New Disney Movie - SNL (Josh thought this was real!)

Josh wants everybody to see what he truly thought was a new version of Disney's Bambi. I laughed! The Internet can make you believe anything. Poor kid didn't know what SNL meant.

Superhero Playroom Unveiled!

BEFORE

Superhero Skyline

Well, I think it is done....I have one more wall where I need another picture, but for now, I have purchased

The boring WHITE French Doors

Superman Changing Room! 

every Superhero picture at Hobby Lobby (Within my budget....) I did discover Gordmans has a few Superhero things! They have a Superhero Rules wall art that is pretty spiffy. I will keep stalking it and wait for it to go on sale! Tee-Hee. I'm just too cheap. I may even try making it myself. Here I come Pinterest!

Before it became the Bat Wall

I'm pretty impressed with the amount of stuff I currently had! It turned out better than I could have hoped.

There's No Place Like Home!

Well, it is time! Time for Spring Break, BABEEEE! I'm ready to see people in Kansas; however, I am in not ready to make the 12 hour drive. Sigh. I will start packing today, loading the car today and hitting the road in the next few days.

I have started a list! It is quite ridiculous! The list includes:

• 3 nice Bar Stools bought at Kirklands to be listed on Craigslist in KS
• A Medela Breast Pump---apparently, I thought I would have  third kid and kept holding on to this....going on CL
• A Dell Laptop computer (one the kids used for homeschooling and I don't need!) Putting this on CL too!
• An empty cooler (To bring back some organic cow meat!)
• A HUGE package of Charmin toilet paper I bought not realizing it is the worst toilet paper EVER if you own a Septic tank
• A book for Nana
• A box of hand-me-down boy clothes for Ms. Music Teacher's nephew
• My bag of scrapbooking supplies to scrapbook with WichitaBFF
• A bag of clothes for Wichita Sister from a Children's Place that is going out of business out here
• Two boxes of color dye that made my hair look like I was in the Wizard of Oz as the surviving sister
• A bag of McDonald's toys for a RH teacher to use in her classroom
• A box of supplies for the Walking Dead birthday party we are going to have--this includes a cake mix because apparently it is easier to bring from IN than purchase when in town?!?
• Along with the above is also a can of black olives--there must not be any stores in KS I can buy from---this is for the Easter Dinner we will have at Nana's House.
• All electronic devices and chargers I can find!
• Movies for 24 hours--thank goodness for RedBox!
• 2 suitcases full of clothes--both summer and winter thanks to the unpredictable weather in KS!
• Last, but not least, two Jedi Knights and an old golden retriever named Gabby! 

  

  Watching March madness!

  So, Prince Charming and I went on a date. We found a sitter and escaped to a Brewery in Clarksville, IN. The food is good and the beer is amazing! There is my wonderful Prince Charming watching basketball.....oh geez! 

March is CRAFT MONTH!

This is the mess of a room back in the beginning of March!

In order to celebrate this month, I have crossed off the calendar for a day with one of my Wichita BFFs! (I have two. They both live in Wichita, so it does make it difficult to see them now that I'm living life on the Knob!)

Wichita BFF heard I was coming to town and decided to take a day off of work to scrapbook with me! Now, I have to organize and unpack my scrapbook room in order to pack up a bag of goodies to take to KS with me! When the other Wichita BFF, who now will be referred to as BfMama4, (she has four kids, so this will help figure it out) told me two things:

1. My room isn't that bad as you can still see carpet.
2. You need to get some shelves so it won't be so bad. 

Okay, BfMama4 left Monday morning, and by Monday afternoon I was at Home Depot with Prince Charming trying to buy some type of shelving for my scrapbook room. He knew I was itching to get some shelves up because I had to get organized so I could pack my stuff for KS. He can be so patient with my impatience. We found Closet-maid had shelving that was premade and easy to hang! BONUS. He said it could  be done that very same day. HA! Famous last words. It was an easy project, but his job called and that was the end of the project. I knew it would get done and it did! All in good time. 

Prince Charming putting up the brackets!

