of them are small planters and a few are figurines. They were made in the 30's thru the 50's. Some are McCoy and some are Shawnee but most I don't really know where they came from. I just love the fact that they are old and I love the color. It's fun and exciting when I find a new piece.

Now for some bragging.... Last week it was announced at school that Jordan is Valedictorian of her class... actually she is a co-valedictorian with one of her best friends, Aly. They will both be giving commencement speeches at graduation. So proud.... For our family and friends close by Jordan's graduation is Sunday June 13th. Jordan's graduation open house will be the day before on Saturday June 12th. More to follow....

Hope you all are staying well.....

We should have been Boy Scouts

2010-03-09T09:50:00.001-05:00

Last Sunday we were all excited to go to my parents house and burn the brush pile that's been sitting there for over a year. Last spring my parents had a bunch of apple trees pushed out which made the big pile.

Dad's been telling us that he'd been trying for weeks to get it going but couldn't ever get it started. How hard can it be to start a brush pile on fire? Certainly we wouldn't fail.

We threw in a bunch of cardboard and a match.

It looked like it was going to start and we were encouraged.

A few minutes later this is what it looked like... just smoke.

I think Lu-Lu was laughing at us.

We must have tried 4 different times but each time it would just burn out.

At least it was a nice day and the dogs were loving being outside.

Finally we gave up. Craig thinks we needed a little breeze to get it going.

Here's my Dad looking all defeated. He's getting embarrassed calling the fire department every few days telling them he's going to try again. We are going to try again next weekend if any of you have any bright ideas on how to get a big brush pile to burn.

I Am Free.....

2010-03-08T22:13:00.004-05:00

I've had this laundry conversation on my blog before. And so the story continues.

How much of a mother's life is committed to the basic chore of laundry? I wonder if anyone has ever studied that. All my married life I've had a love hate relationship with laundry. In our early married life, pre-kid, I think laundry was pretty much just that... a chore. But somewhere along the way that changed. When the kids were babies laundry became a reflection of who I was... somewhat. It became a challenge to how well I could keep my kids clothes looking new and fresh. I became a genius at getting out the worst of stains. Before any clothes were washed I would sit on the floor and go over every single piece of the kids clothes scouring them for stains and scrubbing them spot free before they were thrown into the washer. I used "Goop" hand cleaner and a toothbrush. That stuff got everything out if you scrubbed hard enough. I prided myself on my kids looking beautiful, clothes all fresh and clean in their closets and drawers.

As the years have gone on it's pretty much stayed the same. My friends and family (including Craig) have told me for years that the kids should be doing their own laundry. A few times I've come close to letting go but I just couldn't do it. Even when I would complain and get behind in the laundry it was still nearly impossible for me let go of the laundry control. The little that the kids and Craig do drive me crazy.... the clothes are not sorted by color correctly, the washer is packed too full, they let the clothes sit in the dryer for 2 days and wrinkle all up, they don't put the clothes away or hang in the closet what needs to be hung up.... you get the picture.

Well... I have finally come to my breaking point. I've decided that at this point the aggravation of doing the kids laundry has gotten to be more than the aggravation of letting them do their own laundry. I am tired of turning every single sock right side out because they are ripe them off inside out, same for jeans and shirts. It irritates me to no end that they cannot wear a pair of jeans more than once. Caleb has to wear a uniform to work, why have I made it my job to make sure his work clothes are clean and ready for him??? HE'S 20 YEARS OLD!

I have no one to blame but myself. I know this is a control thing but I am so ready to let go of it. Last Saturday I informed the kids that they would now both be doing their own laundry. It really wasn't a surprise and they both looked at me like it was no big deal. When I sorted out the laundry I separated out Caleb and Jordan's dirty clothes, took them back to their bedrooms and put them into their laundry baskets. After their clothes were removed I only had about 3 loads of clothes to wash.... Wow, what a difference! I will no longer spend a complete day on the weekend from morning until night doing laundry! I AM FREE!! I AM FREE!!

Now the challenge will be how well will I be able to keep this up? Will I be temped to go into their rooms and grab up the laundry after a few weeks? Will I be able to tolerate them not doing the laundry to my standards? I can do this, YES I CAN! Pray for me......

To my faithful blog followers

2010-03-02T20:32:00.004-05:00

If I still have any followers out there... thank you for not giving up on me! And in case you are wondering what we've been up to at the Mullauer household:

1. My new job is still totally consuming me. But I can honestly say I love it. I love working with the patients and their families and all the responsibilities that go along with it. A lot of changes are happening in our practice the next few months, including one of our doctors retiring. I'm giving it until summer when things iron out a little more to see how the workload ends up. Right now I am not convinced that one person can do this job. But everyday I am more thankful to have a job considering the unemployment rate in this country. The extra hours I'm working have made me love my paychecks as well. It's a great feeling when your son brings home a $800 tuition bill and you can write a check without wondering how you are going to buy groceries that week.

2. I am sooooo excited about getting our chain link fence installed as soon as the snow melts. They are coming out Monday to give us an estimate. It took a lot of convincing for Craig to agree to this one. Craig likes the openness of our back yard and I agree with that. He's afraid that putting up a fence will be confining. But I think the trade off will be well worth it. With 3 dogs it's just too hard to keep track of them when we are outside. I LOVE the outdoors and want to be able to enjoy being outside without being constantly consumed with where the dogs are every moment, which is what it takes when they are outside with us. Another big plus.... no more skunks. For those of you that have followed my blog know the horror stories we can gone through with skunks and our dogs. And it hasn't been an isolated incident.

3. We've attended several Ferris functions with Jordan this past week. We went to Grand Rapids Tuesday for a new student reception and Saturday we went to Big Rapids for Jordan's testing/competition for the honors program. There were 350 students competing for 290 spots. I'm confident that Jordan will have no problem getting into the honors program. Jordan has been working hard studying and retaking her ACT test. She's trying to get an extra 2 points (she has 29 now and needs a 31). If she can get a 31 Ferris has guaranteed her a full tuition scholarship for 4 years. We have enrolled Jordan into a Kaplan ACT class at Western starting May 1st for 6 weeks. They meet twice a week. It's not cheap at $500 but they guarantee your student increases her score or your money back. It will be well worth it if Jordan can get the two extra points. Pray for Jordan!

4. We are all soooo ready for spring. This winter has not been fun in terms of the usual winter stuff we usually do. Snowmobling has been for the birds. I only went on two rides the whole winter. Craig did go up north sledding with club members a few times, but even the snow wasn't great up there. I'm dreaming of our camper trailer, gardening, getting outside with my camera, my spring birds (hummers, orioles, bluebirds!), you get the picture...

5. I'm trying to learn to love Fiona. Do I sound like a terrible person? As I type this she is curled up next to me snoring. This is a rare rare rare occurrence. She just never settles down and lets me love on her. Craig says that Zoe was the same way but I don't remember that. She is relentless in her constant badgering of Zoe. Poor Zoe goes upstairs to be by herself to get away from Fiona. This makes me sad as Zoe is such a people person. And Seadra just hates her. Sorry if I'm sounding negative, I want to love her. I'm hoping when we are not so cooped up in this house once spring gets here that it will get better. What was I thinking!!!!

6. We signed up for Netflix this winter and I really enjoy that. Right now I have the television mini series Roots coming one episode at a time. It is so worth the money. We only pay $8 a month and you can turn over a movie every 2 days. It's wonderful. And some movies I can watch wirelessly on tv or my mac. The biggest perk is no late fees. I can't tell you how many late fees we've paid with the kids renting movies.

7. Track season starts Monday for Jordan. It's another one of those lasts that we will be enjoying with Jordan this spring. I'm hoping that I'm able to get out of work early on track meet days. Watch for track photos on my blog.

8. Caleb's keeping busy working and going to school full time at KVCC. He's making a little more noise about switching his major to education.... we'll see. I think Caleb would make a great teacher. He's such a people person. He's anxious for spring as well. He's dying to get his Mustang on the road again.

9. Craig and I are going to Allen Michigan Saturday antiquing. I can't wait. Allen is the antique capital of Michigan. It's such a fun day and I so need a fun day.

Take care my friends... I miss you and I miss my blogging.

I Miss Them!

2010-02-21T14:54:00.002-05:00

I miss my Bluebirds! I'm going to be putting up my bluebird houses at the beginning of March.

