I'm Not Losing My Mind...or maybe I already have!

Over the past week I've had the most disturbing experience and I really thought I was losing it, but now I think I'm just my own kind of normal. I had ordered some pants from Land's End when they were on sale, same size that I've worn for the past 3 years. YIPPPPEEEEE...they arrived, but were too small by quite a bit. Being a typical woman, I was quite shocked and more than a little upset. So, I held the pants up to some similar pants that I bought from Land's End last year and the new ones are markedly smaller. I can maybe understand if one out of the 4 pair were that way but all 4???? I don't think so. So, just for kicks and giggles I ordered another set of the pants, all 4 the same exact pair of pants except one size larger. They arrived today and low and behold they fit perfectly. I did the same matching up with my old pants and they are the same exact size. Now....since I wear plus sizes I tend to not have the best body image anyway, but it really doesn't help when the clothes manufacturer changes sizes on me and I go up a whole pant size without the benefit of eating all the tasty treats and such. If I went up a pant size from eating cheesecake and chocolates all the time that would be one thing...no whining from me at all. But really folks????? I had noticed this same trend with shirts that I've bought at stores as well, the same size that I've worn for a few years no longer fit. I just put it off to how they make the shirts a bit more clingy now so I've been grudgingly buying the next larger size but now I'm thinking that there is way more to this than I realized.

I've also found out that I now have to buy plus size socks!!!!! WHAT????? Since I now also magically where a size 11 shoe instead of the size 10 that I've worn for years the socks also no longer fit. HMMMMM.....I was buying some socks just yesterday and saw that "regular" sized socks fit shoe sizes 4-10, but the "plus" size socks fit sizes 8-12. Well...howdy-doo! Only problem is they don't make the cute, fun, soft socks in the 8-12 size...just the 4-10 size. Also, if they did make the cute, fun, soft socks in the 8-12 size they would cost more for fewer pairs. Maybe that's what this is all about. Mark the larger pants/socks/shirts a smaller size so we have to buy a larger size and THEY can charge us more. SIGH!!!! And honestly, when did a pair of size 6 underwear all of a sudden become a size large??? Not that I fit into a size 6 or anything (maybe a knee or a thigh perhaps) but it was just another thing I noticed on my depressing walk through of the lingerie department of my not so local Target yesterday.

Signing off now from the land of Plus Sized Normality with a very large and depressing sigh. Bring on the cheesecake and chocolates.

December 1st...ALREADY!!! WOW!!!!

Well, it's hard to believe that it's already December 1st and that 2009 is quickly, no not just quickly, but rapidly with stampeding feet, coming to a close. I haven't completed many things that I hoped to accomplish this year, but I've come to the realization that's all right. I've been busy with my guys and the projects I long to complete will wait. For now, I'm concentrating on my family. God has been so very good to us this year, we remain very busy with Randy's business, the boys' schooling continues along (with many bumps and obstacles along the way), and we're currently deeply entrenched in the basketball routine for them both. All in all, our life is very blessed.

Now, this is being typed at the very beginning of the day and I'm still in my joyfully optimistic phase. It was only a couple of days ago that I sent the following email to my home school support group...
"Subject: Won't somebody please come organize me....pretty please?????

I know this won't post until tomorrow and that's OK, I just had to whine, snivel, have my own little (big) pity-party, and just plain vent. We have been so fanatically busy the past couple months, I am horribly behind in grading my boys work, I came home to a message from our local superintendent asking if we were still home schooling this year (since I've forgotten to turn in our registration...the only thing required by our state, one would think I could remember to do that), I'm pretty sure my youngest isn't completing all the work that he's been told to do, and I'm pathetically afraid that I'm horribly short-changing my 9th grade oldest son in his school work because in part, he can't (or won't) write anything longer than a paragraph without major help from me....and sometimes asking for a paragraph is pushing it. I haven't even mentioned being behind on getting our bills paid (Praise the Lord we have the $$, I just haven't made the time to sit and pay them), getting the insurance billing done for our windshield replacement business, depositing checks, and please tell me why, oh why does my youngest child have to change clothes 4 times in one day?????? This is the same child that even after being told numerous times to put things away when he's done with them still continues to leave everything, and yes I do mean everything, I promise I'm not exaggerating, he leaves EVERYTHING laying where it lands when he's done with it. This child also has type 1 diabetes, he's had it since he was 3, he doesn't remember living any other way, ever.....and now all of a sudden he doesn't remember to check his blood sugar when he gets up, before he eats....UGH! And just forget about trying to remember to dose BEFORE he eats his meal, we're lucky if he actually remembers his insulin within an hour of eating. Yes, I try and help when I'm home, but with running the oldest son to basketball practice in the evenings there's been more times that I'm not around now when he eats supper. I've been noticing a lot more shiny chrome on the summit lately, but I'm starting to think that if things don't settle out soon I'm gonna lose it all before it has a chance to go gray....because I keep jerking my fingers through it in exasperation....or I may just start snatching myself bald-headed. EEEEEKKKKK! I'm just having an "I'm so overwhelmed, I feel like I'm drowning" moment and I'm hoping I'll release it all and it will go away after I type it out........it hasn't....LOL!

