Ok, I'll take it back.....

I used to say I NEVER won anything. Never. Like if I bought 99 of 100 raffle tickets, I STILL wouldn't win. Well, my luck has changed!!! On Saturday while driving to our new house, I overheard the DJ on a local radio station say something about you need to be caller #9 to win High School Musical "on stage" tickets. So, I thought..."What the heck...I'll try it.". So, first time I dialed....busy. Second time I dialed....busy. Third time I dialed.......RING!!!!! Then the DJ answered and said I was caller #9. NO WAY. So, I won 4 tickets to High School Musical On Stage and the show was last night!!! I took my mom, Danielle and one of her friends, and we didn't get home till 10:30 but we had an awesome time. It was really cool. Especially since it was F-R-E-E......Free!!!!!! So, if it comes to your area, and you have a daughter that loves the movies, you gotta get tickets!!!! Thanks 92.9 KZZU!!!!!!

Wow.....I made a slideshow!!!!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Tax Relief Checks........

Why is everyone so excited to get their tax relief checks???? Am I the only one out there that thinks the whole "rebate" business is just a crock? Well, let me tell ya, it's not "free" money like you might think it is. I happen to know that it is just a "loan" from your 2008 (next year's) taxes. Yep. If we get our tax rebate this year, we will have to subtract that amount off of next years taxes. Whoopeeeee!!!! My taxes aren't even done yet (thanks to Mr. Slowpoke accountant...), but I am not in a hurry, thank god, as I could really care less if I get a draw from my next years taxes this year. So, for those of you who may not have known that bit of info....I am sorry I let the cat out of the bag. But I have a sneaking suspicion that whoever ( Dub-ya) approved this thinks that everyone that gets their check will go out and buy stuff so the economy gets a bit of help.....I don't know if that will make a difference though, .....because everyone I know is just gonna spend it on gas.....

#4 Bob The Hermit Working At McDonalds......by danielle

One day Bob was working at his job, McDonalds. One day he was making a Big Mac. He puts the bun, then the lettuce, tomato, burger, sauce, bun. When all of a sudden, BAM!!! It starts to grow! It eats everyone except him. He was locked in the corner by a Big Mac. He starts to kick and punch. It started to shrink. Bob ate it. BAM!!! He blew up. (just kidding)

#3 Bob The Hermit, Back From The Dead. By Danielle

One day Bobs friend Steve, was watching the news. He heard the news lady say "reported 3 minutes ago....Bob the Hermit, first man back from the Dead, no, I'm just kidding. Wait....Bob the Hermit is the first man back from the dead!!! He's in the park right now!!". Steve came running and hugged Bob so hard. But Bob was mad. He said "Where's Chuckulina?" (Chucky's sister). I want to talk to her. Steve said "they found her 2 days ago. She lives at 2126 N. River street". Bob went rushing to Chuckulina's house. He rang the doorbell, and BAM!, she opened the door. And they watched a movie and had tea!!

next~Don't miss...... Chucky Vs. Bob

#2 Bob The Hermit Returns. By Danielle

One day a girl was driving when Bob crossed the street. He had a fur jacket on. He was very happy that day. But all of a sudden BAM, he's dead. They had a funeral the next day for Bob. They thought he was happier. So they were happy. The private investigator tried to find out who killed Bob. They went through hard work. Finally, they figured out that it was Chucky. He ran over him and slammed him into a fir tree. Then burned him with a curler. He clipped lobsters on his face. Then he dove into the water and was never seen again. And at the end Bob was happiest of all.
-Don't miss....Bob The Hermit Back from the Dead....

~this was the second part of the story that I saw come home from school. The teacher wrote a note up top that said..."quite the imagination..."
~Kelli

#1 Bob The Hermit. By Danielle (9 yrs)

There once was a hermit. His name was Bob. One day he went to the barber. He told Bob a joke. Bob said " Wow, you are funny.". So, he went around the corner, to his box and he found 10 cents. So he ordered a pencil and some paper. And he wrote down that joke and it was funnier the second time. He thought of 20 more jokes. One day the barber came to Bob's box, he wasn't home. The barber saw the book, he read it, and thought it was the funniest book ever. He turned it into a publisher. He said it could be a book. The next day Bob got a letter. It said " great book Bob, your story will be in stores in one week.". What book? He went to the barbers and the barber said " I was the first to read your book." And so the hermit won a new award and got $6000.00. So the hermit bought a house and lived happily ever after.


THIS IS THE FIRST PART OF THE STORY THAT DANIELLE WROTE AT SCHOOL. THERE IS MORE TO COME........
~Kelli

Hello from my mom's.........