And I'll be so happy to see my Hummingbirds again.

Things to look forward to.....

2010-02-13T22:10:00.003-05:00

I've been trying to keep a good attitude about winter, the cold and the snow but the truth is I am ready for spring. Here's a few things I've been thinking about lately.

1. Jeep rides with the top off

2. Sunshine and longer days

3. CAMPING, I can't wait to get the trailer out of storage.

4. As soon as the weather breaks we are having the back yard fenced. I'm very excited about this for the dogs.

5. Gardening and doing some planned landscaping this year.

6. Driving around with the windows down.

7. Sitting around the fire pit outside.

8. Jordan's track season!! I love track!

9. Jordan's high school graduation this spring.

Bring it on!!!!!!

Bee's and Bat's

2010-02-09T15:51:00.003-05:00

We live on an older home. Our house is nearly 100 years old. The exterior is what they call pregnant block. I love the "antique" look of our older home but it does have it's drawbacks, namely the critters that have access to an older home. When we first bought our home 8 years ago we went through a few months of bats paying up visits in the middle of the night. Not a fun thing! I think it happened 3 times. But luckily we have not seem any bats for years! We'll I spoke too soon.

Although, the bats have not been a problem we have had a problem with bees/wasps getting in the house since last summer. Wasps were turning up in our bedroom on a weekly basis. Twice Craig even got stung in the middle of the night last summer. We noticed an area outside the house were we could see wasps entering and exiting on the second floor. We knew this would have to be addressed when winter came around. Well, now that winter is here and the bees have died down it didn't seem to be a priority. Until last week.... Craig put his shirt on one morning and promptly got stung by a wasp twice. He had to rip his shirt off to get the wasp off of him. OK... now the wasps are a priority again!

As a result of the wasp incident Craig decided to empty out a storage area in our bedroom where we had a suspicion the wasps had taken up residence.

In the process of emptying out the storage area Craig found not one but TWO bats. They were alive but sluggish from hibernation. I don't know why Craig has such a big smile on his face. Maybe he's happy with himself for catching the critters and getting rid of them.

This photo just freaks me out! I DO NOT LIKE BATS! Especially in my house!

Anyway, back to the wasps... After emptying out the storage area Craig removed a board that covered up a space over the downstairs bathroom. LOOK WHAT HE FOUND!!!! This thing is as big as a basketball! You can't tell from the photo but the wasp nest is about 6 feet into the rafter area and there is no way to stand or walk into that area. We have no idea how to get rid of this thing. All I know is it HAS to go. I can't live in this house knowing that is in the wall of my bedroom.

I'm checking into calling an exterminator but if you have any bright ideas I'll love to hear them.

She's Growing

2010-01-24T13:06:00.003-05:00

I haven't been taking as many photos of Fiona as I should be. Before we know it she will be as big as the other two.

She's fitting right in and is a member of our family now. We are still working on the house training but we've seen progress and are encouraged. Jordan's been teaching her to sit. She knows which cupboard her treats are kept in and she will sit by that cupboard door and look at you with the most pitiful puppy eyes. She plays hard until she literally can't go any longer. She loves her fluffy bed and if we can't find her that's where she always is.

She starting to enjoy the outdoors now too. We've had somewhat of a warm up the last few weeks so she's been able to spend some time outside. She found a leaf under the snow the other day and tossed that leaf around for 15 minutes. I love watching her discover new things.

And here's a cute photo from last night.....

"Dad, aren't you gonna share that pizza with us?"

Time to relax

2010-01-22T19:47:00.003-05:00

Jordan was so beautiful last weekend in the Miss Hartford contest. She made it to the final 5 but that was as far as she went. We couldn't have been prouder. She had the support of so many and it was a great day.

On another note... I've been at my new job for 2 weeks now. The first week I trained with the girl that was formally in that position. This past week I've been on my own. Wow! What a week. I come home absolutely exhausted! It's been stressful because I'm constantly double and triple checking everything I do. There is so much to learn. I can't believe how much information I've taken in in such a short time. Today I was on overload. I did pretty good until I got home and saw Craig, then I had a melt down. Don't get me wrong, I really do like it so far it's just the learning process that is hard to get through. It's not like anything I've ever done before. I'm enjoying working with the patients and getting to know them. I'm anxious to see how next week goes now that I have the first week on my own under my belt. I'm glad it's the weekend and I can relax the next few days and clear my head.

My blogging may be sporadic at best the next few weeks while I get through this transition in my life.

Have a great weekend friends!

The Big Day

2010-01-16T14:20:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow is the big day. Jordan is a contestant in our local town Blossomtime Queen pageant. This is a new experience for us and we are excited. She has the perfect dress, the perfect earrings, the perfect necklace, the perfect shoes..... I'll post photos tomorrow. She's going to be so beautiful.

Fiona Update

2010-01-10T02:50:00.000-05:00

For my dog loving friends... A Fiona update.

I've had my "What was I thinking?" moments. This brings back so many memories of when we got Zoe. We had already had Seadra for 4 years when Zoe came into our lives as a puppy. Seadra was MY dog, very attached to me, and in my eyes could do no wrong. She was the love of my life (still is). And here comes along Zoe, this puppy who loved to chew, was difficult to house train, ... all the typical puppy stuff. It took a good year with Zoe before she won my heart over and I felt like she really belonged with our family. And today I couldn't imagine my life without her. Zoe is a delight. Now I am experiencing all the same emotions with Fiona.

Of course I adore her and in time she will work her way into my heart just like Zoe did. I love watching her grow and learn new things each day. I was so excited today when she walked up the back steps on her own for the first time. I love how she lets out this little squeal when she yawns. She does the cutest little pug run where she tucks her butt under and runs wild in circles. She loves her toys and wants to play tug all the time.

Zoe is very tolerant of Fiona. She allows her to jump all over her, tug at her ears, stick her nose in her food when she's eating, and they play well together. They will be great buddies. It just melts my heart when I walk in the kitchen and see the two of them cuddled up next to each other asleep.

Seadra has no use for Fiona but I am encouraged that she seems to be accepting her. She is no longer hiding and has gotten her appetite back. I think she has realized that Fiona is here to stay and that she isn't a threat. That's all I can hope for out of Seadra for now. I have seen a few brief glimpses of Seadra playing with Fiona... Who knows, maybe someday Fiona will win Seadra's heart as well.... but I doubt it.

More updates to follow....

It's hard to say Goodbye....

2010-01-09T08:10:00.004-05:00

The new year is bringing big changes for me. I've know for sometime and have wanted to blog about it but until yesterday it was not common knowledge and I was keeping it under wraps. I am starting a new job Monday.... still working for the same surgeons but a totally new position. For 6 years I worked as a hospital scrub tech in surgery and for the last 7 years I've been a private scrub for a group of urological surgeons... so for 13 years I've been in the OR. Thirteen amazing years!

Surgery was a passion of mine. I didn't really want to be a nurse. I always wanted to be a surgical scrub tech. At the time I was checking into the position the hospital was hiring nurses to hold the positions of scrub techs so I decided to go to nursing school in hopes that I could get into the hospital OR that route. It worked and in '97 I graduated from nursing school and started my new "career" as a surgical scrub tech for the hospital.

Thirteen years is a long time. This morning I was thinking about that. That's as long as elementary school, middle school and high school put together. Remember being back in school those days and wondering if you would ever get to graduation day? That was a long time in years of your life back then. These 13 years in the OR just flew by.... How did 13 years just go by?

Some weeks back the doctors asked me to consider taking the position of surgery scheduler for the practice. There was no pressure whatsoever and I was told that if I choose to stay in the OR there would be no hard feeling and that was perfectly fine. I could make this a long drawn out explanation for you but to make a long story short... I decided it was time for a change in my life. I am excited and ready for new challenges. I will have one on one time with patients, working with them preparing them their surgical procedures, working with the hospital, etc, etc.

The hard part of all this was saying goodbye to my OR family. Yesterday was my last day in the OR. I tried to go around and personally say goodbye to the people I was close to but time didn't allow me to get to everyone. I'll miss them all. There are days when surgery can be long and stressful days. We have all leaned on each other during those times.

Most of the staff was gone for the day when I left yesterday. It was a good thing I was alone in the locker room because I was boo hooing like a baby cleaning out my locker.

