MORE additions to the family...

Gunnar and Ardan got a little aquarium each for Christmas, with the second part of the present the actual fish themselves, which we would pick out next time we were in Red Deer. The two little ones put up such a stink about not getting an aquarium as well, that I had to cave in and buy them each one. So we were in Red Deer Friday night for Gunnar's hockey game and afterwards, we went to Petland to buy the kids each a Betta fish (one of those chinese fighting fish). After much careful consideration, they each chose a fish; we also picked out some colorful gravel, plastic plants, and Betta food (teensy-weensy little pellets that are about a millimetre big). Oh, those kids were so excited! When we got home, they immediately fixed up their aquariums and in the fish went. Ryder has since named his (get this) Jalapeno Franks-Red-Hot-Sauce Kippers Kasha (not even joking, and what's with using the Kippers name again? *sigh*); Lena's fish is Daisy-Loo Lily; and the boys are still deliberating. 


Welcome to the family, little fishes! Let's hope the cats leave them be (they have so far, knock on wood!)

Ardan's fish is definitely the coolest, in my opinion. I think its a different kind of Betta because its fins are quite dramatic and spiky. Its color is a gorgeous dark reddish-orange. Its also extremely aggressive and will swim madly around in circles if you even tap its tank. However, in between mad dashes it just floats in place and seems to stare into space; Gunnar called it "the mentally-challenged psycho". Niiiice, Gunnar. 

Even though this pic is blurry, I HAD to include it. I had been trying to get Gunnar to smile for his pic (he's too cool for that) and Ardan came up behind him and tickled him. This pic makes me giggle. 

(This little smirk was the closest to a smile I could get. ) Gunnar's fish is super-tiny like Ryder's and is also a dark navy-blue. However, where Ryder's fish is really curious and constantly swimming and checking stuff out, Gunnar's little fish just likes to glide along and play in the plant leaves. 

Another blurry pic but by then the kids were all antsy, wanting to 'play' with their fishes and getting tired of posing. 

Lena's fish, Daisy-Loo, is the most beautiful one of  the bunch: a brilliant iridescent purpley-blue. She's also very shy and loves to hide amongst the plant leaves.

As expected, Ryder is obsessed with removing the tank's lid and trying to touch his fish, despite repeated warnings that it will contaminate the water and scare his fish. "Jalapeno likes it! He WANTS me to play with him!"

Ryder's fish is super-tiny, I don't know if its just a baby or is a different kind of Betta. Its a brilliant dark-blue, almost navy, and its super-curious, always checking everything out. It also is a huge glutton for those food pellets, sucking them in lightning-fast and always wanting more. 

Time to Catch-up

Hello everyone! Felt I should play catch-up, let you know what's new in my world...


Finally got new tires on the Suzi yesterday. After doing extensive research online for the best tire, best price, best place to purchase them from, I ended up choosing the Goodyear Assurance TripleTred tires, from Canadian Tire. Fountain Tire usually specializes in Goodyear tires but their price, even with the $25/tire discount, was still more than what Canadian Tire quoted. The CdnTire website had them listed at $181.99/tire, but get this! When I went in to order them (they didn't have them in stock), they gave me a quote of $177.99! So, even cheaper than the website price! I was pretty happy about that. The tires took two days, YES, two days, to come in. I was a little shocked. Here I was thinking they had to come from a warehouse in Ontario or something, stupid me. Haha. During my research, every website made sure to specify that if you have a TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitor System) you can expect an extra fee. Since I DO have a TPMS, I was thinking it would be like an extra $100 or something. However, when I asked CdnTire about this, the lady was adamant that they do not charge for that. (I was like, half-joking, 'Can I get that in writing?') So I got them installed yesterday, took them about an hour (during which time Ryder and I went down every aisle, Christmas shopping), and lemme tell you, my new tires are BEAUTIFUL! Haha. So black and new and shiny. The total cost, with labor and shop supplies (and yes, the lady was right, they did not charge for the TPMS), came to about $906. Pretty good, eh? The TripleTred tires are all-season, NOT a winter tire, but during my research I discovered that they do a pretty damn good imitation of winter tires. On a scale of 1-10 (10 is best), rated for snow, ice, rain, slush, they scored a 10 for each one. For 'sound' they scored a 7, for 'smoothness' (whatever that means) they scored an 8. So I consider the TripleTreds a hybrid winter/all-season tire. So the tires were installed and it was time to drive home. Anyone recall what the weather was like yesterday? Blowing snow and wind gusts of over 100km/h! Transport trucks were literally being flipped over by the wind on Hwy2. So I thought, 'Perfect weather to test out my new tires' and boy, were they ever tested! I could tell the difference immediately. No slipping or sliding on the snowy, ice streets. My Suzi took those corners like it was summer. Got to an intersection, driving behind a total idiot, and just as he's about to go through the light turned yellow. And what did the dipshit do? Slammed on the brakes! And that intersection was slick. If I would have had my old bald tires on, I would've slid right into the back of him. But with my new TripleTreds, screech! right to an instant stop. So right there, those tires paid for themselves. I am really impressed, and so much more confident about driving in our poor winter conditions. 


