Tissues.....

You know, I am pretty stressed out. Tons of crap is going on right now, and I can't even decide which part to be stressed about first. So, I get up this morning, after a tiny bit of sleep, and I get Danielle off to school, and I get myself ready, pull myself together, and go to D's school to pop popcorn for the PTO. So, I start popping, and I am just focusing on filling the bags with popcorn, you know, mindless stuff....and then I notice that Danielle's class is going out to recess. It is then that my worries and issues surface. SHE is not going to recess along with the rest of her class. She and a select few other kids in her class have not met their reading goals this week, so they must stay inside. I wouldn't have a huge problem with this, except that it has been an ongoing issue. I am sure I have voiced my concerns to you all, as I have over and over to her teacher, and everyone else who will listen, but we just aren't getting anywhere. I haven't seen one tiny little glimmer of hope yet. None. So, as I come back into reality and realize that she is sitting in her classroom, I break into tears. I freak out. I start crying in the popcorn. I thought I was keeping it together a bit, and I thought I was over by the popcorn machine crying and no one would even know.....yeah, whatever. So, I dialed up my "life-line", my friend Kim, and I was talking to her...well, I don't know if you can call crying profusely talking, but I turned around and one of the lunch ladies was standing there with a box of tissues in her hand, offering them to me. I was like....."thanks...." sniff, sniff, and I continued to poor my heart out to Kim. So she does what she always does, and she says.."I'll be right there.". And a couple of minutes later, there she was. She said she hadn't showered, but I couldn't tell. She was there. She did what she does best. She literally saved me, and I was able to pull it together. That is, until we finished up popcorn and I decided to talk to the principal about Danielle's ongoing issues with accelerated reading. So, I do feel a bit better, and I do feel like I am starting to get somewhere with the issues she is having, and I do feel like it MIGHT change. So all I can do now, is wait and see. And if something doesn't change, it's Joe's turn.

Screamin' little kids....

I was laying happily in my bed at 1:00pm today, just trying to de-stress a bit, taking little nap, dreaming of winning the PowerBall, and all of a sudden my neighbors did the un-thinkable. They let their two "young-uns" outside to play and all I can hear is the two kids screaming with their high-pitched little voices. Isn't it still winter. Can't they play inside and chew on legos or something?? Don't they realize I need to have some quiet time for a little bit????? Maybe I will stomp on back there and ring their doorbell and fill them in about why I need a nap so badly right now. Actually, maybe I won't. I don't feel like visiting the police station today.

Check out this view!!!!

It has been awhile since I have blogged. I've been busy. Joe and I are always looking for good deals in the real-estate market here in North Idaho. I think finally we found one. This is a house that we are buying in Hauser Lake. I am super nervous, but also super excited, because a couple of years ago we had a lake view lot in Hauser and we sold it, and I have always wished we would have held onto it. But, the good news is....I think this view is BETTER. And, it is over an acre of land, and a bigger house then we have now. So, we did good. It all works out for a reason. Now we just have a few loose ends to tie up and we will be good to go!!!! Here are some pics!!!!

View of the lake and mountains in summer...


View of the lake (frozen) and mountains in the winter...


Front of the house....


And last but not least, the front porch!!!

Guess where I'm going......

Joe bought me a great gift for Valentines Day. If you can believe this, I forgot that Dierks Bentley is coming to Pullman in April. Well, my extra nice husband remembered. When he handed me a "piece of paper" for my gift...I was thinking....."what the heck is this...?", and as I looked closer, it was an email confirmation of the tickets he bought. Yeah!!!! So, he bought 3 tickets, and I immediately wondered who the 3 tickets were for. Cause let me tell ya, I am not sure how much fun Joe will have watching his wife screaming in awe over another guy. But, I am sure he will understand. Thanks honey!!!!

How are your typing skills????

