July 24, 2008 - Goings on
It is the end of July already, can you believe it?! I was feeling a little overwhelmed with that thought today. Summer is always busy for us being the racing season and at times I feel like it is just passing me by. Racing is a fun thing to do as a family, but it is a lot of work. We are headed to a race this weekend and thankfully this one is only 40 minutes away! We still are staying over one night in the motorhome as John is racing Friday night at 9:30 p.m. and by the time he finishes that would be way too late to drive home. I am wondering if the children will all stay awake to even watch him.
I never did update on the last race which was two weeks ago in Bark River, MI. We really like the area and especially like the Bible Church we attend when visiting. They are always so welcoming and ask how racing is going, etc. My parents were able to come and cheer John on and it is always nice to add to our fan club. In the first race he was in second place when he lost 2nd gear (okay, I know it isn't good but am clueless as to what it really means but maybe some of you know what I am talking about). However, he was still able to keep the competition going and was holding for third place when the two in the lead got in a tangle and took each other out in the last lap and John crossed the finish in FIRST!!! That was so exciting!
John was not able to fix his transmission for Sunday's race but ran without 2nd gear. He was not expecting to be on the podium at all but found that during the race he was not only able to keep up with the lead pack but also gain on them. It was an amazing race that we were on the edge of our seats for and John finished in FIRST again!!! It turns out that it was a miracle that he won both days as when the transmission was taken apart it fell apart and it should not have even worked at all. That is pretty amazing and I know that God was watching over John every step of the way.
So the past two weeks John has been putting in a new transmission and shifter in the midst of every day life. Kind of crazy around here. Never a dull moment, although I would really enjoy one right now.
Here is John's fan club minus his Mom who is taking the picture and his Dad who is a spotter for the race. He stands past the railing on a platform right in line with where we are seated (can't see him here).• 0 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link
July 18, 2008 - Show & Tell Friday -- Baby Gadget
One of my favorite baby gadgets is the baby safe feeder. I bought one back when George was a baby and at that time it was a simple one, white mesh with a plastic rim that screwed onto a handle. We would take it everywhere we went and it was especially handy at restaurants to keep him occupied with food while we ate. I could fill it with whatever veggie or fruit was on my plate or at the salad bar. The white soon became quite stained and did not look appealing and now other companies have updated the design.
Baby Boy had his first taste of food in a mesh feeder this week while we enjoyed our meal. The look on his face was priceless as he sucked on the fruit, then stopped to study this thing in his hands, and sucked again. He has had a bit of watermelon, cooked carrots, and mango. The mango he did not want to let go of for anything when it was time to clean him up. Obviously this does not work with all food and so I will now begin to use my next favorite baby gadget, a baby food grinder. Maybe another post.
To see other Show & Tells please visit CanadaGirl.
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July 17, 2008 - Baby's doctor visit
Baby Boy had his checkup at our family doctor this week. While he was in the hospital they had a pediatrician consult. She had thought that Baby may have asthma being that he has been in the hospital twice in his 8 months (first was RSV though) and he has had eczema so badly which is related. She wanted to put him on a daily preventative inhaled steriod which I was not comfortable with. Afterall, this was his first problem with breathing. It began with a cold, then croup and turned to an asthma-type cough. It is very similar to what George had when he was a toddler. That was one of the reasons we totally changed our eating habits/lifestyle. Thankfully George outgrew his need for breathing treatments with every cold by the time he turned 4.
Anyway, in talking with our family doctor, she agreed that we will watch Baby and next time he gets a cold see how he responds and if it would become the asthma-cough again we'll start breathing treatments and will evaluate at that time. She gave me a compliment in that her husband, also a doctor, discharged Baby from the hospital on Thursday and cleared us to go up north. He told his wife, our doctor, that if it were anyone else, there is no way he would have allowed them to go anywhere. He said, "She knows what she is doing!". I guess having six children does give me a little credibility at times. 
