Good-bye Little Bro and Little DUDE!

Aaron and Peytons two week vacation ended today. We are sure going to miss them. I miss having my family around and it was ever so nice to have my baby brother around again! Peyton is just like Aaron was as a kid-smart, to the point, and very very cute! This was really the first time the three younger kids were able to spend time together and really get to know each other (the other time we were together, Peyton had just turned two and Ben was a baby).

Mark and I have a week with just Paige and Ben before Sam comes back home from Canada. It certainly is weird to have just the four of us around the house. We had alot of company and family around this summer and so our house was always crazy busy and noisy as well. Now it seems very quiet. Tonight we had a bonfire down on the bottom property. It is dark and a bit chilly now, so the kids are going to tuck into bed and watch a movie.

Hope you all have a great weekend!
Hugs
Jaye

Proof that they were here!

I realized that I've been saying that Aaron and Peyton were here visiting but I haven't backed up my claims with pictures! So here are a few pictures of them playing a new video game and they are in my living room, PROOF that they were actually here!

Hugs
Jaye

Don't Fence Me In

As you can see from the pictures, we have been busy around our yard this summer! In the first picture, you can see the BEAUTIFUL railing that Mark built for the front porch. This fall we are planning on putting the front area of the house into lawn- after we truck in a few loads of dirt of course!

In the second two pictures, you can see that we finally finished the play area. Mark once again used his building skills and put up a fence with a gate around the play area and we seeded it once the fence was built..the result being that we actually have GRASS! WHEEEEEE.....

It is always an ongoing project, but eventually this yard will be magnificent...just in time for us to sell it and move to WI and start all over again! Although once we move back to WI I have a plethora of wonderful gardeners to give me ideas and tips!

Hugs to all
Jaye

Finallly, a front porch!

One of the things we needed to do for my After School care program to be licensed was to put a railing on the front porch. This is one side of it, and Mark is going to work on the other side today or tomorrow. Of course, Mark can't just quickly throw something up to meet code, he has to be all fancy...but it sure was worth the effort! The next project we are going to do is haul in a load of dirt and put it from the end of the house you can see in the picture to about a third of the way down the length of the house and then plant grass seed. We will then get as many loads of gravel as needed and finish up our driveway. Mark is also in the process of building a landscaping brick planter that runs from the other end of the house (the end you CAN'T see in the picture) to just under the last window in the living room. It is looking great. It won't be much longer and the front of the house will be done! Then we have to go BACK to the back patio and replace the gazebo we had as the snow ruined our other one this winter...who knew in WA state that would happen! Mark has decided he is going to build a proper wooden one. I am sure it will be wonderful!

Anyways, you can come and visit us again Mom as we now have railings for you! :)

Hugs
Jaye

Bonus Moms and Bonus Kids

This blog is about 'terminology'. Very often the words or phrases that have been passed down through the ages have connotations that aren't so great. A prime example of this is the term 'step-mother'. When Hollywood has a 'stepmother' in a movie, she often isn't the nicest person on the planet to say the least (the ONLY exception to this is the role Julia Roberts played in Stepmother. In this case, they did an awesome job of portraying what MOST biological mothers are like and what MOST step mothers are like in real life!). Any fairy tale you read doesn't use the term 'stepmother', they use 'Wicked Stepmother' or 'Evil Stepmother'..you don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that this woman is not going to be the best thing in the childs life! hehe.....

So on that note, Shelby and I had a discussion this summer...about the term 'step mother' and 'step daughter'. We decided they weren't our favorite phrases. So I proposed a phrase that we use in the step parents support group that I belong to. Bonus Mom and Bonus Daughter.....think about it for a minute. When you buy a package of your favorite product and it says '20% bonus'..what does that mean? It means you buy your regular product, but this time, there is a bonus, an EXTRA, a FREEBIE that comes with it....and don't we just LOVE a bonus? A freebie????

