HAIRCUTS AND HALLOWEEN!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!!!

The girls and I had a pretty good Halloween holiday. To start the day off, we went to Devils Lake and the girls had haircut appointments with my friend Tawny at Performance in Hair. The girls were not happy about going, but calmed down during the car ride there. Cassidy had her haircut first. She let us cut it super short so it doesn't take 20 minutes to comb out anymore. Jessie went next and asked for a haircut just like Nana's. The girls behaved very well, and they look super cute with their new haircuts.

At 3:30, we went over to the Leeds Community Center for a Halloween party before trick-or-treating. I must say, compared to all the years before, this party was actually pretty dull. There was only 3 different games to play, there was one craft table, a spot set up for pictures to be taken, all the games ran out of prizes before my girls got to play them, and the party only lasted for one hour. Oh well, they thought it was fun anyway.

My mom drove the girls and I around at 5 o'clock for trick-or-treating. The girls did very well, and Jessie only took one break. Jessie sat in the Jeep with Nana while Cassidy and I went to the doors to collect candy. After about a half hour, she was ready to go some more. There was one house in Leeds that Jessie didn't like. The house belongs to the Himle's and they decorate it really nicely every year. The husband likes to dress up, sit outside, and scare all the kids when they come up to the door. It's pretty funny to watch. The girls and I got up to the door and they got their candy. When they turned around to leave, two of the "decorations" on the deck started to move. It spooked Cassie, but she just ran off the porch quickly. Jessie on the other hand was so scared that she wouldn't move. She even refused to turn around and step down the porch because one of them tried to pick her up. I had to lift her to get her off the deck. When we walked away, Jessie told me "I'm not going to Himle's anymore. It's scary, and that guy tried to pick me up." I just smiled and tried not to laugh.

Tawny styling Cassidy's hair.

Jessie ready for her haircut.

Tawny cutting Jessie's hair.

The girls making funny faces with Tawny.

My two adorable babes!

The Himle's home. This is such an awesome place at night on Halloween.

The girls getting some candy.

Cassidy and Jessie at a house.

Cassidy and Jessie's daycare provider, Jody, and her husband Rob.

ELEMENTARY HALLOWEEN PARTY

Today at 1:30, I picked Jessie up from daycare and we headed up to the school for the Kindergarten Halloween Party. All the children in elementary dressed up in their costumes, paraded through the classrooms (and even went through the high school rooms), then went back to their own rooms to have hot dogs, cupcakes, chips, and juice. Parents, brothers, and sisters were invited to go, so Jessie and I went so I could take pictures of all of it.

I am proud of my girls, they behaved themselves and had a lot of fun. Jessie even put on her Halloween costume and walked with Cassidy through the school during the Halloween parade.


Enjoy the pics!!

The Kindergarten class all dressed up for the parade. Back row; Aiden, Mailiya, Cassidy, Abby, Kurtis, and Kaylee. Middle row; McKenna, Desidy, Sloane, Holden, and A.J. Front row; Cody, Jerrick, and Caleb.

Cassidy dressed up in her dog costume.

Jessie begged to be a unicorn this year.


Desidy Schwanke as Thomas the Steam Engine.

Kurtis Nelson as Albert Enstien.

Brooks and Carson Tracy as Mario and Luigi.

Adam Fisher dressed as a cowboy. I sooo want his costume.

Mrs. Nybo getting Cassidy her hot dog.

The Kindergarten class enjoying their food.

The kids playing a number game. Cassidy and Jessie both won a game and got to pick a prize out of the treasure chest.

BIRTHDAY PICTURES

Here are some of the pictures from Cassidy's birthday party. She had a lot of friends show up for the party. Thirteen friends to be exact!! They were Desidy Schwanke, Sloane Follman, McKenna Tofsrud, Camiee Wangler, Abby Letzinger, Kaylee and Brock Hansen, Kurtis Nelson, Holden Kersten, Jerrick McGarvey, and Tristin, Izik, and Joseph Burtchell. All those kids made for a lot of entertainment, and I am very glad that I only held the party for two hours. I now appreciate the fact that I only have two girls. If I had anymore children, I would go crazy!!!