When we were at Home Depot we managed to pick up a few other goodies. I had a 10% off coupon for MY ENTIRE PURCHASE---if you change your address they send you coupons, I would do this all the time if I didn't have to pack all my stuff, change my driver's license, deal with BMV and people like the Stupidhaus'--- so we bought this little tool. It is a Ryobi Laser Level and it is amazing. I can hang ALL my pictures and words straight. This is a CONCEPT foreign to me until this little guy. Well worth its weight in gold!!

I now have shelves that can move up and down. They fit perfectly in my closets and I am organized! Oh MAN! What a good feeling. 

International Day of Happiness, Friday March 20!

Today is National Day of Happiness. Isn't that fun? It isn't a day to go buy yourself something (oh how I wish I could go to Taco Shop and get a bean burrito, or maybe a soda fountain drink from QT....that would be happiness....) It is a day to reflect on what makes you happy. I have decided to ask the Jedi Knights for a list of things that make them happy....

J-Bird:

1. Dad
2. Eww Eww-Ahh Ahh and Mr. Luck (two stuffed animals!)
3. Gabby
4. Baby Piggies
5. Lego
6. Home
7. chickens---the live kind
8. cucumbers! Yummy!
9. Family
10. How to make five nights a freddys funny! 

Obe Wan:

1. Minecraft
2. Family
3. Cute Pigs
4. Mysteries
5. Summer time!
6. Yo Mama jokes
7. My Birthday
8. Five Nights at Freddy's Not Scary Videos (Number 2 is shown above)

Prince Charming:

1. My Boys
2. Hon (He calls me Hon as he forgot my name....)
3. My home and being there
4. Beer
5. Sleeping In
6. Driving Fast
7. Pooping with a new Motor Trend magazine

This last one CREATED many a chuckle around the dinner table tonight. I made them omit some of the boy ones they came up with. We took this sorta seriously, but then again, I live with THREE BOYS. I'm so out numbered!?!?!?

Ms. America:

1. My family (this includes Gabby, but NOT the fish. They do not make me happy.)
2. My extended family. I LOVE sharing the drama, the joys, the concerns and the moments with Mimi, Papa, Nana, and all the Aunts and Uncles we have!
3. A good conversation with the Lord--in which I am thanking him for my multitude of blessings!
4. A good run with my gym bf
5. Going to the movies with Ms. Music Teacher
6. Scrapbooking with Wichita Bffs
7. A beer chat with Prince Charming
8. Dinner and drinks with anyone who will go out with me & be my friend
9. Hanging at Andrea's while the kids are being entertained
10. Organizing and cleaning (I am odd.)

Book Review--Apple and Rain by Sarah Crossan

Another book read! Another review online! I'm loving my new job! I am speciailizing in YA (Young Adult) novels and Children's Books. Super exciting!


The link to the review:  BooksandWhatNot

What you miss...

FOOD?!?!? I adore Sonic Happy Hour drinks! I'm not sure if ADORE is a strong enough word. It was how I survived many a day with Rose Hill Primary school and people like the Stupidhaus'. It is through the love of Happy Hour I was able to persevere the ups and downs of the Primary School, the small town and grey days! It was through my love of Sonic Happy Hour I weaseled my way into two hearts of two AMAZING teachers at Rose Hill. (It is amazing how a Happy Hour soda can make a teacher your friend!!!)

There are a few things I have discovered do not exist in Indiana. I knew I would be hard pressed to find anything resembling a Taco Shop, but who would have thought I would have a hard time finding a Sonic? I discovered the first one in Clarksville, IN over Christmas break when I was sale shopping for my Christmas Crafts! It was conveniently HAPPY HOUR when I discovered it and I was stoked beyond belief!!! As I drove closer, I saw it looked like this:

A very deserted and CLOSED Sonic!

The next one I discovered was this past Sunday. Prince Charming was home and watching the Knights, so I decided I would venture out to Ace Hardware--our toilet will not stop running and I couldn't catch it, so I had to find a specific valve for our brand of toilets and they were only at Ace--I digress....so I decided I was foot lose and fancy free, I would enter S-O-N-I-C into the ol' GPS. AND HAPPY DAY! There is (WAS) one in New Albany, IN! Woot. Off I went on a mere detour to find this Sonic! It looked like this:

Horribly closed and boarded up! 

From a distance I started to get my hopes up! This is only 10 minutes from my house! 

Sad Day. The hunt shall continue...

