The K-Man Cave

Have you ever had the rare opportunity to take a glimpse inside of

a testosterone-filled Man Cave?

Today is your very lucky day,

you're about to right now.  

Here's where my biggest of boys hang out frequently:

Filled with the manliest of things...a motorcycle, ATV, plywood, giant TV, lawn chairs, 

a torpedo heater (because there is no other heat source),

 power tools, machinery, mowing appendices, bench press...

And more! 

And that's why I got this sign for K-Man,

for his K-Man Cave:

I don't even want to know.

I'm a little jealous, honestly.
I want a Girl Cave!
Oh, wait...I think I have one, it's called The Kitchen.

Hmmmmm.

So, does YOUR man have a man cave??

Colorado-Bound (Part 1) (Love Mission!)

Well, last evening K-Man and I literally headed off into the sunset.

And it was glorious.

Western Kansas has never been more ravishing!

The ginormous windmills on the plains were spectacular.

I wish my pictures could show just how cool they looked, all majestic-like,

as the sun went down behind them.

Hundreds of them!

And this one had an American flag.

I stood up proud right there in our little car and said the Pledge of Allegiance!

  

I had my little spot carved out in the car.

Bag of magazines on the left.

Purse with various sundries on the right.

My Kindle on my lap.

And life was grand.

K-Man and I were two crazy kids on a Love Mission!

And then on the last leg of our big long drive,

I concluded that sitting in that blasted shoe-box car was no different than

riding the claustrophobic tram to the top of the St. Louis Arch,

and I nearly scaled to the top of it for sweet, glorious freedom and fresh air.

And to start a whole new life.

K-Man has never been more attractive to me than that moment.

But we finally arrived, intact and still married.

how it all began...{Colorado, here we come!}

In exactly two weeks the K-Man and I leave for a much-needed vacation.

Together.

Alone.

Just K-Man and me.

Alone.

And as I've casually mentioned recently, my sanity could use the respite.

Not that I'm complaining or anything.

Far be it from me to complain.

We are going to Colorado, which holds some very special memories for us, K-Man and me.

It's where we met, when I was all of 15-shiny-years old.

And it's also where we got engaged, when I was a glossy-18-years old.

Goodness, I still remember coming back to high school that February 1987, with my

sparkly-naive engagement ring and proudly showing it to my typing & business teachers.

They seemed so happy for me.

And the sense of dread I picked up in their undertones, didn't set me back one skip.

I was IN LOVE and unstoppable.

But of course, now that I'm 44, I understand their hesitation. God bless them.

 Homemaking was in my blood from the get-go.

Here is a picture of me with one of my very best life-long friends in Home-Ec class, Lori Anne.

Thank goodness my posture has improved since then.

Though the daggers coming out of my eyeballs have not.

This photo really does beg for a caption, doesn't it?

So here we are, K-Mand and me, 25+ years later, married still, and going back to where it all began.

And we'll be footloose and fancy free in just two short weeks.

To re-discover Colorado.

And each other!

Who knows, maybe we'll decide to have another baby.

I sometimes really feel the need for another baby made by the two of us.

You know, a little bio caboose to bring up the rear of our crazy-train.

Good heavens, somebody stop me now.

a candid conversation with my dear husband

So last night as I was putting away a huge pile of laundry,

and K-Man was lying on the bed watching me,

he said,

"Honey, do you know why I don't do many of the household chores?"

Me, with eye-brows highly raised, said,

"Ummm, no...why?"

(Although really, he does help me.)

He said, with blazen boldness to the woman who makes his meals,

and sleeps next to him, 

"Because if I helped you more, you wouldn't have anything to do."

If ever there were daggers shooting from one's eyes, it was now.

"Oh, really?  How very thoughtful of you, dear."

I said with uncanny calmness.

To which he responded,

"Seriously...if you had nothing to do...you wouldn't even know what to do

with yourself."

Sure thing.

"There is ALWAYS something that needs to be done around here, DEAR."

