Here Gato, Gato, Gato...

I have no idea why, but in our home all things kitty are referred to as gato. I know it is the Spanish word for cat, however, neither My Love nor I speak Spanish. Despite that, we have always called our kitties gatos. All our kids call kitties gatos, and I have a hunch that our grandkids will also call kitties gatos.....




.....currently owning us are our dos gatos; Booger (no eye rolling Debbie), and Daphne,

*singing in my best Rosemary Clooney/Vera-Ellen voice*

Sisters, sisters, never were there such devoted sisters...

ok... I'll stop :-p

sister gatos we adopted about five years ago. You have met Booger before so lets start with Daphne aka Daffers.

She is a little bit of a loner. Skittish around guests and kids she only allows My Love and me to really pet her. She spends most days curled up on our bed. She loves laundry day and welcomes warm loads of clothes dumped upon her. Daphne is a chin gato.




Booger, Boogs, or Boogboog, on the other hand, is the most tolerant gato I have ever met. She is usually sleeping somewhere in the living room and has been, poked, pinched, pulled, jabbed, yanked, pushed, grabbed, thrown, dropped, dressed, bitten, and sat upon. Yet she endures, with her squinty, gato grimace and unfortunate name ;-) Her favorite thing is to be taken up into a pair of capable arms, propped on a shoulder, and skritched till she drools.

For the Birds

This is my sanctuary. A place where kids are NOT allowed! Well, for the most part *sigh*.



It is my own private fuchsiarama. My Loves idea (thanks *mwah*). A place safe from rats with hooves (deer), and, with the help of a nearly sound proof sliding glass door, safe from kids as well.



As much as I love to take an occasional respite here, it is for the birds. Little winged wonders that flit about, gracing me with their presence while enjoying the bounty which I have set out for them. The fountain, lovingly dubbed "the frog pond" attracts all sorts of visitors who are longing for a cool drink. Mr. Grey Squirrel patters down his tree every morning to take a sip and to say a hardy, "top of the mornin' t'ya" to a lively pair of bullfrogs that were rescued from a local pet store as tadpoles. Here a male Western Tanager contemplates a bath while a female Lesser Goldfinch patiently waits her turn.




Visitors may also enjoy a sip of water or a bath in a smaller, less intimidating oasis. Nonetheless, they approach with caution lest the cement frog attempt to eat them.





The Pine Siskins and Lesser Goldfinches are constantly vying for a prime position at the thistle feeders. The funny thing is that there is plenty to go around and always an empty perch. They are never happy to sit in peace and sup together, causing me to believe that their despise for each other runs as deep as the Capulets' and Montagues' (LOL-I have no idea if I spelled those names right ... and I'm too tired to look it up :-p)




To the untrained eye this santuary I have created for the birds may look like some seeds dumped into a variety of dollar store vessels then scattered about a rickety deck. However, I know that it is a veritable bird bed and breakfast, a hot spot for the fowl, if you will. They come to eat, to refresh, to frolic, to delight. So, it turns out that my little, semi-kidless, bird friendly back porch is not actually for the birds..... it is for the mom.


Bird visitor honorable mentions:

Stellar's Jay
Chestnut Chickadee
Mountain Chickadee
Mourning Dove
White-Breasted Nuthatch
Red-Breasted Nuthatch
Black Headed Grossbeak
Dark-eyed Junco
Brewer's Blackbird
Anna's Hummingbird
Rufus Hummingbird
Hairy Woodpecker
Western Scrubjay
Oak Titmouse
House Finch

And so, the ~MONTH OF DAD~ has come to a close

June...

...the month I declared the "MONTH OF DAD". Which in essence meant that Dad (the father of my children) would have the month of his dreams. Every Saturday was his to do with what he saw fit. No taking on all the kids for the sake of Mommy's sanity... just go and work in the yard, golf, play, sweat, watch sports, or wander aimlessly around the hardware store for hours dreaming up projects. What ever his loving heart desired. PLUS- Every evening a twenty minute message and a free pass to not do any housework...including dishes.

Why, you ask?

That is a great question and in order to answer correctly I must shamelessly blather on about My Love for a moment.

