Saturday, October 30, 2010

For my Mom, who has wanted me to write this short story for over a year now. Love ya Mom!

The house
by Rose Graves

The day was bright and hot, oh so hot. It was the end of August, and everything lacked life. Cate pulled her car up the dirt drive as it sloped up and over some railroad tracks and back down on the other side curving to the back of an old and weathered house. Stepping out of her air conditioned car was like climbing into a pre heated oven ready to cook her goose.

The dust that had been trailing her car gathered around Cate in suffocating swirls making her cough and move several steps away to escape it's grit. Not wanting to linger in front of the old house in the lonesome heat Cate looked around her taking the area in.

Directly in front of the house were the train tracks she had just driven across, the front yard was a garden of tall weeds and huge bushes. A group of tall trees in the front corner of the yard cast a shadow across the train tracks as the sun sank lower in the sky. The only house for miles, the house sat on land that would probably be bought and made into a subdivision.

The house was built of coral colored brick, a large window in the upstairs looked down onto the roof of a large front porch. Layers of dust covered the house giving it a sad and deserted look. Vines long dead climbed up the house as if trying to take it over. The windows were dark the paint on the trim chipped and peeling. It was surly a beautiful, colorful house in it's day and now sat colorless and wrinkled.
Such is life.

Cate sighed wiping her arm across her forehead were sweat had begun to collect. Pulling the trunk of her car open she pulled out a sign stating that the house was for sale. She felt silly posting a sign in such a remote place where she was sure no one would even see it but went about getting it done just the same.

The ground was hard and dry and refused to let the stake pierce it. Cate let the sign drop to the ground and started back to her car to retrieve some tools to help her with her task. As she stepped through the tall weeds a flash of light ripped through the sky followed by a deafening clap of thunder. Startled Cate looked up at the sky as a wall of wind hit her in the chest.

"Whoa!" she startled, looking up to the sky.

Darkness boiled furiously in the heavens.

How could a storm have blown in so fast she thought in amazement.

With that thought came a down pour of rain. The sign forgotten cate ran to her car jumping in drenched and now cold. Wearing heels and a skirt suit had been a bad idea, even if it weren't raining.

Starting the car and quickly shutting off the blast of air from the air conditioner Cate pulled the car forward turning it around. As she drove up the incline that would take her back over the tracks, her wheels started spinning. The car wasn't going anywhere.
The sudden torrent of rain had made the dirt driveway muddy and slick as ice.

Frustrated and on the verge of crying a down pour of her own, Cate slowly backed down the hill. As she glanced into her rear view mirror she noticed light was coming through the front window of the house. Though the sun had not yet set it was dark and dreary thanks to the thickness of the storm.

Hurrying out of her car, Cate slipped, her heels giving her absolutely no traction. Pulling herself up out of the mud puddle she had landed in she made another attempt at moving forward. She slipped and slid awkwardly until she made it to the porch. She leaned against the house as she knocked on the front door.

As she waited, hopefully for a savior, Cate noticed the door handle was smooth and clean, the paint on the door looked fresh and perfect. The place was obviously kept up better than she had thought. Hearing footsteps inside brought her focus back.

The door opened smoothly, revealing a comfortable living room lit up by brightly burning candles. A woman stood in the door, looking Cate up and down taking in her muddy disheveled appearance. Her nose scrunched in blatant disapproval.

“Wow, the power must have gone out” Cate realized out loud. Then, seeing the woman looking at her as if she were crazy, Cate glanced down at herself. This woman must think I am crazy. “Oh excuse me,” Cate said apologetically. “I got stuck in the rain, I am hoping that you could help me out,” she said in a pleading tone.

“Awful weather to be stuck in,” said the woman solemnly, “come in.”

The woman was tall and elegant. Dressed in a nightgown that flowed gracefully around her thin frame. Her large, wide, dark, questioning eyes mirrored the candles fire. Her round face framed by light brown hair was pleasant and warm. Though her full lips were pursed in an unfriendly manner her eyebrow cocked, Cate felt immediately comfortable and had no hesitations going in at all.