"And if there is ever anything not to do, I will MAKE something to do."

"I know, honey, that's what I'm saying.  You don't know how to sit and relax."

He bravely proclaimed.

To which I said,

"Honey, do you think anyone will believe the suicide note that is found

next to your chopped up body in the freezer??"

TOTALLY kidding about that last line.

I didn't even say that.

But it's funny, right?

I love my dear man.  And he's exactly right, I can't sit still and relax for the life of me!

I LOVE THAT MAN.

valentine extravagance! {empty tank}

Happy Valentine's Day, friends!!

I hope your day is filled with hearts, glitter, and fancy boxes of chocolates.

You'll never guess in a million years what K-Man and I decided to get each other.

You'll never ever guess!

Try to guess.

I'll tell you.

Though we really COULD NOT afford it,

we decided that our love knows no bounds, financially or otherwise.

We deserve THE BEST.

We are so wildly passionate about each other 

and giddy-in-love that we simply had to show each other in a big way.

So...

We got our septic tank pumped out!

Swoon!

It is all I've ever dreamed of, and more.

But before we took the plunge on that, 

we had a personality-less roto-rooter guy come out unnecessarily to check for clogs.

It was the $146 icing on our heart-shaped cookies.

Did I mention it was completely unnecessary?

Hard lesson learned.

But here we are, all clog-free and our tank is empty.

Empty, I tell you!

Positively NOTHING says *I LOVE YOU* quite like that.

Sorry we've raised the bar, folks.

I hope you can at least come close to such Valentine extravagance. 

disbelief

Well, now.

There's nothing quite like an impromptu-late-night-mandatory

cleaning out of the silverware (and junk) drawer.

If you could only see the look on K-Man's face as he stood there in disbelief,

as he accidentally pulled the drawer out all over the kitchen floor.

But mostly disbelieving how much other stuff was in there besides the designated

flatware occupants.  

 Oh, stop judging me, K-Man.

I may be the manager of the kitchen, but my meager salary doesn't demand

top-notch performance.

We'll talk more about that in my annual review.

He just squealed with delight that I stood there taking picture.

He did.

Even Nicky pitched in to help,

as I stood there taking pictures.

He will be so tickled that I posted this photo of him in his Mario PJs.

My family just adores me.

And because of that, I have a sparkling clean silverware drawer.

Smile.

8-years-old-at-heart

Well, rats.

I can't get this picture rotated for the life of me.

Well, anyway...turn your 

computer sideways and continue on.

Here's what happens when an almost 50-year old man

gets his remote control helicopter stuck in a tree:

Thankfully, this 8-year-old-at-heart-man is married to a slightly younger woman who 

is willing to help him out of his predicaments, always.

And thankfully, this almost 50-year-old-yet-8-year-old-at-heart-man,

owns a big tractor.

So my job was to hoist him up, then bring him down.

And don't think for a second that I didn't consider just dumping him off in the woods.

Wait, what?

No, I did not think that for one second.

I certainly did not.

Helicopter was rescued.

Mission accomplished.

Once again, Lori saved the day.

I'm here to help.

Call me with all your rescue needs.

happy anniversary!

Hahahaha!

Yep, that's right, actually.

25 years and going on FOREVER!

Such a happy day, then and NOW.

Happy 25th anniversary to my fabulous husband,

the only man alive who could ever

put up with the likes of me!

big man, little man

Big man.

Little man.

If I didn't know better,

I'd think K-Man had been in China

5 1/2 years ago.

Ahem.

But he wasn't.

Just God doin' his thing to put

families together,

 matching them up perfectly.

Smile.

video {when a man loves a woman}

When a man loves a woman.

Or something like that.

(I ran into the post office...and upon returning,

Kman and Nick locked me out...insisting

that I dance before I was permitted

back into the car).

Actually, it seemed more like harassment to me.

My martyrdom continues.

hands-free multi-tasking

Every single time this hands-free phone thingy

commercial comes on,

I tell K-man that I MUST have it.

