The Final Straw Has Broke

So I have this dog.  Her name is Dixie.
She is six months old.  She's cute!

She hates being alone.  She can be a great dog.

BUT

We kind of got forced into taking her.
I don't have the time to work with her.

I love her!  Parker loves her!  It's James' dog.
But she can't stay.

She needs room to run.  She needs more attention.
She needs training.

She throws a fit in her cage when she's left alone.

She jumps a six foot privacy fence just so she can get to someone.

She really IS sweet.

Except when she does this -

This is our front door.  This WAS our very cute front door.

She jumped the fence.

She wanted in the front door.

We were wrong in thinking she would better outside than in a hot garage.

Why don't we put her inside you ask?

She throws a fit in her cage.

She slobbers and foams at her mouth, EVERYWHERE.

It soaks the floor.

She is adorable.  I would keep her.

My husband will not allow it.  He wants her gone NOW!

What do I do?

This and That and The Other

Brian's niece graduated from high school this past Wednesday!  Isn't she beautiful?  The best part is that she graduated with honors and got a full ride scholarship to a local community college for their Pre-Med program.  From there she will transfer to KU and go on to do something in the medical field.  She will be amazing at whatever she accomplishes.  It won't be long before we will be going to her college graduation. 

It made me realize I am only three years away from this being my daughter.  It's true when people say they grow up too fast.  It doesn't seem long ago when I walked mu daughter to Kindergarten and now she is going to be a Sophomore in high school.

Speaking of Alysia, she has had a rough week.  The poor girl got a horrible staph infection that has been so painful for her.  If you know anything about MRSA, you know that it is a very bad infection and not one that anyone wants.  Somehow she got it from shaving since it seems to be localized to her legs and her arm pits.  The girl is such a trooper though.  Two nights ago she was in tears because the blisters in her armpits hurt so bad but other than that she has been tough about the whole thing.  It started out with what looked like a really bad razor burn which then turned to very painful blisters.  On Wednesday she noticed them and had about 7 or 8 of them.  When she woke up Thursday morning she had several more with the most painful ones in her armpit.  I couldn't imagine having broken blisters with raw skin in that area. OUCH!!!!   Needless to say I took her to urgent care immediately.  So after some antibiotics and a lot of Lysol she is on the mend and hopefully no one in the house gets anything.  We'll pray and keep our fingers crossed. 

Unfortunately I think she was using her razor for entirely to long.  I think she would go a month without needing another one.  She had no idea that you can only get about 3-4 uses out of a razor.  Somehow with the old razor that was nicking her (that should have been a clue that she needed a knew one) I guess staph maybe grew on the razor blades and then the next time she shaved, it infected her.  Needless to say I went out and got her a new razor that should be a lot better, as long as she changes the blades on it frequently.

James got to camp out with his dad this week in the back yard in the tent that he built.  James was soooo excited getting their sleeping bags together.  It was about 80 degrees out that day but James still wanted a fire.  So fire he got....  :)

And I can't forget the boys playing out in the water this week!  It was COLD, COLD water but Parker loved it.  I don't think James ever really got wet.  He just liked spraying his brother to see his reactions.  Priceless!

Last nut not least, my aunt came in from Oregon to visit.  It wasn't long enough though!  It's too long between the times that we see each other.  Here is my Aunt, my mom and me.  Oh yeah, and Parker in the background...

Now on to a fun filled holiday weekend!  Happy Memorial Day!!

YoBaby Organic Cutie Photo Contest - PLEASE VOTE!

Of course I think my baby is the cutest ever and I need all of your support in thinking the same!  I entered Parker into the YoBaby Organic Photo Contest and would love for some votes from you all.

Go HERE to vote! [please]

Thanks so much!  He thanks you too......

Tea Towel/Apron Swap

Okay ladies, everyone should be receiving an email by today or tomorrow at the latest with your partner.  Remember that you have about two weeks to shop for your partner and all the packages will be mailed on June 4th.  This will ensure that everyone gets their package on or about the same day. 

When everyone gets their package we'll have a linky party back here so you can show off what you got.  Happy Shopping!!

Thanks to everyone that joined!!

Excitement and Apprehension?!