I have come to the conclusion that I can no longer eat chinese food. Ty discovered this new great restaurant in Red Deer called Wok Box, located in Southepoint Common across by Tony Romas. Its not your average chinese food place; its asian food inspired from places like Thailand, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Cambodia, China, Mongolia, Vietnam, and India. It is FABULOUS. We've ordered takeout from there a few times and its great because Ty can actually eat many of their dishes. So his new thing is bringing home Wok Box for supper, which he did last night. He usually gets the Family Feast, or whatever its called; it has everything from spring rolls, ginger beef, chicken balls, chow mein, fried rice, crispy wontons, coconut shrimp, beef & broccoli, malaysian stir-fry, etc etc etc. TONS of food, for like $50. So, great prices too. And it is delicious. BUT... last time we had it, I had some 'stomach issues' that night. Just attributed it to a stomach bug I must've picked up. However, last night after eating it, same problem. Like, immediately. So sadly, I think I can no longer eat Wok Box. Waaaaa....!


Pablo and Kippers escaped last night (I thought I heard meowing but the kids said no). I got up with Ty this morning around 4am, to make his sandwich and keep him company --- yes, apparently I CAN be a nice wife sometimes, who knew--- and when he went out to start his truck, in rushed Pablo. Kippers, I had to actually go outside and coax him to me, as Ty scared him away. So Ty carried Pabs into the kitchen and he goes, "What's that smell? Hey, what's on Pabby's back? HEY, WHAT'S ON MY CHEST AND HANDS?" Yes, Pablo had shit himself while outside (hey, maybe it kept him warm) and it was smeared all over his fur. His long, long fur. Poor Ty. Just like Dad, with the gagging and dry-heaves. So Pabs got locked in the laundry room until I could bathe him. Which I just did. And it was gross and traumatizing. Despite a couple wild escape attempts and the near-constant growling, Pabs actually did well, stayed in place so I could lather, scrub and scoop water on him. So now he's slinking around here like an embarrassed, wounded victim, 'You did me WRONG, bitch!' LOL. But he smells much better. 


Oh, and speaking of SHIT... the main toilet is plugged again. AGAIN. Did I not just go through this a few months ago? No amount of plunging or drain cleaner is fixing it, and I have, oh, just a teensy clue about who the culprit is. Ryder says to me, as I'm plunging and swearing and sweating, "Um, what would you say if I told you that mayyyyybe a toothpaste got ACCIDENTALLY flushed down there?" OhhhhhhMYGOD Ryder, seriously??? Again?!?! So it looks like I'm off to Rona for another wax ring, because that toilet needs to flipped over and flushed out, AGAIN. Oh, and in case you were wondering, YES, Ryder did get a 'serious lecture' about flushing non-poop-related items. (Remember when Levi was little and used to always tell Mom that so-and-so needed a 'serious lecture'? Good times.) 