Party favor cups filled with Fun Size bag of M&M's, flutes, hand-clapers, slinkys, and large Halloween Glow Sticks.

Cassidy showing her Disney Princess Art Set from Sloane Follman.

Cassidy opening a Little Petshop gift from Desidy Schwanke.

More Little Petshop animals from mom.

Cassidy's Littlest Petshop cake she picked herself.

Jerrick McGarvey, Desidy Schwanke, Kaylee Hanson, and Jessie.

Holden Kersten, Kurtis Nelson, and Jerrick McGarvey playing with balloons.

Jessie Ann being cute.

IT'S NAVICULAR

The vet confirmed navicular is the source of Luna's problem. The vet said that she is technically now a retired horse. It is not recommended that she carry anything heavier than 90 lbs., so Luna is a strictly kids-only horse. She will no longer be able to go for 10 mile rides. The vet said that Luna can no longer run, and that I don't even trot her, just keep her at a slow and steady walk. I cannot bred her because her leg will not be able to support the weight of a pregnant belly.

When Luna is ridden, the vet suggested a special boot that helps supports and cushions the leg. She also prescribed ButePaste, which is an anti-inflammatory, which should also help. I have to give the ButePaste to Luna 2 times a day for 3 days before she is ridden. I am going to check online to see what types of boots are available and how expensive they are.

I am glad that the news wasn't too grave. However, I am disappointed that I can no longer ride my horse, but the girls will still be able to, and that makes me feel better about it. My horse has given me many years of wonderful experiences, and now it's my girls turn to enjoy that.

I guess there was a good reason why I received Mack as a gift. Someone up above knew I would be needing him.

CHOYA ? - 2009

Today, at 6:30 this evening, we said good-bye to out Leopard Appaloosa mare, Choya. As much as it hurts, she is resting in peace. She is no longer blind and will not have to struggle through anymore winters. I am proud that our family was able to give this horse a very peaceful and relaxed 12 years of her life before she passed away. Sunday will be especially difficult for me. The girls are with their father, and they were not here to say their good-byes to her. It's going to be hard to stay strong when they cry.

FARRIER COULDN'T HELP, SO OFF TO THE VET

The farrier came out yesterday to examine Luna. He didn’t find anything wrong with the hoof, and at the time, she wasn’t showing any signs of lameness. He examined the leg and she showed a little tenderness in her leg, and said Luna’s problem is probably navicular and she would need to be taken to the vet and have the leg x-rayed. Since Luna did not show lameness, after the farrier left I tried taking her for another ride. However, we got about a quarter mile down the road, and she started to limp again.

I called my vet today and set up an exam for Luna at 2:30pm on Monday. I am hoping for the best. If it is navicular, it can’t be fixed, but we can maintain the leg and keep her comfortable, but the problem will eventually get worse and the harder it will be to maintain. I will have to decided what is okay for Luna and what is also the humane thing to do.

I am not very surprised that Luna developed a navicular problem. For 10 years I rode her every day, all day long. Luna loves to be ridden. When you saddle her up, she is ready to go, and has a very hard time standing still because she is ready to move. I guess it’s fare to say that I literally rode the legs right off my horse.

MORE HORSE WOES

I will be posting pictures of Cassidy's birthday party as soon as I find the computer cord to my camera, until then, no pictures will be posted.

I helped my friend clean her horse barn most of the day Sunday. I went back out yesterday while she was at work to finish up what we didn't get done on Sunday. It felt great to go out and help her get everything taken care of. I enjoy work like that. It doesn't feel like I am working at all.