So Shelby and I have decided that I am her Bonus Mom and she is my Bonus Daughter. She is the extra...the freebie...the side benefit I got when I married her father. She is that something extra that I wasn't expecting but that came with the 'package' and that I just was thrilled to get! And I am her 'extra mom'...another woman in her life that can add a different perspective....lend an ear....just be there when needed.

Now doesn't THAT sound much better than 'Wicked Stepmother'? :)

Hugs to you all
Jaye

It's been a busy week around here! My brother Aaron and his son Peyton arrived on Saturday (the same day Shelby flew home to her Moms house). We've taken Aaron and Peyton to Scenic Beach, watched movies, had pizza, gone shopping for vegetarian groceries (weird stuff now resides in my fridge and cupboards! haha)..cooked together...and generally just had a wonderful time re-connecting. They are here for another week or so...how fun is that?!

Now to the above picture. The kids looked out the living room window this morning and they saw a coyote! He really didn't seem afraid and when I started taking pictures of him, he (or she!) stopped and 'posed'. After all the new homes went into our little neighborhood (ok...it was only three but that is alot for our private road!) it is nice to see the wildlife starting to come back. We've seen more deer lately too, also a good sign!

Hugs
Jaye

Yesterday, Mark and I celebrated our Ninth wedding anniversary. We've been together almost 11 years, married for nine! We agreed not to exchange gifts this year as we both have enough 'stuff' around here that we almost need a new house to store it all in! We did exchange cards, and Mark brought home a dozen roses (as seen in the above pic) and a teddy bear for me! We had a nice dinner at home and basically just hung out. With all these kids running around, and crazy ex's stirring things up, we had other places for our money to go to this year other than a night out together...such is the life of a blended family sometimes! We are hopefull that we will go on a little vacation together next year without the kids, but we shall see how THAT plan goes-

Hope everyone is doing well!
Hugs
Jaye

Last night, Mark and I hosted a dessert/game night at our home for our small group from Church. I made several yummy desserts, one of which is shown above. My version of Brownie Pizza! So yummy...so quick and easy and CHEAP to make, but sure packs alot of 'wow' factor into it's presentation and taste! Our group played Rummicub and had alot of fun......

Shelby leaves in less than a week. We are really going to miss her, and I know Paige most of all. They spend every waking moment together and have forged a sister bond that will never break. Where one goes, the other seems to follow! Quite cute! We look forward to having Shelby back at Christmas time!

Sam is in Canada visiting his fathers side of the family. The first two weeks he is at his paternal grandparents home, and knowing them like I do, I can guarantee that Sam is having a good time and being spoiled rotten! He will be back home on the 31st so he will get a nice long visit in with all his Mac Family...

While Shelby flies out on the 11th, my brother Aaron flies IN the same day! He and Peyton will be here for two weeks, so I am looking forward to that as I haven't seen him since we spent Easter in Calgary about five years ago~ I will post pictures as I get them.

Hugs to all,
Jaye

About a year ago or so, our neighbor Joe Cassara died in his motor home. He was a long haul trucker so lived in a motor home vs an actual house. While he was the most brilliant person I will probably ever know, he was also the dirtiest. His motor home was a gross mess.

When he died, he died alone in the filth. And no one noticed. It took about six weeks for someone to find him. How very sad. It was really only after he died that we all got to know who he really was as he kept pretty much to himself when he was alive.

His family decided to sell most of his stuff along with his property as they didn't want any of it. They GAVE the motor home to Mark for a hunting vehicle (yippee ky yay...). It has been dubbed "The Haunted Mansion".

Mark has spent alot of time 'cleaning' it and gutting the interior. It will be his special project to work on over the next months, getting it livable and refurbished.

Tonight, the girls decided they wanted to sleep in the Haunted Mansion. More power to them, you won't find ME in there any time soon! Above is a picture of them in their glory! We'll see how long they last out there! :)

Hugs
Jaye