I'm done Christmas shopping for Lena and Ryder. What a good feeling! Good thing she won't be reading this because its serious spoiler-alert time... I may have went a little overboard, like I always do, but I've picking up little things here-and-there for the past couple months, and they just get shoved into my closet so I tend to forget what all I've gotten. So Lena is getting pretty much everything she had on her list: a Justin Bieber barbie-doll, six Monster High dolls (one of each girl plus the only boy doll, which is a serious coup as the boy ones are all sold out now), two Baby Alive 'Crib Life' dolls (it was a set of twins, also sold out now), a Teacup Piggy mama with two baby piglets, the Justin Bieber Christmas cd, a Zhu-Zhu pet, a Christmas book, and a DS-XL starter kit to go with the new DS-XL she bought a while back (the set includes a case, headphones, charger, games container, etc). Ryder, the little BRAT (I'm still bitter about the toilet) is getting, not that he deserves it, a Thomas figurine 4-pack (includes Harold the Helicopter and the boat, which he doesn't have), the new Down With Webster cd -- he loves Big Wheels, its his new fave song "Cops up, cops up!", a Bop-It XT, a Cars Lightning McQueen activity set, a holographic Spiderman case for his DS, a Zhu-Zhu pet, Hot Wheels Showdown set, a Christmas book, and almost the full set of Star Wars figurines & vehicles. The Star Wars toys are small and almost cartoon-ified, geared toward little kids. There's the big Millenium Falcon with Han Solo and Chewbacca (the toy opens up and the figurines can 'play' in the command centre, etc), a Speeder Bike with Anakin, a Star Fighter with a different Anakin and C3PO, and then I got two sets of just figurines, Luke Skywalker, Yoda, R2D2 and another C3PO. The only thing that would make it a complete set was if there was a Darth Vader figurine & vehicle, but either it was sold out or Walmart doesn't carry it. Got a few things for Ardan as well: a Lego Alien Attack set, a MuchDance 2012 cd (he specifically asked for it, ugh), a 3DS starter set for his new 3DS which he bought with his own money, a little Betta aquarium for one of those fighting fish (which I'll get when its closer to Christmas day), and a remote-controlled car that follows a laser from the remote and can climb up walls (oh yay, probably will be regretting that). Gunnar, I got nothin'. He's so hard to buy for! He asked for a new set of boarding gloves from Nomads, that's it. He just wants money. *sigh* That's no fun! Whatevs. The only other thing Ardan has asked for is a Lego City Police Station set. So don't anybody be stealin' that idea from me! I'm a little desperate here for ideas for the boys' gifts. Picked up a few things from Cdn Tire for Hubs: a new black leather belt, a camouflage magnetic LED light, some ice-fishing stuff, and an electric shaver set that has different heads for precision trimming, ear/nose trimming (HA!), hair clippers, etc. He's also hard to buy for. Got myself a new Adam Lambert cd that I just happened to spy out of the corner of my little eye at Walmart. Also picked up a couple $5 gifts for our annual Christmas Eve party at Deanna's (they're really cute so keep an eye out for them, you'll probably want to 'steal' them). So I still have all the stocking stuffers to get (that requires a sans-kids trip to Dollarama), $20 gifts for the exchange at Julie's, gifts for Fred & maybe-Bunnie, and a few more things for Ty and the boys. But other than that, I'm done! lol


The CP Blakely Christmas concerts are on the next two Tuesdays: Lena's is Dec 6th and Ardan's is Dec 13. Probably at 7pm, like last year.


Ardan's homegame against Stettler tonight has been cancelled due to the weather and road conditions, still waiting to hear if Gunnar's homegame, also against a Stettler team (what are the odds), will be cancelled. (Oh, and if you're ever interested in finding out when/where the boys' games are, just go here for Ardan and here for Gunnar.) So this means we have all day to put up our Christmas stuff! We already have the big tree put up, just no ornaments yet. Sucks that I stored the xmas bins in the little closet beside the dryer, because that means I have to move both the washer and dryer just to get the bins out. Argh! The kids are super-excited and hyper about all this decorating, though. Really cute to see. They've really gotten into the Christmas spirit early this year. We've already watched the cartoon Grinch movie and the oldschool Rudolph show on tv. Lena walks around singing Christmas carols and Ryder is excited to make Santa a present out of playdough. We're also planning on crafting some ornaments and doing some baking as well. 


So there ya go. Now you're all caught-up on what's happenin' in the Kasha household. 

More fun with Kippers

Welcome to the Family, Kippers!