“Well you will probably be here for the night so you might as well go get cleaned up the woman told Cate, I am Ella by the way.” Ella stood looking at Cate waiting.

After a minute had past Cate replied, “Oh I am sorry, Cate, my name is Cate.” she smiled awkwardly.

Ella told Cate where the wash room was and instructed her to leave her muddy clothes soaking in the sink. As she turned to go Ella handed her a candle to light her way.

Cate found her way through the dark house her light dancing eerily on the walls as she passed down the hallway. She washed quickly so as not to be too much of a bother. Slipping on the robe that hung on the door, she made her way back down the hall to the kitchen. She noticed that the clock on the wall read eight o’clock, she suddenly felt so weary and tired.

She stopped in the entrance to the kitchen. Ella sat at the table with a pot of tea and two cups in front of her. The candle light warm on her face.

Cate came in and settled at the table across from Ella. Ella poured her a cup of tea putting the bowl of sugar in front of Cate so she could add some to her tea.

“Thank you so much for letting me in,” gushed Cate. “I was so worried I’d be stuck outside all night. What a relief to be clean and warm.” She smiled softly shyly, but Ella didn’t look at her or acknowledge her.

The two sat in silence listening to the wind and rain outside violently abusing the house with it's hits and pushes.

“The house and land will be better because of it.” Ella said breaking the silence.

“What do you mean?” Cate wondered.

“The rain and wind tear at the house and land relentlessly, but eventually it will stop the house will be cleaned of the dust and grime. The land, for the moment, will be quenched of it's thirst. Renewed. Strengthened. Ready for another stretch of life. It will be better.”

Cate said nothing and silence settled over them once again.

Ella continued staring out the window. Cate stared at her unable to look away until her eyes began to droop. Her tea cup was empty and had grown cold. Knowing it would be impolite to fall asleep at the table Cate stood up,
“I think I ought to go off to bed now.”

“Up the stairs,” Ella directed, “there is only one room up there. You should be comfortable enough.” She spoke with such sadness in her voice, Cate wondered if she had done something to upset this stranger.

Picking up her candle she headed out of the kitchen, turning at the doorway she glanced back at the woman sitting all alone at the table. She seemed so lonely Cate thought, immediately feeling sorry for her.

The bed creaked as Cate climbed under the covers, snuggling down in comfort. She stared into the flame of the candle as it flickered on the nightstand. She would have to find a way to thank Ella for her kindness, she thought. It must be so lonely out here all alone. With that thought and the burning flame filling her eyes Cate fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.
***
The next morning dawned clear and bright, Cate made her way slowly back from the clutches of sleep. Her eyes still closed she could feel the heat of the sun as it shone through the window. Yawning and stretching Cate opened her eyes. She wondered if Ella was awake too, and hoped guiltily that her clothes were clean.

Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes as a child might, Cate looked around her.

She sat up gasping.

The walls were decorated with veils of cobwebs, the floor covered in a thick layer of grey dust. She looked down at the bed where she had slept. Filthy and threadbare, the mattress was near non existent, she had a thin moth eaten rag covering her where she should have been wearing a robe and blanket. Horrified she pulled herself up slowly shuddering as the garment fell from her shoulders.

Cate stood by the side of the decrepit bed in shock, she waited to wake up from what must surely be a dream. With the cobwebs hanging from the ceiling whispering against her face she looked around the small room at rotting wood and old furniture.

At the foot of the bed something caught her eye. She moved closer. What was once a beautiful leather trunk sat aged and dead before her. There amidst the dust and grime were the clothes she had left soaking in the sink. 

 In direct contrast to the surrounding abandon, her clothes, clean and neatly folded, sat in silence.....


Friday, October 29, 2010

And Lyon says...

"Oh yeah, well you guys play baseball like a GIRRRLLLL"

This said angrily to Bear and his friend, I have no idea why, lol!

New glasses

Somebody called me sir the other day.
SIR!!!
I haven't been mistaken for a boy since I was a senior in high school and shaved my head and had a tendency to wear baggy athletic wear.

And, um in case you were wondering, I am a woman, a MRS, a MAM!!!