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July 11, 2008 - Whirlwind couple days
I thought I posted the other day about Baby Boy going to the hospital but realized that I had only saved it as a draft. So I did just post that. But as an update, we are now up north at another race and Baby Boy is doing much better. The doctor is leaning toward this being asthma and after a day and night at the hospital with many breathing treatments we were able to go home. I went home and packed our motorhome the fastest I have ever done -- an hour and hoped I had everything. I called John a number of times the rest of the night with things that I thought of but of course I missed a number of things which we ended up buying today. So, here we are and continuing with breathing treatments every 3 - 4 hours and through the night. He is also on an oral steroid and an antibiotic to prevent possible pneumonia as there was a "haze" on his x-ray. Throughout this Baby Boy has remained happy as can be. The doctor at the hospital told me that he should not look so happy because he was really sick and his lungs were working so hard. I guess his nickname could be "happy wheezer" which is what they dubbed him at his last hospital stay. So I have not slept in my bed and I miss that but thankfully was able to get a good night of rest last night as these whirlwind few days have been quite exhausting. Anyway, we are off to go swimming and this post may sound a little rushed or confusing and if so, sorry but I wanted to update.
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July 9, 2008 - To the hospital again!
Just a quick post to let you know that I Baby Boy is being admitted to the hospital with breathing problems. Our little ones have been sharing yucky germs lately and he finally picked it up. He had croup on Monday night so we were up for a few hours treating that. Last night he was coughing quite a bit, even with the breathing treatments we did. I thought I better have him see the doctor before we head up north tomorrow, just to be sure. Well, today his chest is sucking in when breathing and his nostrils are flaring and the doctor would rather he be in the hospital and hopefully only overnight. He had a breathing treatment there but didn't respond as well as she wanted. Please pray that this would clear quickly. We are supposed to leave tomorrow night for the weekend and today is my packing day. I am not sure what we will do at this point. I'll let you know when we are home.
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July 7, 2008 - Baby Boy is 8 months!
Baby boy has certainly been changing as of late. For awhile I thought he would be like his sister, just content to sit and watch the world go by but I guess not. He has been rolling from his belly to his back for awhile now which caused problems sleeping. Seeing as he only sleeps on his belly, when he would roll over he was unable to fall asleep until we rolled him back over. Suddenly, the other day I found he had rolled from his back to his belly all on his own and now it seems he has always been rolling. He also began to lift himself up on anything he could grab hold of. He looks like a little body builder sitting at the base of my chair here, grabbing the bottom rung and pulling himself up. This week he started a new sound, every dad's favorite -- "da da da da da!" He also cut his first two bottom teeth. So many changes in just a matter of weeks!
His baby days seem to be flying by but I am thankful he is such a cuddlebug. Over and again I enjoy the exhilarating feeling of holding him in my arms, taking in his baby smell, feeling his breath on my face, and his chubby little arms wrapped around my neck. There is absolutely nothing like the feel of a baby in your arms! God is so good to give us such wonderful gifts!
I am trying to think of a blog nickname for him as "baby boy" and "he" are not too exciting. My nephew recently held him and said "he has too many rumples! So I thought of "Rumples". My Mom calls him "Michelin baby" and my sister calls him "Chubbers" but then the name has to carry him into boyhood. If you have any ideas please comment and let me know.
This picture is a little blurry but I like it as this is how Baby Boy looks most often. A smile beneath the thumb. He loves his thumb and will suck either one. He is a very happy baby and it doesn't take much to make him smile.
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July 3, 2008 - Annual Strawberry Picking
Last weekend the boys and I went with my Dad to pick strawberries as we do every year. This time my sister and my nephew joined us for the fun. The boys worked well, had fun and our buckets were full in no time. Although, they only like to pick the big strawberries and tend to leave the smaller ones for us to come behind and pick. We have been eating strawberry everything this week: strawberry bread with strawberry butter, strawberry milkshakes, strawberry-orange julius, and just plain strawberries as there is nothing quite like the taste of fresh picked berries. I am too busy to make any jam at this point so am only washing and freezing the berries whole as we go through them so quickly making smoothies and such.
Here is our group.