I'm sure you know the story by now but if not...


I stopped at Winks Monday morning to get gas and Ryder hopped out of the vehicle to "keep me company". It was pretty chilly out so I huddled into my coat as I pumped the gas. Suddenly Ryder piped up behind me, "Look Mom, its a kitty!" Thinking he meant like a picture of a cat or something I said, "Mm-hmm, sure, that's nice" then turned around to get a look so he wouldn't bombard me with more 'Look, look!'s. And there, nestled in his arms, was a little orange-and-white cat! I immediately scooped up the little darling, poor thing was bone-thin and shivering; it climbed up my body until its head was under my neck, the warmest spot it could find. I opened the back of my Suzi and laid the poor thing in a pile of blankets I keep back there, then we went in to pay for the gas and to speak to the cashier about the cat. She told me it had been hanging around for the past couple days and that the other cashier took pity on it and brought it in to the store for some food. But obviously they couldn't keep it in there and had to put it back outside.


Ryder and I got into the Suzi, looked at each other and said, "We have a new kitty!"


Ryder immediately christened the cat "Frinkle-Nose", it took me half a day to realize he meant Freckle-Nose, haha. I suggested we wait to hear the other kids' ideas for names but that in the mean time, he could call it Frinkle-Nose if he wanted. We set out some water and cat food for our new friend, he fell upon it in a ravenous frenzy, as if it hadn't eaten for days. I did inform Klassic Kennels on facebook that I had found the cat and where, just in case some devastated child out there was grieving for its pet. But I also let them know that we fully planned on keeping the cat, as my son had fallen in love with it. 


Now, a little bit of back-story here: Friday night Ty noticed that Punkin was missing, which was strange and upsetting because she's afraid of going outside. But it was true, we searched everywhere and she was gone. Gunnar noticed tiny footprints outside the back door, leading to the fence. The children all suited up with winter gear and went searching for her, with no luck. What really devastated us was the fact that it was -20 outside, and that cold snap lasted for days. We tried to remain optimistic that a kindly neighbor had found her and taken her in, but as each day passed our hearts grew heavier. Lena in particular, with her sweet and tender heart, grieved the hardest, "I just don't want to imagine her frozen in the snow, Mom!" So when we found this cat the following Monday, it was a much-needed dose of joy and happiness. 


Frinkle-Nose was instantly Ryder's best friend. He asked if it was a boy or girl, I had no clue until Ryder noticed something, "What are these big furry sacks on its bum?" LOL!! So yes, a boy. Little Frinkle spent half the time eating and half the time cuddled in Ryder's arms, rubbing its face and nose against Ryder's face, licking him, and constantly purring. The two were inseparable and Ryder was thrilled to have a pet that allowed him to smother it in love. Wherever Ryder went, so did the cat. 


The kids came home from school, I was in my room and I could tell the exact instant they noticed our new addition to the family. Lena's voice became high-pitched with excitement, even Gunnar's deeper voice was heard chattering amongst the chaos. With great solemnity and importance, Ryder informed everyone that he had found this kitty and SAVED ITS LIFE; its name was Frinkle-Nose and it was his kitty but he would share it and mayyybe let them hold it, but not to be sad if it only wanted Ryder because he was "its favorite". Ha! Gunnar suggested, and No. 2 & 3 agreed, that its new name should be Tiger. Ryder reluctantly accepted that. 


The next couple hours that night were filled with happy little voices and a very, very happy kitty. One of the kids brought up the little cat house Mom had given us (which the other cats had looked at with disdain), Tiger went right in and immediately started playing with the little toys inside, sticking his head out once in a while; he absolutely loved it! 


Pablo wasn't too sure what to think about all this commotion. He seemed actually scared of Tiger! Would run away whenever it came near and hiss and growl if it got too close, which happened a few times because little Tiger was naturally curious about this other cat and tried to be affectionate with Pabs, but Pabs was having none of it. 


So that night, we were all on the couch giving Tiger love and pets, and suddenly I heard a meow sounding like it was coming from outside! We leaped off the couch and ran to the front door... and in ran Punkin! You can imagine the kids' sheer joy and exhilaration. So it was a real day of celebration, the return of a beloved missing family member and the addition of a new one!