Here's to a new year and new opportunities! I'll keep you posted.

Remembering Grandma

2010-01-05T20:09:00.003-05:00

Recently my parents, my brother and I had the opportunity to a take a family photo. The circumstances were sad as it was my Grandma Sumner's funeral. Grandma was a few days from her 90th birthday when she went to heaven. She was an amazing woman and left a wonderful legacy of family and love. Grandma had 5 children, my dad being #4 in the order. Grandma will be missed and fondly remembered.....

2009 in review

2010-01-01T11:36:00.008-05:00

I wanted to do a post on 2009 in review. Going through my thousands of photos and picking out a few was nearly impossible, as was trying to decide on what events to write about. It was a great year of family memories and good times.

January/winter is my favorite time to feed the birds. The feeders are always busy and abundant with birds.

Winter continues to be Craig's favorite season. He gets to play in the snow (snowmobile) and most of all drive the groomer and maintain our local snowmobile trails.

Cardinals are around much more in the winter... or so it seems.

Unfortunately, I was only able to go on one snowmobile trip up north with Craig. We had great snow through January but none in February.

At the end of February Jordan, my Mom and myself flew to Florida for a long weekend. We visited my brother and Kay and Roger. This photo was taken at Busch Gardens in the bird exhibit, right up my alley.

Kay and Roger took us to Sea World, which we really enjoyed.

In April Caleb bought his dream car and proceeded to total it two weeks later. We were thankful that all parties were not injured. Weeks later Caleb bought another Mustang.

In May Craig found this nesting hummingbird out at the cottage. I had fun photographing her.

Also in May, one of my dreams came true. For years I've been wanting a camping trailer. We enjoyed many little getaways this year with our new camper. We are looking forward to more this year.

I had to stick this photo in here. This was a rare moment with Seadra and Craig. Rarely does Seadra let anyone hold her but me. I love my Boo-Boo.

Spring is wonderful for photographing birds. I love the nesting season and the baby birds. If I absolutely had to pick a favorite bird photo from 2009 I think this would be it. I just love Momma birds buggy eyes peaking over the nest.

In May both Caleb and Jordan attended Prom. Our kids are beautiful!

One of my happiest and saddest bird stories of 2009 was my bluebirds. For YEARS I had dreamed of attracting bluebirds to a nesting box in my yard and finally this was the year. Momma laid 5 eggs and shortly after they hatched Daddy bird disappeared. Momma bluebird tried hard to raise them on her own but sadly all the babies died.

Summer trips to Silver Lake continued. It's one of our favorite places and although I don't enjoy the dunes as much as Craig and the kids I love to go up and camp, cook the meals, and go antiquing.

In late summer the yellow finches were everywhere. When we stepped outside in the back yard it was like the trees were alive!

This was the big year for the Jeep. From the winter, spring and through the summer Craig worked on restoring his precious Jeep and in September he finally finished it. Totally new engine, new body, new interior, new wheels and tires. He's proud of his Jeep and I LOVE to go for rides out in the country with top off.

This fall we experienced something new with Jordan... cross country. What fun that was! I didn't know how much we would enjoy going to her meets and cheering her on and watching her break goals that she set for herself.

Whenever time allowed I continued to visit nature centers and sanctuaries with my camera. This continues to be a passion of mine and brings me much joy.

In November Jordan did her last duty as Drum Major for her high school career. We are very proud of Jordan for being the youngest ever drum major for Hartford, holding the position for 3 years and doing a wonderful job. We will miss the band next year.

Had to stick a fall bird photo in here. Red Breasted Nuthatches were new to my yard this year. I always get so excited when I can welcome a new feathered friend.

This past November Craig and I flew to Florida for a long anticipated vacation and went on a Cruise with Kay and Roger. We had a few days before the cruise and Roger took us on an airboat ride which is something I've always wanted to do. I can't even tell you how much I enjoyed that!

We also visited a wildlife sanctuary in Lakeland and I now have a new appreciation for wading birds. I wish I could have spent more time there!

And our cruise with Kay and Roger was amazing. We are very thankful to Kay and Roger for inviting us. Too many wonderful experiences to list.

And my year in review wouldn't be complete without including our new baby. She finally has a name... Fiona. Now I just need to survive this puppy stage!

But above nothing else family continues to mean the most to all of us. We are blessed beyond belief. I love you Craig, Caleb and Jordan and thank God everyday for each of you.

My arms are full and so is my heart

2009-12-26T09:03:00.003-05:00

We always have this conversation at our house..... Do we want another dog? Yes we do! Are we crazy? Do we want to foster again? If we get another, what kind? A puppy or grown dog? A little dog or a big dog?

Last Sunday Jordan and I went out to eat at this little diner in our town. In the entryway people post ads and we always stop to read them. Wouldn't you know it? "Pug puppies for sale. 3 females (1 fawn 2 black) Born Oct. 10th". It must have been a weak moment for me because within an hour Jordan and I went and picked one out. We told Craig nothing! We weren't trying to pull a fast one on Craig, as he's always the one who wants another dog. We just wanted to surprise him.

The next day we went and picked up our new puppy and waited for Craig to get home for the big surprise. When he pulled in the driveway we tried to stuff her in a stocking but that wasn't working so instead Jordan put a red bow on her head and sat with her in front of the Christmas tree. I greeted Craig at the door and told him we had a Christmas surprise for him. He closed his eyes and I guided him into the living room. SURPRISE!

All Craig said is "What is that???!!!". And then he melted, just like the rest of us did.

We are absolutely loving her!

She's the sweetest thing ever. We haven't named her yet. We called her Raven for a few days and now we are calling her Moe. We'll see it that sticks. We are still deciding.

Zoe seems to like her. She plays with her an is very gentle with her. I know they will be fine together.

Seadra is another story. She isn't being very tolerant of her and is quite upset with us for bringing this intruder into the house. Seadra isn't eating well and she's pouting and hiding a lot. I'll need to give her extra attention and time to get used to this puppy.

As for me? My arms are full and so is my heart!

Christmas Concert

2009-12-18T08:54:00.002-05:00

Wednesday was another one of Jordan's "lasts" for her senior year of high school... The Christmas band concert. That's Jordan in the front far left making beautiful music with her oboe. Jordan is planning on participating with the symphony when she goes to college next year. I can hardly wait to go to those Christmas concerts.

Birds Eye View

2009-12-15T10:17:00.003-05:00

This suet log hangs just inches from my kitchen window. I love being able to see the birds up close.

The Boo and The Zo

2009-12-11T09:40:00.003-05:00

No matter what kind of day I'm having these two can melt my heart!

My Zo-Zo... cuddly, affectionate and loves everyone!

My Boo-Boo.... Affectionate, and she needs her Mommy. Guess who her Mommy is?

How much more can I take?

2009-12-07T17:23:00.003-05:00

For 25 years I've been enduring treacherous roads on my way back and fourth to work in the winter. I live approximately 25 miles from St. Joe where most of my employment has been during our married life and most of that 25 miles is interstate driving. Maybe some of you are thinking "25 miles isn't so bad, and what's so bad about driving on the interstate?". I will be the first to tell you that I am a wimp when it comes to driving in the winter and Craig will be the second one to speak up and tell you the same thing! It absolutely terrifies me.

Now let me tell you about my drive this morning..... I walk out of the house about 7:00 this morning. As I walking out to the garage I noticed what looked like a light dusting of snow. Not too bad I was thinking and surely the highway must be fine, it wasn't too much below freezing and the salt trucks must have been out by now. I get in my car and drive about 2 miles and take the entrance ramp to West I-94. Merging into traffic I'm cautious and anxious to see if the road is slippery. I get up to about 50 mph and the back end of my car does this little fish tail thing making my blood pressure rise and my fingers tighten around the steering wheel. Immediately I lower my speed and set in for who knows what is ahead of me for the next 20 miles. It's an all too familiar feeling.

Driving a few more miles I see 2 cars in the ditch and it looks like they have hit each other. The cops are not even on the scene yet. A few more miles I see flashing red lights. By this time the traffic is down to 30 mph. As I'm approaching the flashing lights I can now see it's another car in the ditch. I slowly change lanes to be in the opposite lane as the police car (this is a law in Michigan). Trying to change lanes on a sheet of ice makes me very nervous (as if I'm not nervous enough!) but I manage to do it.

