Meaningless rantings of a cabin fevered Mom.

that's right, it's my Mum's birthday, and i won't spill her age, but, she was born 6 decades ago. heehehhehehehee (this is a pic of my Grandpa Varnadore holding his brandy new baby girl) I could really write a novel, but I look at my mom's life and I see a walking talking example of a Proverb's 31 woman. She has seen years and years of a Faithful God that brings he through the pits and valleys of life, and who lifts her up to heights of joyful bliss she never thought she would see. I am so so proud to call her Mother, I pray every day to someday be the Woman, Christian, Wife, Friend, honest, loving, faithful, funny MOM that i see in her. I guess we'll keep her, after all, she is vintage now!! :D **You love me mommy you know it!** HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!

So, the other day on the way home late at night from somewhere, i saw this thing on the side of the road, well, more like 3 things, giant glowing in the dark cold night. I went by again another night to show my sis, and decided I needed to bring the kids one time but couldn't figure out when, since they are MUCH more impressive in the dark, when they glow. Well, this afternoon they were talking about pumpkins on the way home from the store, and i remembered, and i saw it was dark and dismal out, and thought.... hmmm.. possibly a good time for a Detour ...so we went ... and here is the proof. yup, that's right, mammoth pumpkins! LOL They were SO cool!! Sammy was not overly cuddly, but Grant was speechless, and all over them, and trying to see how they lit up, and how they got so big and on and on, and he also brought home a new Acorn Collection, yippee! This one next to Sammy apparently won the prize for the heaviest pumpkin ever grown in Vermont! Wo knew! and so close to home L...

So we just did Grant's party, i know, but time and schedules, LOL, he was great to wait, and he asked everyone to don costumes, Star Wars the theme, it was a fab party! My hubby cooked the Pizza, and my MIL hosted at her clean, non-moving messed up house to ease my stress. Nice family huh? Yeah, I'll keep them, kids and all, they were pretty cute! The cousin line up Gigi the ballerina, Sammy aka Princess Leia, Grant aka Luke, Isaac aka Vader, Aiden aka the Pirate The set up. The Ice Cream cake that i DID NOT make! :o Gasp! On the top is Han solo in Carbonite and Leia getting ready to save him. The Jedi team Oh, I'm Leia of cloud city. :) Me n Mike and kids. Pretty handsome i think :)

So, yesterday, was ... well zippy, or maybe zappy, but anyway, it was electrifying! Heehehehehe e. For anyone who missed it, I am moving this month yes, we found a house, not a house to buy, it's a rental. Mike's company has houses they own, and rent to employe es it's a very hands off landlord type deal, we do pretty m uch everything ourselves, except like, roof, septic and such, and the rent is 450 LESS a month.So that makes it all well worth it. When Grant was younger he was very creative, and drew all over my bathroom walls with a yellow highlighter, NOT washable! I guess he was sorry later, he started to strip the wallpaper to cover the crime, even though it was a year later! LOL I felt it was up to us t get the bathroom back to decent before we leave the house, so my project has been that these past few days. It seemed so simple! Strip the wallpaper, sand the walls, put up paint. Yeah, not so much. The walls are crap! They removed tile a while back and never dealt wi...

My brother, Father, and now Brother in Law all serve or have served in the military, so it hits close to home, but i hope this day hit EVERYONE close to home. Never forget what we are blessed with!

My new project. An online one, I am crocheting this afghan along with a bunch of other women across the country and a couple in other countries, isn't that a cool idea? Mine is being done in soft yummy yarn in warm yummy fall colors. I uploaded some pics for the flikr group that goes along with the blog. It's much more fun to have other people to do it with, keeps you on your toes, makes you wanna get it done!

There are days that i wonder where my babies went, Grant puts his shoes on, Sammy picks her clothes out, they swim and talk, and chit and chat and squeal with glee about school, and i wonder WHEN did they get so big? Maybe i really am coming out of the "baby stage" And how sad, but how fun, how cool to think about the fun we can have as they get older ...... Then, days like today ,..... and i wonder, what woman in her right intelligent mind CHOOSES this crazy hairy, insanity inducing, bi-polar producing, madness soaked, dirty, nasty, smelly job??? and WHY on God's Green Earth would i EVER want to start all over?!?!! I'm quite sure you have no clue what i mean. ROFL Today was planned well, executed differently, and almost survived with no casualties, so far. :) I woke u p, late, cranky from no sleep, and early awakening from the ball of energy that sleeps and bounces across the hall from me. I walk down the hall, avoiding him, so i don't say something mean and...

