Here's Rainee's music if any one is intrested.  Its kinda of fun, and giggly, which is why it made me think of Rainee. 

Picture of our dusting of snow.  We still have a bit of it outside, but didn't get any more.  So this morning after I was ready for church I snuck out to take pictures, one of my garden lights. 

Looking up the hill towards the highway. 

Looking down into our campground circle.  As I was taking this one I spotted a little boy who was CONVINCED he was missing out on the snow.  He was even all dressed up warm, so I smiled at him and told him he could join me.

Posing for the camera--we MUST not smile at the camera you know. 

Serious contemplation of the white stuff on the ground.  And a bit of disgust when he realized how crunchy it was.  He wanted to play with it, and it was really just frozen ice.  LOL

Pulling icicles off my orchard trees.  *cringes* 

We loaded up shortly after and headed to church.  About half way around the bay we drove into a no snow zone.  It was strange, as church is higher then us and they were green and normal.  *shrugs* 

We were kinda late getting church moving this morning.  So Rainee decided she should preach.  I believe the sermon was on how kids need more candy.  *snickers*

Ralph who was due to preach said she was welcome, it would give him a break.  *snickers*  But we didn't even if she was kind of cute.   Oh and she's hanging onto the pulpit with her feet dangling as its fairly tall. 

Good morning.

We woke up to a little bit of snow.  Enought to make things pretty, but not even enough to sled on.

It POURED all day yesterday, so the snow was a bit of a suprise.

My dad came out yesterday morning as he does most Saturdays--except the ones we have baton.  LOL  We all decided to go for a hike in the rain with him to discuss a property boundary.  We were right about the boundary.  My dad has spent a life time looking for lines due to his line of work.  And he enjoys it.  We were having so much fun we decided to go to the other side of the river and look for it there.  We were drowned rats, and Samuel was in shorts.  LOL  This time we took the van.  (its a good 3/4's of a mile).  And then most of us trecked out to find the corner.  this helped us be totally convinced our neighbor is absolutely invading our property.

Normally we wouldn't care, except he's running a impromptu dump on it.  He has about 25 dead cars, 10 dead rvs, multiple tires, and miscellaneous garbage.  Now if he left the little tractor hiding in the trees on our side....we'd just claim it.  Its a 1940's something, so cute.  LOL  There's also a old truck my brother-in-law Tony would "help" himself to if he could figure out how, and if he knew about it.  I should go quad over there and take a picture of it just to make him drool....*eg*

Anyhow.  Originally he was sorta keeping it on his acre.  Now its on at least two of our acres as well as his.  *sigh* 

This guy is the man we bought this house from.  And is a nice guy.  My dad has been good friend with him for about 20 years.  We LIKE him.  But the junk has to go.  Most of it is less then ten feet from the river, and the community is beyond steamed about it, as the last time it flooded the river was five feet high in it...its absolutely an EPA hazard, and sooner or later he's going to get in large trouble over it.  We'd rather not join him in that law suit. 

So, we get to figure out how to confront him, and if at all possible maintain the friendship.  *joy*

Anyhow back to the story.  After finding the corner, dad wanted to know where the far line was--something we've never actually known.  We know where the corners are, but there's a lot of alder, and tall brush between the two.  Dad as I said has spent a life time looking for lines, so he, Rob, Kaylin, and Rainee tromped up  the hill in the delluge to find them.  The girls chose to.  Jeremiah would have, but it meant Rob carrying him, so we sidetracked him.  LOL  We walked back to where our van was parked, and drove up and around to pick them up at the top. 

They were there by the time we got there.  LOL  And still grinning from ear to ear over the adventure with dad and grandpa.

My dad is so much fun when he's in the woods.  And everytime I've ever been there with him I'm learned at least two things new.

Oh...and as a amusing side, when we dug down to find the brass corner.  It had originally been surveyed by Ron Nessary.  A long time family friend who when I was a child was written into be our guardian should my parents die.  I guess its a small world huh?

Zeria saved her money up for a Nintendo DS.  So went to ebay looking around, and after much looking began bidding.  I didn't get over 10 of them LOL cause it was just before Christmas.

So I was starting to get careless on what I was looking at.

Anyhow the title said nintendo ds on ebay.  So I scanned through it.  It said it didn't have a charger, had scratches was as is.  Came with five games. As is.  (implied the scratches in my mind)

Bid on it.

Then looked at it again.

And realized in the body of it it says its NOT a Nintendo DS, but a Nintendo Advanced which is a older system. 

So in my opinion that was false advertising.  But I shrugged and decided it was my mistake we'd deal.

So it came last Friday (majorly slow shipper)  and I had to get the charger which I got yesterday.  We charged it plugged it in, and the screen doesn't work.

So I paid $60 to a very crooked ebayer.

But she skirted the "laws" by saying it was As Is.

Giving her the benefit of the doubt I messaged her about it not working, and said I was going to give her a neutral feedback due to my frustrations with it.

She smarted back and said she'd give me what I gave her.  Umm I paid five minutes after I won.  My job was done.  *growl*

Not that I care about my feedback.  I buy not sale.  And I have 200 purchases I've made over the last three years of people giving me positive feedback.

I was actually tempted to file a grievance with ebay.  But the seller skirted the rules so closely I don't think they'd do anything.   So I guess I learned a lesson...though I'm still ticked, and highly tempted to put up a great big Do not buy from this ebayer.

I did noticed in her feedback (when it was too late)  several people have bought similar things from her, and though they gave her positive feedback there only comment was ok.