Ok, now I am past the cop car and traffic is still going about 30 miles per hour. I have no desire to go any faster but the SUV behind me thought I was going too slow and decided to pass me. When he or she was directly beside me they completely lost control. Next thing I know their headlights are shinning directly at my door. At this point I am praying "Please Lord SAVE me and don't let this SUV cram into me. Oh please, oh please oh please!". By the grace of God somehow they missed me and flew in behind my car doing about 2 complete circles.

Shortly thereafter I exit the highway. By this time I am totally stressed and I want to cry. And all these thoughts are going through my head..... How much more of this winter driving can I take? I'm too old for this s***! I've been doing this for 25 years!!!! I'm lucky to be alive. Craig only drives 5 miles to work and drives a truck! I'm quitting my job, I refuse to do this any longer! I wonder how many years all this has taken off my life?.....

When I get to the hospital and safely park in the parking garage I call Craig on my cell, who I might add is in sunny Orlando this week! When he answers I tell him I need some sympathy and he listens to my story, the same one he has heard over and over. He tells me he understands and he's sorry, but somehow I don't think he understands at all. I feel a little better being able to rant for a few minutes. It takes me well into our first surgery of the day before I'm feeling normal again.

You might think that this story is not the norm but it is! OK, maybe I don't always have headlights shinning directly at me every day but normal winter driving is seeing multiple cars in the ditch, accidents, driving 30 mph, dealing with white out conditions. Of course some winters are worse than others. Last winter was an unusually bad winter for driving to work and I haven't forgotten it yet. After this morning I'm wondering what kind of winter driving I have to look forward to for the rest of this winter... it's only Dec. 7th! Oh, and as I type this we are under a winter storm advisory this very moment. What will tomorrow morning be like when I wake up?

You very rarely hear me talk about disliking snow or winter. In fact I LOVE winter. I think it's one of the most beautiful seasons we have. Our whole family loves to play in the snow (snowmobile). I love being home on the snowiest of days all nestled in my warm safe house. I just really DISLIKE driving in it!

Sorry to be using my blog to vent.....

Christmases Past

2009-12-06T18:28:00.003-05:00

Christmas 2004

5 years ago......

Happy Birthday!

2009-12-03T11:00:00.000-05:00

Today my hubby turns 46. Craig was 22 when we married. Wow, we've spent more years of our life married than not. Everyday I grow more grateful for this man.

I love you! Happy Birthday Craig.

Another Chapter

2009-12-03T06:00:00.003-05:00

Jordan got her acceptance letter in the mail yesterday from Ferris. She was in Chicago when the package arrived. I knew what it was without even opening it. That girl is so intelligent and amazing that I knew without a doubt it was an acceptance letter. I sent her a text and told her there was a big white envelope from Ferris Office of Admissions waiting for her when she got home. Of course I got a text back "DON'T OPEN IT!".

Now the part where I get to brag on Jordan. Ferris is registering her as an honor student. She'll register for honors classes, will live in an honors dorm and have a private room. And best of all... Ferris is giving her an awesome scholarship based on her GPA and ACT scores. Her scholarship will consist of approximately half of her room and board renewable for 4 years! What a blessing that is and what an honor for Jordan. She's worked hard and has truly earned it.

I've got 9 months to get used to the fact that Jordan will be leaving us. I'm excited for her and at the same time apprehensive of not being able to tuck Jordan in each night. I know that this is just another chapter in Jordan's life with many more to come and I look forward to what the future brings.

Congratulations Jordan. I love you!

It's beginning to look a lot like......

2009-12-01T08:05:00.003-05:00

....Christmas. We were busy last weekend putting up our Christmas tree, decorations and lights.

Craig and Jordan didn't let the cold rainy day stop them from putting up the outdoor lights.

Now if we could just get some snow. Last year at this time we had over a foot of snow already.

We are ready to break out the snowmobiles.

This makes me happy

2009-11-29T20:51:00.003-05:00

Josh (Caleb's buddy) was home this weekend from college so the gang got together tonight and had pizza at our house. I'm going to miss these days when all the kids grow up and go wherever life takes them. I sure am crazy about these kids!

Thanksgiving 09

2009-11-27T21:42:00.004-05:00

This was the beautiful Thanksgiving altar at our church last Sunday, compliments of my Mother. She arranged and set it all up. She so talented.

And here's a photo from our Thanksgiving yesterday with my parents. We really enjoyed a quiet intimate dinner with them this year. Only 6 of us around the table. But that didn't stop us from having the works! Ham, turkey, dressing, the whole nine yards!

I love this photo!

Caleb pouring our traditional sparkling grape juice.

time to eat.

This was my favorite photo from the day.

My favorite thing last week....

2009-11-24T19:34:00.005-05:00

Some months ago Sarett Nature Center announced their used "nature" book sale that was coming up. They asked for gently used nature themed books to be donated for a book sale they had planned as a fund raiser. I rounded up 4 bags of books (thank you Anne for your donation too) and donated them. I could hardly wait for the sale to start Saturday morning. What could be more up my alley??!! I love books, I love nature, and I love a bargain. Do you know that I came home with about 30 books!!!! And I only spent $20!!! I could have spent more than that on ONE book at the book store. I got books on nature quotes from famous people, nature artists, nature photography, bird field guides, bird life, mammals, wildflowers, wild mushrooms, alaskan adventures, national parks, insects, sea life, hummingbirds..... the list goes on. I have my whole winters reading and then some.

I love my birdies!

2009-11-23T07:55:00.002-05:00

We've been so busy lately that I haven't gotten outside much to photograph my birds. I managed to get outside for a few minutes yesterday. Mr. Redbellied is so beautiful!

I'm looking forward to snow arriving soon. Winter is my favorite time to photograph birds as well as all things in nature. The birds are always abundant and active and everything is so crisp and clean.

Craig was busy all weekend with the snowmobile club marking the snowmobile trails. It's official now..... winter will be arriving soon.

Seadra and Zoe's new friend

2009-11-22T14:10:00.003-05:00

When I got home from church this afternoon this was the view outside.

And this was the view from inside the house. Seadra and Zoe have a new friend.

This drives Seadra nuts! Nothing gets her more excited than a squirrel.

Now I have to figure out a way to keep their new friend off the bird feeder.

Why am I smiling?

2009-11-20T19:28:00.005-05:00

Take a good look at this photo. Why do you think I'm smiling? Why am I hugging on Craig? Could it be because I'm on a cruise in the Caribbean with my wonderful husband? Could it be because we are on St. Maarten, a beautiful island? Could it be because we are posing in front of our amazing cruise ship? Or....... could it be that Craig just bought something and he's carrying it in that bag? And could that something in the bag be for me?????

The last thing I expected to come home with from our cruise was the camera that I've been dreaming about for the last 6 months. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this camera. It's a canon T1i, SLR, 15mp, and it shoots HD video too.

Now you know why I was smiling in that photo!

Our Cruise

2009-11-20T08:09:00.000-05:00

We had a wonderful time on our cruise! Back in Feb. Kay and Roger invited us to join them on a 7 days Caribbean cruise in Nov. The time finally arrived and we really enjoyed it all! Trying to go through all 500 photos and pick out a few to show you is nearly impossible........

We had 4 stops, St. Maarten, St. Thomas, Grand Turk and Princess Cays (a Princess owned Bahama island).

Just like everyone talks about who have been on cruises... the food was wonderful, the sights were fantastic, the entertainment was awesome, the ship was magnificent.... and they treated us like royalty!

The first 3 days we had really rough seas from Hurricane Ida. Even though we were 500 miles from the hurricane we still had the winds from her. I was really surprised at how much our ship rocked around, so much so that you occasionally you needed to grab onto something to stay standing. As long as I kept Dramamine in me I was fine and didn't feel sick.

Of course I was hoping to see some whales or dolphins. We didn't see any whales but we did see some dolphins jumping along side the ship.

On Grand Turk we took a small boat ride out to a reef and snorkeled. It was soooooo beautiful. I could have stayed there all day.

On the deck pulling into Grand Turk.

On the dock at St. Maarten.

Our ship docked one evening.

This was the view from our balcony at night.... breathtaking!