I am super xcited because my Aunt and two cousins are in town from Oregon and it seems like it's been forever since I have seen them.  I did have the opportunity to see my Aunt and one cousin a few years ago but one of the cousins that's coming (the only girl) visited when I was in high school!  The sad part is that I didn't see her then becuase I was away at cheerleading camp :(  I can't wait to reconnect with her.  The last time they lived in Kansas seems like decades ago.  I was just a little girl when they left and we have only been to Oregon one time since to visit them.  They will be coming to my house tomorrow night to hang out with me and my fam!! 

On Sunday my mother is having a small get-together with ALL of the family since they are on town.  That's all good but here is where my apprehension kicks in full gear.  My brother and his family (whom I'm not on speaking terms with) is going to be there as well.  This will be the first time I will have to be around my brother since this all started right before Christmas.  I didn't spend Christmas with them and have missed several birthdays because of it.  It really is sad but I have come to realize that sometimes I need to focus on what my family and I believe to be what's right for us and move on.  Sadly, I've also come to the realization that things will never be the same between any of us ever again.  I try my hardest to allow my children visits with their cousins but this will be the first time that I will be in the same room as my brother since everything went sour.  I'm not really looking forward to it at all but I am doing it for my mother.  She has asked me to be there so I will be.  I am just really hoping that my hubby doesn't have to work so that he can be there with me.  I need him for the support.  Did I tell you I am not looking forward to it....

I am praising the Lord for all the good but I also need his hand over me to take away any worries and apprehension that I have very strongly right now.  Let me get through this weekend and move on....

LOTS of Stuff You Might Not Care About

We have had sooooo much going on right now and a lot of it seems to be exciting and fun.

First off. my step daughter, Ashley is GETTING MARRIED!!  Her and her {fiance} came over last night to announce it to everyone.  The big day is September 25 and the most awesomest thing is that she is wanting her dad and I to help plan it.  I am going to be scouring my blogs throughout the coming months with lots of cool ideas for decorations, etc for an outdoor wedding.  I had one stipulation for her though -- she can't make me a grandma before Parker starts Kindergarten, I'm just sayin...

Alysia has done such a good job in school this semester that she didn't have to take finals and so her last day was TODAY!  And, she found out that she made Chieftan Singers, which is TOTALLY AWESOME!  This was something that she had to try out for and is an honor to be a part of.  I had a clip I wanted to share with all of you of her most recent solo at a school concert but I can't figure out how to get it uploaded :(  Here is a pic of her most recent concert though.  By the way, they usually dress up but at the end of the year they always do a fun concert.  She is in the middle of two of her good friends. 

James, on the other hand, has to go to school umtil Thursday which to him isn't fair.  I always remind him that he will be the big brother in high school soon and Parker will be upset because it will seem like James gets to do everything.  Needless to say, that's isn't helping him see it any better.  This is from my boy who thinks nothing in life is fair.  Dad and I got the "I hate you" tonight from him even after he had probably one of the best days ever.

Today was his field day at school and last year Dad went and I stayed home with my then 4 month old.  This year big sister Ashley came and hung out with Parker while Dad went to the doctor and I went with James.  He loves spending that one on one time with me and I need to make it a point to do it more often.  When we were done with prayers tonight he asked me when we could go on our next date.  I need to bask in that glory as much as I can because soon enough he is going to have another girl that he is going to want to go on dates with and "Mom" isn't going to be good enough.  Back to the point, field day was a BLAST!

I'd say he looks like he had fun.  And we both got sunburnt.  Now we both have farmer tans to start the summer.

After James got out of school, him and Dad hopped in the car to get some tarp from the hardware store for the fort that Dad wanted to build in the backyard for James and his friends .  I have to say I am pretty impressed with the machine gun that he built.  It must completely be a boy thing.  Dad stopped me a couple times from mowing to help hold some things...  I know, I know - my legs are in dire need of a tan...I'm working on it.  Or working on tryin to work on it anyways...

There you have it.  Probably not much that you wanted to know but now you do. 

Don't forget to sign up for the Tea Towel/Apron Swap.  You have until this Friday to let me know if you want to participate.  I already have about 11 people signed up from all over the United States and we also have one from France!  I'm way excited about it...

