Bud

This is Bud's hide.  As you can see, he was a beautiful steer.  He was a reserve grand champion and took first place in the showmanship class.  After he was sold my grandpa bought his hide and gave it to me.

I feel choked up lately when I think about Grandpa.  Alzheimer's is bad.  Grandpa was (is--I think he's helped me from time to time since he died) good.

the good, the bad, and the ugly (not necessarily in that order)

Really hit the jackpot when we bought this home: bats in the attic, mice in the basement and probably the walls.  Here's a fun date idea: you and your significant other hanging out in the unfinished basement, pulling down insulation filled with feces and acorns (might have a squirrel problem here, too, friends).  Guess what?  If you haven't been able to hang out for a while, it's not so bad!  Doesn't matter what you do, as long as you're together.  Mouse casualties: 4 in December (3 caught in glue traps, 1 beat to death by Jake, in the basement, with a broomstick.  You should have heard that battle cry--the terror when the mouse jumped out of the insulation at Jake, and the rage as Jake chased it down).  Not a single kill since.  We even called in the professionals.  Nothing.  Clever little monsters.  I shouldn't dare hope they're all gone, but I can't help it: please, let them be gone!  The mice, I mean.  The pros say we can't get rid of the bats until March.

Irony: we considered the guy who bought our house in Michigan neurotic and irritating.  We left him (he was measuring every room and window in the house with a measuring tape as we loaded the kids in the van) and his inspector alone in the house for 5 hours (they had asked for 4).  When we got back, his head was literally in our fireplace.  Looking for raccoons, I guess.  The inspector looked aggravated by his client and grateful to see us.  When we bought this (insert swear words) house, neither Jake nor I was even here for the inspection.  Boy, do we wish we would have taken a few pages out of Cautious Carl's book now.  (Honestly, it would have been very difficult--we were stretched pretty thin at the time.  But if we knew then what we know now, we would have found a way, by golly.)

Moving on.  Here's a story from parent teacher conference.  Names have been changed to protect people's privacy.  But know that these are real kids in the school here in Kansas.

Teacher:  So, what does Becca tell you about kids at school?

Mother: Not much.  Just that she has two friends named Meg and Hailey, but some kids don't like her.  She wouldn't elaborate.  We're just so grateful for Meg and Hailey.  Becca hasn't had close friends for a long time.

Teacher (tearing up): Yeah, Meg is really great.  I taught [a different] grade last year, and Meg was in my class then, too.  I just have to tell you--one day at recess, I saw Becca, Meg, and Hailey walking across the playground with their arms around each other's shoulders.  So cute.  But some of the kids are...not so nice.  One little girl was handing out birthday party invitations to some of the kids during recess, purposely not inviting Becca.  Meg was invited and brought the invitation into me saying, 'I don't know what to do with this.  So-and-so didn't invite Becca, so I'm not going.  What should I do with the invitation?'  And there's one little boy that really has it in for Becca.  One day--has Becca ever mentioned Noah?

Mother: Yes.

Teacher: Yeah, they sit by each other and Noah's really good to Becca.  Anyway, this other little guy who really has it in for Becca was put in a group with her one day, and he stood up and said, "I won't be in this group if Becca's in it!"  And Noah stood right up and said, "Then I won't be in YOUR group!"  So, we've got all kinds.

May God bless them all, but especially the nice (not mice) kind.  Unless He can bless them to get out of our house and stay out, which is what Damon prayed for.  He didn't want the devils hurt, and initially encouraged us to let them live in peace in the basement.  Then we explained things like hantavirus to him (and updated our wills because Jake and I might be dead in a few weeks from it) and he was okay with getting rid of them, if they don't suffer too much.

True Lies

Remember that thing moms used to tell their kids, "If you keeping pulling faces like that, your face is going to stay that way..."?

Well.  I spent the last few days scowling for lots of reasons that would bore you.  And now I have a new, permanent, vertical line in between my eyebrows. 

Merry Christmas, Charlotte.  Serves you right.