Nature Reserve in Lakeland Florida

2009-11-19T07:41:00.008-05:00

Some friends of Kay and Roger (Craig's parents) told them about a nature reserve in Lakeland Florida where they enjoy visiting. Knowing I would like this place we went on Saturday afternoon. What an amazing place! Wow, I would love to live close to this reserve so I could visit more often. The name of this place is Circle B Bar Reserve. If you ever get to Florida and have an opportunity to visit here it is a must see.

The reserve is over 1200 acres and used to be a cattle ranch. In 2000 the land was acquired by the county and they are returning it to it's original state as a nature reserve for wildlife. There is just something special about seeing an animal/bird in it's natural habitat. All the photos you see in this post were taken at the reserve and all the birds were wild.

I just couldn't get enough of this place. We didn't arrive until mid afternoon so we only had a few hours of daylight before having to leave. There were a lot more trails and areas to see that we didn't get to.

This guy was my favorite! His head was featherless and all scaly. I looked him up and he's a "Wood Stork", the only north american stork and he's only found in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Texas.

I've never had an appreciation for wading birds. I guess mostly because there is rarely such birds here in Michigan but after visiting this place I have a new fondness for them. They are beautiful!

There were a lot of hawks flying around.

Even bald eagles were there! The trails to their nesting area was blocked off so we couldn't get very close to them.

Rosetta Spoonbills.

Looking forward to my next visit to the "Circle B Bar Reserve", whenever that shall be.

I'm Back

2009-11-17T08:02:00.003-05:00

Hello my faithful blog followers. I know you are feeling neglected these days. But do not give up on me. I throughly enjoy my blog and do not intend to stop blogging any time soon. I know it's the same old song and dance but time seems to be flying by. Jordan's senior year keeps us hopping from one activity to another and we are relishing every moment of it.

The latest news around here is that we just got home from a 10 day vacation in Florida and the Caribbean. We went on a cruise with Craig's parents. It was wonderful. I'll spend the next week blogging about our trip.

We had a couple of days in Florida before we left on the cruise and Kay and Roger had a few wonderful things planned for us. Early Saturday morning we went on a 90 minute airboat ride down this amazing river and lake. Weeks ago I had mentioned that I really wanted to go on one of those rides when we came down and Roger did his homework and asked around about where the best place to go would be. We were not disappointed!

I have a new appreciation for Florida's beauty.

This was an abandoned airplane that had been on the lake since 1979. Our guide had us walk out onto the wing for a photo.

My photos do not do it justice. Every turn we took was breathtaking.

We saw a few small alligators and our guide kept apologizing for not seeing any larger ones. Little did he know that seeing an alligator was not a priority to me..... I was much more interested in the birds! And they were everywhere!!!!

It was truly a gift.

Cruising on a big ship on the big water

2009-11-05T16:18:00.005-05:00

Sorry for my lack of posts lately. We've been crazy busy finishing up marching season and cross country with Jordan and a million other things in between. But the good news is....... we are leaving tomorrow on a much needed and anticipated vacation. We are flying into Orlando tomorrow and then Sunday leaving Fort Lauderdale on this beautiful cruise ship. Craig and I are going on an Eastern Caribbean Cruise with his parents. We've had this cruise booked since Feb. and it is finally here. Craig and I have never been on a cruise before so we are really excited to experience this. Supposedly the ship has wi-fi so I will be taking my laptop along. Check back for updates. Hopefully I'll be able to do some postings.

My New Friend

2009-10-26T21:06:00.002-04:00

Meet my new friend... The Red Breasted Nuthatch. I've always had the White Breasted at my feeders but never the Red Breasted until this fall. I was so excited to see him a few weeks ago. Best I can tell I have about 3 of them visiting me. I was able to get outside this afternoon and get a few shots of him. I hope he stays around all winter.

We haven't had a very good fall weather wise. Cold and rainy! The nice days we've had have been few and far between. So consequently I haven't been able to get outside with my camera like I want to. In less than two weeks Craig and I are leaving on our long anticipated Eastern Caribbean cruise. I'm so looking forward to warm sunny weather and lots of photos of unusual birds on the islands that I've never seen before. Oh... I can hardly wait.

You gotta try this stuff

2009-10-24T20:01:00.002-04:00

I just recently discovered "Yes to Carrots" products..... and I am hooked! I don't usually plug products on my blog but I had to pass this one along. Jordan used the shampoo at a friends house this past summer and came home raving about it. She looked it up online and encouraged me to order some for us. I wasn't in any hurry as I am used to buying my Suave at $1.49 a bottle. Yes to Carrots shampoo and conditioner is approximately $6.50 a bottle at Target. Well, we tried it last week and I think it will be hard for me to go back to Suave. If you want to treat yourself to something really awesome buy yourself a bottle of the shampoo and conditioner. The smell is wonderful and your hair will feel so soft.

They have many other products as well, including lotions, make-up, etc. Click here to view their website. I enjoyed the hair products so much that I just ordered some hand cream to try.

The Rivers Edge

2009-10-14T20:58:00.002-04:00

You may remember this photo that I took and posted a few weeks ago from my visit to a local bird sanctuary. I also posted this photo on Facebook and a friend of mine from work (Yvonne) took the photo and did a drawing of it. I was pleasantly surprised to see the drawing this morning when I logged onto Facebook.

Yvonne is very talented. I wish I had some of her talent. She titled the drawing "The Rivers Edge".

Making the most of it....

2009-10-12T15:50:00.002-04:00

Each time Jordan has a band competition I can't help but think.... "this is the last year". Craig and I not wanting to miss a moment of it.

The next 3 Saturday's are important MCBA (Michigan Competing Band Association) competitions, followed by state competition at Ford Field in Detroit on Nov. 7th.

Unfortunately, Craig and I will be missing the state finals this year because we will be on a cruise. We are thrilled to be going on a cruise but disappointed that the dates happened to coincide.

We are so looking forward to the next 3 weeks of competitions.

Bird Sanctuary Part 2

2009-10-06T07:52:00.002-04:00

Following are additional photos from my visit to the Kellogg Bird Sanctuary last week.

Canadian Geese were very abundant.

Bald Eagle from their birds of prey exhibit. All of them had been injured birds that wouldn't be able to survive in the wild.

Mute Swans

I don't remember what kind of an owl this was.

Beautiful red tailed hawk.

This peacock was just wondering around the grounds like he owned the place. Beautiful bird!

Trumpeter Swans

2009-10-05T21:57:00.005-04:00

Last Thursday I took a drive to the Kellogg Bird Sanctuary in Augusta north of Kalamazoo. I had never been there before and had wanted to visit it for sometime. At the welcome center a lady told me that there was a pair of trumpeter swans on the lake that had hatched 5 babies this summer. They were easy to spot. The babies are as big as the parents but not white yet. Their were other trumpeter swans there as well but this was the only family.

They were VERY entertaining to watch. The Momma and Daddy swan were very protective of their babies and didn't allow any of the other trumpeter swans to get near them.

They would do this very intimidating thing where they would aggressively chase the other swans. They would raise up and run on the water slapping the water with their webbed feet. You would be surprised how loud it was. And they would be honking away the whole time.

It was actually comical to watch.

The welcome center sells buckets of corn for the public to feed the birds so they were not really afraid of people. I was able to get some neat photos.

It was a very enjoyable visit and I'm sure I'll go again sometime. In addition to the swans there were many geese, ducks, and heron on the lake. There was also a section of caged birds of prey (owls and hawks) that was interesting to look at. More photos to follow of my visit in my next post.

New Side Bar Links

2009-10-05T17:19:00.001-04:00

I'm in the process of reorganizing some of my side bar links and have added a new section of links to my favorite Nature Centers and Organizations. Enjoy!

New Look

2009-10-05T11:18:00.003-04:00

I decided to play around with my blog background this morning. I found this great site with hundreds of free blogger backgrounds. If you are interested check it out.

Hot Bliggity Blog

Soup Supper 2009

2009-10-04T15:59:00.004-04:00

For all our Eagle Lake Family and Friends.....

RIP Bageera

2009-09-29T20:34:00.002-04:00

We lost a dear friend today. Fifteen years ago we decided we wanted a kitten. We went to the Humane Society and spent several hours handling and playing with all the kittens. Bageera, as we later named her, caught our eye. She had been found at a rest a stop on the highway along with her litter mates and brought to the shelter. She was so relaxed and would let you hold her in any position. Honestly, I had never seen a more relaxed cat or a more friendly one. She was special. She quickly became known for her ravenous appetite. She was like a dog. When I went grocery shopping I had to immediately put the groceries away or she would rummage through all the groceries bags and little cat teeth holes would be in all the food packages. We would wake up in the middle of the night to her banging on the cupboard doors where her cat food was kept. She loved her food.

