May. 3, 2009 - Cat and Mouse

Not that anyone has reason to stop by here anymore, but if you are at all interested you can come visit me here: http://ducttapechronicle.blogspot.com/ .

Kathi

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Mar. 23, 2009 - My Turn?

Now that I have a computer again I have found that it is almost impossible to get close enough to it for intervals long enough to actually type on the thing. Who would have known that my girls getting a year older would mean such fierce competition for computer time? Maybe it is because it's absence has made their hearts grow fonder. All I know is, however much time they are alloted, it is (according to them) never enough. Not that I could really do much writing during the day anyway, but by the time evening comes and the house grows relatively quiete, I am either too spent to remember my alphabet, or convinced that my husband is too big (and thus not worth the effort) to push out of my blogging chair. The girls do frighten me a bit though. What is it going to be like when I have five teens, or almost teens in the house!?! Oh, the thought.

Speaking of Five, number five is doing very well. Everyone loves her. I was a little uncertain whether or not it was appropriate to post this photo, but kept feeling the urge, so decided to just go for it. Mostly because it is unbelievable to me. When I look at it I am in awe of God's design, his timing, and his all out faithfulness. Was this really only four weeks ago? And now she's here. No more belly-with-legs. She's here for us to know, and hold, and love...And boy do we!

  The transition has gone better than I could have ever imagined.  It is funny to type, but I know that a big part of the ease comes from the fact that my husband was laid off two weeks before her birth. It wasn't exactly on my list of 'things wished for,' but Steve's presence has been nice ( Is this  a good time to tell God that I feel recovered, thanks, and that he can give us the job back now?).  Before Ailish's birth I was a bit worried about the timing of it all. In my head the baby just *had* to be born on a certain day of the week to coincide with Steve's work schedule, or he'd be going back to work the very day I was discharged from the hospital, and that...that simply would not do. As It turned out, I didn't have to try and convince everyone to cooperate with me; A good thing.

My mind is slowly returning to me. I feel like an engine warming up. Blogging thoughts are starting to sputter in my head again. Now if only I could find a way to get my family to look the other way while I make my move. Just curious, does anyone have something I could throw? Besides a tantrum that is. I do have to set a good example and would rather just go behind their backs.

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Feb. 21, 2009 - Cliff Hanger

I'm so happy. I have a new computer!

Typing a blog entry after having not done so (with any regularity) in almost a year is like that ackward first time you go home from college after months and months away. So much has has changed, you can't explain it all, but life has made you different and it is hard knowing just where to dive back in

 I guess the most obvious thing for me to do would be to answer the question I left you all hanging with during my September post. (That's right, I said 'post', as in singular. And that was a good month too.) Did my then five year old get her wish for a girl baby, or did the men in the family finaly overtake us women folk?

And the answer is: PINK!

The girls won. Ailish Kingston Denfeld was born February 12th, weighing in at 7lbs 12oz. and her sisters (and even her brothers) could not love her more. As with everything else around here lately, they are already competing for her loyalty. One is detemined she will like horses, the other princesses. The princess lover and the three year-old brother fight over what to call her. Will it be 'Ailish' or 'my baby sister'? I made the mistake of addressing her as 'Princess' when I took her into my arms the other day, and my eight year old looked simply mortified and scolded:

 "Mom, do NOT get her started on princesses."

Whew!

To Miss Ailish-Baby Sister-Cowgirl-Princess, all I can say is this:Rest up. You have alot of work ahead of you with this bunch.

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Oct. 12, 2008 - Dumb-Dumb, Give me Gum-Gum..

 Seems like there has been an awful lot to chew on lately.

This week my family had to say good-bye to our Fat-Cat-Otis. He started breathing very poorly over the weekend. I thought it might just be due to the forest fires in the area and brought him indoors to keep an eye on him but he was not getting better so, even though there is no wiggle-room for vet bills right now, I had my mom take him in for me on Tuesday. My oldest daughter wanted to go too but I had to explain to her that it was not the best time for an educational outing since there was a good chance that Otis would not be coming home. By the time my mom came he was in very poor shape and later we got a call that confirmed our suspicions. I told the girls and my big-girl went off by herself and cried a little. My youngest daughter, who was born only two weeks after Kitten Otis came to live with us, did not cry, but did procede with random comments throughout the morning. At one point she stated that she wished it were Otis' sister, Abby instead. I don't wish my other pet ill, but I totaly got the sentiment. 'Sister Abby' can be a bit of a snot and Otis is, well, he's just Otis.

So we were sad, but we were resolved. For a diversion we decided to meet Daddy for lunch somewhere. While we were waiting for Dad I started a silly story and we each took turns filling in the missing pieces.  By the time we were done, Dad's motorcyle was part air-craft  and he was grumpy that he was pressed for time, but  could not find a fly-thru anywhere. They were giggling and I was pretty encouraged by the time the story ended that my girls were gonna make it.

We went inside, and somewhere between inhaling french-fries and removing the two year-old from the one year-old's high chair, I recieved another call. It was my mom. This time calling from the vet 's to let me know that they had given Otie a shot and a prescription to clear his lungs, and that he would be home by two.

Umm... sorry. Last my kids knew, the cat was dead?!? The eight year-old JUST stopped crying.

So, I guess it wasn't the best idea to put my VERY-sensitive-cat-loving-mother into a place where she had to make a life-or-death decision for the guy. She heard 'bring him home,' and Otis came home.