My Love is a man among men. Smart, funny, intelligent, ambitious, sensitive, a great lover, my best friend, and waaaaaaaay too sexy for his shirt. Okay, maybe that was TMI, but I don't know any other man that is more deserving of a month than My Love. Honestly, Father's Day is a great holiday, but one day just isn't enough time to honor all that My Love does for his family. If I say, the kids need a tree house, the next day he comes home from work with the lumber in his truck. If I say, "I'm having a rough day," he sends me out ---kidless--- to get a Venti Mocha Frapaccino, blended twice, no whip. If I say, "My feet hurt", I'm sure to get a foot rub that same night. If I say, "I need some new plants", he says, "No, you'll kill them, but you may get fake ones" .........

.....so he has limits. Its just one of his many enduring qualities.

My Love never ceases to amaze me. Not only did he go back to school to earn his Bachelors degree in Criminal Justice, but he graduated with honors! Not only is he good with his hands, but he can build anything he puts his mind to. Not only is he a Mr. Fix-it, but he repairs things I didn't know were broken. As a father he is patient, fun, loving and kind and at the same time he is sure his kids are properly disciplined. As a husband he always makes me feel like the most beautiful, faultless woman in the world when, honestly, nothing could be further from the truth.

And you know what... he still took on all the kids for the sake of my sanity, he still wanted to spend time with me above anything else, he still helped with the house work, he still gave me foot rubs when I needed them and, yes, he even did the dishes. He truly is Mr. Amazing!

So instead of one day in the month of June, I decided to make June the "MONTH OF DAD".

BTW My Love, I still owe you your hour long massage finale and a night of bowling :-)

*mwah*

~SO~ my life

I stole this from a frazzled mom (thanks Julie;-]) but I couldn't resist... It is my life on an hourly basis. Well, maybe add a dog chasing two cats and a few snakes slithering around the house and little green clouds behind all the kids to represent their bodily functions gone awry.





LOL... times four.

Page 123, Sentence 5...

...of Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine by Wayne Grudem


Because there is some common knowledge of right and wrong, Christians can often find much consensus with non-Christians in matters of civil law, community standards, basic ethics for business, and professional activity, and acceptable patterns of conduct in ordinary life.


By the way..... I type 24 words per minute.

I'm It!

Apparently I have been tagged by Julie's Musing Medley. I guess this means I will share a bunch of stuff I normally wouldn't... I guess today is your unlucky day, LOL... welcome to the sordid, boring details of my life!

1. What is your husband's name?

99% of the time I call him My Love or Daddy... I only use his actual name when I need his attention immediately or I'm frustrated.

2. How long have you been married?

We will hit ten glorious years this April. We were married April 4th 1998.

3. How long did you date?

We dated 3 months when he proposed... then we were engaged for 9 months.

4. How old is he?

40

5. Who eats more?

Him, on most days anyway. I come in at an extremely close second though.

6. Who said "I Love You" first?

I did. We were sitting in his apartment watching TV and he asked, "whatcha thinkin' " "That I love you!" I blurted and started crying. I'm such a sap.

7. Who is taller?

My Love is taller than me by ten inches. He is exactly six feet.

8. Who sings better?

Me, although My Love isn't too awful bad when he is actually trying. :-)

9. Who is smarter?

I think we are both equally as smart. He would say I am but he is great at fixing things, building stuff, managing the finances (even though he hates it), and he must be brilliant to have figured out how to put up with me... ;-)

10. Whose temper is worse?

MINE!!! I don't think he has much of a temper... at least not at home anyway.

11. Who does the laundry?

Me. But if I leave the hanging stuff draped over the end of the bed long enough he will hang it. JK My love :-D I always do the washing but he always helps with the folding if he is home and awake.

12. Who does the dishes?

Usually whoever doesn't want to do bath time with the kids... or whoever isn't going somewhere for the evening.

13. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed?

Me

14. Who pays the bills?

My Love handles all the finances and hates it with a passion even though he is a genius at squeezing water out of a rock. :-p

15. Who mows the lawn?

That is the sole responsibility of My Love.

16. Who cooks dinner?

I do, unless I am deathly ill or I'm not home. Then its Mac & Cheese night. :-)

17. Who drives when you are together?

Usually My Love, but I drive when its convenient or he is tired or if we are using my Dad's car because he can't fit under the steering wheel.

18. Who is more stubborn?

Neither of us is incredibly stubborn but if I have to pick one of us to wear the label it would be me.

19. Who is the first to admit when they are wrong?

Since I am the stubborn one I will let him be the one more likely to admit he is wrong... although he never is.

