Thursday, April 28, 2011

My Happy Fisherman

Landon's big catch!
He sure does LOVE to fish!

 Now we're getting a little carried away here!
(You couldn't pay me to do that in a million years!)

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

That Darn Bug

I am sick. I never get sick. I wash my hands 3,223 times a day and I never, ever put my fingers in my eyes, nose or mouth. Not even my ears. But somehow darned if I didn't manage to pick up a flu bug this weekend. It started Monday night with a horrible tummy ache and hot and cold flashes that lasted all night long.I even opened the window at one point! I didn't get any sleep at all. But, because I wasn't puking or doing any other unpleasant bodily functions, I didn't think it could be the flu and I opened my day care doors for business. Even though I could barely stand up, I still managed to greet the kids in my normal cheery morning manor. But, once the last child arrived I told Tim, "Don't go!" He let me lay down for a couple of hours and watched the kids for me. I woke up in time to make dinner and then put the kids down for their naps. While they napped, I prayed that I would at least throw up. Didn't happen. I called Tim and asked him to come back as I just couldn't stay awake and the pain was making me crazy. One of my aunt's had a heart attack in her 50's and I honestly was wondering if that might be what was happening to me. I researched the symptoms in woman and it said "flu like symptoms." Freaked me out a little it did. But, instead of going to the hospital like a crazy woman, I started popping all of Tim's heartburn meds. Zanac, gas x, tums, whatever I could find. Didn't work. Tim came home to watch the kids and I went back to bed. One of my dc mom's, Jody brought me some peppermint extract lotion and told me to rub it on my tummy. I have to say, it did help! (Remember that now, the next time you get a belly ache.) But, it wasn't until about 9 last night when I finally threw up about 5 gallons, that I knew I was going to live. The belly ache was now just a little one. Sweet relief! I have never been so happy to puke in my life. Today I closed my day care. I feel like a truck ran over me. It is about killing me though, to have a day off and to not be able to do anything. I am so weak. I emptied half the dishwasher and then had to lay down and rest. I got up and emptied the other half and once again, had to go lay down. As I type this, I am laying on the couch with Tim's laptop. Normally this post would take me just a couple of minutes to type up. I think it's been about 20 minutes. This is not working for me! My brain is saying, "Go! Go! Go!" and my body is saying, "No! No! No!" If this is a little taste of what it is going to be like when I am old, then I am not getting old. Nope. No can do. Not going there. I've got better things to do.

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Happy Easter!


Shhhh....
Landon's in the tub!
What he don't know, won't hurt him!
Happy Easter!
;)

Friday, April 22, 2011

I Am Blessed

As Easter approaches,
 it is a time to reflect on all our blessings
 and thank the Good Lord above.
I thank him for...

The endless mountain of dirty laundry.
The endless house cleaning.
And the endless piles of dirty dishes.
I am blessed to have a family to love and care for.

The flat tire that my husband had to change in the rain.
(After refusing to listen to me, when I told him to stop and get it fixed.)
I am blessed to have a vehicle to drive.

The loose shingles, chipping paint and drafty windows.
The cold floors that make me wear shoes all day long.
I am blessed to have a home.

The children who come to my home every day,
Who whine and cry and shriek so high the widows rattle.
Who make me change dirty diapers 2,344 times a day.
Who crawl up on my lap and tell me they love me and make it all better.
I am blessed with a job I love.

The crow's feet that frame my eyes, and the wrinkles that line my face.
I am blessed with friends who make me laugh.
Constantly.

My natural grey & white highlights.
I am blessed to have endured and survived,
many, many crazy rides in my life time.

The huge bags of garbage,
 that I have to haul out to the dumpster every day.
The boxes of "stuff" for the Boy's Ranch,
 that ride around in my car for months,
because I refuse to have another rummage sale.
I am blessed with more than enough.

So, I thank you Lord for all of the blessings
you have bestowed upon me.
I will receive them with open arms
 in whichever way you choose to deliver them.
But Lord, if there's any way you could give me
 a little notice and a running start....
I'd really appreciate it.

Amen.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

My New Purse Site!

It's here at last!!! My official WEB/BLOG PURSE SITE!!! No more waiting for a party or event, or for me to post pictures. Now you can just go to the site and shop 'til you drop 24/7. Yes, shopping in your p.j.'s at 3 in the morning is perfectly acceptable!! So, here you go girls....




www.desireeschicanduniquehandbags.blogspot.com



If your search engine won't let you in, just google it! Works everytime. :)

Monday, April 18, 2011

Here's Your Sign

See.
Ya ain't gotta have no collage edjacation to get a good jobe.
You can jest make sings.

A Good, Good Day!