Tank and his big strawberry
This is where I found Tank when we got home. He had only picked enough strawberries in his bucket for himself so he sat down under the tree and enjoyed his berries and has a red mouth to prove it. :)• 0 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link
July 3, 2008 - Muddy Racing
We are enjoying the summer and I am sorry I am so slow in posting! I wanted to share a few pictures from my husband's last race. We were in Crandon WI and were able to stay with my in-laws who live nearby.
The weekend was good and my husband is now in 2nd for overall points. He came in 3rd on Saturday after the two cars in the lead pulled off due to car problems. Sunday was a rainy day and that combined with the dirt track made for a muddy mess. My husband did not relish the idea of racing in that but the show must go on. We stood in the rain watching as the cars made their way around the track mostly staying far away from each other to reduce the mud on their face. My husband finished the race in 2nd place which was wonderful but it was a tough race for him as we found out that the tear-offs for his helmet either ran out or were stuck. John was unable to see anything at one point and ended up lifting his visor for at least 5 laps. When he came back to the pits he was a mess, his car was a mess, and his new racesuit (from his sponsor) was a mess. He had mud in his eyes and needed to flush them out and he said they felt gritty for a day or two. John said how the race dragged on and he just wanted it to be over but he persevered and did a great job!
Sunday morning we went to church and then had a picnic lunch at an area lake. John is looking at the storm clouds approaching.
Getting out of the car after the race. He looks weary but he was happy to be finished and in 2nd!
You can see how muddy the visor is which is why John couldn't see anything. Typically the plastic tear-offs slide past to give him a clear view. So you can see what was flying at his face when he lifted his visor. Yuck!• 2 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link
June 17, 2008 - Racing Season has begun!
Okay, I am a little behind in posting as race season really began the last weekend in May down in Wheatland, Missouri. We had a great, albeit long trip, the first one in our motorhome for the year. The kids were wonderful and my mother-in-law likes to mention how they were trapped inside for 18 hours straight! We left home around supper-time and stopped to camp in Springfield IL, which was exactly halfway there. The children were all in bed by that time (except George). The next morning my husband and I wanted to make the most of our time and planned on leaving before the children woke up. That morning everyone was wide awake and ready to go so off we went and the children all waved to Grandma and Grandpa as we pulled out, never having left the motorhome. We arrived at our destination later that day much to everyone's joy.
Our weekend was full of excitement. We had a small family reunion with some of my husband's family and the children were able to go canoing in a nearby lake with their Aunt and Uncle which they were so excited about. Our picnic was interrupted by heavy rains that continued on into the evening when my husband was supposed to race. Unfortunately the race was canceled for the night which made Sunday extremely busy with two muddy races to fit in. John pulled everything together though and came away with two second places! What a great way to begin the season! The next race will be this coming weekend and is always the favorite at a world class track in Crandon WI.
I tried to linking to a few pictures from the race but they aren't showing up so I will just give you the link if you want to see a cool picture of my husband flying through the air. There are also quite a few muddy ones. www.jp3photo.com/p890372048/
Here is the car full of mud after the race with baby boy looking on. • 6 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link
June 6, 2008 - Small footprint, big imprint
The Memorial Service for Owen was last night and was beautiful and God-honoring. We know God created little Owen just as He planned and although we don't understand it he is now in the loving arms of Jesus made perfectly whole waiting to meet his Mommy and Daddy face to face.
Heather is experiencing so many emotions. Just imagine giving birth to a sweet baby boy, holding him in your arms, taking in the scent of a newborn, feeling the peach fuzz on his back, examining each perfect little finger and toe. Then the next day you leave the hospital holding only the empty blanket that just moments ago held your son and those few precious memories. Never to see the first baby smile, see him run and jump with his brothers, hear him call your name, "Mama". Then feeling the pain of your milk coming in reminding you that your little one is not there to nurse and cuddle with. Feeling exhausted from lack of sleep, not from getting up in the night with a newborn but getting up with grief and spending that time in crying out to God.
If you try to put yourself in that place you can maybe glimpse a bit of the pain Heather and Jason are experiencing. Heather emailed a few pictures of their “beautiful boy” that is now made whole in heaven. Owen’s face was completely bruised from the trauma of birth and his eyes bulge because of the anencephaly but he was created by God and is beautiful. Please watch the slide show above.
