this is the cat we love...

this is the cat we love. puddy mckluffkins. puds. puddikers. pudikins. pud-pud. fluffer-nutter. fuzz-o-meter. furball.

he enjoys getting his picture taken. watch as he just exudes enthusiasm as i click away.

and, then he is done.

finding some merriment...

this is the girls on their last night at the "auntie kath & uncle rick" hotel. are they even on a bed, you ask? why, yes, yes they are. a bed with many, many, many well loved buddies (aka bud-buds). the lil honeys love their bud-buds!

our new home. my doctor has ordered 2 more weeks of no lifting. so...the big move in day? yeah, i got starbucks coffee. new flannel sheets for the girls' beds (correct sizes required 2 target stops...). a couple of christmas gifts checked off the list. picked up a couple of "thank you gifts" for puddy mcfluffkins "foster family" (amazing friends from church...who had girls and their girls' friends who fell in love with "pudikins"...and who completely understood when i needed to call to check on the furball - THANK YOU!!!!). got a diet dr. pepper with raspberry from sonic. went to my doctor's appt. and basically stayed out of the way of hubs and the friends who helped him (THANK YOU MIKE, GARY, JEFF & STEVE!!). and on my first morning in our new home, since i could not shovel any snow...i did a wee bit of christmas decorating. i think i shall enjoy this window box!

there is a "welcome" mat at the door...with, what else? yep, a reindeer! i believe the rest of the herd is in a friend's garage, so this may be the only one who makes if for christmas this year.

on sunday, my sisters, my brother's girlfriend, 3 of my nieces, my daughters and i all attended the final performance of the omaha theater ballet's "nutcracker". my girls were mesmerized! i just might have enjoyed watching them almost as much as the performance itself! each child was allowed to pick out an ornament, courtesy of an aunt. wren wants to be one of the butterflies when she is older. and linnea wants to be clara. i love my wee dancers!

and we made it to my hubs' grandparents for a visit. our girls love going to the farm, although it was way too cold to be outdoors...so, they sang some christmas carols for grandma and grandpa great. grandma made a wonderful lunch - ending with coffee and homemade pie made with peaches from their tree! deliciousness indeed! then the girls were able to talk grandma into reading their favorite storybook at her house...she happily obliged!

and while grandma and i were doing dishes, grandpa great said, "yes" when the girls asked if they could play with their nativity scene. i must've had on the "what-are-you-doing" look when i came in the living room because both girls' first words were: we asked grandpa great! so, mary enjoyed driving the ole international tractor, the wisemen had to go on a long walk, joseph told mary numerous times that it was his turn to drive. she finally let him.

and baby jesus was well taken care of!

and, here is grandma, grandpa, hubs, wren and linnea. a good time had by all!

so, we are having some merriment in the midst of "things"...such as warming of a can corn in a big plastic cup, using paper plates & plastic utensils, cutting a pizza with kitchen shears, drinking instant coffee, and wondering where some of our clothes are. and our toaster. the new refrigerator and dryer get delivered and installed on thursday and the second pod comes in a couple of days (after the blizzard ceases...and they can get the empty pod out of the driveway...) and that should fill in some of our missing things. and if it doesn't? i am certain that we can find a pizza place to deliver us a pepperoni with extra cheese.

perhaps i will get a photo of the tiny pink christmas tree that we have...our advent countdown...the first uppercase living expression i put up today (i had to do at least one...since the others will have to wait until i paint...)...hopefully you are finding some merriment, too!

Freckled Belle Larson: 01/13/2004 - 11/30/2009

our beloved and beautiful lil dog, belle, was hit by a car and killed today.

we miss her terribly already.

the circle of life...

yesterday was a sad day on the farm. one of the feeder cows died. not that i knew that at first. here's how "the chat" with my hubs went:

"UUUHHH, WHY IS YOUR DAD DRAGGING A COW WITH THE SKID LOADER??!!" i shrieked as i looked out the kitchen window. seriously, was not expecting that. i was just filling up my coffee pot with water. i just wanted a hot, fresh cup o' joe.

"Is it dead?" hubs asks. all calmly and monotony.

"UUHHH, NO! IT IS BOUNCING AND MOVING...AND..." i shriek in reply.

"No it's not. If Dad is dragging it, it's dead," he replies. again all calmly. and all monotony. at this point i realize that my hubs has not even looked up from his laptop. did not even seem bothered by this exchange of words.

but dead the cow was. is.

all dead.

and being dragged by it's hind leg in a chain to the end of the lane.
all bloated. legs in the air. and d-e-a-d.
at the end of the lane. waiting for the rendering truck to come and get it. the rendering truck is the farm equivalent of the hearse from the morgue. for $30 bucks, a guy and a truck come and pick up the dead animal and take it away. making sure the carcass is not used to make dog food, or cat food, or people food. or glue. well, unless it's a horse. they are still made into glue i think.
that's the skid loader.

here's couple of that dead cow's friends. they were all very sad. are very sad.

do you think there is grief therapy for bovine? i should google that...

it was probably the copious amount of pain pills i am popping that made me all sad about this poor, dead cow. i mean, i understand the farm. i grew up on a farm. i have watched "the lion king". i "get" the circle of life. i still bawled when mufasa died. poor lil simba. i bawled when my first cat, fluffy, got smushed by a car on the gravel road. i spent an entire afternoon bawling and calling for my dog duke (who looked almost like lassie...) until dad came home and told me he was dead.

but, any death makes me think of my mom. and my big kitter oliver. any death. except for when spiders die...

anyways...

r.i.p poor cow.

(i am certain it was in her honor last night that we had pepperoni and sausage, not beef, on our pizza.)

kernels of thanksgiving...

my 4-yr-old brought this home from school the other day:

the legend of the five kernels
- the first kernel reminds us of the autumn beauty around us
- the second kernel reminds us of our love for each other
- the third kernel reminds us of God's love and care for us
- the fourth kernel reminds us of our friends - especially our native american brothers
- the fifth kernel reminds us that we are a free people

we each have a kernel that is near and dear to who and what we are...be thankful!

and, because, in each day one must have a bit of humor...i now give you vintage adam sandler, from 17 years ago (possibly a bit inappropriate in parts, but...post it i will):

http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977917644&grpId=3659174697244816

happy thanksgiving to each of you!

photo prints and mcmamma!

use this link to check out the photo print that i did for mcmamma:

http://www.mckgiveaways.blogspot.com/

and, then go to my uppercase living website and find out more! call or email me with questions and i'll help YOU get YOUR own photo made into some amazing vinyl!

we will not be having a "blue christmas" this year...

karl has celebrated christmas in "the blue house" 9 years.

i have celebrated christmas in "the blue house" for 6 years.

belle has celebrated christmas in "the blue house" for 5 years.

wren has celebrated christmas in "the blue house" for 4 years.

linnea has celebrated christmas in "the blue house" for 3 years.

and, puddy has celebrated christmas in "the blue house" just once.

we are nearly done packing. nearly done loading up all of our possessions.

nearly done here at "the blue house".

the only home that me, my pets, my kids & i have known since each of us became an official larson.

not sure what moniker our new house will have...and although we are looking forward to calling it and making it our home...we are all a bit sad to leave "the blue house".