My Computer is Sick

My computer is sick and Doctor Super Brainy Computer Guy is coming tomorrow morning to pick it up. I have a Mac and the Mac side will not work at all anymore. It freezes as soon as it starts up. The Windows side still works, but it is very ill. I am anxious for it to get better, but I'm not sure how I will survive on my own while it goes to the hospital.

Subliminal message-Mommy, can I borrow your laptop? I don't think I can wait to post my Halloween pics.

What to Wear

I'm packing- really I am!

You can even ask Hottie Husband.

If you can find him.

But he is probably riding his mountain bike on what I am now calling his three hour tour.

He is a man of leisure I tell you!

Now that he has finished up his jobs and is looking with eyes set to the North- He is a MAN OF LEISURE! Pronounced- lezzzzure!

He is also helping me A LOT with the kids- taking them to school, helping with homework, doing puzzles, reading books. But don't tell him I told you. Cuz then I can't tease him about being a man of lezzzure on a three hour tour.

So yes, I am packing and being responsible about all the things I need to get done- they are taking over my brain and wandering in and out of my consciousness. I am writing them down in order to cease the wandering.

But, I can't seem to get my mind to stop wandering off to the clothes I am going to need. It wanders to boots and jackets and socks and hats and skinny jeans.

I am a Southern California girl from birth- blonde hair natural at one point long ago, flip flops I have been trained by my niece not to call them thongs anymore- it gives everyone a different instant image in mind and skirts along with sunglasses that are always getting lost or breaking. That's me!

I don't know if I can give up my skirts so when I was at Target today, I spied some of the longest socks I have ever seen. Thigh high socks. Like these...

So, I'm thinkin I can still wear my skirts in the Northern land if I wear tights, my super long thigh high socks, a long down coat and some boots! I bought them just in case. I figured if it didn't work for that, HH would probably like to see me some thigh high socks in any circumstance. Shhh! I didn't really say that out loud.

Speaking of boots, my sister loaned me these the other night

for this get up we wore to a costume party.

Don't we just look like we are ready to giddy on up to Montana!

So that got me thinking that I really need to get me some boots. Every pair of shoes I own except for my Uggs and tennis shoes either has an open toe or an open heel. I don't have any whole shoes. They are all little halvsies. Yes, I am surely in need 0f some boots.

Then, I was reading about warm boots and some reviewer just had to mention that the boots look good with skinny jeans. Well, then I just had to research me some skinny jeans. I typed in the words what are the best skinny jeans and then the computer read my body type and automatically inserted for curvy girls at the end of my question. Are they trying to say-Skinny jeans for not so skinny girls? Maybe! Well, that works for me.

Anyway, this not so pencil thin mama wants skinny jeans now because there are certain boots - like the warm ones- that will look good pulled over skinny jeans instead of stuffed under a boot cut.

I'll just need a nice flowing top or big cozy sweater because skinny jeans with a snug curve- revealing top on a "curvy" girl with cute boots would not make a very good first impression.

Want to know the name of the jeans that work for curvy girls according to my research?

It is Joe Jeans- The Skinny Honey Booty!

I just love that- Can't you just hear HH-

"COME HERE YOU SKINNY HONEY BOOTY!"

I want to wear them just for the name.

I don't know why my font has suddenly changed and NO I can't fix it.

And then I'll turn my leg like that and pout a bit and put my hand in my hair and show off my SKINNY HONEY BOOTY.

Alas, I may never get these jeans and this little ladies curves look nothing like mine but I am allowed to dream.

HH did buy a hat for me the other day. You know, the ones like they wore in that movie Fargo. I'll try to get a picture soon. It'll probably go really good with those socks.

Wordless Wednesday photo by Mister Luke

Taking a Stand

Someone around here has taken a stand

and there is no stopping him no matter how

much his mother protests.

He is digging his toes in ( a different approach than the usual heels)

and is pressing forward.

So his mama is singing-

I'm Still Standing...

and

I'll Stand by You...

and

Stand by Your Mommmmm (Man normally)

and

Stand by Me...

and because Little Bear realizes that his mother is not ready for him to take such a stand because she is desperate for him to remain a baby and not start walking next month at 7 months

he has decided to take up the recorder instead and just accompany me in all my singing endeavors while the rest of the family covers their ears in horror.

We Shall Not Be Homeless!

Plop- plop- fizz- fizz- Oh, what a relief it is!!!

No, I do not have a stomach ache, though I'm sure it was coming. And no, I am not writing a post about jingles that suddenly pop into my mind at odd moments, though I could.

Rather, the relief comes in the form of a meeting of minds, an agreement, a oneness of thought and a decision about what house to choose in the Northern land we soon shall move our clan to.

It is neither of the choices I presented here before. Discussing the two was making us both grumpy and irritated, which are not traits that either of us normally have. So, we decided to scratch them both and start from scratch. That is when I found a house listed and said to Hottie Husband, "What about this one? It is in the area you love with amazing views of the lake and a deck and it only has three bedrooms, but..."

HH sweetly replied, "You have told me NO on that house at least three times when I have showed it to you."

Hmmm... I have? Well, that is probably because I think that I thought it was furnished with those awful couches and the 70's furniture but see- it does not say furnished here.

So we emailed and called and guess what? We got the info on the house and it meets both of our expectations. It has a big front driveway and area for the kids to play. It has a garage, an area that will work perfectly as a playroom and three large bedrooms along with a dining room, two and half bathrooms, a mudroom and a kitchen with new appliances. And bonus upon bonus, the owner told me that there is also a small apartment above the garage with a kitchenette that our guests could use when they come. And there, my mamasistas, is that fourth room I was hoping for.