This is Grant being like Michael Phelps. My son who this spring needed to be ORDERED into the water, now has aspirations of someday being "Like Phelps" and swimming for gold on TV.

This is title of a book my mom and aunt always wanted to write, about all the crazy things kids do, and say, and the things you mom never warned you about, the phrases you never imagined you'd use. My kids have been giving me all kinds of "first time, hope i never have to do THAT again" moments this summer. Here are a few cute moments. My son was playing on his wake board, in the grass with Sammy, and she was trying to share, and he wouldn't so I scolded him .. he says " awww, C'mon Mom! I'm surfin' the net here!" On the way home from swimming one day the darli ng were playing the ever popular, "Don't look at me" game and it's cousin, "She's looking at me! make her stop!" . SO i said to them ... "Do you know who else is looking at you? God! God is ALWAYS watching, and you had better remember that next time you wanna be mean." Grant is very solemn, and then Sammy in her pixie voice pipes up .. "God?...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA ............. (no freedom sermon today, All talked out :) ...) HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!! Love ya :)

So, yesterday we signed up for a swim pass to Northwood pool. This also gives us free swim lessons for the kids all summer. YAY! See, mommy here is really quite petrified of kids in deep water, mainly because i nearly drowned twice in lake rescue, and once in a public pool UNDER the lifguard chair. :P Soooo, i have a small huge fear of water. I also have never been a big fan of public pools. The one we had in Walpole was pretty clean, but just in general, walking around on cement all afternoon, tons of other kids in the same water, just not my cup of tea :P I much preferred the water hole in our nearby creek. Or the bigger one deep in the woods, or even maybe the nighbors private pool, i could handle that :) So, any who, i got all prepared, even packed a picnic lunch so we could eat there, and swim in free swim, decided we would go to Walmart in the am to get floaties, and Grant a second suit and Sammy and cover up. Last night however, we had a rather nasty revelation. The fridge downs...

This is the verse we use so often this time of year, for graduates, for people getting married, for babies. But it is also a useful verse for times of sadness. When we sit and stare into the dark cold night and Wonder WHY? WHY do these things have to happen? WHY to these kind of people?? Yesterday As we went from Church, to a fund raising event at the local pizza place. (To raise money for The teens Mission trip this summer to WV) On the way there, News started trickle in about a Car accident. A BAD one, and it was our kids in it. Not the ones going on the trip, but part of the youth group, the big sister of one of the boys going on the trip. The news was dismal, she was airlifted to DHMC, she was in critical. Our church hosted a church-wide celebration. A whole bunch of area churches coming together to sing and dance and show off different talents. All to praise and Worship God. The whole time people everywhere in the building were fighting to keep it together up to their performance,...

soooo in case you misssed it, For mother's day, I got a Wii. :) Heehehehe!! I enjoy video games, a few have even gotten me addicted, but when it comes to spending hundreds of dollars on "systems" and equipment with which to play the games, Forget it! Until, i saw the Wii, i saw right away that it was different, and totally not like anything ever made before. Then my friends got one, and i got to use it, and MAN, my entire body ached after an hour of baseball and golf, and i thought to myself. If playing a fun game, can wake up muscles and move them around like that, It may be worth the money! Low and behold, Mikey got me one for Mother's day. I was shocked! I thought we were saving for a house, but, if you say it's okay, then by all means, put in the Golf game!! :) So, i have been doing alot of golfing and batting practice, then my hubby comes home from visiting his buddy Pat with a managerie of odds and ends. Two of which are Wii games. One is a big game hunting ...