I went to Google and searched for Sonic. I found a location finder and entered my Knobs zip code into the system. I discovered one across the bridge and put it on the to-do list for yesterday. It was exactly 1:54 when I left the mall at Clarksville, IN and decided I was already halfway to Louisville, so I would go in search of the last one within 20 miles of my house. It was perfect timing for Happy Hour, so off I went. I called Ms. Music Teacher to let her know her friend was officially crazy as I was on a hunt for Sonic. She called me brave. (This is why I love her! Most people would have told me I was crazy for going into the big city for a Cherry Limeade, but she applauded my bravery. What a great friend!)

This is what I found:

I didn't just order drinks....oh no! I ordered drinks, dinner, snacks and lunch for tomorrow. My mere happy hour $5 purchase was $19.82! Prince Charming is out of town tonight, so consider this dinner! I got home as the Jedi Knights were trying to get into the garage as they had just returned from school. This was the first time they had tried to use the garage code, so they were a brief shell shocked to discover I was MIA. I yelled I had a surprise out the van window as I was pulling in. Obe Wan was rushing over and the first thing he said was, "Sushi?" No, no Sushi, but I do have SONIC! They were concerned about my whereabouts but when I showed them the bags of goodness all was forgiven and forgotten. They were both thrilled to see they had two drinks a piece. DUH. IT was Happy Hour!!! (Said in a sing song voice....)

Cheers!!!

Do you see that GRIN? Yep, that is a smile of pure happiness!

Four more days until I'm Kansas bound. Sweet goodness. I need to go do laundry!

Organize the LEGOS!

Each drawer is color coded! 

IKEA TROFAST SYSTEM FOR LEGOS! 

I splurged and bought a Trofast Lego organizing system from IKEA. IKEA came to the KS City area right after I moved away. It made me sad, but the good news is there is one in Cincinatti, OH and it is right down the road! It is only 1.5 hours away from me. I still haven't gone as I don't want to leave the Knob to go in the opposite direction of Kansas, so I had it shipped. It was only $15 for shipping--so by the time I would drive there and back and of COURSE get some fast food, it would have cost well over the shipping cost! I love the organization this bin offers. Each one is color coded and this makes it super easy to find specific pieces.

When I was a kid you had to use your imagination and build whatever came to mind. Fast forward a few years and Lego does all the designing for you. After you spend hours building a Lego set, play with it once, you want to put it on a shelf for fear of damaging it! I think this is stupid as EVERY set we had fell apart in the move and now I have to figure out where all the pieces have gone and rebuild them. This will take years....

Kansas bound in a few days!

Wear your Green!

I LOVE this holiday! I will post pictures of our celebration tomorrow. We were greeted by the piles of coins at the ends of their beds and a money trail from their rooms to green shirts, necklaces and a PARTEEE in the kitchen. The Elf flew in from the North Pole. It looked like they might have had some Irish Car bombs as they were wearing green flowers, necklaces, bracelets, buttons and were covered in chocolate gold and green coins! Woot! (For those not in the know! Irish Car Bombs are a shot glass of half Jameson Whiskey and half of Bailey's Creme, then you fill a cold mug half way up with Dark Stout Guinness, then YOU DROP THAT SHOT GLASS in the cup of Guinness and CHUG! It is so smooth and good. It tastes like a whipped mocha chocolatey goodness! YUM! I've posted a video to share!)

I have the Corned Beef in the crockpot, have the Irish soda bread raising and the Jameson Whisky ready to open! I know I'm Scotch Irish, so I have to play the part. (At least one day a year....)

The kids have NEVER gone to school on St. Patrick's Day. In Kansas it falls on Spring Break, so this has been a new experience for them. J-Bird had his pinching practice as he ran into Obe Wan's room before he even had got out of bed and pinched him in the boob. MAN oh Man was Obe Wan mad!!! That J-Bird is a little piece of work.

How to make the Irish Car Bomb - Tipsy Bartender

I walked from IN to KY with my KS visitors!

Always the entertainer!

It was super awesome to have my bf from Kansas, her Mama and 3 of her kiddos come visit. They showed up late Saturday night and left after breakfast this morning! It was nice becuase they brought some of the wonderfully WARM and sunny weather from KS with them! We decided to spend the day seeing some of the sights of Louisville. (I have finally learned to say it correctly! Lo-uh-ville. It is like you are vomiting up the word!) Wichita sister even asked why I was calling it Lo-uh-ville and not Louisville, but when all else fails, you can always call it Louis (as in the guys name) and Ville. That really gets heads to turn. HA! 