Please forgive my total lack of appropriate grammar, punctuation, and over-abundant use of .............. and ???????????????....LOL!


Melissa S. the loony lady in Montana that just wants the world to stop so we can put our Christmas tree up, then sit and enjoy all the pretty lights!!!"

So there, lest anyone think we're living the perfect life...we're not. But, we are living the life that God has blessed us with and for the most part I'm so very thankful for it. As I reflect over all that's happened this past year all I can truly say is GOD IS SO VERY GOOD!!! Life is not always roses, rainbows, and a bowl full of cherries...but GOD is with me through it all. Now...off to work with the oldest on his writing (our main focus for the 3 weeks of school this December for him) and also to make sure that the youngest did actually dose himself after he ate breakfast this morning. There's also the bills to pay, money to deposit, invoices to order, laundry to change over, kitchen to clean, living room to dust and vacuum, dishes to unload/load, dog to let in....you know....LIFE!

Little Boy or Psychotic? Such a fine line!!

***Disclaimer...please don't read if you are partial to spiders, ants, or other such insects. I'm just commenting on boy behavior and not wanting to create a discussion along the lines of PETA versus Fur-Lovers of America. Nor am I belittling those with mental health issues in any way, I am simply commenting on little boy behavior.

We were at the cabin this past weekend and cleaning up around outside since we were bringing home a trailer and had lots of room to bring home things that we weren't using anymore since we're past construction phase. I was finishing up the morning dishes when the cabin door suddenly banged open and in charged Jonah (age 12.) He ran across the cabin and grabbed Randy's small propane torch while shouting wildly at the top of his lungs, "There's a huge spider on the canopy poles! Dad said I could get the torch!" Out of the cabin he flew, slamming the door behind him. Standing there with my arms in soap bubbles up to my elbows I was struck by two extremely different thoughts. ONE...Visions of a brand new forest fire starting up with our cabin as the origin point (What was Randy thinking!) TWO...Don't psychotics start out by killing and torturing small creatures??? (WHAT WAS RANDY THINKING!!!) Ok, so the thoughts had a some similarities...SNORT!

Now, lest anyone think my son is a fledgling psychotic, I've done much research and determined that this seems to be normal boy behavior. I've read of such things as burning ants with magnifying glasses, pulling legs off grasshoppers, etc. etc. etc. Even one of our favorite Christian comedians, Tim Hawkins, has written a song parody on this very thing. Here's a link to a YouTube video with this song...
Little boy behavior versus psychotic behavior...such a very fine line sometimes! LOL!

Sputters and Spurts!!!

WOW!!! I can't hardly believe that it's been 5 full months since I've blogged, I am definitely going in sputters and spurts...LOL! I will catch up with some photos from this spring and summer, hopefully next week sometime, that is if I can figure out how to put pictures on our new computer...Vista is really different than XP and I'm still feeling my way around.

We started our 10th year of home schooling this past week, a major milestone for all of us. Levi is 14 and beginning 9th grade this year and we've been diligently trying to make sure we have all or t's crossed and our i's dotted to make sure we fulfill the state requirements for graduation. I can't hardly believe that he's a freshman this year. Of course, I'm not sure why I'm surprised as he's already several inches taller than I am and has become quite the grown up young man...except for those moments when he's an angst filled, stubborn, opinionated, moody teenage boy! Jonah is 12 (13 in 1.5 months) and is beginning 7th grade. He's also quite proud of the fact that he stands eyeball to eyeball with me in height. My babies are growing up!! I suppose that's enough chatter to keep their parental embarrassment level high.