The only downside is that the two cats are still hostile to Tiger (who was renamed again to Kippers, as the kids fed him stinky canned kippers) and like to intimidate him whenever they can. Kippers feels pretty safe around me and Ryder and will follow us from room to room; also, he likes to hang out in Ryder's comfy bed as he knows the other cats will leave him alone there. But I did find a couple of cat poops in Lena's room and the bathroom upstairs Tuesday morning, and knowing Kippers is litter-trained (we watched him go Monday night), I realized it was because the two cats wouldn't let him past the hallway so he could go downstairs to the litter box. But if Ryder carries him downstairs or he follows me down when I do laundry, then he goes right to the litter box. We're working on getting the two cats adjusted to life with our new buddy, making sure they get just as much, if not more, love and cuddles as before. They've both chilled out slightly and only growl at Kippers if he tries to nuzzle or rub against them, otherwise they tend to leave him alone (which I definitely appreciate as there's been no more random poops around the house). Kippers continues to eat like a little pig, and waddles around with his big fat tummy swaying. Its very sweet and reassuring to see. 


I think the nicest thing about having Kippers around now is that finally Ryder has a pet that he can smother with affection, hugs and kisses ("I will love him and hug him and pet him and name him George") and rather than bolt away like the other cats do whenever Ryder comes near, Kippers just soaks up all the love and attention and returns it to Ryder tenfold. They really are best little buddies. Its like Kippers knows that Ryder really did save its life. 


And every night when Ryder climbs into bed, there is Kippers curled up next to his pillow, waiting for him. 

I need a STUD (finder, that is)

I like telling people that, that I am in dire need of a new stud (then I add on, 'finder, that is', haha).

My stud-finder mysteriously went missing, which is okay I guess because it was just a crappy little one. But talk about annoying when you're in the process of trying to hang a thousand-pound SHEEP-HEAD that is shedding its tiny white hairs all over you and falling in your face and eyes and mouth, and you realize that the hole you pre-drilled and put a plug in has only gone through the dry-wall and is therefore not strong enough to hold this dead animal's massive HEAD, and there is no damn stud behind it! So hence the need for the stud-finder.

Thankfully Mom came to the rescue and loaned me her stud... finder, that is (*snicker*).

So there I was this morning, running that thing back and forth over the wall and wouldn't you know it, apparently there IS a friggin' stud right there where I need it, its just so deep in the wall that I need a verrrry long nail or screw to reach it. And of course, being that this is ME we're talking about and knowing my luck, do you think I have any extra-long screws or nails? NO. The longest ones I could find were just this much too short. *sigh*

At least now I can tell people I'm in dire need of a good, long screw! Hee hee! OR, that my 'head' (that's a euphemism, people) needs to get nailed. Then I can say ".... sheep-head, that is".

Peeve of the Week: Ciggie Butts

We were at the acreage last night, cleaning the 2-mile stretch of ditch that runs from the stop sign at 781 to the crossroads by Earl and Ruby's. Earlier in the week, we'd made arrangements with Levi and Mom (Granny Hag) that we would meet out there Wednesday night to finally get it done. Levi had to cancel due to an unexpected night shift and so we all decided to reschedule.

It was such a beautiful evening though, that Tyler and I loaded up the kids, along with the quad and little trailer, and headed out there. Ty dropped me and the three oldest off right there at the stop sign with our garbage bags and gloves, then he continued on to the acreage with Ryder. Lena, Gunnar, Ardan and I made a fan formation and swept through the ditch like little litter-picking machines. I had the top section by the edge of the road, the protective mother in me coming out I guess. Plus I didn't have to wade through deep grass, haha. The downside?

Cigarette butts.

First off, I was guilty of it myself so I can't judge too harshly. But then again, hell YES I can judge, and curse at, and flat out want to ass-kick those ignorant cusses that huck their butts out the car window. I probably picked up well over 200 butts along that 2-mile stretch. And while that number may not seem that high, picture yourself having to bend over and pick up a tiny white piece of foam buried in gravel and grass. Over 200 times.