20. Whose parents do you visit the most?

My parents live right across the road from us... we have adjoining properties so we see them nearly everyday. My Loves parents have both passed away.

21. Who proposed?

My Love proposed to me and it was quite a surprise. We were swimming at a local river and he said, "Lets go back to shore I have a surprise for you." I thought it was a box of Junior Mints but it turned out to be and engagement ring.

22. Who has more friends?

My Love, definitely! Everyone loves him as soon as they meet him. I take a little warming up to... I grow on people like warts on a toad.

23. Who has more siblings?

My love does if you include half brothers and sisters, adoptees and foster kids. I have one older brother.

24. Who wears the pants in the family?

My Love does, but I know he always keeps my best interest in mind and honors my opinion in every decision.

My Love is my night in shining armor. He has saved me from myself many times over. He completes me. Um... I don't know any other bloggers besides Julie and her husband , and I assume there are no tag backs... so I'm afraid the "tag" stops here. :-p

A Gift of Love

Were you aware whilst a suckling babe,
that your path of life had been laid?

Did you know why angels sang on high,
whilst swaddled within that lowly sty?

Could you think above the others,
being cradled in the arms of mothers?

While shepherds bowed did you coo with glee,
or sleep before their bended knees?

As wise men came with herbs and gold,
did you know of what those gifts foretold?

As a babe, could you reason,
that to everything there is a season?

Did you not cry or fuss unduly,
as a toddler never unruly?

Wise we know, beyond your years,
a young heart free of doubts or fears.

When you slept would you dream,
of nonsense or of things unseen?

Did you know each star by name;
hear their voice your glory proclaim?

How was your laugh, rich and deep?
Or sweet and quiet through closed lips seep?

Did you always know you were God’s son,
precious, sacred, the only one?

When you looked upon your Mama’s face,
did you know she was saved by grace?

Did you know each hair in Papa’s beard?
For it was you who put them there.

And when someone would hold you as a babe,
your infant hand on their cheek you laid,

Could you see their heart, their soul so weak,
and turn it so that they could seek?

Oh Jesus, you came, a babe so small,
to rescue your own from the fall.

Let us not forget the true reason,
for which we celebrate this season.

So we could live forever with God above.
That is the true reason for Jesus, a gift of love.

Marriage

I am not your average woman... fairy tales are fake and so are Disney Princess movies. OK?

However, I think it is totally possible for two people to live happily ever after. We've had trails and hard times, but we are happy with each other.

We will have been married for ten years in April and we have not had one fight. Not one. Our dating/engagement period was less than one year when we tied the knot. We are even more in love than before. The first year... three years... seven years... it just keeps growing!

He is not perfect... although I would never tell him that. I am not perfect... although he would never tell me that. Marriage is not 50/50 its 100/100. You have to give to get... it is what you make of it.

A Housewife's Song

Sung to the tune of I Can See Clearly Now

I can see dust now the blinds are drawn.
I can see little hand prints everywhere.
Gone are the clean panes, the stains have come.

Its gonna be a long, hard working day.

I can see pet hair all over the floor.
I'd use the vacuum but it don't work no more.
Cobwebs are hanging from everywhere.

Its gonna be a long, hard working day.

Look all around there's nothing but clothes to fold.
Look under the bed there's dust bunnies to scold.....

The sink is full again and I have no soap.
The cupboards empty and there is no hope,
Cuz there's sticky kids runnin' everywhere.

Its gonna be a long, hard working day.
Its gonna be a long (long), hard (hard) working day.

My Skinny Dip

For our one year anniversary My Love and I went backpacking deep into the foothills of Nor Cal. We found a secluded lake and set up camp and decided to cool off before night fall. Since we were so far away form civilization (about a two hour drive and five hour hike from nearest place to spend $) and still suffering from newlywed sickness we decided to go skinny dipping.

After about an hour of swimming we were ready to get out but just as I was making my way to shore I noticed some movement on the opposite side of the lake (It was a small lake about two football fields side to side). Upon closer inspection I see that it is a boyscout troupe!!! Probably about twelve 10-12 year olds.

We stayed in the water as long as we could but I was getting pruny so I sent My Love to get our towels. Once he got out the scout leader must have taken the hint 'cause he moved the troupe away from the lake.

The funniest thing about it was that I could see the whites of the troupe leaders eyes from across the lake once he saw My Love climb out of the water... priceless.