Are we there yet?

It was ME who was saying that half way through our trek over the Hiawatha trail last week. (not the kids...) We went through a tunnel that was a mile and a half long!!!! It was mildly freaky!! The trail itself is over 15 miles long!! The trestles were super cool...and high...but the views were awesome!! My behind still hurts from the bike seat....but we had a great time. Thanks again to the Buers for making it an awesome weekend!!!

I'll tell you all my secrets!!!!

Check out my new blog!!!!
www.thriftstorechicks.blogspot.com

I am so proud of it!!! Oh, and if ya get a chance.....click on my ads. :-)

Look at what Danielle "spotted"...

...right in our back "yard". Like 15 feet away from our deck. It is a momma deer and it's spotted baby. I have NEVER seen a fawn this little. Or with this many spots. So, every day in the early evening we are all out on our deck searching for this adorable pair. We LOVE living in the woods!!!

Is there a "science" to fishing???

Joe and Danielle were fishing off the dock at the lake today as I was sitting in the sun at the lake enjoying the day. Danielle and Joe have TOTALLY different methods when it comes to fishing. Danielle doesn't have much patience, she is always in a hurry, she just wants to "catch a fish already!". Joe patiently waits, switches bait, re-casts and happily watches his bobber float. Joe selects his bait with a goal in mind, and he knows which bait works better for lake fish, river fish, etc, and he uses his experience wisely. Here is Danielle's way of selecting her bait. "Oooooohhhh, this one is pretty and fuzzy and cute and cuddly....". So, that's the one she puts on the end of her line. Guess who caught the fish? Yep. Miss D caught a cute little Sun Fish to go along with her cute little bait. It was a good day. :-)

Zag Fever.........

In my latest attempt to make EVERYONE a crazy Gonzaga fan, I bought my favorite little East Coast guy a Zag's Tee-shirt for his birthday. AND, his momma lets him wear it. It can't get any better than that now, can it??

Why I love Thrift Stores.

Some of my friends and family really CAN NOT relate to my addiction to local thrift stores. They just don't get it. Why on earth would I get a natural "high" off finding a great deal on something that has been "used" before? Well, I must share with you something I found a month ago.
I tend to make my rounds at local thrift stores about once a week, so I won't miss out on any hidden "treasures". Yes, there have been times I have missed going into them for almost a month, but I find as I drive near them my car just wants to "go there", so I usually let it. Joe doesn't seem to like this hobby of mine. At all. With a capital A. Sorry honey!!!
So, here is my find, and I am totally bummed that I didn't take a before picture, because you are NEVER gonna believe what poor condition this dresser was in when I bought it for $30.00. Yep. 3-0 people. So, I got this idea as I was wandering through local Log Furniture Stores, realizing that I would NEVER be able to afford any of their rustic treasures. I thought......"You know....I think I might be able to make some of this stuff!!!". And by MAKE, I mean, try to put together something that RESEMBLES the real thing....but is nowhere close. So, anyway, I bought the dresser, I went to the hardware store and bought some paint, and some faux wood wallpaper, and I started working. I attached the wallpaper to the dresser drawers, I painted the edges of the dresser and Tadaa!!!!!! Done. And it looks great if I must say so myself. So, I had the picture that I put above it already, and it matches perfect, and I stole the lamp from our river place, because we barely see it anyway, and I bought a couple outdoor magazines, and I was done.
So, after $45.00 total, I have a "brand" new rustic looking dresser. At like 1/16th of the price I would have paid at that Log Furniture Store. There. Now ya know why I can't live without my thrift stores. You should check them out sometime. But keep your grubby hands off the stuff I might want. :-)

Tonight, A "Dateline" exclusive.......