Soooo, life here has been pretty run of the mill. Nothing outstanding, but not quite slow enough to sit and think. :) We are fast approaching summer, it seemed it would never come! We have been recording our radio show regularly on Sunday nights, an it broadcasts on Friday nights. If you are ever interested in listening in LIVE tot he recording session, look up www.wftf.org on a Sunday evening around 9ish, you WON'T regret it! Well, you may, but not enough to make you cry, hopefully.... hmm ..anywhoooooo Sammy has recovered from her little "allergic incident" but it seems she is now itching again, and terribly congested, so I'm starting to wonder if some plant in my yard is making her allergic? She didn't break out until she and Grant went outside on the first dry sunny day and played and romped and rolled in the grass. vweerry interesting! Grant is doing well in school. He has successfully mastered the Tricycle, very impressive i must say! He gets smarter and sm...

So, we have been spring cleaning, and one thing my hubby asked about was my doll house. It has gotten into pretty bad shape, this is not mine, just a picture of what it SHOULD look like. I told Mike i can't just get rid of it, i need to think about it first. See, this toy is the one thing i have that can actually SEE my grandpa Varnadore in. I vividly remember the Christmas he gave it to me on. I remember how many hours i spent playing with it. How amazed i was with the whole thing, the lights that really worked, the tiny beautiful pieces of furniture, the details of the little house. I loved it to death really LOL. So, i went searching online for a replacement, and low and behold, it's a collectors item that you CAN buy new stuff for, even a new house. SO, my new quest is to get a new one, for me, and Sammy :) To replace the peices that i have lost over the years and put my originals in the newer house that will be in usable condition. Cool huh? If anyone ever sees one for sal...

Sunday morning we wake and get ready for church, and i spend most of my time studying the intriguing rash that is starting to break out all over my daughter's body. We decide to keep her out of nursery in case it's something contagious. We went over to my parents for the afternoon, and My mom and I studied her under the microscope, and both came to the conclusion that she has chicken pox. So, Monday morning i call and get a doctor appointment, thinking about what a pain iy was gonna be to have two ithcing crying kids for a week or longer, and the pink lotion, and oatmeal baths and UGH. Good news! NO chicken Pox! But it's whaaaaaat? SCABIES? EWWWW ewwewewewew! If ever you want to feel dirty, pick up a case of scabies. GAH! Nasty stuff. but give me two sick itching kids any day! Yesterday i spent all day removing anything soft out of the rooms, pillows, blakets towels, stuffed animals, baby blankies, dollies clothes, baby dolls, even My little ponies. Wash the washables, and ...

new post on the Family blog :)

So, My hubby and brother started an online Radio show a year or two back, just them in the basement broadcasting online. They brought in a friend of ours, along with myself, and we had "The Friday Night Meltdown" for quite a while. Well, our local Christian station, that is broadcast from our church building, agreed to give us air time, REAL air time! Now, we four have become "FEEDBACK" as in our subject matter is subject to change according to what kind of Feedback we get from our Listeners. We ask people what they talk about, what they enjoy, what kind of stories they like, and what they think about the stuff we bring up on the air. every Friday night on 90.5 in Rutland Vermont, Feedback runs for two hours. I know alot of your are out of range LOL, BUT on sunday nights, when we record the shows, you can listen! LIVE uncut, unedited! so check us out!! WWW.WFTF.ORG Listen tonight!! 9pm-11pm ish ... :) and if you tune in, give us some feedback!!

uuuummmmmm well hey, i guess summer was fun while it lasted? Does this mean im behind starting my Christmas shopping?? o.0 OI to the VEY!

So, tonight we sit down to a classic Atkins style meal. Meatloaf, Mashed potatoes and veggies. It never ceases to amaze me how much guys truly LIKE meatloaf. My Daughter has an inherited fear of anything resembling anything close to red meat. Grant is skiddish, but when faced with nutter butters or nothing, he persevered through and got his reward. Sammy, on the other hand, not so easy! SHe loves the mashed potatoes, and gobbles up her tomatoes, but meatloaf? Forget it dad! I even got her to eat ketchup, but on the tomatoes, LOL. Finally Mike decides to put his foot down, Samantha, you need to eat your meat honey. "NO! I don't like it daddy, i don't need it" We are trying very hard not to laugh because her face is SOO cute! So we proceed to try to put ketchup on it, cut it smaller fly the plane in for landing. ALl of which gets the evil eye stare, and the mouth shut tight. Finally, mommy gets a bright idea. "Sammy! You gotta eat your meat, it's good for princ...