Thanks for praying. Please continue to do so as after meeting little Owen the pain is so much harder to bear. "We can cry with hope, we can say goodbye with hope because we know our goodbye is not the end. There's a place where we will see your face again" (Steve Curtis Chapman -- With Hope)
"There is no footprint too small that it cannot leave an imprint on this world."
Psalm 139:13-16 (amplified)
For You did form my inward parts; You did knit me together in my mother's womb.
I will confess and praise You for You are fearful and wonderful and for the awful wonder of my birth! Wonderful are Your works, and that my inner self knows right well.
My frame was not hidden from You when I was being formed in secret [and] intricately and curiously wrought [as if embroidered with various colors] in the depths of the earth [a region of darkness and mystery].
Your eyes saw my unformed substance, and in Your book all the days [of my life] were written before ever they took shape, when as yet there was none of them.
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June 2, 2008 - Update
I left you with a prayer request and then left for the weekend. I am going to give you a quick update and will blog more hopefully later in the week after the Memorial Service.
Heather went to the hospital at midnight on Thursday to be induced. This was a few weeks before her actual due date. Nothing much happened and so the doctor broke her water at 1:30 p.m. on Friday and labor picked up later in the afternoon. Owen Matthew was born at 5:08 p.m on May 30 but unfortunately labor was too much for him and his heart stopped beating before he was born... He weighed 3 lbs 10 oz. and was 17" long. Jason called me late Friday night. He told me that Owen had features similar to their other boys and even had a little hair. Their parents and their two boys were able to spend time holding him and had many pictures taken. They planned on going home the next day but were going to spend the night holding Owen.
My heart breaks when I think of them going home from the hospital with empty arms that ache to hold their baby... 
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May 29, 2008 - My Cousin's Wife
I have mentioned a couple of times that my cousin and his wife are expecting a baby with anencephaly (the baby's brain did not develop). Tonight Heather will be induced and I ask that you would please pray for her and her husband. I am so proud of her! I know that there are women who would have chosen not to continue to carry a baby with this diagnosis but Heather gave all she had to this precious baby that God created within her. She talked about not robbing him of the time he needed to grow.
Heather's emotions have gone places mine have never been. She has gone to doctor appointments watching the other expectant mothers knowing her outcome will not be as happy. When shopping people will stop and ask "when are you due?" How do you answer without breaking down? Heather now begins her last moments of carrying her precious Owen and I cannot imagine the pain she is going through. I talked to her earlier and she said that God is sustaining them and today has been a good day. I know she is obviously quite nervous also. Their desire is that Owen would be born alive and that they would have time to spend with him before he goes to be with Jesus. Please pray in that way.
Here is a 3D ultrasound picture taken of Owen a few weeks ago. He is perfect in every way except one...
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May 28, 2008 - Busy Week
This is a busy week preparing for the first off-road race of the season. Thankfully we had a nice relaxing weekend before the mad rush began but the motorhome is almost completely packed and the race car is ready to go. Just a little baking and meal preparation left. The kids are excited and have been counting down the days.
Here are a few pictures from our weekend.
I love when the hummingbirds return. We had not gotten our feeder out yet and as George and I were standing by a sliding glass door a hummingbird came flitting to the door seemingly looking at us as if to say, "I'm here, where is the feeder?" We got it ready with sugar water and have had a steady stream of guests often a couple at a time.
The boys have a new book called "Dangerous Book for Boys" that is not dangerous at all but has all kinds of things that boys need to know. One thing was making a tree fort and they got Daddy to begin working on one with them.
Missy Blue is quite the fun one to photograph as she poses so nicely for me. Here she is in the tree fort after it was a little farther along. • 3 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link
May 23, 2008 - Show & Tell Friday -- Big Girl Bed
The time had finally come to move Missy Blue to a "big girl bed". She had still been in a crib while her baby brother shared her room in a pack 'n' play. Missy never attempted to climb out and I was quite content to let her stay confined but Baby Boy needed to move to a crib. We didn't relish the idea of buying another bed and thought to move her to a toddler size but the Lord provided a new bed for us.