Yep, we are still staying with my mom. It has been really great, actually. I don't know if Joe will say that in a week, but so far so good. We are making progress on our Hauser Lake house, hopefully the upper level will be livable sometime soon, so we can get out of my mom's hair. I think we have totally invaded her space. Literally. Neiko now thinks this is his new home. I think he wonders why we won't let him go back to the only home he ever knew....on Topflight. Poor thing. Danielle has been a trooper. She is awesome. No tears from that girl yet. I can't say the same for myself. As Joe and I were packing the last box out of the home we had drawn up and built just for ourselves, I shed a tear or two. I am not sure if it was because I was just dead tired, or just sad to go. I am thinking it was the tired thing.....
Joe has been working so hard on moving us and fixing up our new house that when he went to work yesterday he said it felt like a vacation. He said when he got there he was thinking...."Gee...I never thought I would look forward to coming HERE....." Oh well, it's good for him. As for me, my new fingernail polish color is whatever color I am painting on the walls that day. Today it is a butterscotch yellow. Pretty stylish, indeed.

Moving Stinks....

We had a 3 bedroom house. So why did it take us THREE trips in a U-haul that is supposed to be big enough to move a 4 bedroom house??? Why??
Anyway, I don't have the energy to type anymore, but I do have tons of great friends and I want to thank them so much for the food they brought us when we were too busy to fix anything, the hours of babysitting when we couldn't entertain Danielle, the lended muscles for moving all the stuff that we couldn't have moved ourselves, the housekeeping services when we were trying our hardest to clean the house in time, the dump runs for all our extra junk, and just for being the awesome-est friends EVER. We really couldn't have done it without you. We are SOOOOOO grateful. And lucky.......

The Miracle of Easter....

We all know what the true meaning of Easter is. Sometimes the little kids get so into the eggs, candy and Easter bunnies that it is hard to even remember what the day is really all about. I spent a little bit of time yesterday reminding Danielle again about what this day means, and how much of a miracle it was that Jesus died for us and rose to heaven for US. So, I don't want to minimize that AT ALL by telling you about my own personal Easter day miracle, but I MUST tell you about it.

All of you that know my family know that my parents divorced like, over five years ago. Probably closer to seven. I don't know anymore. Anyway, every year since then the holidays have been disastrous. Tears, anger and resentment were now a part of every single holiday we had. It was awful. It was expected. It was normal. But this Easter, a true miracle happened. And I really mean a miracle.

My mother invited my dad's parents, my grandparent's, over for dinner to her house this Easter. They came!!!! She also called my dad, and extended the invitation, but he had already made other plans. But the point of it all was.......she finally was able to do it. She was finally able to sit at the same table with "his" family and not tear up. She was finally able to realize that just because her and my dad are no longer together, it doesn't mean she still isn't a part of "his" families life. Because all along we have been telling her that she is still their family, whether by paper or not. And deep down she knew that, it was just to hard for her to be a part of it. Until yesterday.

So, Thank you mom. Thank you for making my dream of being together as a family come true. Thank you for doing what I knew you could do for years now. Thank you for thinking of us on this miracle of a day. Thank you for being so strong. This was an Easter we will all remember for years to come. I love you.

Go Zags!!!!!!

It's March Madness, Baby!!!!!
Zags are playing in the morning....gotta watch it!!!

Happy Spring!!!!

Today is the first day of spring, but you would have never known it if you woke up in North Idaho this morning. When I went out to get the paper it had snowed. Yep, atleast an inch covered the ground. But, then it melted. But Hauser Lake still has quite a bit, so just when we get rid of it down on the prairie, we will move up to the mountains and see it again. All is good.
Anyway, Happy Spring Everyone!!!!! My bulbs are coming up through the snow!!!

Honey is your mom home????

I am getting really tired of hearing this. You wouldn't think a 33 year old adult would get asked this on a regular basis while answering the phone. Ok, I KNOW I have a young sounding voice. I even know that to some people I have a young, irritating sounding voice. (Thanks again to the guy who pointed that out 10 years ago at a bank I worked at...Oh, and BTW, I am not a bit self conscious about it....) But, you would think as the years go on....I would sorta get a more adult like voice. Nope. I think all hope is gone. The funny part is, I don't hear myself as having a child-like voice. Maybe I am in denial. My grandpa has called our house and after talking to him for 20 minutes I realize he thinks I am Danielle. Then I don't know if I should just play along, or break the news to him gently....
So, today I answer the phone, as I normally do, because I am usually the only one home during the day, and a lady on the line goes..."Honey is your mommy or daddy home?". What the heck should I say to that? I usually say something like.."I AM the mommy..". But I really considered playing along this time. I should have went...."No, my daddy and mommy aren't here now....they left me here alone over a month ago....they said something about going to Vegas with their tax money.....but I haven't seen or heard from them since. Do you have any food???".
Gosh, I am just getting tired of it. I mean, I think I should probably just accept the fact that my voice may not ever change. But I need to log off now, and continue practicing my new low-adult-style voice.