isn't he cute? His name is Frodo, and he vacuumed my living room while i slept last night, isn't that nice of him? :) My hubby says he bought it for me, LOL but he is the one who was nearly giggling opening the box! It is very fun to watch, and it's even more fun to watch Sammy run away from while Grant tried to sneak up on it from behind. anywho, floors done, we are going out to play now :)

I just have to vent, it's been bugging me! There are several commercials on TV that drive me batty, and shine a rather unattractive light on the thought processes of a nation that is vastly blessed and by a large percent, sadly spoiled. These commercials throw around phrases like, "No woman should have to suffer" ( selling electrolysis) "you don't need to suffer any longer" (selling a temurpedic mattress ) "You deserve it" "Only the best is good enough for you" "start thinking about you for once" "Indulge yourself" They are selling THINGS! Things that aren't even that important. I mean, think about the mattress thing. Sure, we'd all love to sleep on sweedish foam, but isn't it amazing how quickly we can forget what a blessing it is to even have a decent bed to sleep on in the first place? How bout the fact that is really wasn't all that long ago that people slept on corncob mattress, feeling like kings...

On the way from dropping Grant off to school, Sam and I had a rather amusing conversation. It went something like this..... "mommy, whats your name? Oh i know...Shawa! " thats right "What is Daddy's name?" michael "What is Grant's name? oh! Grant! What is Uncle Matt's name?" matthew "What is Uncle David's name?" david "NOPE! His name is DUDE!" o.0 who am i to argue? :)

My Brilliant Nephew artist ..... And this ..... is just funny!

sooooo, we went to see Amy this weekend. Actually we went on a LOOOOONG road trip and happened to find Amy right in the middle of it, heehehehe.Yes, we ( mom and myself) left her house in Bomoseen at 1am saturday morning, and drove and drove and drove for 12 hours till we got to where Amy is now residing in Norfolk Virginia. We were bringing her some more of her things, to help her set up home. some of those things were a queen size bed frame, box spring, and mattress, a dresser, and some other various items, and it was supposed to rain the entire trip, torrential downpour really. So on top of being totally weighed down in the truck, we had to tarp it all and tie it all so that the wind and rain couldn't' dampen our cargo. Well, it was pretty fine till we got to Virginia, then we hit some wind on route 13 going towards the Chesapeake bay, then rain, then wind AND rain, and then torrential downpour and whipping winds, it was pretty much miserable. and nearly impossible to drive ...

i mean, there a reasons they posted a 15MPH limit by the gates, incase some terrorist housewife is speeding through, trying to run from the Naval police, so they don't confiscate her AMRY ID. I tell ya, you can never be to careful!  More at 11 ............... :D

okay, so my hubby got me these wonderful chocolates for valentines day, I had 2 so far. I was saving them, you know, savor them kind of thing.  Well, we put Sammy in our room for a nap. She is a very good girl normally, however, yesterday, different story. Yeah, I ate two, this is how i found them, with my daughter having chocolate around her precious mouth, while sitting in the middle of ALL my shoes. ALL of them pulled out of the closet, out of their boxes, all over the floor. OI! Neither my chocolate OR my shoes are safe !! 

Well, for my birthday my hubby bought me the boxed set of "Gilmore Girls Season #1" I LOVE this show! I feel all witty and smart and sappy after watching it. I also miss my sis when i watch it :P BUT! I now have a new ring tone under her name :) heeheheheeee So, if you haven't seen it, thank the gnomes for syndication and find it, and get hooked, it's worth it! :)

Hold Me Jesus Rich Mullins First Kings 19:3-13, Matthew 11:25-30 Well, sometimes my life just don't make sense at all When the mountains look so big And my faith just seems so small So hold me Jesus, 'cause I'm shaking like a leaf You have been King of my glory Won't You be my Prince of Peace And I wake up in the night and feel the dark It's so hot inside my soul I swear there must be blisters on my heart So hold me Jesus, 'cause I'm shaking like a leaf You have been King of my glory Won't You be my Prince of Peace Surrender don't come natural to me I'd rather fight You for something I don't really want Than to take what You give that I need And I've beat my head against so many walls Now I'm falling down, I'm falling on my knees And this Salvation Army band is playing this hymn And Your grace rings out so deep It makes my resistance seem so thin I'm singing hold me Jesus, 'cause I'm shaking like a leaf You have b...