Not exactly encouraging huh?

I gave her a neutral feed back, and left this using all my characters LOL

 item broken, misrepresentation in title, as is implied scratches, not unusuable

Its the first time in three years of ebaying that I've been "had" so I guess that's fairly good odds, and I learned a lesson.  Don't bid in a hurry, and read everything, very, very carefully. 

Rainee's music didn't work out, as great minds think alike and the coach had already chose it for someone else.

But after way too much time spent we found this.  And we both love it.  So here's a sample

I was hiding out in my bedroom for a few minutes breathing through dealing with my middle son.  Daddy took over while mommy breathed.  LOL  He was asked to do get all of the soggy dish rags out of the kitchen sink (that he'd put there).  Didn't do it.  Got in trouble.  Didn't do it.   Got in trouble.

Mommy left and daddy dealt with it.  He was a fresh face.  ROFL 

Any how I went in there shaking and breathing, and picked up a book to read and distract myself from my frustration when I looked up and saw this in the sky.  Its been dark, gray, nasty rain HEAVY rain.  River is flooding (not big flood normal flooding) and WINDY.  And suddenly God provided this.

It made me smile, and get up off the bed and go find my camera.  I called Rob into go see it, and then went and finished dinner.  And then it was dark and gone.  It was five minutes of color, but it made all the difference in my gray world.

Oh and Jamari *did* get the soggy wash rags out of the kitchen sink, and he did clean the kitchen to daddys specifications.  *snicker*  And he even got a big hug and a I love you from mom.  Mommy left before Jamari knew how frustrated she was.  Tis why God gave kids two parents.  ROFL

We have written down five chores and put them on seperate pieces of paper.  Once a week the kids draw a piece of paper and have to do the chore for a week.   They do lots of pitch in things...like tidy the living room, and tidy the sun room, etc.  but these chores are there sole responsibilities.   We have different standards for how there done depending on the age of the child, but so far its working mostly well.  Except we added a new rule today now that the novelty of the chores has worn a bit thin.  Now before they are done they have to ask for a pass inspection from a parent.  We get busy and assume a job is done and come back hours later to see it done poorly, not at all, etc, and we needed it done in order to function.

Jamari for example was supposed to load the dish washer at lunch time, and throw the garbage on counters etc away, and do a quick wipe down of the counters.  This takes him less then ten minutes.  And if the wipe down is done right after lunch is not a big deal.  But if you wait four hours...not pretty. 

(normally)

I went into make dinner at 4 pm...and he hadn't done any of it, and I didn't have dishes to use for dinner.  Thus the problem.  LOL

Ahh well, its a kid thing.  We all gotta see if we can get away with shirking, and find out we can't.  LOL

So any how the sky.  I cut a bit out of it, and used my seamless tiling tool, and now I have a pretty background.  Its not wintery, more spring like, but I took it in winter, and I like it so there.

Look for the rainbows, the chocolate, the blessings.

Count it ALL joy 

So unless the coach says no which I doubt the girls have picked their music out for their routines.

Kaylin and her friend will be doing theirs to Under the Sea.  And Rainee to The Baby Elephant March.   

Rainee and I had a hard time finding something, but we're both excited about the elephant march its just fun music. 

I burnt the meat for dinner tonight.  *argh*  So I guess I'm gonna rescue the none burnt parts and put it into the rice I made and we're gonna have fried rice.  Couple kids will be mad, but it happens some days.  Its what I get for attempting to do two things at once. 

Its been a quiet week.  I finally rode the quad yesterday.  It was a lot of fun, although I have a rather sore bottom now.  ROFL.  I also helped the kids make two more circles out in the llama field.  Its raining elk and deer outside or I'd probably be out there riding.

Rainee and Jeremiah aren't allowed to ride it by themselves, so their always up for more rides.

I tossed around the idea of going to town today to deal with some insurance crap, but Rob offered for us to go tomorrow as a family and I agreed.  It will be so much easier if we do it together, and a pain in the butt for me to do with six kids in tow.

I made a decision some time during the holidays to oficially quit something that my heart hasn't been into for quite awhile.  I held onto it hoping so much that I could find my way back, but it just isn't happening.  So I finally bit the bullet and wrote a letter to end it.  Its left me a bit numb feeling as it was something that consumed my life since Rainee was very tiny.  But its time. 

I don't know life is so insane right now.  The last few days have been quiet, but I know that its just the break before baton begins, and then basketball.  Basketball is fortunately out here, and only a mile away, but its labor intensive as the kids will be on two different teams this year.  It only lasts 6 weeks so that's the good news, and Samuel LOVES it while he "likes" baton.  The kids when they listed there favorite things all listed baton and basketball, so *shrugs* we'll deal with the insanity for the short term.

And that makes me have less time for my thing I walked away from.

That being said.  I'm knitting more, have a project in my purse, a project in my closet, and one in my sunroom.  I'm playing sudoko quite a bit--Rob even bought me a little hand held thing that I can play it electronically.  I will scrapbook again when Awana starts up next week, so I have things I'm doing for me, there just different things.  And maybe some day I'll get back to this other dream.  *shrugs*

I wish to start the New Year off right, with great words of wisdom brought from you by the brilliant guru's of Veggie Tales.

(Drum roll please)

With Great Chocolate Comes Great Responsibility.

Life needs to be about laughter, or one will die.  You need to find the joy, the praise worthy moments.

The Great Chocolate.

Happy New Year