I have made the decision to just be a two-horse-owning family. Four is hard to take care of, three gets a little bit crowded, but two is just right. I want to keep my mothers black/white appaloosa gelding, so I made the decision to sell my 19-year-old mare. She is well broke, child friendly, and my 6-year-old daughter rides her by herself. I can also get more money for my well-broke mare then my mom's gelding. However, after making this decision, I have come across a BIG problem.

I saddled up my mare, Luna, for a ride the other day. She had been showing signs of lameness off and on over the summer, but has been doing pretty good lately. I rode her down the road and back, and she did just great. I saddled my sorrel gelding, Mack, and waited for my friend, Brandie, who came out to ride with me. We took off on the horses and got about a mile north of my house when Luna started limping. I told Brandie I had to get the horse back to the house so I could check her out. I cleaned out her hoof and it was dry and clean. There were no hot or soft spots when I pushed down on the inside of the hoof, so I don't believe there is an abscess or infection in it. However, there is definitely a problem somewhere, because when I would let go of her leg so she could put it down on the ground, she kept her leg in the air and didn't want to put weight on it. I have tried calling farriers to come out and check the hoof. So far, no one has gotten back to me. If her hooves are good, then it is more than likely a hock (ankle) problem, and here is where it gets hard. If it's a hock problem, there is only so much a vet can do, and a majority of legs problems ARE NOT fixable, no matter how hard you try. I cannot ride her until she has been checked out, so she is a yard ornament right now. I cannot sell her as a riding horse if she is lame, and I do not want her next owners to have any problems. If it is a problem that the farrier and vet cannot fix, then I will have to put her down because nothing else can be done for her. If I bred horses, she would be okay, but I don't have the facility for raising foals. I just ride, and if she cannot be ridden because of injury, the humane thing would be to put her down.....unless someone wants her as a brood mare. However, I want to be down to just two horses by the time snow flies, so there is a time limit on everything.

I hate thinking about it. I would rather sell her and see her go to a good home then have to put her down. My father bought Luna for me when I was an eighth grader and started attending a new school. I grew up sitting on the back of Luna, spending many days riding country roads and through fields exploring everything. We have had our share of great adventures, and Lord knows the mishaps during some of them. She's a wonderful horse. It sucks making the decision to put a good horse down. I don't think there is a horse owner out there that likes putting a good horse down, but there is no other options if a farrier and vet cannot fix what is injured.

HEAT, PARTIES, AND AN OLD HORSE

Klemetsruds Plumbing and Heating was here yesterday morning and installed my new furnace. It's nice to know that I have a furnace that will not crap out on me anymore....knock on wood!

Cassidy's birthday party is Saturday. She picked out a Littlest Petshop birthday cake last week. It should be arriving at the grocery store today, so I will have to pick it up before work. Yesterday, after the furnace was installed, I went to Devils Lake and bought party stuff, a set of Littlest Petshop animals, and some new dress up shoes for Cassidy. I also bought her a brand new snow outfit complete with a jacket, snow pants, and boots. She really needed it. She is getting so tall, that she outgrows everything super fast.

I got a call last night from the lady I got my hay from. She is trying to get her place ready for her son's confirmation party, but she has been so busy, that she is falling behind on everything and wanted to know if I would come out to her farm and help her this Sunday after lunch to get everything ready for the confirmation party. I feel really good when I can help those who have helped me when I have needed it, so I told her that I would be there.

We had a lot of snowfall here yesterday. We were in a winter weather advisory until 7 this morning. I hope it goes away and we have a nice weekend. I really wasn't prepared for the snow to come so soon. I still have my pool up (but the water is out of it), there are kid toys in the yard, my picnic tables still need to be set away, and there are other little odds and ends that I have to find a place in the garage for. I also need to clean out my garage so I can try and park my car in it this winter.