Halloween 2014

Damon: Robin Hood
Claire: Vampire
Anne: Witch (takes after her mother)
Julia: wore a t-shirt with a cat on it, and a cat-ear headband for 30 seconds.  Also has the makings of a witch, as seen below.

Damon and Anne went trick-or-treating by themselves.  Claire went trick-or-treating with a friend.  You read that right, folks.  Jake and I stayed home with the Juje (that's Julia--I wanted her nickname to be Jules, but it hasn't panned out.)  Best Halloween ever.

Note: photography on this blog will reach new lows now.  Julia performed some dark magic on our camera shutter thingy, and i-pads don't take the best pics in the world, as you can see above.  We could get a new camera, but I hate taking pictures almost as much as I hate shopping, so it'll be a while before I get around to that.

quick update

We're in our house.  After scrubbing and scrubbing and scrubbing it is finally decently clean, except for the air we breath.  I thought the carpet and duct cleaning had gotten rid of the smell, but it turns out we have just gotten used to it (cringe).  I went to St. George for a quick girls' weekend (my abs still hurt from laughing so hard.  If you're not a girl in my family, feel jealous) and when I got back, there was that stench I thought we'd vanquished, strong as ever.  Big depressed sigh. 

Looks like we'll need to replace the carpets and paint sooner than I thought.  I have proved wrong that saying President Monson likes: "I have wept in the night for the shortness of sight that to somebody's need made me blind.  But I never have yet, felt a tinge of regret, for being a little too kind." During the final walk-through--you know, your last chance to back out of the house before you sign your name in blood for it, all I thought was Gee, what a great house.  It's a little dirty, but that's no problem.  We'll get it cleaned up in no time.  That old man did the best he could.  He probably felt like a hero just getting all of his stuff out.  It would hurt his feelings if we complained.  Three days of deep cleaning later, the end still not in sight, you better believe I was cursing myself.  Charlotte, you should have asked for $1000 from that geezer to compensate for the state of this house!  Brimhall was right: you see the world through rose-colored glasses, and now you're paying the price!  Idiot!  And he took the mirrors out of the bathrooms! Could you not have noticted that before it was too late?!  Now you have to buy new mirrors, and those are not cheap! Fool!  $#!%!

On the bright side: the kids are in good schools.  Even Anne is warming up to Kansas.  She hasn't cried since Monday for Michigan.  We're also in a good ward with a promising book group.  I've only been to one meeting, but I sense some kindred spirits there.

Back to the not-so-bright side: I just got our water bill.  I haven't gotten out the calculator and Michigan bills yet to compare and confirm, but I think water is 3x more expensive here.  I might have to switch to bathing every other day and join the house in stinkiness.  These old toilets that never clog because they empty a small pond every time you flush are gonna have to go, too. 

1st Day of School

After their first day.  Claire was distracted by Wild Kratts and couldn't give me a good smile, darn it.  We're still in corporate housing, and will be for another two weeks.

Good-byes

Before the movers pack up the computer... Wait--gotta relay the comment one of the packers just made.

Me: Do you need to pack up the computer now?

Him: No, we'll do that very last.  And we'll box up the kids last, too.  Don't worry.  We poke holes in the top.

Claire: They're going to put us in boxes?!

Me: No.

Packer: No, we usually use plastic bags for that.

Uh?!  Eeek!  Who is packing us up?!  Get me out of here!  And not in a plastic bag, please.

Anyway, we're moving to Kansas.  This job opportunity was sprung on us pretty quickly, and we've had to rush to get the house sold, a new house found, and blah blah blah so the kids can start school on time NEXT WEEK in Kansas.  Kansas City area.  It's pretty nice.  I was pleasantly surprised.  Hot and humid right now, though.

So we're bidding farewell to our wonderful ward (will I ever love another ward like this one?  Probably not.  It's like the ward I grew up in.  Actually, it's not at all, except that it's just as dear to my heart.) and our wonderful neighbors and Michigan. 

And the geckos.  Two of whom are buried in the backyard.  I accidentally killed them.  I'll blog about that later.  My time is up.  Call me on my cell if you need me.