As busy As hectic As full As messy As full of phone ringings As full of emails As full of laundry As full of dog hair As full of travel As anticipated As exhausting
From the top of the world everything in my life seems pretty damn perfect.
The fam is in Show-Low this weekend, crashing at our dear friend's cabin. And oh, life seemed to stop racing yesterday morning, somewhere between Mesa and Payson.
Since then it's been the scent of pine, roaring fires, sleds in the snow, cold ankles, good munchies, wonderful walks in the woods, a view that doesn't end, goofy car songs and the feeling of being perfectly at peace with the world!
I love it!
And the best part? Tonight my husband arrives with my parents in tow. Late afternoon flight from Nebraska makes for an evening arrival into Phoenix. Which makes the trek up the mountain a bit long, but it will be worth it all tomorrow.
Tomorrow when we wake up to hash-brown & sausage casserole baking in the oven, fresh brewed coffee and a bowl of delicious fruit. I can't wait.
The kids want to take Nana & Bubba back up to the snow, but being they just left the Midwest, and are really anxious to see the 80 degree weather, not sure we'll be able to talk them into that!
But who knows!
So from the top of the world - - - a Happy Easter Weekend to everyone. I hope you'll be spending the glorious day surrounded by people you love!
All five of them. Currently residing on our back patio. Driving the dogs crazy!
During yesterday's morning weigh-in...
Chicklet...wearing the hot pink leg bracelet. She's the palest of the group. But also the loudest. Man can this animal made noise. And did you know that most of their "cheeping" is done with their beaks closed? So I've already learned something!
Lily...sporting the yellow leg accessory. She seems to be one hayseed short of a full load. Mainly because she seems to think freckles are food, which means I end up getting pecked to smithereens whenever I pick her up.
Meet Kung-Pao. The feisty red-head...adorned with lime green. Remind you of anyone? She's a riot. She is the one that has been selected for "sequestering" from the group. And she doesn't mind one little bit. In fact, she's perfectly content without roommates. Too funny!
and Pollo...in orange. The other red-head of the bunch. We think she is the prettiest, mainly because she is already sporting the most feathers on her wings.
and finally, Puddles...decked out in royal blue. The camera-shy one. The one with the black spots on her back. The one who was the most irate when we put the leg bands on. Step-step-shake leg like the dickens - step - step - CHIRP - shake, shake, shake - step! It was hilarious!
To give you an idea of how small a 4-day old chicken is...
they are super tiny. All weighed roughly 50 grams. Go put a pile of paperclips in your hand and see how light that is. And then imagine it's chirping...and chirping...and chirping. It's amazing that this much noise comes out of bodies this small.
But it's been a fun couple of days. Figuring out how to deal with the group. Keeping the coop warm. Keeping the dogs away from said coops. Sharing the cuteness with all of the neighborhood kiddos. Listening to the squeals of cuteness from the little girls. And learning all there is to know about chicks.
All in the name of science. And an "A" for the teen's Honors Lab Biology project.
Which with the effort and energy the teen and her partner have put into the project already, I'm thinking is a given!
Off to finish weekend chores and to-dos. Loving the weather today. Windy and cool! Which makes staying inside an awesome option!
I just announced the dinner menu for Palm Sunday night tonight. And it was met with a ghastly scream.
Guess no one wants BBQ chicken for dinner. Pasta salad was suggested instead...go figure!
Oh yeah. Cute, yellow, red, fuzzy, soft, hilarious and loud! Who knew they were so loud. When all five of them cheep in unison it's piercing!
Right now, they know where the food is, they have mastered the water trough, the heat lamp seems to be working...and they seem to enjoy snuggling up next to the towel roll we put against the wall.
So cute! Especially when they sleep...
The teen has her alarm clock set to go off every 2 hours tonight. I'll believe it when I see it, but her intentions are at least admirable!
the chicks are going to be here tomorrow right after lunch.
1 chicken wire covered dog kennel - CHECK 1 huge box, altered with chicken wire - CHECK 6 pounds of chicken feed - CHECK 2 water dishes - CHECK 2 feeding trays - CHECK 1 thermometer - CHECK 2 heat lamps - CHECK 1 big, huge stack of newspapers - CHECK 14 web-sites bookmarked for quick reference - CHECK 1 digital scale for tracking weight gain - on my to do list for tomorrow
I'm not even going to tell you how much this science project is going to cost me. I'm not going to mention how many hours the teen has already spent reading, plotting, drawing, planning and organizing. Won't even point out that we're lining up a chick-sitter for a few days next week. And we're currently ignoring the weekend forecast for cooler temps and rain.
Because none of that matters. What matters is that the teen and her science partner are anxious to get started tomorrow. What matters is that they are both excited about the process of gathering data. What matters if that the two of them are totally going to WOW their class with their presentation next month.
And the family and I are just along for the ride.
Well, the ride and the mid-day food and water check.
Thanks to dear husband for jumping in today to finish up the "coop building". They're done, they're ready and they're waiting. Couldn't have done it without you. (And If I'd had to we'd have gone the route of an empty Cropper Hopper XL. At least for a couple of days!)