All four horses seem to be doing okay right now, except for my mom's leopard appaloosa mare; Choya. I am pretty sure her days are being numbered. She it completely blind now. She runs into everything, and has bounced off my fence at least six times since coming home. She doesn't really move around the pasture on her own. My big sorrel mare guides her and pushes her where she needs to be. Also, her chewing is getting poor. It's going to be very tough for her to eat the hay this winter, and I absolutely cannot afford to have special hay grind for her. I have talked to the girls, and have explained that everything lives for a while and then dies. Choys ia old for a horse. She is in her 30's and has had a very good life with us. They don't like to talk about Choya dying, but they know it's going to happen. Whether we put her down, or she dies before we do that, I know the girls are going to be very sad and miss her a lot. Choya is Jessie's favorite horse.

HORSE WORK

As much as I love them, the horses have really become a burden; financially and otherwise. The hay for the winter costs over $600 for three horses. I have no electric waters, so I have to pail fresh water every day in the winter from my bath tub. I do not own a tractor of my own, so I have to have someone do it for me, or I have to pitch it over the fence twice a day. In short, I pretty much do not have the means it takes to properly take care of the animals without other people helping me all the time.

I have considered selling them. It's not my first choice of options, but the only rational one that sounds like the right thing to do. Horses are pretty much my life outside of my girls. I ride when I can, I enjoy babying them and working with them, and in the summer it's a piece of cake to care for them. It's the winter months that are the hardest.

Because of my dilemma, I called a friend who had been considering purchasing some horses but wasn't sure if he was ready to be a horse owner or not. I told my friend that if he boarded my horses for the winter (I will provide all the hay they need), the horses could be his for the winter and beginning spring months. He could ride them whenever, take them places, they were his. The only stipulations were he had to take all three of the horses, and he HAD to keep them all winter. He was ecstatic over the offer. He checked with is parents and brother, since that is where he would be keeping them, and it was a go.

Last Friday, I got a call from a sweetheart of a neighbor that lives south of York. I was getting my hay from her this year. The hay was ready and they were bringing it into the yard, so I could come out and get it. I called my friend to let him know. We were going to haul the hay straight out to his parents farm. He said he had to go to his parents place to get the trailer and he would come right over. I thought it was taking him a very unusual length of time to call me back, and when he did, he said his brother had a change of heart and didn't want the horses out at his place any more.

It almost devastated me. I was not planning to keep the horses this winter, so I didn't have a place set up for hay, I only had a light electric fence up, and my parents had two of my horses at their place I had to move to my house. There was a good day and a half of work that I needed to do to be prepared for keeping the horses over the winter. I called a friend from Leeds. She came over and helped me put in a better fence and get an area setup for hay. I called the gal I was getting hay from, and told her I didn't' have a way to get it and if she could bring it here. After another few hours, we got hay delivery arranged and all the hay was stacked in my yard by 7:30 p.m.

Today, I took the horse trailer to the Farmers Union and had a tire fixed on it so I could run over to my parents and pick up the two horses from their house. I got the two horses home and things went okay. My two older mares don't really care for Mack and have been picking on him, but he seems to be okay with it.

Tomorrow is my day off. I have the guys coming to put in the new furnace in my house. When they leave I need to go outside and clean up the yard, and walk the fence and do repairs in the fence line where it is hanging down to make sure it is okay for winter.

A LITTLE BIT OF THOUGHT

After giving it a little thought, and one phone call to my mother, I have decided to keep posting, at least for a little while longer. There have been so many people that I know of who started blogging around the same time as I, and a majority of them don't anymore. It saddens me because I can no longer read what they are up to. So, please hang with me a little while longer.

THINKING ABOUT SHUTTING HER DOWN

Four years ago, I started this blog so that friends and family could keep up with what I was doing, and to also share pictures of myself, children, family, pets, and stupid stuff that was going on for me on a day-to-day basis. Not that I thought anyone really gave a hoot, but it gave me something to do as a stay-at-home mother.

I was good at posting every day, even when nothing happened. I posted countless pictures of my girls, horses, and even one real plumbers crack that I even look up every now and then for a good laugh. I even learned how to put songs on my blog that helped reflect my mood.