Ta ta for now...

Getting to Know You

Want to know more about me?  MannLand does a "Getting To Know You" link party every Sunday and here's my entry.  I just have to say, Rain, Rain Go Away!!  My kids are dying to get outside and play and I'm not one of those moms that let's them play in the mud.  I don't want to deal with the mess.  If it was warmer I would just hose them down, but it's not.  Sooo.....they are inside grating on my nerves.  I'm bored, I'm bored....my son has said that more yesterday than I did the entire time I was a kid.  I don't know what the deal is with kids today but it seems like they always have to have something to entertain them....

Okay, enough gripping and back to what this post is supposed to be about.  I know you're all dying to know more about my soul :)
___________________________________________________________

1. The most expensive thing hanging in my closet is.....?  Hmmmm....it would have to be the sewing machine that's in there since my craft room isn't done yet or I guess my wedding dress.  I don't really spend a lot of money on clothes so there isn't anything worth much in there.  I try to hit clearance racks all of the time to buy my clothes...the kids on the other hand get the nice clothes.  You know how it is when you're a mom!

2. Have you ever played a team sport?  If you consider dancing a team sport then I did it for about 12 years!  I miss it....don't know why I ever quit.  :(  Other than that I was a cheerleader and tried softball for one season.  As you can tell I'm more of a girly girl and not sports material.

3. If you were a bug, what kind would you be?  That's a tough one.  Everyone else seems to be putting Ladybug which seems fitting.  Who doesn't like cute lady bugs?!  But in order to be different I would probably say a roly poly...the reason, I seem to curl into a ball when things around me are uncomfortable and wait until they pass.  I have an extrovert side to me but overall I think I am becoming more of an introvert the older I get.  I'm thining the ladybug is way cuter than the roly poly though, don't you think?

4. Where on your body is the worst place to get sunburned?  The part in my hair!  That is the one thing that always seems to get burnt the first part of the year.

5. Are you happy?  I think so....I'm content where I am in my life :)

6. People are always abbreviating..are there any abbreviations that make your skin crawl when people use them? ROFL - I don't mind many abbreviations but this one just is weird to me.  Don't ask why...just looks funny to me.

7. Do you love where you live..or could you live anywhere?  I am VERY happy with where I live although it would be nice to have a cottage on the beach somewhere.

8. What, if any, extreme measures do you go to to keep yourself from overeating when you're full?  I don't....I just feel miserable afterwards.


There you have it......all that you wanted to know about me.  Until next Sunday when you find out more about my mysterious personality (I don't pull that off to well, do I).

AWESOME SALE and Help Needed

Flirty Aprons is having an awesome sale right now which is good if you are doing the Tea Towel/Apron Blog Swap.  Their aprons are normally $29.95 but they are selling their irregular ones for $12.99.  There are five different colors and they are all cute.  The best thing is that even though these are irregular items most of the time it's minimal and not noticeable.  Some of the irregularities include restitiching, loose seams and pockets, and minor print flaws.  I can promise you that having done business with this company, I don't beleive they would sell you anything that you would not be pleased with even if it is at a discounted price due to irregularities.  Go HERE to order yours.

I snagged this one up!  Got get your's before their gone!!

Also, I NEED SOMEONE'S HELP!  I have seen blogs that have announcements at the top that are always in that position even if you have new posts.  How do you do that?  I want to place a reminder up there about the Blog Swap since it isn't my last blog post BUT I want to be able to add a link in it so that anyone wanting too, can click and go to that particular post.

Thanks for all your help and I hope you get a good deal on an apron!!

~~ ARE YOU READY ~~ IT"S SWAP TIME

Come join in on the fun!!!

Yes, you heard that right!  It's Swap time BUT the best part about this swap is that I am partnering with Kimberlys Korner.  Two swaps going on at the same time - how cool is that!

My swap is going to be Tea Towels and her swap is going to be Aprons!  You all know I love aprons and when I heard she was going to do an apron swap I brought the idea to her about coordinating a swap between the two of us and thought that tea towels was the perfect fit!  You can join one or the other but how cool would it be to join both!  You'll get adorable tea towels AND a very cute apron I promise :)

Never done a swap before?  That's okay.  You don't even have to blog to participate!  If you are a friend and just follow along you can join.