Ahh spring, well, in Vermont it's two feet of fresh snow, LOL BUT! We still get jelly beans! The only holiday I really get crazy over candy is Easter. I LOVE jelly beans, like can't get enough. Jelly bellies of course are the best, but those are slow, mix and match things, i love the Price Chopper ones, sooo yummy :)  Anywho, i was on the phone for a while this morning, and when i get back to the living room, my daughter looks very guilty. then i see the bag, the one that was nearly full, now nearly empty! Good lord woman! She IS her mommy all over again, bummer dude! :) 

Just a note ...... the sailor has just been moved from "friend's blogs" to "My tribe of origin" In case anyone cares ;)

Ahhhhh! She lives! So it ain't so!! :) Yes, i am posting a current newsy post. I have been pretty absent as of late. well, let's see, after the whole whirlwind that was Amy and Rick, they settled into a pseudo-honeymoon, living in an apartment my brother rents out. Meanwhile, they packed up Amy's things from Mom and Dad's and bought silly things, like printers and potatoes, because they had so much room in the little car to transport all the silly things to Virginia. :D They eventually left us, we almost kept them here, with the "Driveway of Doom" aka, my parents driveway. You must have a Vermont Winter worthy car to navigate the thing from December to April, otherwise, it'll be somewhat hazardous! :) Back in November, i think? It was after Thanksgiving, My Nana, who lives with Mom and Dad, was diagnosed with Cancer. It was found in her lymph nodes, and it was determined to be terminal from the get go. She went downhill pretty fast, and as they watched, th...

1546 Martin Luther , German leader of the Protestant Reformation , died. 1564 Michelangelo Buonarotti , Italian painter, sculptor, and architect, died. 1885 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain was published. 1930 Pluto , the ninth planet in the solar system, was discovered by American astronomer Clyde Tombaugh . 1953 The first 3-D movie, Bwana Devil , opened in New York. 1977 Yubmeister was born. :) 2001 FBI agent Robert Philip Hanssen was arrested and charged with spying for Russia. 2001 Dale Earnhardt, Sr., died from injuries sustained at the Daytona 500.

so, it's been icing and raining and miserable all day long, and night has fallen, in more ways than one, and as i looked up from my cleaning ( a Varnadore thing we have decided) i saw snow. Big fluffy white flakes of snow. Falling lightly to the ground, covering the ugly slush and ice and making the cold outdoors look very comfortable. God is so good, He sends us just what we need, right when we need it, Like a warm fuzzy blanket :)

One of my personal favorites, and it came to me today, this is now her song too. by (Jars of Clay) "Love Song For A Savior" In open fields of wild flowers, she breathes the air and flies away She thanks her Jesus for the daises and the roses in no simple language Someday she'll understand the meaning of it all He's more than the laughter or the stars in the heavens As close a heartbeat or a song on her lips Someday she'll trust Him and learn how to see Him Someday He'll call her and she will come running and fall in His arms and the tears will fall down and she'll pray, "I want to fall in love with You"

You MUST check out this blog! This is just the coolest thing, i think it waill be amazing to catch up on. Read along with me!! WW1: Experiences of an English Soldier

OI! Well, i thinks it's safe to say we are on the mend here. This morning my son woke early, jumped out of bed, turned on the light cranked the radio and proceeded to play cars LOUDLY. :P He was ravenous for breakfast, polishing off four toasted slices of Mommy's home made bread, and wanted more. He has been bossing his sister into the ground. Sammy has dragged herself out of bed, waddled into the kitchen and grumpily waited for toast and milk. Only afterwards was she happy and able to converse normally. (boy i wonder where THAT came from?) She went potty like a big girl, had a meltdown over what to wear. (YES, not 3 yet, and having meltdowns over our clothes!) scheeeech So, yeah, pretty normal i think, now i just need to catch up on sleep :P Oh, two quotes for the day...also proving the "back to normal" state of my house. after doing sam's hair and saying, "man your hair is stubborn today." she replies, "No mommy! It's just crazy hair!" G...