Wichita BF with her middle daughter

The museum is pretty cool. You even get a minibat at the end of the tour. It is amazing to think they only JUST stopped carving them by hand in the 80s! WOW. They make a lot of bats at this place. 

I'm not really a baseball person and neither are the boys, but the visitors from Kansas enjoyed it! After the Louisville Slugger Museum we ventured to the Four Bridges Park. It has four bridges (Creative name, huh?!?!) you can see from the walking bridge over the Ohio river. Right in the middle of the river you go from Indiana to Kentucky. Kinda cool to say I walked ALLLL the way from Indiana to Kentucky in a day! Muwhahaha. 

 After we played at the Four Bridges, had a picnic lunch and counted how many tires were floating it the SWOLLEN river, we went over to Bricks and Minifigs. Man, oh man, how we do love that store! :) I left Wichita BF, her mom and the kiddos and went to find gasoline for the car. I hadn't had to put gas in it in TWO weeks. This is unheard of for me. I really do need to get a life! While searching for a gas station I found a Dunkin Donuts. HIGHLIGHT of my day---well, besides having visitors from Kansas...of course! Wichita BF and I adore DD! We got us some donuts and scarfed them down right then and there. I'm not even sure she tasted her Boston Kreme filled.

Tomorrow is one of my FAVORITE food holidays! Make sure you wear green and I will post pics of my most amazing Corned Beef! (If you want dinner, come on over....)

How to hang a picture Step One

So, with all my extra packing paper around, the Portland sister suggested I trace/cut out my pictures and put them on the wall prior to hanging them. What a novel idea! Portland sister is a genius....she later admitted she learned this nifty trick from Pinterest. (Where does everything creative come from these days???)

In order to photo bomb me he ended up crashing directly into me.
I think he was trying to fly. Boys are so odd...

I am happy to say this trick worked like a charm! It allowed Prince Charming to see what the pictures would look like on the wall. We left it this way for a few days to get a feel for the collage. I didn't want it to feel to overwhelming as this seemed like a lot of pictures on the wall.

I was going to put a picture of me and the hubby up on the wall, but the boys dominate our lives, so it was only appropriate to have a wall dedicated to them. I think everything at this point is dedicated to them, but this is what parenting is all about, right?

BooksandWhatNot--I got a job!

So, since I moved here I have been in search of a job. I have a few requirements of said job:  it cannot require I leave the house before 8 a.m., one that gives endless vacation (for sick kids, snow days, husband traveling, etc), it must allow me to be home by 3 p.m. to meet the bus; it must allow me to never fix my hair or makeup. I need to be able to cook, clean and chauffeur the two Jedi Knights whenever they need me. I have to be able to cancel my shift at work on a whim as my husband may not be able to be home to take care of any of the household responsibilities, i.e: kids.

We have only been in Kentukiana for 11 weeks and after SEVEN snow days and having one of the Jedi Knights get sick for THREE days I would have had to miss two weeks of work! Not to mention the drama of owning a house, living in a rental property and trying to buy a house. Then there was the drama with the Stupidhaus' who bought the KS property, the inability to close on the property in Indiana when we thought we would and NEED I EVEN BRING UP THE BMV drama this week?

So, that brings me to BooksandWhatNot! Beth Golay, an amazing woman, who I met five years ago at a Watermark Books, is the owner/operator of the website. She was a Manager for Watermark Books for many a years and branched out on her own. She manages  to work a FULL time job, has two daughters, a hubby who loves WSU, manages the website, writes a DAILY newsletter and has a passion for books! I am now reviewing books for her website and I LOVE it. It meets all the requirements above and it gives me the opportunity to review books before they even go mainstream?!?!? Can I say awesome?

I recently read this book, A Spool of Blue Thread, and discovered it made the Indie Bestseller list for February. WOW! It was super cool to read a book before it even made it on the shelves--and NOW you can buy it at Target. Check me out.

I cannot thank the good Lord ENOUGH for placing me at a book club meeting at Watermark Books five years ago to bring Beth into my life. She is super woman! It is because of these people we find along our journey in life that allows us to stay sane!