 The very next day though I have to pack up my four kids, my expanding belly, and my twenty-pound Lazerus and head back to the vet because A: Otis wanted nothing to do with the medicine, B: they never did give him that shot that they had charged us for the day before, and C: the 'treatment plan' established  in my mom's presence, I discovered, was really just a band-aid. They don't really know what is wrong without doing hundreds of dollars in diagnostics and they don't think he'd make it anyway.

Okay. Pardon me, while I explain this to my kids, thanks.

So yeah, Otis is still with us until he takes a major down-turn again. My kids know we are on borrowed time and that at some point we will have to say 'good-bye' to him for real. 

Sigh.

 It is their first clear illustration that there is no guarantees for tomorrow, and that God really does wish us to accept each day as a gift.  As homeschoolers we plan what we would like to teach or shape into our children, but man, it sure can catch you off guard to see them have to grow up into life's own lessons.

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Sep. 7, 2008 - Can't hold on muuuch loonger..

Okay then! I finally got my grubby little hands on a computer that works (if only for an hour or so) and I think I still may even know how to use it.

 Seriously, May 4th was the date of my last entry and I just wanted you all to know that when I entitled my post'extinct,' I never intended for it to be prophetic. I have missed  blogging very much. I still find myself compartmentalizing my thoughts during the course of a day into 'posts' but I am surviving. As I have mentioned before, I am still able to read up on you via our PS3. It helps.

So, after such a long absence where on earth does one begin?

Okay, I think I know.

Do any of you remember that meme that was going around where you had to pick just six words to summarize your life at this point in time? Well, I have had like five months to think this over now, so I think that I've got it.

Any of you ever seen Kiki's Delivery Service (pictured above)? It is a pretty big hit in our house. My 'motto' has it's genisis there. See the little cat, Gi-Gi, eyes about ready to exit his face, hanging from the broom stick? Well, that in itself about says everything, but to be true to the rules of the meme, I have chosen to quote him. My life, since I have been bloggless can be condensed this way:

"First, don't panic! Second, don't panic..."

And did I mention, third, don't panic? Yeah, there have been times the past few months in which I have had to try really hard not to panic .

Who knew that a couple little symbols like '-' or '+' could cause such a commotion? And I'm not talking simple arithmetic here, folks...Except that I guess really am. Six plus one does equal seven, which is the number of members there will be in our household sometime toward the first week of February.

The good news is that I have gotten past panic mode and am able to see how good my life and this little addition is now. And to think- I had just had the hypothyroidism and infertility conversation with my doctor and was at peace with it too. Apparently my sluggish little thyroid was having difficulty focusing that day because the message did not sink in.

So, while away, this is what I have gathered: life is not always about my plans; Doctors don't know everything; And even if some people can be mean, I am feeling strangely confident.

Amazing.

I was in my closet getting dressed the other day when a random wad of paper came my way. I peeked around the corner to find my five year-old taking cover down the hall. Enticed, I opened the paper to discover a message; as if I had any sort of say in the matter. There was a drawing of a princess with a wand. The 'princess' just wanted me to know that, "she likes girl babies." Looks as though the novelty of little brothers is wearing off.

God, if you are listening, there is at least one vote for 'pink.'

We should find out this Friday.

...Now that I just said that, wouldn't it stink if I couldn't get to a computer again after this?

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May. 4, 2008 - Extinct

I finally killed our vacuum. Anyone who has been around my blog for a little while might suspect the REASON with fairly good accuracy. I was in denial of it for a while (smoke? smoke? What smoke?) but had to come to terms with the fact that getting a little 'extra' money and then having your Hoover, your computer, your car battery, and your husband's motorcycle-slash-primary-source-of-transportation all go south at the same time, might actually be considered God's provision. Don't worry Honey, I won't fail to include the ticket that was received on said primary-source-of-transportation in this equation.

Maybe my mistake was that I had just put a little too much emphasis on the term 'extra'?

Regardless, this girl just can not live without her vacuum! 

My new one is just like my old one, but this time in the shiny red sports model. Can't say I am afraid of change. And you know what? As boring and practical as it is, I do kind of look forward to using it knowing it will work.

Also, be assured (Mom) that the fun is not all lost either, because we do still get to take the girls to Portland for my Birthday on the 15th to see the DINOSAURS.(And no that is not any indication of how old I am going to be. Shame on you!)I can't tell you how excited we all are. My girls are getting to that hyper I-just-might-burst stage of excitement and we still have more than a week to go.

I have to admitt, It does feel just a little like we are getting away with something; being able to take off in the middle of the week. Skipping class maybe? Who says that learning = what happens Monday-Friday between the hours of 8:00am and 3:00pm in a school building? Not you, of course, I know your sort.

Not us either.

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May. 2, 2008 - Greetings and Salutations

Well, it has been decided that my computer is no longer on speaking terms with the key board or mouse. It must have been some falling out, I tell you. And as usual in these types of situations it is the innocent who suffer the most. Poor me. SNIFF.

I WANT MY BLOG BACK!!!!

There, I simply had to get that out of my system.

I can still view and, with much pain, comment on my HSB blogger friend's sites but I can't cross over to enemy territory (that is as close as I will come to calling you traitors, and only because I am bitter that I can't visit you)to interact with those of you whom have Ahhem...moved on. My computer at work won't even allow me to look at your blogs so now we know you all must have done something naughty.

I mean Ducky Girl (who's link I have not yet updated) has had her baby and I can't even tell her congrats! EMILY please tell her for me if by chance you read this. And while I am at it, hello Gremlin Mamma, Cazy Lady (I mean that in the nicest possible way),and Life With Littles. Happy thoughts to you all!

I'll be back again tomorrow night.

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