Alas, there is no picture of the kitchen. But, HH reminded me that we are the people who lived in our home for the first three years of Jackie Boy's life with no kitchen at all. We had plastic that was used as walls to keep the cold out and our temporary "kitchen" consisted of an electric skillet, a microwave and a toaster oven. Our dishwasher door did not open all the way because it hit a wall and it drained into a shower. Our washer and dryer served as counter top space.

Oh yes, I forgot how very adaptable I am. You are right you hot thang, we will be just fine.

Especially if this is the view...

I just gotta tell you that those three times I said NO to HH on the house. Well, they saved us three hundred bucks a month. Thank God for His timing and those awful 70s couches!

REST in this!

Lombardi Ranch

Yesterday the kids were out of school a little early so we decided to head to the pumpkin patch to pick out our pumpkins.

And to make it feel like it really is fall!

All of the "Pumpkin Patches" around our house are basically parking lots with some hay thrown on the ground and bales stacked here and there with pumpkins on the hay. They throw a fence around it, a tent on top and then put a few bounce houses inside to lure the children.

They can hear the children in the cars as they pass, "CAN WE GO IN THAT JUMPY?"

No, no, no.... the place is inauthentic. It is not a real pumpkin patch.

Not like Lombardi Ranch, which is family owned and perhaps not the best pumpkin patch ever, but pretty great as it compares to the parking hay patches.

I was particularly impressed by the stems or tops of their pumpkins.

You can never underestimate the value of a good pumpkin stem.

One year, I put my carefully picked pumpkins in the back of my suburban and when I got home I discovered to my dismay that they had rolled around all the way home and their tops had broken off.

I was devastated.

Lombardi Ranch also has great varieties of squash.

I really like squash for some reason.

Not the sport.
No, I do not play squash on the weekends.

I do like to bake them though.

Aren't they all cool and funky looking.

They look a the pumpkins and think..

yah... everyone may want you...

but we are unique and colorful and there are rows and rows of you all over the place in

parking hay patches!

I was quite partial to this particular pumpkin.

Couldn't you just eat him up?

I tried, but Hottie Husband snapped a picture of me so I had to stop.

The kids loved exploring the hay pyramids

Jackie Boy enjoyed the jowels of a giant Jack O Lantern

then Toots escaped from jail and decided to do a little jig...

His escape vehicle was this cool old fire truck.

They risked life and limb and let Little Bear drive.

Then I tried to look all dreamy to HH by hanging from said fire truck in my cool new aviator sunglasses. Shouldn't there be some music playing?

If I knew how to Photoshop that German arm, believe me it would be done.

HH loves my for those arms though. They help him move large pieces of furniture, wood, etc. I am a hearty wife!

I had to put this one in because Mister Luke is actually looking at the camera and smiling.

This is after years of photography therapy for both of us.

A momentous occasion.

Mom look, he's wearing my Halloween costume.

Then we visited the animals and I became fascinated by this ostrich.

She looks a little irritated with me.

Yes, most assuredly irritated.

I am now glad she is behind the fence.

I have a history with bad bird behavior. A flock of geese once attacked me.. in Hawaii... and I have never been the same.

HH has his own issues with birds disliking him. He used to have a pet parrot named Petey who would attack his head whenever it was let out of the cage.

We left before she could rip through the fence and eat us both.

Then we saw these pigs loving up on each other.

Again, some music is in order.

We finally picked out our pumpkins and headed to the exit.

The boys begged for corn. Yes, begged!!

It was a really hard decision considering it is a vegetable and my children were begging for it and it was only 70 cents per ear.

They shucked it

and ate it raw and then asked why I normally cook it.

I don't know. Maybe you can get some type of disease if you eat it raw. We'll soon find out.

Happy Fall Mamasistas

and thanks for enduring the massive amount of pictures I just posted.

Be Still!

I have a confession to make.

I have become a home rental website stalker. I am obsessed with making sure that we are not missing out on finding something up in Montana that will best suit our family. I have this urgent feeling that there is something better than the two options I presented the other day, but it is like a needle in the hay stack and I just can't get my finger on it.

I look on Craigslist and the local paper website and the vacation rentals and every other website I can find.

It is getting ridiculous and time consuming and I have this idea that I can't pack until I know what the place I am going to actually looks like. Sounds logical, right? But I just realized it is not really factual. I can pack and label and sort later, depending upon what we choose.

I can relax and trust and stop the time consuming stalking.

I can be still in my emotions and brain and spirit and know that He is God.

I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.

Preparations

We have been busy over here...

sitting around

figuring out what this green stuff is

exploring its' texture

watering it with endless drool

so fascinated by it that eyes shall never see the camera lurking endlessly above

oh... what's this brown stuff?

It will soon be my lifelong companion

yes.. this is what we have been doing.

Who cares that we are moving

to the Northern land in less than a month!

We need to roll in the grass!

And sit in the laundry basket.

So much better and cuter than the stinky stuff usually found here!

And mommy needs to kiss these sweet things-

But seriously..

I have not packed a thing.

I have watched Hottie Husband pack.

He is real cute doing it.

So cute that maybe he should just do it all.

Yah right!

However, I have requested medical records for the kids, requested transcripts for the kids and contacted the school in Montana. But, I have never moved before so I am thinking maybe you ladies might have some tips about what I need to be doing.

Other than actually packing and rolling in the grass!