We're headed for our cabin in just a short bit for the last fun weekend of summer weather...that is if we have summer weather. This has been one of the colder summers we've had and has been very strange indeed. We'll have scorching hot temps for a couple days and then they'll plummet and we'll be digging out the sweatshirts and sweatpants trying to stay warm. We've all been wondering where that global warming is that everyone is talking about, but that's a whole different post for a whole different time.

Have a great labor day weekend everyone!

Oops! LOL!

Yup, I forgot my camera yesterday when I went on my errand run! Sorry. I'll have to wait for pictures of the "biggie" mountains because it's all socked in with clouds again today as we're expecting more snow today and tonight. SIGH! I am so ready for spring. I hear some of you already have tulips and daffodils up....double sigh! Our's are still resting quietly below the surface just waiting on the spring warmth to arrive to awaken them.

What Normal Looks Like

I thought since I included some snow pictures from yesterday that I should include some sun pictures from today to let you all see what it normally looks like around here. Well, maybe normal isn't the best of terms to use. It's still only 20 degrees out, but at least the sun is shining and there's only a few clouds in the sky. Although the forecast says that more snow is moving in for tonight! UGH! Wait, the wind isn't howling outside....so I guess these aren't normal pictures after all! LOL! The wind is a constant here where we live, so when it's not blowing it's definitely an abnormal day! So these would qualify as abnormal normal pictures. HMMMM...I think I just confused myself!


These first pictures are from our front door...
Icicles in our doorway & mountains in the background...




These pictures are from our back door and show the beautiful blue sky which Montana is famous for along with some mountains in the background.


Just a note, these aren't the really big mountains around us, these are just the "littles!" If I have time later today when I'm out and I remember to take my camera, I'll get a couple pictures of the "biggies" just down the valley from us. I love the mountains when they're capped with snow. So beautiful!

SO MUCH FOR....

"MARCH - IN LIKE A LION OUT LIKE A LAMB!!"

I know, I know, there's still a couple of days left in March....but it's definitely not look promising!! Woke up to cloud covered mountains and snow this morning and this afternoon the wind has kicked up....OH JOY!! We have a winter storm warning until tomorrow sometime, unless they extend it like they have the past 2 days. UGH! Ok, I'm not a HOT weather person. I don't like temps much over 85 and I truly dislike hot & humid weather that makes me sweat even more profusely than I normally do. I prefer to wear layers rather than bikinis (LOL! That's quite a mental picture!) and I love snow covered mountains and softly falling snow. BUT...I am ready for spring. I'm ready for the smell of green grass freshly cut (by the boys of course!) I'm ready for daffodils, tulips, and warm and gentle spring rains. Ok, now I know I'm dreaming!! Spring rains here in Montana are typically anything but warm and gentle...cold and harsh maybe, but not warm and gentle. Oh well, I'll include these pictures I took this morning while I go snuggle in my chair with a warm cup of tea and dream of daffodils and tulips!

By the way, that dark spot just above the trees is a Canadian Goose. I'm sure the goose is wondering how it's instinct to return North got messed up and had it return much too early! LOL!

OK, I admit it! I love watching sports!

I especially enjoy watching basketball (college and NBA) and football (NFL) whenever possible. I'm the sports nut of the family, not my hubby, that is unless it's something to do with hunting, off roading, or boating...then it's him. With March Madness going on right now for college and the NBA regular season ending, I'm in happy mode with all the basketball being broadcasted on tv right now. Hubby's not quite so happy, but he holds his eye rolling to a minimum...most of the time. I have two favorite NBA teams, the Cleveland Cavaliers (which we've watched since before they drafted LeBron James) and the Phoenix Suns (which we've watched since they traded for Shaq...yes, I'm a Shaq fan having watched him since he played in college and was drafted into Orlando...) No, I can't quote their stats nor do I agree with everything they say and do with their lives...but WOW, can they play basketball!! My most desired NBA finals would be between the Cavs and the Suns...but I don't think that's going to happen this year. I know there are many things going on in this world now that are more critically important than sports, but for me it's a release from all the stresses and pressures of life. So all I can say is.......GO CAVS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lassoed in Texas Series by Mary Connealy