Bageera lived with us for 8 wonderful years. But due to Craig's allergies becoming increasingly worse we made the difficult decision for her to go live at my parents house. We missed Bageera but still got to see her often. She was still "our" cat. For the last 7 years of her life she has lived with Gram and Pa-Pa and they gave her a wonderful life there. I am very grateful to them for that. Her kidneys had been failing for the last few years and today she was having major seizures. The vet said we could send her to the emergency hospital in Kalamazoo and put her on some extensive medical treatments but we felt it was time to say goodbye. Dad buried her in a beautiful garden. We'll miss you..........

Mommy loves us

2009-09-28T21:38:00.002-04:00

I think we've died and gone to heaven. Look what Mom brought home from the grocery store for us! A ham bone!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Daddy sawed it in half and Seadra and I each got a piece. I don't know why Mom was feeling so generous. We only get a treat like this about twice a year.

Oh Yea!! It doesn't get any better than this.

Mom, put that camera away and don't even think about taking away my ham bone.

This is the life!

Cooking for the birds

2009-09-27T16:44:00.004-04:00

For some time now I've been wanting to make my own suet cakes for the birds. I've been reading up on the internet on how to do it. Most sights suggest you get beef fat from around the kidney from your butcher. Then there's the process of boiling down the fat and some say to do this outside because the smell is not pleasant. From there you add your other ingredients.

Well, I got my new "Birds and Blooms" magazine in the mail last week and there were several recipes for making your own suet that sounded so much easier than what I was reading on the internet. Yesterday I made my first batch. It couldn't have been any easier.....

Melt together:

2 cups Lard

1 cup peanut Butter

Then stir in:

2 cups Corn Meal

(note: make sure you use Lard which is animal fat and not shortening which is vegetable)

You can add anything you want such as seeds, raisins, oatmeal, etc. I just used crunchy peanut butter to give it some chunks. You can use anything to pour the mixture in. I used muffin tins and some shallow dishes.

Place the pans in the freezer and when completely frozen the suet will pop out easily.

I cut the suet into squares about the same size as my suet cages. Make sure you store the suet in the freezer. At room temperature the consistency is not much thicker than peanut butter. It's also best to use this suet in cold weather so it doesn't become too soft outside.

I'm anxious for my birds to test my suet. I'm waiting for them to finish up what's already in the feeders before I surprise them with their new suet treat.

New sport for Jordan

2009-09-24T20:24:00.002-04:00

We are experiencing something new this year with Jordan... "Cross Country".

Jordan is not a long distance runner so she really went out on a limb deciding to run cross. Her motivation was to do a sport to help her stay in shape for track season. But it has turned into so much more than that for her. She never is at the top of her pack but each week she improves and sets goals for herself.

One day last week she had a particular bad day at practice and came home in tears. Coach mentioned a time that she should shoot for that was longer than the other girls were encouraged to shoot for. Jordan took this as Coach not having faith in her ability or confidence in her. Going into todays meet Jordan's best time was 29 minutes 55 seconds. Coach had told Jordan that he hoped Jordan's best time would be 28 minutes 30 seconds before the season was over.

.....well, Jordan passed the finish line at 28 minutes 3 seconds today!!!! Jordan was in tears when I approached her at the finish line. I asked her what was wrong not realizing they were tears of joy. She said "Mom, I ran really good". I grabbed her and gave her a hug and then I cried myself. It's times like these that make being a parent the BEST thing in the world!

Here's Coach congratulating Jordan and telling her how proud he is of her.... But he's not as proud as I am!

The Jeep is DONE

2009-09-21T17:54:00.003-04:00

It was a 6 month long project but it is finally done! Craig personally gave the Jeep a complete overhaul. New motor, new exterior (paint job), new interior, new wheels and tires.

We've been taking advantage of this wonderful weather the last few weeks and driving it every chance we get. Craig and I love to take the Jeep out on roads we've never been before. We just get in and drive and drive until we finally come out somewhere that we recognize.

Craig's very proud of his Jeep.

Congratulations HIEV

2009-09-20T08:27:00.002-04:00

Congratulations to Jordan and to the "Hartford Indian Emerald Vanguard" on their first place award at the Rockford Invitational yesterday afternoon. They placed first out of 8 bands!

Kindness

2009-09-19T08:58:00.003-04:00

I was the recipient of a random act of kindness from a stranger yesterday. I wanted to share it with you. It was a small thing but had a big impact on me. I was at work and it was lunch time. I was in the hospital cafeteria in line at the cash register getting ready to pay for my lunch. Just as I was handing my debit card to the cashier to pay for my salad a stranger walks up to the cashier and hands the cashier a $5 bill as he says... "I'm buying her lunch today". This man, I'm guessing he was in his 50's, was a total stranger to me. And I have to admit... my first reaction was what kind of a sleazy weirdo was he, was he trying to hit on me or something? People just don't do that type of thing for no reason. No sooner had that thought entered my mind he says to me "Return the favor to someone else someday" and then he disappeared. I barely got the chance to utter Thank You. The cashier must have sensed my apprehension as he proceeded to tell me not to worry because he was harmless and often does that. WOW!

I couldn't get the smile off my face all the way back to my department. I didn't need that man to buy my lunch. Just the fact that there are people in this world who are willing to do such a thing made me smile. I bet he has no idea that I am still thinking about that small gesture he made yesterday or that I am blogging about it today.

Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God's kindness: kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile..... Mother Teresa

An afternoon walk

2009-09-17T19:32:00.004-04:00

I was anticipating getting off work a little early this afternoon so when I left this morning I grabbed my camera and an old pair of shoes and threw them into the car. I finished work around 2:00 and then headed over to Sarett Nature Center. I walked around the marsh trails for about an hour and a half. I need to do that more often. Enjoy the pictorial from my walk.

The Camouflaged Cat

2009-09-16T20:08:00.003-04:00

I call this my bird garden. It's a little area on the edge of the back yard tucked under some trees. I don't have much planted in there except hostas but my birds love it. It's protected under the trees so they feel safe. I have several feeders and bird baths in there. I often sit in the back yard facing this little bird sanctuary with my binoculars and camera. Lately when I'm filling my feeders and cleaning around them I've noticed a lot of bird feathers on the ground like something has been attacking my precious birds. Today I even saw dismembered bird parts. And for the last several weeks I've seen a cat dart away when I walk towards that area. This does not make me happy!

Today I was sitting out in the yard enjoying the scenery when I saw a cat fly up out of nowhere and grab a bird right in front of my eyes! A short time later I walked over to the area and look what I spotted. This darn cat has his own camouflaged hideaway. I bet he spends all day there! And I bet he's a happy fat cat because of my bird garden!

Very soon this cat will be finding a new home.

America's Best Idea

2009-09-16T17:09:00.005-04:00

There's a new documentary coming out on PBS starting Sept 27th for 6 nights. I am excited about it! Craig and I went to a preview showing in Kalamazoo Monday night and we listened to a park ranger from Sleeping Bear Dunes talk. I've always been fascinated by the National Parks and have dreamed of visiting them for a long time. We hope to head out west next summer to visit some. Anyway... this 12 hour documentary shows the beauty, history and so much more of the parks. Did you know there are 58 national parks in the US totaling more than 84 million acres? You can click here for the website and more info about the film. I encourage you to tune in. I know I will.

Fall is on the way.....

2009-09-11T14:49:00.002-04:00

I went to Jo-Anne's today and bought my yearly scarecrow and crow. Aren't they cute? They are really cheaply made but at $6 a piece I just throw them away at the end of the season.

Why do I love this time of year?

Cooler temperatures with lots of sunshine, warm during the day, cool at night, low humidity.... all the windows are open!

I bought my first pack of caramel apples today and already I've eaten 2 of them!

Football games and marching band competitions. Go "Hartford Indian Emerald Vanguard"

Big pots of soup, chili and goulash.

Sweatshirts and blue jeans.

Changing colors and falling leaves.

Rides in the Jeep with the top off.

Soon my pine siskins, juncos, redpolls, and other winter birds will be back.