My Dad is a maintenance man for an apartment complex and the perk of the job is that he can have anything that is left in vacated apartments. This time however, the model apartment furniture was in storage and ended up wet from all of the melting snow. The apartment manager didn't want it anymore and my Dad asked if we wanted a few things. We ended up with a loveseat, sofa and also a brand new twin-size bed. Perfect! We moved Missy to her new bed a few weeks ago and she was so excited. We haven't had any problems with her not staying in bed so all went well. This week the bedding I found on ebay arrived and now her bed is all set and Missy Blue is delighted.
Missy & Baby Boy's room. At some point I plan on painting "grass" on the bottom portion of the walls with a few flowers.
Missy Blue in her new bed. I love the "shabby chic" bedding I found.If you would like to see more Show & Tells please stop and visit Canada Girl by clicking below.
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May 19, 2008 - Racing Practice
The off-road race season begins at the end of this month and my husband has been preparing for the past couple of months. He gets up early most every morning to work on his car so that he is able to still spend time with us as a family in the evenings. Everything is finally coming together and today he had the opportunity to test the car on a racetrack. Typically he will test run the car up and down our country road and so he was thankful that a few guys decided to rent the track a few hours north of here and he was able to chip in.
Yesterday we drove the motorhome hauling the race-trailer to church and can I just say that is a great way to head to church. I was able to feed the baby on the way and then ate breakfast. My husband joked that I could have just taken a shower and gotten ready on the way also. After lunch with my parents we headed up North and were able to spend the evening with my in-laws. The children were up bright and early at 6 a.m. and were excited to get going despite the fact that my husband and I were really looking forward to sleeping in.
It was a beautiful day, although a little chilly from the wind. My husband was able to test out his car to see how ran. The children were able to spend time with their grandparents and get a little taste of racing. They can't wait until the first race and Tank kept asking to go to Missouri today as he did not want to go home. You do know it is boring at home don't you? 
We are home again after a quick trip but it was well worth the time for my husband to get the confidence he needed to know that everything is working as it should be.
Here are our little race fans watching their daddy. • 2 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link
May 14, 2008 - New Look
Last week I decided that my hair was getting a little too "blah" and I needed to do something to give it a little lift. Typically I would go to the salon and have it highlighted but thought we could save money and I would buy a kit and have my Mom do it for me. After-all, quite a few friends highlighted their hair at our recent ladies retreat and theirs turned out quite nicely.
My Mom has dyed my hair before and does her own so that wouldn't be a problem. Unfortunately, the kit uses a cap that you painstakingly pull the strands of hair through and after a short time my Mom's wrist and then back began to hurt. I decided to enlist George to help her out. He was up to the challenge, especially since it involved pulling his mother's hair. They did a great job but when they finished it seemed as if they had pulled all of my hair through which would color everything but it was too late to think of that, especially since we needed to be at church for bible study fairly soon.
I kept the solution on for the minimum amount of time and after I tested one strand I had the feeling that my hair was going to be blonde rather than just highlighted. After drying it I wasn't crazy about my reflection in the mirror. Now my hair has been many colors and styles over the years so that shouldn't phase me but I really only wanted natural looking highlights, not to completely be blonde. I have been told it looks nice and that may very well be true but yet, that wasn't what I was going for. My Dad asked what my real color is, "the same as yours dad!" Oh well, I guess I am ready for the summer.
George using the "crochet hook" to pull strands of hair through the cap. We do have some better photos of this process but I am not about to share those here. :)
Me as a blonde. It looks a little lighter in real life.• 6 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link
May 7, 2008 - Sign of spring
Spring has seemed so long in coming this year. How exciting to watch for new signs of it everyday from the daffodils in the field and buds on the trees to the Goldfinches flitting around our bushes. The temperature has finally reached into the 70's this week and I love that! As soon as it hit 60° the boys wanted to get out our inflatable swimming pool as they were all "BOILING!" Unfortunately around here we will drop back to the 40's again before a true warm-up remains. 