I have shared a lot of things with all all of you in those four years. Humorous stories, sad ones, scary ones, every day things, and there was even the very rare "fight" between blogs.

I sit here now, contemplating over closing it down. Over the years, I have slacked at posting regularly, and there are only 4 people who really read this anyway. It's a great outsource for my thoughts and feelings when something is getting to me or I have something funny to tell. However, who wants to hear about the ordinary stuff since things don't change much for me anymore. Some people even expressed their disapproval of what I have posted.

So....I haven't made a complete decision on it, but I have thought about it. Has anyone else been thinking of doing the same?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CASSIDY!!

Today is Cassidy's 6th birthday. I have spent the majority of the day baking cupcakes for the Kindergarten class. I was going to do it last night, but I was out of eggs. I had to wait until morning to get eggs from the grocery store. We are going to celebrate her birthday next weekend. I will send out invites to everyone. I sure hope you can all join us. I would have had it this weekend, but the girls are with their father this weekend, and I am sure he has something planned in Minot.

I am getting tired of this stupid crazy fall weather. It's so cold, and I think we have gotten some kind of rainfall every day for the last week and a half. I want sunshine for just one day before it snows. Is that too much to ask for?

THINGS ARE LOOKING UP

When the alarm went off this morning, I was still really tired. I was fumbling for some clothing to put on, and grabbed a sweatshirt and jeans. I noticed as I was putting on the jeans, that they were oddly wet. I looked down, and sure enough, there was a big wet spot on the leg. I took the jeans off and smelled the wet spot........one of my cats peed all over my jeans! what a wonderful start to the day!

This morning I took Cassie to school. She said she wanted to eat breakfast with me in the cafeteria. It wasn't expensive. Cassie got her breakfast free and I only had to pay $1.50 for my carmel roll and juice. It was really nice to spend the extra little time with her before she had to go to her classroom.

Johnson's Plumbing was at my house at 8:30. The motor for the furnace had fallen apart. The service man said they needed to order parts for it, and they should get them quickly, and as soon as they arrive, he will be back to put them in. He did get it running so I do have heat in my house, the furnace is just really loud when it kicks in now.

It's Cassidy's 6th birthday tomorrow. I am going to bake cupcakes so she has something to take to class tomorrow. I am just trying to figure out how I am going to get 15 cupcakes to the school without killing half of them during the car ride.

THEY WERE HERE, THEN THEY WERE GONE

A man from Community Actions made it out today. He was here for maybe 10 minutes. Turns out that I have an extremly old furnace, and instead of bothering with time to fix it, the are going to replace it. The man from Community Action made a call to Johnson's Plumbing in Rugby to try and get someone out here today, however, it didn't sound very promising. Johnson's wasn't sure if they could do it cause they have been pretty busy lately with calls themselves. Johnson's are going to check with some of the workers and see if it is possible to get out here today. If not, someone from Johnson's will be here in the morning. So, now I sit here and wait for Johnson's to call me. I have to admit, I am a bit bummed out. I was hoping it could get done today. Oh well.

GIVE ME SOMETHING WARM

It has been almost a week since the furnace died. Since then, I have been using space heaters and my oven to keep the house warm. I must say, the heaters and oven are doing a pretty fair job at keep the house warm. I was contacted by Community Actions in Devils Lake this morning. Someone is coming out to take a look at the furnace and hopefully get it running, and then maybe replacing it down the line.

I am dissapointed that our fall has been so dreary and cold. I was hoping for some more nice warm weather before we had to worry about snow. Snow is in the forecast for tonight and this weekend. Yuck! I guess it's time to break out all the winter boots, hats, and mittens. Ready or not, it's coming.

Cassidy's birthday is Wednesday. She will be turning 6. Tomorrow evening I am going to bake some cupcakes so she has something to take to school. Their father has them this weekend, so we probably won't celebrate her birthday at my mom's house until next weekend. Which reminds me....if I don't want to make invitations this year, I need to get out and pick some up.