Had lunch at my favorite place, (Chilli's)
 with one of my favorite friends, Dawn!
Strawberry Margarita's!
Strawberry Daiquiris!
Talk about a power lunch!
(Yes, we did have a little food with it.)
Sent her home with a car FULL of purses!!
Thank you, Dawn!

Dawn's sweet hubby, Brian.


Then on to meet Nancy at Caribou!!
I love their motto.
Life is short. Stay awake for it.

Having coffee with Nancy!
I sent her home with a purse too!
Thank you, Nancy.

The boys.
Kenny and Tim.
Don't they look happy?

I am so blessed.
Thank you Dawn and Nancy
for making my day such a good one!
Love you both!!

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Water, Water, Everywhere....

This is what the roads in Wahpeton were like last week.
If you look to the left, there is a two lane highway,
 somewhere under all that water!
It was a little freaky for me, I gotta tell ya!

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

My Name Is Desiree Siegel, And I Am A CoffeeMate Addict

(Half Awake)

I love my back deck. It's not big. It's not fancy. It's just right. The best time of the day for me is at sunrise. I love to sit out there with my cup of coffee and just....breathe. All alone in my moment of peace and quiet. While I love my deck, and my peaceful morning moment, I love my coffee more. I didn't used to be a coffee drinker. My parents didn't drink coffee, so I really wasn't around it much. When my grandparents or my parents friends, who were coffee drinkers would come to visit, they would be served Sanka. Instant coffee. Remember Sanka? I wonder if they even make it anymore. It came in a glass jar with an orange cover. My dad would store his little nails in those jars. Anyway, it wasn't until after high school, when was on my own, that I discovered that coffee could be a very good friend to me. Especially the morning "after!" But, I had to add either 5,345 Sweet and Lows or 7,887 spoons of sugar and a cup of milk to drink it. About 10 years ago, Tim and I were at a family get together at his mom and dad's house. Our nephew, Tylor was about 8 or so, and asked if he could go to the store and get a "treat." He came back with what he thought was a new special flavored milk. That new milk was actually French Vanilla CoffeeMate. Of course he was told he couldn't drink it, but not wanting it to go to waste, Tim's mom put on a pot of coffee and we tried it. As soon as I raised the cup to my lips, I was overcome with the tantalizing aroma of vanilla. It reminded me of the frosting my grandma used to put on my birthday cakes. I loved it. The coffee was so smooth and had just the right amount of sweetness. Nothing at all like the overly, bitterly, sugary, grainy, sweet stuff I had been know to drink on occasion. That first sip was the beginning of my CoffeeMate addiction. I can't even say I am addicted to coffee. It's not the coffee. It's the Mate! I will admit that I was so addicted at first, that I was drinking an entire pot of coffee every morning. By myself! I gained weight and I couldn't sleep at night. I was fat and wired! Because Osteoporosis runs in my family and coffee is a major bone marrow sucker, I knew I had a problem and needed to make some changes. So I switched to the fat free version, (I honestly can't tell the difference) and I now only have two (big) cups each morning. It wasn't a huge change, but I did it all on my own without attending any meetings! I am not ready to give it up all together though.
I will just take it one step at a time....

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Told Ya So!

Today Tim and I made yet another quick trip to Alex. As we were rolling down the highway, I noticed a rapid thudthudthudthud sound. I asked Tim, "Do you hear that?" To which he replied, "What?" I again said, "It sounds like thudthudthudthud. That doesn't sound good." He said he didn't hear anything. Now, that's just insane. I can't hear a thing and I heard it, so how could he not? So, once again I told him what I heard and told him to really listen. He said it was nothing. I didn't let up. I told him to pull the car over and he told me to cut it out and "just relax." That is not the right thing to tell me. It makes my blood pressure rise. I was doing a little slow burn. I've been around the block a few times and I've driven a few clunkers in my life. I know what it sounds like when your fan belt is about to snap. I know what it sounds like when your radiator is about to blow, I even know the smell it makes right before it catches on fire! And I know what it sounds like when your tires aren't right!! But, my darling hubby would not listen to me. So, for an hour I listened to that thudthudthud and believe you me, it irritated the honey right out of me! We made our stops and at the last one as we were rolling through the parking lot, I couldn't take it anymore. I said "Pull the car over now!" He did. And guess what!?!?! There stuck in the middle of the tire was a HUGE bolt!! You wanna know what my darling hubby said? He said "Well, it's sealed. We'll just take it easy on the way home." Say what??? I said no way and that we needed to find a garage to get it fixed. Nope. No can do. So, off we went back down the highway of life. (Or the highway to Wheaton anyway.) About five miles out of Alex, I felt a pull, saw Tim grip the wheel and say "Guess the tire's flat." Ahhhhhhhhh.......yep. Immediately I said, "I TOLD YOU SO!" Then I shut my mouth until he got out of the car. Then I laughed and laughed and laughed. Because not only was the tire flat, but it was raining! Poor Tim. He had to lay down in the rain (He used my good blanket though!) and get the spare from under the car. Then he had to jack up the car and take off the tire. Just as he got the spare on though, the jack slipped and fell out from under the car! He couldn't get it. It was still under the car and sunk down in the mud. He was muttering and sputtering. Not a happy camper. So, then guess what we had to do? That's right. Call a freakin' garage!!! (Like I said to do in the first place!) I did learn one thing during it all though. Men stop for mini vans. Not one, not two, but three nice men stopped to ask if we needed help. I can't help but think that as they were driving down the road, spotted the mini van on the side of the road with the flashers on, that they thought "Mom with kids. Think I'll stop and help them out."  I am sure all three were shocked to see Tim crawl out of the van. It gave me the giggles every time. But, not as much as watching Tim change the tire in the rain. But, I was nice. As much as I wanted to,
I did not roll down the window and tell him to "just relax."
No, I did not.