What I'm willing to spend money on....

2009-09-06T22:47:00.008-04:00

People who know me know that I am very frugal. I love shopping at thrift stores, grocery shopping at Save-a-lot or Aldi's, and going to flea markets and yard sales. It's almost like a game to me to see what kind of bargains or deals that I can find. But there are a few exceptions:

My Mac laptop! One of the doctors that I work for is a huge fan of Mac's and finally convinced me to try a Mac when I was in the market for a new computer. Mac has totally transformed me! I no longer want to throw my computer at the wall out of frustration. It is so easy to use and never gives me a bit of trouble. I will never buy another PC again.

There's a story behind my Maui Jim sunglasses. For years Craig and the kids have had expensive Oakley sunglasses. I always thought it was such a waste of money to spend that kind of money on a pair of sunglasses. Every year I would go and buy myself a cheap $10 pair but I never really liked any of them. They never fit right and always hurt my head but I still refused to purchase an expensive pair. One day Craig and I were in the mall and he walked me over to the Sunglass Hut store and had me try on a several pair of sunglasses. Before I knew it I had walked away with a $200 pair of sunglasses! The guilt I felt driving home knowing I had just spent that kind of money on a pair of sunglasses was overwhelming. But let me tell you, the guilt didn't last long and I now cannot live without my Maui Jim sunglasses!

You knew my birds had to belong to this list. I have tried every kind of cheap bird feeder on the market and I finally have realized it does not pay to buy a cheap feeder. I am a huge fan of Stokes bird feeders! They are sturdy and hold up in all kinds of weather. I have Stokes tube feeders, hoppers, platform feeders... they are awesome. Check them out the next time you are in the store (I find mine at Tractor Supply Company) they also have a website.

I still find myself occasionally buying another kind of laundry soap when I see something else on sale but I always go back to Tide. Nothing compares.

And here is my one beauty indulgence. If I could only have one beauty product this is the one I couldn't do without. I don't know how many different types of facial moisturizer I tried before a friend told me about Olay daily regenerating serum. It's the first thing I reach for out of the shower each morning. It's expensive at nearly $20 an ounce but it lasts a long time and is so worth it.

Bird Banding

2009-09-03T17:14:00.002-04:00

Jordan and I went to the Kalamazoo Nature Center today. We walked around a bit and came upon a group of people catching birds in nets and then banding them and letting them go. We watched them band a downy woodpecker and a red eyed vireo. They had about 6 little cloth bags with birds squirming around inside them. Oh how I wanted to look in all those bags and see every one of those birds up close.

They let Jordan release the vireo. It was pretty neat and I was really envious watching them. As we were walking away Jordan said "Mom, you need a job like that."

Can it get any better?

2009-09-02T06:45:00.002-04:00

Look at the weather forecast! It just can't get any better for the holiday weekend. We're taking the trailer out to the cottage for the weekend. Yahoo!

Happy Birthday Dad

2009-09-01T17:08:00.003-04:00

Friday was my Dad's 65th Birthday. Happy Birthday Dad!

I wanted to show you what I gave him for his birthday. Above is a photo of their dog Lu-Lu. I commissioned a painting of Lu-Lu for him. Below is the actual watercolor painting. The woman that does these pet portraits is amazing. Her name is Cynthia Snyder and she lives in Bridgeman Michigan. Her prices are VERY reasonable. If you are interested in hiring her for a portrait I can give you her information. She doesn't have a website.

My Dad loved it. I'm thinking about having her do Seadra and Zoe for me.

Goldfinches Galore

2009-08-30T17:06:00.002-04:00

I don't know where all my Goldfinches have come from but I sure an enjoying them. I've never had so many before.

After a week solid of cold, cloudy, rainy weather we finally had a beautiful day today!

The sun was perfect for photographing these beauties.

I spotted a hawk

2009-08-30T10:14:00.004-04:00

I went up to the gas station this morning on a donut run. As I was pulling out I spotted this hawk (red tailed??). I tried to get a photo of him but I was facing the sun and I couldn't get a very good shot of him. But it was still neat just the same. He let me watch him for about 5 minutes then he flew away. I'm assuming he was looking for breakfast.

WANTED....

2009-08-27T18:15:00.002-04:00

Dear Friends and Family.... Our local nature center (Sarett Nature Center) is planning a fund raiser on Saturday Nov.21st. They are having a used "nature" book sale and are looking for donations. Being the book worm and nature lover that I am I thought this was a wonderful idea. So I am asking for donations of nature books that you might have laying around that you no longer want. I know I have quite a few myself. If you have any books you might like to donate I will personally take them to Sarett. The books can be about anything such as birds, gardening, travel, animals, astrology, recycling, etc, etc...... Let me know if you'd like to unload some books, this is a great cause. Thanks so much!

Senior Photos Take One

2009-08-25T14:37:00.003-04:00

Senior year for Jordan means senior photos. We are attempting to take the photos ourselves. We plan on having many photo shoots and here are the results of our first shoot. I took Jordan over to my Dad's sunflower field and tried to be creative. We have plans to take photos of her in her drum major uniform, with her oboe, at the beach, at Fernwood (botanical garden), in her letter jacket, etc, etc. I think the first ones turned out pretty good, hopefully we will keep improving and get some awesome photos. I'll post more shoots as time goes on. If you like a particular photo please say so. Thanks.

WHOSE THE LEADER OF THE BAND??!!

2009-08-23T19:38:00.008-04:00

J*O*R*D*A*N

(photos from band camp 09)

Summer Photos

2009-08-20T18:40:00.002-04:00

Now that we are into our last few weeks of summer I have been trying to get outside with my camera a little more to capture of some of it before it's gone. I chased this butterfly around yesterday.

This side view was my favorite. Click on this photo to enlarge. His body is magnificent.

And I don't know how much longer we will be able to enjoy our hummingbirds before they head south. I love my hummingbirds!

Sunflower Field

2009-08-19T18:02:00.004-04:00

My Dad did something new this year. In the apple orchard on their property is a small clearing where a few rows of trees have been removed. In the spring Dad tilled up the soil and then threw sunflowers all over it. He never watered it, never weeded it... just let nature takes its course. And look at the outcome! It is beautiful! And is it ever buzzing with bees. When the sunflowers mature I bet it will be a favorite place of birds too. I hope he makes this an annual thing.

Goodbye Little Ones....

2009-08-19T17:46:00.002-04:00

I just happened to walk outside this morning at the exact moment the baby wrens were fledging. I ran inside and grabbed my camera. Momma was in a nearby tree calling them. I watched three of them fly away. Soooooo cute! It only took about 10 minutes.

Come on Little One, don't be afraid.

Oh, how sweet!

"Where is my Momma?"

Fly away Little One... Be safe!

Baby Wren

2009-08-18T19:18:00.004-04:00

My poor birdies have been neglected lately, same thing with my blog. I stopped feeding my birds for a few months when the bluebirds showed up. I was trying to keep the bluebirds safe and undisturbed so I figured not feeding the other birds would help. Sooooo, now the bluebirds are gone and I am REALLY missing my regular birds. For the last few weeks I've been trying to entice them back and slowly but surely they are returning. My goldfinches, chickadees, nuthatches, blue jays, and titmice are here. I'm still waiting for my beloved woodpeckers.

And I still do have one nesting bird in the back yard. A precious little wren. The photo above shows one of the babies peeking out into the world. I'm betting they will be fledging any day. This little guy looked so tempted to jump out. He'd stick his whole body out but then he'd get scared and dart back in.

Summer is winding down and we are looking forward to school, marching season, and all the wonderful things that fall holds. Yesterday Jordan was working on college applications and essays. Craig, Jordan and I will be making visits to U of M and Ferris State in the next few weeks. This will be an exciting year for her and a hard one for Mom! Soon Jordan will be the one fledging!

On vacation

2009-08-12T18:42:00.004-04:00

We are up north near Silver Lake camping this week (the campground has wi-fi). Craig brought Jordan, Ian and I up last night and set up the trailer for us. He had to work the next 2 days so he'll be joining us again Thursday night. Caleb and his friends showed up this afternoon but headed right over to the dunes with the dunebuggy. And even more friends and relatives are joining us on the weekend.