I got some brand new glasses, it was my first day wearing them.
I wouldn't consider being called sir a good sign about the attractiveness of my new glasses.

In the guy's (who referred to me as sir) defense he barely glanced at me before calling me sir.
What was it that brought about his mistake?
Was it the new glasses?
Have I made George Costanza's mistake and gotten new glasses that don't belong to my gender?
Or maybe it was my unruly bangs hanging in my face, that does seem to be the latest in male hair trends.
Perhaps it was simply a slip of tongue and what he meant to say was:
"You SIR-tainly are gorgeous in those glasses!"


Yeah, that is definitely what he meant, lol ;D

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Lowes

Lowes: Let's build something together.
Well we generally go to Home Depot, but found a moment where it was necessary to go to Lowes.
It happens.

We brought all three kids with us.
That was fun.
We didn't have enough hands for a cart so Bear and Lyon ran free.
They found an empty, uh er, I don't know what it would be called, but it had wheels and was light enough for them to push.
Lyon climbed on and Bear pushed him around, running up and down Lowes aisles.
Bear couldn't see where he was going and it wasn't long before he crashed into a pole.
The crash sent Lyon flying and sent Bears head bumping hard into the "cart".
That was the end of their shenanigans.
Fortunately they weren't hurt too badly.

As for us, we went out the wrong door after making our purchase and ended up having to walk all the way around Lowes to get to our truck.
We gave the kids a ride with the board, so they wouldn't be bored.
;D



Wednesday, October 27, 2010

And Rose says...

"What good is strength if you don't use it..."

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

And Bear says...

"America is the best neighborhood......
because it has the biggest flag."

Monday, October 25, 2010

And Bear says...

Saying the prayer,
"Heavenly Father, bless that we won't ever die......and bless that when we get killed we'll live again...."

Bear Grylls

Bear Grylls.
I had to google that to know how to spell it.

Well, by now you should know that my eldest sons name is Bear.
He was NOT named after Bear Grylls.
Bear was born before the Bear Grylls phenomenon even started....
I think......

Anyway.
My family happens to be fans of Bear Grylls "Man vs. Wild" television show.
We watch it when we notice it is on.
Bear (my son) really enjoys watching it.
I would think it would be a bit boring for a five year old, but this wouldn't be the first time my kid surprises me or to be certain will it be the last.

So Bear thinks Bear Grylls is awesome.
So awesome in fact that he decided he needed to be like Bear Grylls and go on his own adventure.
His adventure went so far as packing his backpack with what he thought was necessary.
Pictured below is what was included:


Not included in this picture is the raw egg he tried to sneak into his bag.
That, I would not allow.

Friday, October 22, 2010

And Rose says...

"Would I wake up early to do the things that I am staying up late to do?"



table monkey

"Monkey on the table!" 
That is what Superman exclaimed when he walked into the house one evening to find,
 well, 
a monkey on the table.

  She won't eat chips without the salsa.
She has become our little table monkey.
If I am wondering where she is I know to first look for a table monkey, lol, 
because that is most likely where she is.
She no longer sits in her highchair to eat her meals.
She prefers to sit on a chair at the table like everyone else.
That way she can climb up and be a table monkey eating her food.
As long as she is eating, and she doesn't fall off the table,
I don't mind.
As a table monkey she makes for a beautiful decoration.
:)


Thursday, October 21, 2010

Boys will be boys...

Weeeeellllllll.....
Boys will be boys, won't they?
Yes, they will.
Boys will especially be boys when they are dressed up as super heros,
and they are pretending that the one boy not dressed as a super hero is the bad guy.
He was Curious George for crying out loud!

His own big brother Bear (dressed up as his own creation "Super D") threw a dirt clod at him.
It hit him in the face.
Clearly Bear was a little too lost in the game to realize that that was not a good idea.
Not only did it scratch up Lyon's nose, it gave him a bloody nose as well.
Lyon's reaction was to bury his face in his hands and rub his blood all over his face.
It made for an interesting costume.
Or maybe scary is a better word for it, lol!
I did not leave it there, lol, I cleaned it off!