I love to read! I could shout that from the rooftops and really enjoy myself, but I'll keep it down to a subdued roar in my head. My favorite genre is Christian mystery/suspense, but I also love Christian historical fiction, Christian romance, Christian fantasy, etc. Ok, so I love all types of writing and read almost all types of Christian fiction, but my favorite books are mystery/suspense novels. I do tend to stick with Christian authors because I enjoy books more when I'm not trying to stuff my ears with cotton or covering up my eyes...LOL! I do branch out and read some mainstream authors, but always enjoy my return to Christian authors and the wholesomeness of their novels. I do also read more serious books for spiritual growth, becoming a better parent, being a better wife, etc. but I love reading fiction. Today, I'm not actually going to chat about a mystery book (don't worry, I'll cover some of those soon) I'm going to chat about a Christian historical series I just finished reading. One thing I do enjoy in any book I read is a little bit of humor mixed in amongst the plot, or a lot of humor as is the case with this series titled Lassoed in Texas by Mary Connealy.

I truly hope that there are more books coming in this series because I had the most enjoyable time chuckling, sniffing, chortling, giggling, and just plain belly-laughing my way through all three books. Each book focuses on a different lady (or group of ladies) yet they all overlap so you continually learn more about the previous book's characters as well, another thing I really like. So, be sure to read them in order so they make the most sense. Each of the ladies is unique in her own special way, often dealing with bitter pasts and obstacles in the present, but each also struggles with many of the same issues I do in trying to walk uprightly with God during times and circumstances that make it difficult to remain upright. These books are set on the Texas frontier and I shudder at how hard life was back during the settler days. I am way too attached to my coffee maker, gas oven, washing machine, and microwave...not to mention my indoor shower and toilet!! If you enjoy reading about the settler's frontier life and strong women & men that seek to walk with God with a little (or a lot) of humor mixed in, then run and check out these books by Mary Connealy. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

What We've Been Doing This Winter

I promised pictures to explain what we've been up to this past winter, so here they are. We were blessed to have the boys play basketball with a small country school in the area. We homeschool so they aren't able to play for our local public junior high, but the little country school was thrilled to have the 2 boys join them for the season. We enjoyed watching the boys play, but we were awfully glad to be done sitting on bleachers at the end of the season!

Here's our Big Boy Levi, he dominated at the center position against most teams...until he broke his foot in a game! He was side-lined for 4 weeks until the doctor cleared him for play. Levi was not very happy about this development at all, but it taught him great patience and he learned a lot about the game of basketball sitting on the bench watching and discussing it with the coaches. Overall, he would have much rather been playing the game though! LOL!

Jonah enjoys playing basketball and really plays with all his heart. He is the team encourager, always building up the other kids on the team, except when he's frustrated, then he gets a little chippy. This was his first year playing for the school and he adjusted well moving over from the city recreational league which he's too old for now. He'll continue to improve over the next couple seasons as his coordination catches up with his growth.

MY OH MY!! HOW TIME FLIES!!

I can't believe that it's been over a year and a half since I last posted. I guess I got sidetracked a bit! LOL! We've been busy with growing boys that are busy in several categories. The pictures included below I'm sure will clue you into what we've been doing the past year. Lots of fun stuff along with the ordinary...Birthdays, Braces, Football, Basketball, and Baseball!!


Levi's Winning Awana Car



Levi's 13th Birthday...on my!!


Jonah's 12th Birthday...my baby!

Jonah's New Bike

Jonah's Fall Flag Football

WOW! It's Been Awhile!

I can hardly believe that it's been almost a month since I last blogged. This past month has just flown by and we've been running, running, running! We've spent several weekends at the cabin while trying to catch up on house work and paper work at home during the week. We head out in a couple days to go to our nephew's wedding, I feel old! This little guy (not so little anymore, as he's 6' 4 " tall) was only 6 months old at my wedding....EEEEKKKKK! It's hard to believe he's old enough to get married. We'll also see his sister who's married and just had her second child 6 months ago, she was our flower girl. Oh well, time marches on.

Here's some recent pictures of the fire and how close it came to some of the cabins in our little subdivision, neither of the houses is ours, we can't get a good picture of our cabin from the lake.



While we were at the cabin last weekend, we were treated to the site of dual helicopters circling, dipping into the lake, and then dumping on a nearby ridge. We are still unsure as to whether there was a fire or not, it seemed to be more of a training exercise, plus we didn't see any smoke. But, it was fascinating watching them.