I cannot afford fancy vacations. I cannot afford therapy. I cannot afford to leave my boys at daycare. I cannot afford a maid, cook or chauffeur. Therefore I READ. Gotta love the new job!

Another visitor! (We're just so popular!)

Check it out! His name was Dewie and he was awesome! I was out in the garage, cleaning the "beer fridge" and Gabby starts barking. I look over and there is little Dewie! I was shocked to see someone, even a DOG, standing in my garage. The weather was so nice and my gym bf was painting and cleaning out his garage, so I wanted to be just like him. (My heart aches to go for a long run with the gym BF!) 

I bring little Dewie into the house and trap him in the laundry room. He has a collar and two phone numbers on him. I am trying to call the number on his collar when I hear the boys come in the door from school yelling for me! I try to wait at the end of the drive for them everyday, so they knew something was up when I wasn't waiting for them.

The owner was relieved to hear from me. Her son forgot to put the wireless collar on him and little Dewie was foot lose and fancy free. We kept him for about an hour until the irresponsible son came to claim him.

J-Bird trying to catch the speedy dog!

Dewie stealing some water!

What a great day to have someone who has LIFE in them....little old lady is worthless these days, other than eating a HALF a pound of chocolate and being lethargic for a full day. Idiot.

10 days till Kansas!! Woot. 

A Deed, a BMV and tears

Indiana BMV

I have a LOT to do today! Before I lay down with the Jedi Knights, we compose a nightly list of what Mom needs to do while they are at school for the next day. Obe Wan has been extremely worried about my time while he is away at school. So thoughtful! Although it wasn't on my list today, I decided to head to the BMV and get my driver's license and car tags. I research ALL the documents I need, find the address and hours of the Floyd County BMV. I also look up where to file my Deed for my house! They don't do that for you here, so I needed to make sure and file with both the county recorder and the auditor to ensure I would not be taxed additional money. Go government!

Documents needed:

• Current out of state drivers license
• A bill reflecting your current address
• Social Security number/card and/OR passport
• Birth Certificate
• Title and Registration
• Proof of Car Insurance

EASY! I put on real people clothes! (I went to the gym once today, and knew I was going to run later, but why not dirty two pairs of sweats???)  I do my hair and PUT ON MAKEUP. I want my picture to look great! 

I arrive and I am third in line. I get a nice little lady who tells me that I have the incorrect documents! I must have TWO bills--only one shows my real name and the other is to my alias. I also have to have a MARRIAGE LICENSE. This is after she asks me how many times I have been married. (Apparently, you need to have divorce paperwork if you have been married multiple times.) 

AND I need the title to my car. KANSAS FILES IT ELECTRONICALLY--I haven't seen the title, oh, say EVER?!?!?! So, she calls over the manager and she says it is super easy. You go to Kansas DMV.gov or the IRS.gov, print the form and bring it in to them. No problem. Super easy. As I rise to leave, the lady says to me, "THANKS FOR NOTHING." And then laughs. Seriously?! WOW. IT is because of the stupid people in the world who make identity theft a reality that I am having to go to ALL these pains to show the correct documentation. If I were a criminal it would be easier. Swear to goodness. Are there honest people left in the world? If so, please step up!

I go over to the County office and this was simple. You just complete your mortgage deed and sign your life away for taxes. Easy enough! (Oh good. There are honest people. Maybe some anyways, as I had to walk through a metal detector and two security guards to get into the court house. Not to mention the shady people out front....)

I go back home. Find said forms on KS.gov and find my marriage license. I head back over to the BMV. Wait for five people ahead of me---all the time studying for the Indiana written comprehension driving test. Don't worry! I didn't have to take the test because---Yep, you guessed it! I had the wrong forms.

1. You cannot show a "duplicate" marriage license. It has to be the official one with a stamp and a notary signed you got hitched! (After going to KHDE.gov/vitals, I learned it would cost me $26.00 and 7-10 business days for them to find it and then mail it through the USPS.)

2. It is the lien holder who holds your title, not the state of Kansas. You must contact your Lien Holder and this is not necessarily the place where you send your payment.