You wouldn't think that blood would really be that bright red.
It looks like paint.
It's not.
It's the result of boys being boys.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Life is an adventure

I mean it!
Life is an adventure.
Adventure being the change that is a constant in our lives.
Because life changes, minute by minute, day by day, week by week, month by month, year by year.
Need I go on?
We make plans and those plans either come to pass or pass un done.
that is life.
We learn we grow, we change.
Its an adventure
Its supposed to be.
It keeps things interesting.
:D

Wordless Wednesday


Tuesday, October 19, 2010

And Lyon says...

Lyon was about to get into the bath,  Bear went to ask him if he wanted a cookie.
Lyon said,

"Nah, I'd rather take a bath."




Potions

Well Bear has got an interest in making potions.
Apparently.
I know this because all together too often I find his bathroom sink full of well, potions.
He gets my spices, or random things from outside in our yard and mixes them up to make his potions.
Not too long ago Bear decided that a glass bottle would be a fun thing to make his potions in.
I of course was unaware.
He gathered his ingredients and got to work.
I am not sure if he finished, or simply lost interest.
There really wasn't much in the bottle.

I found it and was thoroughly grossed out.
His ingredients consisted of green bean, hand soap, and hand sanitizer.

Fortunately he didn't make a huge mess.
Unfortunately Lyon got to it before me.


Bear wasn't around, Lyon saw a soda bottle with liquid inside.
He obviously thought it was in fact soda and not one of Bears potions.
Of course he took a swig.
Instead of swigging something tasty, he got a mouthful of BLEH!
Yeah, that was interesting.
Poor kid, lol!
The bottle of potion went straight into the trash.
I wasn't about to risk someone else making the same mistake that Lyon did.
Yuck!
;D

Monday, October 18, 2010

And Lyon says...


"Maybe Super Why has a car like our car....
and maybe he has a truck like our truck..."

Hmmm....Maybe ;D

Breakfast cereal

The kid wakes up every single morning wanting breakfast cereal.
On the rare occasion that I make eggs, oatmeal, or pancakes instead;
he usually comes home from school and immediately pours himself a bowl of breakfast cereal because he likes it that much.

This morning I poured his bowl of breakfast cereal and then went to wake him up.
"Bear" I said, "wake up come have some cereal."
To which he replied, "I don't want cereal, I want pancakes."
WHAT!!!
CRAP!!!
"Well, I am not making pancakes this morning so come have your cereal."
He gets up, comes out to the kitchen and takes one look at his bowl of breakfast cereal.
"Why does it always have to be CINNAMON! :{"
The kid is pissed.
WHAT!!!
CRAP!!!
The kid loves cinnamon breakfast cereal, at least normally he does.
At this point I could tell it was going to be a difficult morning.
I told him he could either eat the breakfast cereal or not, but I wasn't making him anything else.
I told him regardless of what he decided, he needed to go get his clothes on and be ready for school.
 Plain simple and quite stubbornly he said,"no."
WHAT!!!
CRAP!!!
He doesn't want breakfast cereal and now he won't get ready for school!
He loves breakfast cereal and he loves school!
It took a lot of cajoling, and when that didn't work threats to get him to get ready for school.
He finally brought his clothes into the living room and then went and sat at the table and started eating his breakfast cereal.
WHAT!!!
CRAP!!!
The kid needs to get dressed and out the door, RIGHT NOW!!!
Why has he chosen now to eat his breakfast cereal?
Why oh why?!!!
"Hurry, hurry!" I insisted.
Somehow, the kid managed to eat half of his breakfast cereal, get ready for school, and out the door in less than five minutes.

Now I have another kid begging for oatmeal for breakfast.
He wants a smoothie too.
I tell him no to the smoothie and start making him oatmeal.
The oatmeal is cooked and ready.
But he won't eat it because he wants a smoothie.
WHAT CRAP!!!!
It's that kind of morning.
I'm glad though.
My kids are keeping things interesting and unpredictable.
It makes my life that much more enjoyable, lol!
;D



Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Bear Grrrr-aves on Disney Channel

The kid has a dream.
That dream is to be on the Disney Channel.
Like, ON TV!