For the Tea Towel Swap email me at bethkck@yahoo.com with your name, address, and any preferences you have as to colors, themes, etc that might make it easier for your partner to shop for you.  You will then be linked up with a partner and you two will shop or create for each other.  Then when the big day comes you get to send your goodies to your new friend and wait patiently for your goodies to arrive from her!  How easy-peasy if that? and fun??

To join Kimberly's apron swap you need to go HERE!

If you join both swaps, Kimberly and I will do the best we can at matching you up with the same person for each swap so that you only have to mail out one package.  That way you could maybe even have coordinating tea towels and aprons.  I AM SO GIDDY ABOUT THIS! {silly, I know}

We are going to start the swap now so if you want to sign up email me for the tea towels and Kimberly for the aprons.  We are going to be closing entries on May 21st so get your emails in now.  You will then have two weeks to create or shop for your items and on June 4th you will mail your packages out.  Everyone will mail out on the same day so that we can ensure that all of you receive your packages on or about the same day.  

Then I'll have my tea towel linkup party here and Kimberly will have link up party on her blog for all of you to show off what you got!

Pretty simple, huh ~~ Come and join what will be the best swap so far this year!

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT TOMORROW ~ YIPPEE~

Hey all ~~

There are lots of swap swirly around the blogosphere and I have a SURPRISE ANNOUNCEMENT tomorrow that is HUGE!  You won't want to miss it ~ trust me!!

Stay Tuned!!!

Flip Flop Goodness

Y~E~A~H

I participated in a Flip Flop Swap over at Kimberlys Korner  This was soooo fun!  It was so much fun shopping for my partner Melissa!  She is amazing!  You truly HAVE to go check her blog out!  This is a polite demand...she has the most BEAUTIFUL home I have ever seen.  I am not kidding you!  This is what I would love for my home to look like but she pulls it off fabulously!!  Don't you think?  It could be that she doesn't have three kids running around like I do, but hey, I can dream

Here is what she sent me...makeup/toiletry bags, an AWESOME animal print notebook that holds a photo in the front, yummy smelling body wash and lotion, delicious smelling candles, dark chocolate Hershey Bliss (mmmmmm) and TWO adorable pairs of flip flops!  I'm thinking the rhinestone ones are going to look so sute with a summer dress and the Tommy Hilfiger orange and pink ones have already had their chance to see the town.  I love them!

Thanks Melissa for all the cool stuff!  Go HERE to see the flip flops and apron I got her (and her amazingly spectacular house).

Also, if you like swaps or want to participate in your first one, Kimberly's Korner is going to be hosting an APRON SWAP.  She said that details will be posted about it in the next couple days.  Be on the lookout if you want to participate.  They are sooooo much fun and you will meet so many new, AMAZING women.

I hope you join in!  I promise you won't be disappointed :)

Classy Rose Petal Towels

I think these turned out BEAUTIFUL!  They are so classy that I am wanting to keep them for myself BUT.....I won't.  They looked so good on my oven doors while they posed for the pic.  Don't you think?

Go check out Living With Lindsey for her awesome tutorial!

Mother's Day "MOM" Block

Remember THIS post that I talked about?  I finally got together with my niece and a friend last night and we worked on these for Mother's Day.  I have to say I am impressed with how they turned out! 

Here is a closeup of the buttons that I put on to match the paper (mine is the pink, the green is actually on the paper)...

Here is a closeup of the ribbon I put on the sides with the flower stamps.  I HEART stamping now!!  My friend Beth brought a bunch of stamps over and now I have a newfound crafting medium :) 

I'm wishing now that I would have made a couple more for my mother-in-laws. :( They may have to wait until another holiday. If I wouldn't want until the last minute to do everything I might have had time. They will be getting another creation and now I am off to make it. Told you I was a last minute girl :)


I hope my mother likes it!  She will be given permission to continue reading my blog after tomorrow!  She has been forbidden to read posts lately and I think she's missing them.  Since I moved a little further away it's her way to still know what's going on in my crazy world.  LOVE YA MOM!!!  YOU'RE THE BEST!!!