Here is a fun little test that I found online. I have been looking at job openings for Kootenai county mainly for my mom, and all of the applications wonder how many words per minute you can type. She has absolutely no clue, and I didn't know how my typing skills were holding up....12 years after I got out of college.... and the only thing I can remember about typing class in high school, is Mr. Dufresne saying..."Ready...Type." So, I found this test. All of you should take it. My first try was 68 words per minute. I don't think this is exceptional by ANY means, but most of the jobs I have looked at require 40...so I think I would be good to go!!!

free typing test (c) CalculatorCat.com

Workforce Housing in Coeurdalene....How DARE they......

There has been some P-O'd CDA residents out and about lately. 80 of them showed up at the city library yesterday to discuss a "workforce housing" development that WAS in the works. The developer of the project has 11.5 acres that he was going to build "affordable" housing on, in the price range of like...125K to 175K. Sounds great. So what is the riff, you ask??? Well, it seems that none of the eighty people who showed up for the meeting want this development to be near THEIR beautiful homes. It would be a major inconvenience for them to have people who are making moderate incomes in THEIR back yards. OMG people. What is this world coming too??? There are tons of jobs around here that are just NOT paying a livable wage. So, these people who work at these jobs, they kinda need somewhere to live. Have some compassion please. I can understand the fears that the residents currently living in this neighborhood have, kind-of. But, Coeurdalene desperatly NEEDS some affordable housing. They are going to have to put it somewhere. No matter where they plan on putting this workforce housing "tract", some people are gonna be ticked. Plain and simple. Can't we all just put ourselves in the "less fortunate" peoples shoes. It doesn't look like that is gonna happen anytime soon, because the development was denied last night. It doesn't suprise me.

(sorry about my spelling, my spell check quit working.....)

I love this website....

www.toothpastefordinner.com is a website with daily comics. There are some that are not so funny, but some of them are super funny, and I could literally roll around and laugh....I have a wierd sense of humor though....so beware...

Pennies for Leukemia

It is strange sometimes how things work out. Danielle was telling me yesterday, as we were walking out of a store, that her school was having a penny drive, and asked if we could go through our change dish and contribute all our pennies to the drive. Of course, I said. Then she said, "Mom, I am pretty sure that the penny drive is for the same kind of cancer that uncle buddy had." And I said..."Oh, Leukemia?". "Yes," she said. So, I told her it was, and I was a little suprised that she still knew that, and so we started talking some more about it. She wondered what they do with the pennies that are donated, and I said that I think alot of the money goes to scientists that are trying to find a cure for the illness. She then said.."Mom, I wish they would have found a cure for it before Uncle Buddy got it.". "Me too." I replied. Then my eyes filled up with tears and somehow they were tears of sadness, AND Joy. Sadness because it has been 2 years since I took the trip down to California to see my sick uncle before he passed away. It actually seems like it has been longer than two years, and I am sure it is because I miss him so much. And I am joyful because Danielle still remembers him. Even though she was 7 years old, and we only got to see him a couple times a year, she still remembers. And that is what I had hoped for all along.

HILLARY!!!!!

If you're wondering what I was up to today....well....I was at a town hall meeting in Spokane with the one and only next mrs. prez-hopful....Hillary Clinton!!! Wow. Everything about it went just perfect. Here's the scoop...

My mom and I got ready and drove over to Spokane early, in order to get a great place in the long line. Since the building would only hold approximately 500 people, we knew we couldn't mess around and be late. So, we got there almost 3 hours before the meeting was scheduled to start, and as they counted the people in line, we were # 77 and 78. WOW. Just what we had hoped for!! So then, we waited. In the cold. Then our good friend Kim came to the rescue and served us with hot chocolate and coffee. YEAH!!! We were feelin' good now!!

So, Kim, my mom and I were finally let inside, and we happily stood in the second row back, just feeling good to be a part of it. But as we were standing there, a nice campaign worker picked us out of the crowd...(must be because of our good looks.....lol...) and asked if we wanted to go sit in the reserved area on the top of the stage that was currently chained off. "Absolutely" we said. So Chad, (the name of the nice young gentleman) lead us up on the stage where we felt super privledged. Then, the secret service came up and gave us all specific rules to follow, to ensure a pleasant stay. Mostly, they wanted us to know that Hillary would be walking right past us, probably shaking hands and signing autographs, and we needed to stay in our assigned "spots". No lunging forward, no reaching into pockets, no nothing, or we would get forcefully put back in our place. OK. We were mildly freaked. But we were REALLY ecstatic to be a part of the "important" section.