It's just a little flat on the bottom.
Right?

Singing in the rain....

My hero!

The price you pay when you don't listen to your wife?
102.94 baby, 102.94.

Harlem Globetrotters!

The $30 smile... I mean ball.

The Trotters and Globie.
We had the rear view...

Globie break dancing!


The Coach!

Our dental hygenist, Pam!'

Landon patiently budged to the front of each line
so ALL the players could sign his ball.
Tim and I waited patiently in the FAR back.
Yes, that's right. I said budged.
 Now before everyone goes freaking out on me, let me explain.
We did not tell Landon to budge. He did that on his own.
We simply chose to look at the situation as,
Landon having the ability to achieve his goal in an efficient manner,
 all on his own.
As a parent, sometimes you have to make a choice.
You have to ask yourself, 
"Is perfect parenting really neccessary in this situation?"
We chose not to be perfect.
The perfect parents stood in line for 30 minutes, EIGHT times!
We were out of there in 20 minutes flat.
We are not perfect.
Nor will we ever be.
And it's o.k.

Practicing a few new tricks.

One happy boy.

Thursday, April 7, 2011

We're Not In Florida Anymore

One of my Day Care kids asked me what we were having for dinner. I told them we were having Landon's favorite. Tatortot Hotdish. I then told them that Landon would eat Tatortot Hotdish every day if I made it. I also said that my favorite was Cheese Pizza and that I could eat that every day. When I asked them what their favorite food was, one little girl said Mac and Cheese and one little boy said,
"Deer Meat! But sometimes I like Cow Meat too."
Only in Minnesota would a three year old come up with Deer Meat.
Oh, how we're not in Florida anymore....

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Let Us Now Laugh

This isn't my story. (But it could be!) My friend, Theresa sent it to me today. Somehow she must have known I needed a laugh. Thanks, Theresa!!!

We had this great 10 year old cat named Jack who just recently died. Jack was a great cat and the kids would carry him around and sit on him and nothing ever bothered him. He used to hang out and nap all day long on the mat in our bathroom. We have 3 kids and at the time of this story they were 4 years old, 3 years old and 1 year old.


The middle one is Eli. Eli really loved chap stick. LOVED it. He kept asking to use my chap stick and then losing it.

Finally one day I showed him where in the bathroom that I kept my chap stick and explained he could use it whenever he wanted to but he needed to put it right back in the drawer after he finished because I used it sometimes several times a day.

That year, on Mother's Day, we were having the typical rush around to try to get ready for church with everyone crying and carrying on. My two boys are fighting over the toy in the cereal box.

I am trying to nurse my little one at the same time I am putting on my make-up. Everything is a mess and everyone has long forgotten that this is a wonderful day to honor me and the amazing job that is motherhood..

We finally have the older one and the baby loaded in the car, and I am looking for Eli. I have searched everywhere and I finally go into the bathroom.

There was Eli. He was applying my chap stick very carefully to Jack's rear end. Eli looked right into my eyes and said "chapped..."

Now if you have a cat, you know that he is right - their little bottoms do look pretty chapped. And, frankly, Jack didn't seem to mind. And the only question to ask at that point was whether it was the FIRST time Eli had done that to the cat's behind or the hundredth!?!

And THAT is my favorite Mother's Day moment ever, because it reminds us that no matter how hard we try to civilize these glorious little creatures, there will always be that day when you realize.... they've been using your chapstick on the cat's butt.

Monday, April 4, 2011

It's Spring!


It's Official.
It's Spring!!
The geese are back!


And so are the worms!
Ay...yi...yi!!!!