I caved in....imagine that.....

Guess what Danielle has been bugging me to buy lately? If you think it is something simple like a new sweatshirt, you are mistaken. This time it is a little creature with little hands, feet, eyes, and a bit of hair. Yep, a hamster. I was trying to get her to wait to purchase the little thing, but she just didn't want to. I told her that I have more than enough on my plate right now with the move....but she still wanted it. I was not a huge fan of bringing another pet into the house. I am perfectly content with Neiko. He is enough work.
So, she decided she wanted to go get one as Joe and I were above our garage in a hundred foot pile of stuff that we have acquired over the years we have lived here, and I was like...."Call grandma. She'll take you". And sure enough, a couple minutes later she was here, and off to Pet co they went.
When they drove into the driveway I could see Danielle sitting in the middle of the back seat with a little white box in her hands. She was smiling from ear to ear. So, she opened the box, and there she was.....Coco. I have no idea where "Coco" came from, because she is a light tan color, not brown. But, she loved the name, so that is it.
So we spent the next hour trying to set up this new house that they bought for Coco. It wasn't as easy as it looked. It has a little ball that she can climb into and then she can run in circles for hours on end if she wants to. Danielle fell asleep last night and I was in the bathroom and I kept hearing these weird bumping noises over and over. I was thinking...."what the heck is that"?. So I went into her room to investigate and it was the crazy little hamster running in circles. I couldn't believe how noisy it was. So, I moved it into the kitchen, so Danielle wouldn't wake up to all the racket. But now that I think about it, she is just gonna have to get used to it. Anyway, she is sorta bummed right now because they told us not to handle her for two days, so she can get acclimated to our house. Try to tell a kid not to touch their new hamster......it's like telling them not to eat the candy on the table. Gosh.....So, when my battery for my camera charges, I will post some pics of Coco. I bet you can't wait.....
:-)

Perfect!!!!

You know, I am pretty stressed about money lately. With the prospect of us closing on the Hauser house, and not having either of our other homes sold, I am a bit freaked. So, I decided to see what kind of jobs are available in the area, for someone with an abundance of skills...like me. I just am not sure I am cut out for this particular one.....


Easter Bunny
Category: Office Services
Location: Coeur d' Alene, ID
Date Posted: Mar 10

Do you enjoy acting? Are you playful and animated? Enjoy making kids smile? Don't delay call Express today to learn more about this opportunity. Part time opportunity for a 1 week assignment in CDA. Required for this position: clear background check and drug screen.

Hmmmm, the background check and the drug screen are kind of intimidating.....but being incognito sounds kinda fun. I'll think about it.

Moving....

Wow. I am just so overwhelmed with the thought of packing up all our crap, that I have just decided to sit here and do nothing. For now. I am hoping that one day I will get this huge burst of energy and I will just pack up for days straight. But so far, this is not happening. I am just too tired right now. I have no idea why?? It's not like I work. Pathetic.
To give you an idea of how much crap we have in this house......
above our garage, we have storage space in the rafters. We have stairs you can go up and you can look at all this stuff. I went up there the other day and I was like...."What the hell?? How did this crap even get UP here?" I think it might be easier to just tear the whole garage down.
So today we heard this huge crash coming from down in the basement, so we went downstairs to investigate, and come to find out, a rack in the closet down there had totally collapsed. Bent. Everything fell to the floor. This should be a clue that I have put too much crap on top of it.
I don't think I have a clue about where I should start here. I mean, there is like 15 days and counting till we close on the Hauser Lake house. Fifteen, people. God help me. Joe is gonna be conveniently out of town for the next 3 weeks. Sweet. If you can't get ahold of me for awhile, just know that I am probably buried somewhere in the middle of all our sh**.

What kind of puzzle are you??

You Are a Jigsaw Puzzle

You are a complex person, although at first glance you seem quite simple. Your personality is comprised of many interesting and distinct pieces. You are captivating and often visually interesting. You can be seen from many angles.

What Kind of Puzzle Are You?

Who wants to buy a house II

Here's our Coeurd'Alene house. We are chewing on our fingernails waiting to get rid of one or both of these awesome houses. Here is a link to my 2nd webpage for our fixer in CDA.
www.kellishousesite2.blogspot.com
Enjoy!!!

Who wants to buy a new house????

Come on, you know you want too!!! We have not one to sell....but TWO. Here is the listing for one of our houses that I posted on another one of my blogs for people to see, cause those flyers I put out by my for sale sign just didn't have enough space for my needs. So, if you want to check out my site...its
www.kellishousesite.blogspot.com

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.