The weather is perfect for camping! Warm during the day and cool at night. Today we went on the Mac Woods Dune ride, and then Jordan and Ian went horse back riding. Tomorrow the kids are going to Michigan Adventure (an amusement park) and I'm hitting the antique stores. Already I'm feeling relaxed. I sooooo needed this little vacation.

On the weekend most everyone will be spending the majority of time in the dunes. I'll join them from time to time but my thing will be relaxing by the fire, visiting road side farmer stands, cooking yummy things, playing with my photography, walking on the nature trails, etc, etc.

It's going to be a great week!

The best season yet

2009-08-04T17:37:00.002-04:00

We took Jordan to band camp Sunday evening. I'm excited for another awesome marching season but I'm also a little sad that this is Jordan's senior year which means it's the last marching season ever. Of all of Jordan's activities and organizations I think marching season is my favorite.

Craig's been going up to band camp each morning and helping with breakfast. I'm spending the night there on Thursday as a room chaperone. This year is going to fly by so we want to relish it as much as possible.

More to follow on marching season......

Hummingbirds

2009-08-03T17:00:00.004-04:00

I took my camera over to my parents yesterday to photograph my Dad's hummingbirds. It is amazing how many hummingbirds he has at his feeders. At least 15 or 20 or constantly buzzing around.

These were my best shots.

Click on the photos to enlarge and check out the detail on these little beauties.

Thrift Store Finds

2009-07-31T07:37:00.002-04:00

One of my favorite things to do is shop thrift stores. Some of my recent finds:

A leather laptop case that fits my mac perfect for $2.99 and in perfect condition!

Valance curtains for the camper. They only needed to be altered slightly and I covered all the windows for $5.00.

3 cute summer purses that look new for between $2 and $3 each.

After years of being washed in the dishwasher all my drinking glasses where looking terrible. I found a 16 piece set at goodwill last week for 12 cents each. Now I have beautiful crystal clear glasses again.

A Columbia wide brim gardening hat for $2. I'd been looking at the same hat at Bass Pro for $25!

A vintage hand embroidered table cloth for $6. Looks like it was custom made for my kitchen table. Similar ones sell for 30 to 50 dollars at the antique stores.

I found this great website for people who enjoy thrift store shopping. It has a thrift store finder and also rates the stores. Happy Thrifting!!

http://www.thethriftshopper.com/

Mushrooms in the lawn

2009-07-28T19:53:00.004-04:00

As I was leaving in my car for work this morning I glanced back at the yard. I thought someone had littered the yard with trash. I figured I'd take care of it when I got home.

When I got home this afternoon it had grown. It wasn't trash at all but mushrooms!

This isn't an unusual sight in the spring but it is for the middle of July.

I know a lot of people are complaining about the cool wet summer we are having but I am in heaven! If I could order the weather this would be my summer. I can count on one hand how many days we have run the air conditioner. The windows are opened all day and night and the fresh air is wonderful.

I took my camera outside and laid down in the grass trying to be artistic.

This was my favorite mushroom.

Top view.

And here's the same mushroom to give you an idea how big it was.

45 years ago today.....

2009-07-23T15:30:00.003-04:00

...... my parents said "I Do"

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!

Oh My... In 5 more years you will have been married 50 years!

What I've been up to and some sad news

2009-07-21T08:45:00.004-04:00

First the sad news.... All 5 of my baby bluebirds did not make it. I feel terrible. As you may know I have tried for 3 years to attract bluebirds and my first time having them was a complete failure. I wonder if I'll ever have another one. You might remember that the Daddy bluebird disappeared a few days after the babies hatched (I assumed a cat or a hawk got him). Poor Momma bluebird was trying her best to feed all 5 of them on her own and I was trying to help her by giving extra worms. At first I thought things were going pretty good. But as the weeks went on I started to get concerned that they should have fledged and hadn't. But I could still hear the babies (I never peeked in after Daddy disappeared). We were out of town last week and when we left on Thursday I assumed they would be gone when we got home. It had been close to 5 weeks since they hatched and I was wondering why they were still in the nesting box. When we got home Sunday I could still hear one faintly chirping. At this point I figured something was wrong. I waited overnight and the next day I decided to look in the nesting box. All 5 were dead by this point. It was so pathetic! All had died at different stages and the surviving ones had lived on top of the dead and rotting babies until they all died. The only conclusion that I can come up with was that the Momma just couldn't feed all 5 on her own for them to have the proper nourishment they needed. Poor babies must have starved to death. I feel bad for not intervening when Daddy disappeared. Several people told us that we should take the babies out of the box and raise them ourselves but I wanted to give the Momma a chance and besides I didn't know if it was legal to do that. Oh well, I guess that is just nature but I wish it didn't have to be my bluebirds.

On a happier note Craig is making good progress on the Jeep. The engine is completely done and now he's on to the body work. This was the tricky part because Craig is not a body man, engines are his thing. Anyway, he's very happy with how it's turning out. The seats went back in last night. Hopefully in a few weeks it will be ready for the road and the dunes. This has been going on since last winter. I am really missing my Jeep rides this summer.

And even though the Jeep is not done yet we went to Silver Lake last week camping. We took the truck and the dune buggy out in the dunes.

Ty went with us. It was his first trip to Silver Lake and he throughly enjoyed it.

Jordan went too.

My brother from Florida was here visiting last week. It was a really nice visit and we all enjoyed being together.

Seems like yesterday we were teenagers. We are definitely not teenagers anymore.

And lastly my Mother's yard and gardens were in our local garden tour last weekend. Mom and Dad both worked very hard for weeks getting everything ready. It couldn't have been any more beautiful.

I wish you could all take a walk through my Mother's gardens. She is truly an artist. Yesterday was my Mom's birthday.... Happy Birthday to the greatest Mom ever! We spent the day together going out to breakfast and then hitting the antique and thrift stores all day. It was a wonderful day.

I hope all my blogger friends are doing well and hopefully I can make the rounds to all your blogs soon. Summer is keeping me busy.... life is good!

A Mullauer 4th of July

2009-07-06T16:25:00.006-04:00

The Mullauer family tradition for the 4th is spending the weekend at the cottage with family and friends. This has been the tradition for many generations and for many more to come. Above is Caleb with his girlfriend Christian. She spent the week with us and it was great getting to know her. She is a lovely person!

My niece Lauren... what a cutie!

Caleb and Christian enjoying the waverunner.

Dana and Roger (Craig's sister and Dad)

Jordan and my niece Bailey playing with a baby turtle

Jordan and Craig

The Peter's family (Craig's sister)

Craig and Kay (his Mother)

Craig's brother Brian

My nephew Dustin

Beautiful Jordan

The neighbors new puppy

Holding her own

2009-07-03T09:04:00.002-04:00

Momma Bluebird seems to be holding her own. Still no sign of Daddy.

Yesterday I ran out of mealworms and didn't get a chance to go to the wild bird store and buy some more so instead I ran to the bait store right here in town and bought some wax worms. I was afraid they would be too big but she isn't picky at all and feeds them to the babies as fast as she can.

Gotta go.... Those baby bluebirds are hungry again!

The Widow Bluebird

2009-07-01T21:42:00.002-04:00

I'm very sad. My Daddy Bluebird has disappeared. He has been gone for 2 days now. I know that if he was alive he would be here taking care of his wife and babies. So I can only assume the worst. I'm thinking a cat or a hawk got him.

I first noticed him missing yesterday evening. I didn't see him when I fed them, only Momma was there. I was busy so I didn't give it much thought. Then this morning, the same thing, only Momma was around again. That's when I started to get worried. As soon as I got home from work today I scoured the yard and there is no sign of him, not even a feather.

I feel bad enough that he is no longer here for me to enjoy but I feel even worse for Momma Bluebird. She is a devoted Momma and is trying her best to feed those 5 babies on her own. It just breaks my heart watching her. Do you think birds can feel abandoned and alone? She sure looks lonely to me. Maybe my imagination is getting carried away.

The only thing I can think of to do is put out more mealworms than usual. When I put out the worms Momma crams as many as she can at once in her beak and takes them into the house to the babies. I can hear the babies chirping away. She does this over and over until the worms are gone. Then she sits on the feeder and stares in my direction as if she asking and waiting for me to bring her more worms.

I hope her and the babies do OK. If it was a hawk that got Daddy Bluebird then I guess that is the cycle of life but if I find out that a cat got my Bluebird then I'm going to be on the war path.