The daffodils in our field. You can see our house in the background.• 1 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link
May 6, 2008 - Dentist Appointments
Today I had my third dental appointment in the past month. I don't know how many of you enjoy going to the dentist but I dread it as I have ever since I can remember. One memory I have is as a child, hiding from my Mom behind boards and boxes in the garage because I did not want to go. Ultimately I was found but she had to call and say we would be late. I am fairly certain I was in big trouble for that one! Thank goodness my kids love to go to the dentist and I cannot believe that I pulled that kind of stuff in those days. Because of my dread/fear, unfortunately, I have not gone in years. Combine that with being pregnant and nursing almost constantly, thereby depleting calcium and causing hormonal changes and what not and you have a mouth of problems. So I had four cavities on the outside of my molars to be taken care of.
My first appointment four weeks ago was great! I was so numb that it didn't wear off for six hours! That was okay with me though as I felt absolutely nothing even as they worked on two teeth that could have possibly needed root canals (thankfully they didn't!) An added bonus for me was that they have special glasses you can wear and watch a movie through. That was a perfect distraction! Unfortunately, my mouth was so sore for over a week after that visit
I went again last week for the other side and after being numb found that I was still able to feel the drill. The dentist tried to numb it further but I still felt pain. He explained that once the brain knows where to look for pain he would not be able to do anything more to prevent it. I had never heard of this but he asked me to come back again where he would numb it differently. (My brother-in-law told me it was all psychological and I wondered if that could be true as I know how my mind works.)
So my third appointment was today. Thankfully I did not find out how they go about numbing it until after. That alone took 1/2 an hour before they could begin. I found out later that they put a small hole in my gum and put the anesthesia directly into my bone (something called an x-tip). So that worked great except for the fact that it wears off quickly and toward the end I began to feel pain again. I endured and literally sweat through that while gripping tightly to my volume control (from my movie that I couldn't get loud enough to cover the sound of the drill!) but I am sure it wasn't as bad as it could have been. My Mom likes to tell me how as a child she would go to the dentist and hold on tight to the chair as they did not have anything to take away the pain. Oh, thank you Lord for anesthesia! I am also thankful for my new dentist who was very caring and did his best to keep me comfortable at each visit. (At one visit they covered me with a heated blanket as it was so cold there, in addition to my nerves, that I couldn't keep warm).
Lesson learned -- I will now be scheduling regular check-ups to the dentist for myself and keep on top of my teeth. I have yet to figure out why it is that I almost have an easier time having a c-section than going to the dentist. That doesn't quite seem right.
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May 3, 2008 - 11th Annniversary
Today is our 11th Wedding Anniversary! Wow, how the time flies. We celebrated last night by going out for a nice dinner, a walk along the lake, a little shopping, and topped it off with a trip to Cold Stone Creamery. It was so nice to be just the two of us having adult conversation without little voices all around. We don't have a date night often enough! I posted our anniversary video today but you will need to pause the music on the sidebar first. Thankfully we look better with age. 
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May 2, 2008 - Show & Tell Friday -- Household gadget
I was trying to think about what I could do for Show & Tell Friday as I have skipped a few weeks now. Then last night after we finished supper Missy Blue saw the crumbs she had dropped and got out of her chair bringing back our Swivel Sweeper and proceeded to clean up her mess. I started to laugh as this is something the boys would never do but then I knew what to show. Have you ever seem them?
Last summer I was pregnant and having a hard time sweeping the floor (which is never-ending with all the food and whatnot that gets dropped at each meal) and bending down with the dustpan. The children could do an adequate job sweeping but the broom was difficult to maneuver when trying to get everything picked up. My husband began looking for a broom to help out. We began with some Dirt Devil thing which did not work at all. He then found the Swivel Sweeper and it works wonderfully! Each of the children can operate this lightweight broom and it just sucks up the junk as you pass over it. It works on carpets as well as hard floors. It is battery operated and is rechargeable. Empty out the pan when you are finished and that is all there is to it. Children will fight over who gets to sweep when they use the Swivel Sweeper. Okay, that sounds like a commercial - but it really works well, as long as I remember to assign someone the job.
Stop by CanadaGirl's blog for more interesting Show & Tells.
Missy Blue using our Swivel Sweeper• 10 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link
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