Needless to say, I started crying. I just was so mad and frustrated! I DID MY HAIR FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! Why did they NOT tell me this the first time I was there. This time the woman (a different one....) says to me in a SOUTHERN dialect, "Oh honey, I'm a crier too. It'll be okay...."

Whatever people. I'm going back to Kansas in 11 days peace out you whackadoodles....

Another visit!!!

Toothless today! 

This one is by the tooth fairy! J-Bird lost a tooth---ALL on his own! He has had SEVEN teeth pulled, so this was super exciting for him. He refused to eat most of yesterday and part of today because of his darn tooth. Too funny. It was super painful to yang it out---says the boy who would prefer to have them yanked by a dentist....

Under "laughing gas" he dances. It is SO funny!

These are THE ROOTS ON THE LAST four teeth he lost!!! 

Wart the size of a grown adults tip of the pinky finger! OUCH!

He also has a HUGE wart on his foot that has been extremely painful. He told me it was 3D and it had to be removed. I don't know how the tooth was painful compared to this horrible wart. We scalpel it every night and then soak it in Cider.We have been diligently treating the wart with Apple Cider vinegar. It is truly a miracle drug! I have discovered Apple Cider vinegar has SO many wonderful attributes for curing everything. I'm thinking it may be the next weight loss diet I try!!!

Sisters!

Wichita Sister, Portland Sister and Ms. America!

 So, during the week we moved (going back in time...) both my sisters came to visit! It was a blessing! They both helped me unpack, offered me advice (mostly solicited) and just hung out with me. It is hard to move so far away from everyone, but having them with me for a week was wonderful!

The Nephew is addicted to sugar. He crashes hard when he is on empty!

I had GRAND plans of a sister's night out, shopping, eating some awesome food in Louisville and just some hang out time. Well, The Nephew and the weather had other plans. Portland Sister handled all the children great! She was patient and kind and went to her room when she wasn't. It was perfect. I had them both together for 2 days and one-on-one for a few more days!

We managed to get 80% of the house unpacked! Swell. Obe Wan was truly sick of The Nephew by the end of the trip and I think The Nephew was done with him as well. These two pictures were taken on our last day together. They capture the moment perfectly!

 The Nephew was sitting so calmly. I believe this was during one of his crashes. He had just eaten half the box of donuts. No, I take that back, he doesn't eat the donuts. No, he just picks off the glaze!

 I have No idea what Wichita Sister did, but Portland Sister is posing for a pic! Portland sister is always stealing my camera through the years. One year my MIL made the mistake of telling her to take pictures and GAVE PORTLAND SISTER HER CAMERA. She quickly learned you get random selfies and who knows what else?!?!

Kansas Bound in 17 days....

Snow days = less summer days

We are home again for snow--no school for us today! SEVEN total snow days since January! WOW. I think this is a record for Kentukiana, no wait, I know it is a record! The news people have stated it about a billion times lately! Funny.

J-Bird and I built an igloo. We went sledding. We got muddy. We snow-cleaned carpets. Obe Wan played Minecraft. Sigh. J-Bird asked if I could use my Mommy power and get Obe Wan off the computer. Another large sigh. Some times it just isn't worth the fight....

About the carpets---so, I was looking up ways to clean area rugs since we have so many around here...and crazy enough, but the ladies in Scandanavia, take full advantage of their snow. You take your carpets out into the elements--let them adjust to the temperature--cover them with a fine, powdery white snow, sweep on, let set for 15 minutes. The ammonia in the snow and the wet, freezing temperatures set into the carpet without getting them wet. Shake them up and bring them in your house. WOW. They actually smell nice and all the stains are gone?!?! Honest Abe. It worked. A score for Pinterest today! (If I would have looked this up in two-three more days I couldn't have done it. And who says there isn't a God??? That was a God-thing! Woo-Hoo Pinterest and the Lord!

Picture blast:

This really captures the amount of snow we got!

Yep, that ended up hitting Obe Wan!

Thank goodness for John Deere. Now, I will be buying snow attachment for our
JD tractor---this will ensure NO snow like this ever again!

Trying out the sled Mimi & Papa bought them years ago!

In his Igloo house!

This is J-Bird on the top of the RED mound of dirt. 

He built his own Igloo garage.

J-Bird on top of his own Mt. Everest

Be Good My Friends. We will be in KS in 18 days!