Oh yes, the ultimate in happiness.
Oh yes, I am being sarcastic.

He saw on Disney channel that you could go to disneychannel.com/halloween
(yes he recited the url to me)
and put a picture that could possibly be seen on TV.
Oh he HAD to do it.
So we took a picture, got onto Disney Channel dot com, and put up his picture.
Now he watches Disney Channel waiting in anticipation for his own face to be glorified.
This ought to be interesting...

I believe he is a Jonas Bother Bear....

:D

Monday, October 11, 2010

Laundry

Don't you just love laundry.
Piles and piles baskets and baskets.
Laundry piled high on your bed, on a table, on the floor, on the couch, or still sitting in the dryer.
Clean laundry is of course the preference.
It's soft and smells nice.
When fresh out of the dryer laundry is so warm and cozy.
That is my favorite time to put all the laundry away.
When it is still warm.

You see this pile of laundry.
I see it as a blessing not a curse.
Look at all those clothes we have to wear.
Look at all those choices.
You can't see it, but I have an awesome washer and dryer that does my laundry for me.
All I have to do is move it around for a second and then put it away when it is done.
Instead of course, of having to wash each article of clothing in a bucket with a bar of soap and a scrub board.  Oh the all time consuming task that would be!

Yes, I am grateful for laundry and I am grateful to have the fine fun of putting it away.
Never will I complain about it again.
I hope you won't either.
It just doesn't make sense to complain about a blessing.
;D



Saturday, October 9, 2010

If you want to be loved by shallow people that is....


Seriously though, I love this song!
Pretty sure it's making fun of people who really believe what it is saying ;D
Lol!

Friday, October 8, 2010

It's my own fault really...Again!

It's my own fault really, I should keep my DP up on a shelf instead of on the floor.
fortunately she couldn't get it open


It's my own fault really, I never should have let Lyon pour his own juice.
Oh wait I didn't let him...

It's my own fault really, I should really teach my kids to keep their hands off their face when their hands are covered in blueberry juice.


It's my own fault really I should have known naughtiness was afoot when the toy box disappeared.


It's my own fault really, I never should have given her her own piece of chocolate.

It's my own fault really, I ought to know by now that I should not give my kids chocolate!


It's my own fault really, I never should have left my plant on the floor unattended.


I may not have been laughing then, but I am now, lol!
;D

Thursday, October 7, 2010

And Lyon says...

Lyon looked at himself in the mirror and said,
"I look like nocchio (Pinocchio)........but I'm not."


Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Kids soccer

My kids been playing soccer.
I've mentioned this before haven't I.....

Anyway the kids soccer team Bear has been playing on has been awesome.
He's loved it.
He played kids soccer really well, scored a bunch of goals and made some friends.
He loved his coaches, and they thought he was awesome too.
At least I think they did, lol!

Yeah, kids soccer is over for the year.
We look forward to playing again next year.
:D
Did I mention Bear made the final goal on the final game of the "season"?
Yeah, my kid rocks!
;D


Monday, October 4, 2010

And Lyon says...

"Mom!  We are building a backyard beach!"

The backyard beach was water on the patio, lol!


Busy, busy, buisy,

Buisssssssy, bisssssssssy, bizzzzzzzzy, bzzzzzzzzzy, 
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

I'm starting to sound like a bee, no wonder its called busy as a bee.....
;D

I thought I'd have more time when Bear started going to school.
And more time now that I have a car.

I don't.
Have more time.
I don't!

Crazy!

I am so busy from the moment I wake up till I go to bed at night.
But not too busy.
I can still stop and smell the flowers.
I can still go walking with my friends.
I can still go to play group.
I can still find a moment to read when I am waiting in the car for Bear to get out of school.
I can still shower in the mornings as long as I bring Fenix with me.
I can still read stories to all of the kids.
I can still keep my house clean.
I can still make good healthy meals, most of the time.

Of course those are some of the things that are keeping me busy, bizzzy, ZZZZZZZZZZZ.

Fortunately I wouldn't want to spend my time any other way.
:D