I must!

I could multi-task like nobody's business.

Oh, the possibilities!

But he has never bought it for me.

Not even hinted that he would.

And so I continue to have numerous tasks that go undone,

all because I can't talk and work at the same time.

Yes, that's it.

That's it exactly.

However,

while I was on the phone today,

my main-man rigged up my own hands-free device.

Free of charge!

No shipping or processing fees!

And once again,
I have fallen in love with this man

all over.

Let the multi-tasking begin!

Or something like that.

*Does the degree of my dorkiness here clearly reflect

my summertime insanity?

Oh, good.
I was so hoping you'd grasp that.

then and now.

So...over the years, we've had to

move a couch or two.

And our method is quite handy.

We have a 6-wheeler ATV that hauls just about

anything and everything.

Including,

gawdy couches.

And children.

Here is K-Man, Nick and Brenden...

about 14 years ago.

And me!

Fast forward.

We had a couch to move out of our basement last week.

And my big boys remember the earlier picture

and insisted I take another pic:

They've grown just a bit.

And are every bit as ornery.

Or more so.

Oh, so more so.

And in case you were wondering,

yes, I did get mooned just after this pic.

My life.

It's awesome.

And never-ending craziness.

a daddy and his girls {dancin'!}

Tonight at our church was a

Daughter~Daughter Dance!

Lucy was SO. EXCITED.

She wanted to start getting ready around noon.

She's going to be such a delightful

teenager.

I just can hardly wait.

But doesn't she look precious!

I hate that I cut K-man's head off 

(been wanting to do that for years, actually)

(JUST KIDDING!)

(Love me some K-Man!),

but what a darling pic of the girls!

K really loves his girlies, I tell you what.

As of this posting,

they're still at the dance and I haven't heard

one peep from them.

So I'm assuming that means they're having a blast!

spring has sprung {snakes abound}

Spring has sprung.

The weather is warm.

The flowers are blooming.

And summertime, looming.

Somebody stop me.

So far in the last week we've found three, count them, THREE snakes.

Though I am not an alarmist,

this does alarm me, moderately.

Mostly because if I happen to encounter one myself,

I know it will completely catch me off guard

and I will likely never resume any kind of normalcy.

My carefree life as I know it will be over.

Gone forever.

So I hereby pledge to not leave the safety of my concrete driveway

without my rubber boots on.

No need to hold me accountable,

I will not forget this promise.

I assure you.

Pics of today's find, for your pleasure...

K-man is the bravest man I know.

And he does everything he can to rattle my courage-less cage, every chance he gets.

The kids seem to be taking after him,

and not me.

Which is good since they will likely be the ones to save me

when I do encounter my first snake alone.

My life is depending on them.

I hope they understand that.

Look how Lucy is fearlessly wrestling with that massive invertebrate.

She's a beauty, she is.

(Insert Steve Irwin accent)

It's a happy day when dad brings home dinner.

Just kidding.

Don't you worry.

We set this little darling free.

Black snakes are non-poisonous and a good thing to have around.

Far, far from Lori.

Then it was business back to usual.

As if nothing happened.

All the while,

I'm curled up in a corner in the fetal position.

The End.

laws of physics

Two things:

First:

When K-man saw my blog post from yesterday

he said,

"Oh my Lord, please tell me that picture isn't really on your blog."

Me,

"Umm, indeed it is."

K-man,
"Have you no shame?"

Me,

"No, apparently not. I had to do it for the people. I had to."

Second:

We were just on our way home from Macy's piano lessons

(30 minutes or so from our house),

and Isaiah announced that he had to go to the bathroom.

I quickly assessed the situation and deemed it

an emergency by the degree of dancing he was doing in his car seat.

A mother of six knows these things.

Nowhere to stop except the side of a country road.

And I learned a few things.