The case of the missing hamster. Part 2.
A suspicious looking woman cleaned out the cage of "Coco" on a dark Monday night in Hauser Lake. We believe the person must have been pre-occupied with other "chores" at the time of the crime, because she forgot a crucial part of the delicate procedure as she finished up the messy job. Yes, you guessed it....she didn't close the door to the cage properly....... and so unbeknown st to her, she went on with her multiple other evening activities. Never knowing what she would find "missing" in the morning.
She glanced at the hamster's cage that morning just as she had every morning....but this time something was different. The hamster was gone. G-O-N-E. Suddenly she had a feeling of sheer panic. Her heart started beating fast as she thought about how she would explain the "mishap" to her innocent daughter, the "mommy" of precious Coco. So that morning, instead of letting her daughter dine within view of the hamsters cage as usual, she switched her breakfast's location. And as she was walking out the door to bring her daughter to summer camp that day, she made sure not to mention one word about the prized pet's location.
So, mission 1 of keeping the secret, for now, was accomplished. Now on to mission 2. As she was speeding home to look for this innocent little creature, she couldn't help but think the worst. "What should I do if I don't find it?". She wondered. She almost drove straight to the local pet store and picked out the first hamster that looked anything close to Coco. Would her daughter ever know?? Duhhhh. Yes. Stupid idea. So, she continued to drive till she arrived at the crime scene. Home.
As she walked into the house she wondered how she would ever find this small creature. It would be like finding a needle in a haystack. But she frantically continued on. Is it under the bed? No. Is it under the other bed? No. Is it in the pantry behind all kinds of other crap? No. Is it in the basement? Who knows. The basement is so huge, and there are so many tiny holes to the "outside"...(we are under construction still....) that if the thing made it to the basement, it would surely find it's way out to "freedom" by now. It's probably been gobbled up by one of the large cats next door by now....
She desperately tries to keep focused. She makes a couple quick phone calls. She starts feeling helpless. Then.....it occurs to her. Look behind the stove. So, she pulls the bottom drawer out from under the stove and what does she find? Miraculously, a tiny hamster is sleeping comfortably in between the electrical cords and the natural gas line. Yep, he is tuckered out from his "travels". So back in the cage he goes, as quickly as possible. And when her daughter gets home that hot afternoon, she will think today was "just another day" for her mom. But, she is wrong. Very wrong.

Danielle Tumbling Recital

Here is Danielle in her tumbling act at her dance recital. She starts out 2nd from the left in the back row. Enjoy!!!

Who gets these?????

Welcome to Idaho. Or shall I say I-DEE-HO. How about getting a licence plate with a baked potato and a pat of butter??

Come on people, who gets these things?? This is really the dumbest licence plate I have ever seen. And I have actually seen it on a couple of cars on the freeway lately.... I just can't picture someone sitting at the DMV office and saying..."Oooooohhhhhh, just LOOK at that adorable licence plate with the baked potato and that scrumptious pat of butter.....I HAVE to have it...". Who in their right mind would pay $40.00 extra a year for this dumb plate?? I tried to talk Joe into getting it just so that I could crack up laughing every time I saw him pull up with that ridiculous image on his "manly" truck. He didn't think it was funny. I considered putting it on mine, but I wouldn't be able to see it, and everyone else would, and I think I may die of embarrassment.

I really can only think of two scenario's where someone might seriously want this particular plate on their vehicle. So....

#1 You currently ARE an Idaho potato farmer, from SOUTHERN Idaho.

#2 You just moved here from a state like, for example, ......California.....and you desperately want to "fit in", and you think by putting a baked potato picture on your car, you will become "one" with us....... Oh, and FYI... this WON'T work.

Miss Independent

Is there such a thing as a young child that is too secure? Too comfortable in her shoes? Too Independent? From my experience as a child, I would have sworn there was no such thing. As a child I was dependant on everyone. Everything. All the time. I once went to summer camp for 3 days and had a miserable stay, crying for my mom the entire time I was away. No fun for me... I was too busy bawling my eyes out, wanting to be back home. I even spent time in the nurses cabin, while she let me sip a glass of 7-up for hours, hoping that would ease my "pain". Didn't work. One day I wrote my parents a letter, begging them to come get me early, so I could go back to my secure world with them. They didn't get it until the day they were scheduled to pick me up anyway. When I saw them get out of the car that hot summer afternoon, I had never been happier. I was finally crying happy tears. I was safe.