Tomorrow starts spring break here in Arizona. You know what that means for the upcoming week? It means no BBQ chicken on the patio. I was informed that it would be "quite rude".
So here's to the chirping, cheeping, peeping and scratching. That all starts tomorrow.
hahahahaha - just realized that tomorrow is the last Friday in Lent. No meat. Oh the irony!
when I finally talked the boy into gettin' his hair cut.
Just knew it!
He hasn't had a hair cut since school started last August. UGH!
But when we ordered him TWO new pairs of glasses this weekend, we convinced him that a whole new "look" was in order. New glasses in funky, fun styles and a brand new haircut to go along with them...
I couldn't be happier.
His father is going to be thrilled.
Heck, Nana is going to be ecstatic when she gets here next week.
And all-in-all, I think the boy himself was pretty happy when we left the salon. Thought he looked pretty stylish. Pretty snazzy. And of course, much older!
Yeah - I just knew it was going to be good!
Thanks bud, for listening to me. I promise not to lord it over your head the next time you face a big decision!
YEP. They cost $2.25 apiece. But you have to call the feed store ahead of time to let them know you want some. Because when the new shipment arrives - I guess they fly off the shelves!
hahahaha
Get it? FLY. CHICKENS!
The next shipment arrives at Higley Feed on Friday...
So we have ordered six of the little fluffy yellow buggers. Oh Lord have mercy! All in the name of science. High school science, that is!
Six chickens, two golden retrievers, two adults and two teen-aged punks. For the next three weeks.
But that doesn't include the three groups of visitors we are having over spring break. Grandparents, friends, and an aunt & uncle. All in the same house...AS THE CHICKENS!
How exactly is it that I got talked into this, I'll never know!
Actually, we're looking forward to it. The teen is. And I am. Dear husband was just informed of it last night. But he's been gone for three weeks - so he's a bit out of the loop.
And the boy - well, being the guy punk that he is - is walking around talking about "fried chicken", "kung pao chicken" and "chicken hot wings". But only because it's getting a reaction from his sister.
And a mild reaction from me - because it is kind of funny!
Being that we're going to have six chickens in the house come Friday!
Recovered from what? From my spur-of-the-moment-cross-country-flight-to-see-my-sister!
Oh it was priceless. And it was fun. And it was totally spontaneous! LOVE IT!
Last Tuesday I was sitting in my office listening to dear husband tell me about his upcoming weekend. He was going to drop by my sister's house, crash for a couple of nights and fill up on food, drink, nephews and laughter. Basically recharge his Spring Training drained batteries.
And I was totally jealous. Haven't seen my sis in over 2 years and it was making me physically ache. He was going to get to be there and I wasn't.
And so right here, in my office, on Tuesday morning I did it. Placed one call to my brother-in-law, confirmed an Orlando pick-up from the airport with him, and pulled out my stash of Southwest Airlines free tickets (gotta LOVE frequent flyer business miles!).
And it was done. With only 72 hours to go I had just booked a surprise trip to Florida. Found a neighbor to watch the kids. Got a sitter for the dogs. Finished up my weekend chores a day early. And kept talking to my sister like there was nothing going on!
Oh, this was going to be good!
What follows is my crappy video footage. I totally forgot that I can't hold my camera in portrait mode, when I'm filming video. OOPS! So lean to your left...and what the reaction in Florida.
Oh yeah, and listen for the gasp! (note to self...don't wear a lime green shirt when you're trying to sneak around corners and hide behind cars...)
It was an awesome weekend. I was in the state for 50 hours, and we managed to fit a lot in:
we played Wii Rock Band (I stunk, DH was awesome)...
we (make that I) ate boiled peanuts...
we watched my youngest nephew's opening day baseball game...
we ate some of the best BBQ I've ever had (pulled pork, NOT goat)...
we drove around in my sister's new car...
we played ping-pong with my nephews...
and we BOUNCED on the trampoline! The little one bounced...
the blonde one bounced...
and YES - Aunt Susan bounced...
Dear husband decided that Isabelle is the ONLY small dog he likes...
and then Saturday night we grilled...
and then we all slept in because we were absolutely exhausted!
On Sunday morning everyone indulged me and my camera a little bit. My sis and I...
and her entire, all-boy crew...
Thanks guys for the fun.... • thanks bro-in-law for keeping my secret from your wife. • thanks nephews for making me feel like you just saw me last month. • thanks dear husband for always staying in hotels that reward you with Southwest flight segments. • thanks to my kiddos for not whining when I said it was just me who was going. • thanks Karen for letting my kids crash with you (and for spoiling them rotten for 2 days) • thanks mom for being so excited for me. • thank you God for my family. Because I love my family with every fiber of my body. I know that I'm lucky. I know that I am blessed. Because if you don't have family...you don't have it all.
And after last weekend - I truly believe that I do have it all!
(Well, I don't have a new patio set - but other than that I really do have it all!)
Next time - I'm bringing the kids and my folks. Because whooo-doggie, that'd be a family get-together never to be outdone!
I'm 6' tall, red headed and full of opinions...just ask me! I carpool the teen and the boy around town, listen to podcasts with my dear husband and scrapbook the life we live as a family. I try not to worry about the little things, because in the end the little things tend to take care of themselves.