Every time we're at the lake, we see people jumping off this rock at one end of the lake. The boys have always thought it looked like fun. Well, this time they were brave enough to join their cousins and they all jumped off the rock. I did ok watching them, I was just glad they went for the lower rock rather than the much higher one that some older teens and adults jump off, although I'm sure it's just a matter of time & maturity! LOL! Jonah thought it looked a little too high from the very top of the rock so he found a bit lower ledge that he could climb down to and jumped from there. I was proud that he faced his fear and took the plunge...it only took once and then back up he went to jump several more times. The first two pictures are Levi jumping and the third is Jonah jumping.

When it's rough on the lake, the boys don't like the knee board or wake board so they tube! I'm not sure who has more fun...the boys riding in the tube or their Dad driving the boat trying to flip them out of the tube! LOL! After a long day of play, Jonah sacks out on the back seat with our chocolate lab, Cabela.

There's always a ton of animals along the lake. One night we were kept awake by the large herd of elk that moved in around our cabin to munch on the grass just after dark. They spent the whole night around our cabin and in the draw that's behind, they didn't just spend the whole night eating they also "talked" to one another the whole time! It wasn't the most peaceful night spent at the cabin, but it was neat to listen to them "talk." These pictures are of some mountain sheep that were down along the edge of the lake getting a drink and enjoying the green bushes alongside. It's always fun to stop and watch them a bit.

Although the fires have burned lots of area and blackened most of the hillsides around our cabin, the smoke has made for some absolutely beautiful sunsets. Here's one to share with you all...

Well, I think that about catches it up for the past 3+ weeks. Have a great day!

Our Cabin Still Stands!

YEAH! Just wanted to update a bit, our cabin still stands, yeah! I have included some pictures of the back burn that was done by our little subdivision that has so far saved all the homes in. I tried to place the yellow pointing finger to where our cabin is located as best I could. These are not my pictures and when I increase the size to try and see things, it all gets really fuzzy, but I did the best I could. We still cannot get in to our cabin, in fact not only have they shut the road down to our cabin, but they also shut the waterway down so we're doubly locked out! The fire is now up over 11,000 acres burned, quite a jump in the past couple days. Thankfully it's growing on the opposite edge from our subdivision burning deeper into wilderness area.


This week will probably be a quiet week as Levi is off to Bible camp and Jonah leaves Thursday to go to a 4 day Diabetes Camp. So, my hope is to clean more on the house!

Cabin and Fire!

We just spent the last 3 days at our cabin on Holter Lake outside of Helena enjoying the hot temperatures combined with cool lake water and lots of water play.
Here’s Jonah wakeboarding…


And here are pictures of our cabin…


Sunsets at the cabin are always gorgeous, but even more so right now. Here are a couple sunsets to share...

About the fire...

The fire is going strong and we were notified last evening of a recommended evacuation of the subdivision where our cabin is located. Although we were already home we are praying hard that our cabin still stands. Though it was built with mostly reclaimed materials, so the material cost was low, it has uncountable sweat equity invested in it…along with our hearts! Prayers for rain and good fire-team management are greatly appreciated. Here are some pictures of the fire as it crested a ridge about 5 miles from us (as the crow flies, about 50 or so miles in terrain to cover.) After just 3 days the fire is now approximately 2 miles from our cabin (as the crow flies, about 20 miles terrain) and is moving at an alarming rate. Our state has the policy of not fighting naturally started fires (like lightening caused) in wilderness areas and in the tinder-dry times like now, it causes the loss of a lot of land. I won’t comment on this policy other than to say I’ve never really been in favor of this policy and at the moment it’s especially loathsome to me as we contemplate the reality of losing our cabin.

As we contemplate losing something that we worked so diligently on and is precious to us, we also have come to the acceptance that is not truly "our cabin", but rather it is God's. He blessed us with the finances, the materials, and the ability to build it and it is His. Yes, we are praying that our little cabin is spared, but we accept that He is with us whether the answer to our prayer is yes or the answer is no. If we will give Him praise for blessing us with beautiful sunsets, we will give Him praise for sustaining us through loss. And loss has been felt deeply over the course of the past couple years, but that is for another post at another time.

I cannot help but be reminded of the works we are to be doing on this earth for the Lord's sake and that one day they too will be tested by fire. May the work we do for God withstand His fire better than our wood and concrete cabin will withstand this earth's fire.

1 Corinthians 3: 10 - 13 says...

"According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. 11 For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each man's work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man's work."