Now that I have my own child, I just assumed she would experience the same pain as I did, when she is away from us, her parents. I was dead wrong. I have been dead wrong since she was three years old, and I sent her to a pre-school that was for 4 year old children, because she was READY. As I left her at pre-school that day, I let the teacher know that it may be hard for her. I explained that she may cry when she realized I was not there. I explained that she had never been away from me, and I left my phone number so they could call me the minute she needed me. The call didn't come. As I walked into the room to pick her up, the teacher explained that Danielle never looked to see if I was gone. Never looked around and realized her security may be in jeopardy. She was fine. This was at the young age of three. How different she is from me, I thought.

So last week we worked it out with her grandparents in Montana, that Danielle would go stay for 3 nights and 4 days. As we left, I was a basket-case. I thought to myself....what am I going to do for 3 nights without her?? What is SHE going to do for 3 nights?? I am going to be worried the entire time that she may miss us. Well, whatever she did for those days away from us, it wasn't missing home. Joe picked her up and brought her home yesterday, and the only thing I noticed as I ran outside and gave her the hugest hug I have ever given, was that she looked tired. She had so much fun being a hundred miles away, that she was worn out. Last night when I laid down with her before she slept, I asked her how she did, and if she missed us while she was gone, and she replied..."Well, on the last day I did miss.......Neiko.". Hhhmmmmm.

So, even though there are times I wish she would "need" me more than she does, I mostly try to focus on the well-rounded, secure-in-herself child that Joe and I have raised, and I am thankful. I love you D. And I am proud of you for being the awesome girl you are.

View from my living room.....

My living room....

Main Kitchen before and after....

We don't have granite YET, but I soppose I will live....

Great Room Before and After........

It looks like my goal of NOT cluttering up this house isn't working so well......I thought I was succeeding before I looked at this after pic. :-(

Happy Birthday Mom!!!!

For my mom's birthday we all went up to some property that her friend has on the Pend'orielle river near Sandpoint. It was so much fun. We cooked steaks, fished, made smores, went hot-tubbing........it couldn't have been much better. Thanks for the invite, Herb!!!

What???

I am in the mood for a vacation. We are definately going somwhere this summer, but we need to decide when and where. So, since we have a new house, with a new mortgage, with renovations still being completed, I was doing some research online for ideas for "budget" vacations. One sight that I found had this idea....

"One of the ways that you can enjoy a summer vacation on a budget is to visit your friends and relatives. You should make sure that the friends and relatives have plenty of room to accommodate you. This will help you to save tons of money on hotel accommodations, as well as the expense of dining when you vacation. You will get to visit friends and family, visit places where they live, and get away for a while. "

Ok. Free dinners sound good....But I said I wanted a VACATION. I LOVE my friends and family, but I just need to get AWAY, people. Let loose a bit. I guess I will keep searching......
:-)

I'm a grandma!!!

Ok, I am a VIRTUAL grandma. Danielle has three kids, and she's gonna get another one soon. How??? You ask. Well, there is a Nintendo DS game that you can buy that is called "Babies". Usually Danielle isn't that into her DS games, she could take them or leave them. But since we purchased this one, she has been glued to her game, changing diapers, doing feedings, giving baths, reading stories, and playing with her "kids". She even gets virtual money for it. (Don't ask me what good that is....) Anyway, I must say they are about the cutest little grand-babies I have ever had!!!! She has a boy, Tommy, and two girls, one named Ella and one named....um....I forgot. But anyway, she's learning it's alot of work to have kids. I have a sneaking suspicion that in a couple of days she will throw the game in the garbage. Unless, somehow, she starts getting paid "real" money. :-)

The Joy of Green Grass........

Wow, what a difference a little green grass will do. When we moved in we had a dirt pile full of weeds where the lawn should be. It was driving me absolutely CRAZY. So, we went to good old Lowes and bought some sod last week, and for a little bit of money and a little bit of time.......Grass. Green, pretty, fresh, grass. I know, I need to get a life.

My front porch

Here is my front porch picture. I am a bit bummed because I don't know where my cord to my good camera is, so I have to use this one that kinda takes blurry pictures. So, therefore, that is why the pic isn't that great of quality. But, you get the idea, I suppose. See all the trees......YEAH!!!! I always wanted to live in the "forest". I am in heaven.....