Sick sick sick and SICKER!  if you want the details, it's like this see. January, a blur of activity, ending in a wedding. My aunt and uncle PC were here, staying with us, then they went to northern NH to visit my cousin and Brood. In that week, SAmmy was coughing, and coughing and coughing, then developed a high fever. So for a week or so i was not sleeping well, listening to the baby cough, then with the fever, i did NOT sleep with the fever, getting up to check and medicate all hours. Then the Aunt and uncle and cousin returned on Sunday for the night then they would head down towards home in the morning. Well, I slept in the living room, so i could watch sammy, and around 1am her fever broke, YAY! shortlived :P around 3am, it was obvious that Uncle CP had been struck down by "the BUG" An evil 24 hr bug that leaves it's victim listless, on the bathroom floor wishing for death. *lol* You get the idea :)  So they stayed an extra day while he recovered, we sprayed the...

so , you know Mommies, when your kid is sick, and you play the what should i do game? Should we sit it out? Should we go to the doc? Then we check our "source" Either the big old book, or the internet website with all the info. We read the section entitled, "when to call the doctor.." Well, i don't think this is ever in there. LOL Here is my sick sammy, and here is her table from yesterday. She didn't eat morning snack, lunch OR afternoon snack, COOKIES! Now THAT is a sick kid! When the carb quenn doesn't eat her cookies, It's time to call the doc!  And there she is hugging her "Gianna Dollie" :) 

So, the kids had fun, the cake didn't fall over, We danced, and cried, and took LOTS of pictures. All in all, twas a grand success! The Happy couple looked beyond happy as the ran away to wedded bliss. :) All my pics are on my facebook page, so look'em up!. Yubby on FACEBOOK And now, to veg, i am NOT getting out of my jammies today. I may even sleep most of it away!

hmmmm, not quite what i was thinking of!

Well, the wedding gets closer and the madness gets madder *lol* today is the start of the downward spiral.  We are playing with hair and dresses, and thinking about frosting and cakes yay fun! Here is our practice run for Sammy's hair i will take a pic of how it looks when its done! Must go make some frosting now. 

In yer dreams kid :) Yup, it will stay there, in our dreams. California would have been a great adventure, but, it seems not to be the one God wants for us now. And so my friends and Family, We are remaining in the Vermont area. This is becoming more and more comforting as the minutes go by. I get to keep my kids in the school we love, i get to have SNOW, i get to see my Nana as much as possible over the next few months, I get to watch My brother play Football, Grant can coach with Grandpa and Skate with Papa, it's all good. We are happy :) Now i have to go play with wedding ribbon heehehee life goes on!

So, my 160th post, comes to you courtesy of Esther, yup, Esther, my lovely shoe crazy sister in law. She has given me new eyes, new passion, and possibly a new addiction. Shoes, i have seen the light and now can find so much giggly fun and satisfaction in a pair of leather-esq foot coverings in various styles and colors. My latest addition, this blue number to be worn at the wedding 2 weeks from today. Never let it be said that i was a boring bridesmaid! My sister, i do love you, and you are one of the most laid back brides i have met, however i must object to the current shoe demands, silver simply won't do! I will be wearing metallic snake skinish blue shoes, and i will feel fab! :) okie, im tired, i'm planning a wedding in 3 weeks! What do you expect from me? SOMETHING has got to snap SOMEWHERE! *ROFL*

Well people, it's wedding time! This is what we are living and breathing currently, and Sammy is right in the middle of it. With me acting as some kind of wacko Wedding Coordinator, cake baker, and Matron of Honor, Sammy gets to tag along for all the fun stuff, and it seems she now has the "bridal bug" Oh baby, don't grow up too fast!! Oh, by the way, Amy picked a date for the wedding, in case you hadn't heard, it's on January 27th! Yup, three weeks! What a nutty fairy! seriously though, God is in charge, We went dress shopping, and Amy walked away with an absolutely stunning ensemble for under 500$, and i found a very pretty dress in th perfect color off the rack, Mom's came in the mail yesterday, Sammy's came in today. Can you stand it? 4 days into official planning and the bridal party is fully outfitted weehee~! Sammy thoroughly enjoyed the dress shopping experience, she just loved every minute of it, except for leaving all the pretty things behind...

Nice to see we are in the mood for a Happy new Year. LOL Just want to wish everyone happiness, health, and LOTS of snow :) We are thinking positive here. More to post later, for now, the boy wants to go sledding. :)