1. Never have a little boy pee uphill.

2. Never have a little boy pee into the wind.

3. Never stand behind a little boy peeing uphill and into the wind.

3. The laws of physics can't be broken.

I will leave you with that.

Blessings to you.

And to me.

garage kitchen

Remember the post about my fantastic new
FREE stove?

The one that God provided so I could have an extra oven
to bake bread in and cook on in my garage when
it's hot out and I don't want to heat up the kitchen?

Remember that?

Well, God bless my dear husband because he simply
can't do anything half-way.
And he lives to get an oooh and ahhh out of me
by blessing me with his awesome skills.

He is building me my own little garage kitchen!

On the other side of the oven is an old mini-fridge
and another counter top.
With my giant freezer just on the other side of that.

Now I need to order me a sofa and bunk beds and
I'll have my own little apartment.
Just kidding.
Maybe.


So fun!!

impassible gate

Once upon a time,

there lived a father and his two eldest sons.

They decided one day that they needed to put a gate
at the end of the driveway.

So, they did.



During the process, the younger son said to his father,
"Father, I do believe that our ginormous dog will be able to
fit under our new gate and run away."

To which the father said,
"Son, if you can't fit under the gate, neither can our
ginormous dog. Hence forth and try to fit
under it, Son."

"Ok, Father, I will do just that."


And so the son tried,
but didn't fit, after all.


And there he stayed for the rest of his life.

He eventually got married and enjoyed a relative full life.
But mysteriously, never had children.



The End.

conquered

Rough-housing.

My pictorial.

Hello, Daddy?
Are you still alive?
Hello?


Conquered by munchkins.

a conversation {husband and wife}

So as a stay-at-home mom,
my biggest weakness (and there are many) is to procrastinate.
There are two main areas where this is a problem.

Let's review:

1. Anything administrative (paying bills, hubby's bookkeeping, etc.)
I hate doing those things.
I hate them with all of my heart.
I would rather be milking my chickens than sitting down flipping through papers.
And don't be silly, I don't milk my chickens.
But I'd rather.

2. Cleaning bathrooms.
I think this is self-explanatory.
I hate it.
And it shows.

So anyway, BOTH of these areas NEED to be taken care of
immediately.
As in, yesterday.
Actually, the day before yesterday.

So tonight I sat down and wrote out a schedule for myself
for tomorrow.
I decided to treat my day as if I worked in an office or something.

And then I said to my dear husband:

"Honey, I made a list of things I MUST do tomorrow...
please hold me to them.
Hold me accountable, okay?

Him:
"OK."

Me:
"No, really...you need to tell me I will get fired on the spot
if I don't get my list done."

Him:
"OK."

Me:
"Seriously, get tough with me and tell me that I am replaceable."

Him:
"Wait...did you say I can replace you?"

Me:
"Yes."

Him:
"Really?"

Me:
"Yes. Please replace me, please."

Him:
"OK."



Problem solved.

See, young girls, this is how you hold a good marriage together.
Or something like that.

crunched jeeps and foreheads

Oh, my sweet friends.

I can't even begin to tell you how much I have
appreciated your precious comments and emails.
You have encouraged me more
than you'll ever know.

Tough seasons in life would be unbearable without friends and family.




But life goes on.
Boy, does it.

My dear husband wrecked his jeep the other day.
The verdict is still out on whether
it is totaled or not.
He rear-ended someone and thankfully, no one was hurt.
Except for Betty, our Jeep.
I just now named her that, by the way.
K-Man may not like it, but that's my final decision.


THEN...

My little IGuy
fell off the bar stool and hit smack on the floor,
with only his forehead to break the fall.

Look at this poor pitiful child.

I told him to please smile so the nice people
wouldn't think his Mama was a total loser.
He obliged.


And just so you know that we really do have good days around here...
and that the children are relatively safe,
here is a cute shot of Lu and Isaiah on a better day.
They are becoming such good buddies.


Well, I just wanted to check in with you to give you
a list of our latest tragedies.

Now I need to move on to #4,589 of my to-do list.