So, when she entered the building, we all screamed and clapped and waved our signs, and then she got to the podium and spoke for nearly 45 minutes, and she looked great, she sounded great, we were super impressed, and I nearly lost my voice. After she finished up, we all applauded and she went on to sign autographs and shake hands and do some small talk with the citizens of Spokane. Oh, AND, my mom got her campaign sign autographed. Yep, we were THAT close. Thanks Chad!!!! You're ALMOST as awesome as Mrs. Clinton!!!!

Change.........

The Post Falls School District has some overcrowding issues. So, a new elementary school will be opening this fall, and therefore, new boundaries are needed. The superintendant for this district has said that his goals are to reduce overcrowding at the most populated elementary schools, move as few students as possible, develop boundaries that will be sound geographically, to allow some students the opportunity to walk to school. Let the controversy begin......

The district has had about 3 meetings about these boundary changes. The district came up with a proposal, and in these meetings they are showing the new boundary proposals, and allowing feedback from parents. Joe asked me if I was going to go to these meetings. No. Here's why.

Of course it would be nice if Danielle stayed at her current school, but it would also be nice for ALL the students to stay at their current schools. Why would my needs and wants be any more important that anyone elses? With the current proposal, Danielle would stay at her current school. But the proposal is just that, a proposal. So who knows what could happen before the final draft is drawn. The district in Post Falls is an "open enrollment" district, which means that you can enroll your child in any school in the district, BUT, you as a parent would have to figure out how to get your child to and from school. The bus will NOT pick up your child and bring them to any other school than the one stated on the final boundary map. So, why are parents mad?? Who knows. One lady was quoted in the local paper as saying..." I specifically bought my house because it was in "this" school's boundary..." Ok. Then either walk your child to that school, or drive your child to that school, if you wish to stay at that school. There ARE solutions to this problem, lady. They might not be as convenient to you as the bus picking up your child, but there ARE options. Why do these parents go to these meetings and make their "issues" more important than anyone elses. Maybe it is because some people think they ARE more important than others. Are they? There is really no easy solution to this problem. Some students WILL have to switch schools. It is just part of life when you live in a growing community like ours. Deal with it.

I LOVE Winter Sports!!!!!

Who said their aren't any democrats in Kootenai County??

Who??? Because last night at the North Idaho College gym there were about 2400 of them, including me. It was time for the democratic caucus in Idaho, and even though the state police were warning people to stay off the roads because of the weather conditions, we all braved the weather to go out and stand in line to vote for our favorite candidate. Obama ended up getting the majority of the vote, but Clinton took enough of the vote and was able to take home some of the delegates. It was awesome to know that I was there with my fellow Kootenai County democrats. So all went well, and I learned alot, and I would definately do it again.

Super Bowl Party the North Idaho Way

I took an idea from some relatives that always seem to be having so much fun. The idea was an "ugly" sweater party. We all went out to thrift stores and picked out the ugliest sweaters we could find. It was super fun looking through tons of sweaters, and let me tell you 90% of the ones in the stores were REALLY bad. So, enough writing, I'll just get down to business. Here are the pictures. (oh, danielle decided not to just wear the sweater, but to also act the part with her friend Nate) Thanks for being such good sports guys!!!!

Got Snow???

We do. Not just here in P-Falls, but OMG, Joe and I went up to the river to check on the place, and we were astounded by what we saw. Actaully, what we didn't see. We couldn't even see our place from the road, the burm was so high. Higher than his pickup even. Wow. Here's some pictures. And keep in mind, our porch is about 4 feet off the ground at the highest point, and the snow is probably 3 to 4 feet over the porch. Enjoy.....

This first one is the view looking toward the trailer from the driveway...





The second one is from our driveway to our stairway.....





The third one is from our porch, to our stairs......