A TRYING TIME

The light at the end of the tunnel on life has been flickering pretty good lately. The saying goes, "If God leads you to it, He will see you through it." I have been saying many prayers and hoping that the phrase is correct. Last Thursday started things out with a bang. Well, not a bang, a good fight actually, that set the mood for the rest of the week. It was so ridiculous that I still cannot believe it, but real enough that my very best friend is still not speaking to me. Time will tell if pride can be swallowed and apologies can be made. I am tyring to keep positive. Nothing hurts worse then when a friend flips out and you don't understand why.

Saturday was my Grandma's 80th birthday party at the Good Samaritan Center in Devils Lake. A lot of family was able to make it, and it was good to see most of them. I ate, drank a lot of coffee, and enjoyed a piece of better cream cake that had some really hideous tasting purple frosting on it. Earlier that morning, I vented to Rainy about Thursdays event and she decided that I needed some cheering up. So, Rainy, her husband Jason, and their children came out to my house for a cook-out and bonfire after the birthday party. After eating good food off the grill, I took all the kids out for a horseback ride. Rainy got pics of all the children when they were riding....Rainy even got on my horse for a ride, and I cannot remember the last time she did that! When all the kids (and Rainy) were finished riding, Jason took off on my horse and rode for a little while. Later in the evening Brandie, her man-friend Eric, Will, my brother Mike, and my cousin Ethan showed up for the bonfire. We all shared a lot of stories and laughed pretty good. It was a great way to get my mind off of every thing going on.

Wednesday, after Cassie was in school and Jessie was at daycare, I was at home cleaning. I wasn't home for a half hour, when all of a sudden my furnace made the loudest, scariest noise I had ever heard. It sounded like someone was coming through the side of my house with a very large drill. It took me 10 seconds to realize it was coming from the furnace so I ran over and shut it off as my house was filling with the smell of burnt rubber. I waited 20 minutes and tried to turn it back on, but all it would do was hum for 5 seconds and then die. I made calls to everyone I knew to get space heaters. I was able to get two from a couple of friends. I have been using those and my oven to keep my house warm. I have to go through a Mickey Mouse system to get help with my furnace. Dakota Prairie Community Action in Devils Lake said I have to qualify for Fuel Assistance and they could help fix or even replace my furnace. I called Social Services and talked to my case worker. I got a FA application in the mail yesterday and ran over to Moller's Incorporated to fax it. It will take a few days for the application to be approved.....so, my furnace probably won't be touched until middle of next week. Until then, I am doing what I can to keep my place warm. If it ever stops raining, and the sun would shine, that would be a lot better too.

Yesterday, my daycare provider called. Jessie had a temp and I needed to get her to the doctor. I called my mom at the hospital, and she was able to get her into a doctor right away. Influenza test came back negative (thank god), but she did have swollen tonsils, and a temp of 101.6. Jessie was given an antibiotic, more albuterol for her nebulizer, and a steroid albuterol she takes at night for 5 nights. And, because of her temp, she cannot go to daycare until her fever stays down for two days without Tylenol....so, no work for me.

I will keep in touch and let you all know how everything goes. Wish me luck, I have to call Social Services today and see if they got my application for FA, and if they did, if it's possible to get it accepted today so I have heat soon. With my luck, I will run out of propane while running the stove for heat.

A FRIEND TO ME

Lyrics by Garth Brooks



Well you and I
We're buddies
And we've been since we first met
Me and you
Well we've sure been through
Our share of laughter and regret.

Lord knows we've had our bad days
And more than once we've disagreed
But you've always been a friend to me.

You can be so stubborn
There's times I think you just like to fight
And I hope and pray
I live to see the day
When you say I might be right.

And there's times I'd rather kill you
Thank listen to your honesty
But you've always been a friend to me.

You've always been
Time and again
The one to take my hand
And show me it's okay to be
Just the way I am
With no apology.

Oh you've always been
And you will 'til God knows when
Yes you've always been a friend to me.