By the time we finished the entire north side of the ditch, two and a half hours had passed, dusk was well upon us, my legs, back and arms were aching, and we had six full garbage bags. We had a good time, though. The kids and I walked the ditch until we got to the power plant (whatever that thing is), where Tyler and Ryder were waiting with the quad and trailer. The kids all hopped in the trailer and Tyler pulled them back to the acreage while I continued walking and picking. By the time I made it there they'd all had a nice rest and drink of water, and were ready to carry on. We hadn't planned on doing the full two miles, but then we thought Why not? It was still light enough out, I had tons of energy, and I didn't want to waste the opportunity of having all those sets of helping hands.

For that second-mile stretch Gunnar and I walked, doing the upward slope of the ditch, while Ty rode beside us on the quad with the three youngest in the trailer, and they did the level part of the ditch. Eventually even Gunnar hopped in and then it was just me walking. And picking. Trudging along in my black-and-white polka dot rubber boots, jean capris, black tee, black hat, sunglasses and work gloves. Quite the sight, I'm sure.

I've never been so satisfied with a job well done as I was when we finally finished. Threw my heavy, full bag into the trailer with the kids and hopped on the quad. Ty scooted back so I could drive (copped a feel when the kids weren't looking, niiiice) and we tooted along at a nice slow pace back to the acreage. I was shocked to see the time was 10pm! On the way home past Mac's, we stopped and got our hard-working, deserving kids some screamers. Kids hit the sack immediately, after I made them wash their hands and faces of course!

Here's a small sample of some of the items we collected:

• the bleached-out skull, ribs and vertebrae of a deer, and one furry knee-to-hoof deer leg
• an entire garbage bag of beer and pop cans, juice boxes, beer bottles, and one wine bottle
• giant plastic potting soil bag
• metres of plastic twine
• twisted metal and cables
• fast food containers, drinks, straws, cutlery and bags
• two used condoms, GROSS! (Ardan says "Mom look at this cool thing I found!" and holds up a bright blue slightly-decomposed condom, I shrieked "Drop it in your bag!!!" Gunnar laughed hysterically)
• a CD case, sans CD, of some really lame wannabe-grunge band
• about ten used packets of Arby's ketchup
• pieces of foam
• soggy giant cardboard box
• shredded pieces of tire
• 10+ cigarette packs

And of course, the hundreds upon hundreds of cigarette butts. There was a ton of other miscellaneous stuff, the majority of it plastic. It makes me sad that so many people think nothing of littering, and such random junk too. Like, someone was eating a pudding cup while driving and then just thought, No way I'm waiting to throw this in an actual garbage can, I'll just toss it now! Hey wait a minute, it was probably some school kid hucking it out the bus window, don't you think? Darn brat kids.

But seriously, the cigarette butts. It keeps coming back to that. A smoker thinks nothing of tossing the butt, its so tiny and seemingly insignificant. But that little non-biodegradable piece of foam is full of chemicals and toxins that leach into the soil.

So to any smokers reading this (you know who you are), its time to consider buying a portable travel ashtray to keep in your vehicle. They're cheap, found at most dollar stores. Time to go green, people, time to think about your impact on the world around you.

And to the person who dumped a frickin' ROTTEN DECOMPOSED COW'S HEAD in the ditch, screw you. You are evil. Something is wrong with you, mentally. Screw. You.

(P.S. Figured out the calories burned for this exercise -- using that new website -- 2.5 hours continuous walking at steady pace holding 0-9 pounds, on slight incline through gravel and high grass, repeated bending and grabbing motions: just over 1400 calories burned! NICE)

I love this commercial

Bats...

Ugh. Is there any creature more disgusting, more repulsive, more disturbing? Just thinking about the rodent-with-wings is enough to give most people the willies. But you know what's even more horrifying than seeing a bat? Seeing a bat... IN YOUR HOUSE!!

It was like the classic scene from Christmas Vacation, "Clark, what's that squeaking?" Only not with a squirrel. Hubs could hear a sound, a high-pitch squeaking, coming from downstairs. After some investigating, he tracked the sound to the toy area, from under a suitcase. Cautiously took a peak and oh-holy-hell, it was a friggin' bat. I immediately ran into the garage to get a big fishing net, and Hubs trapped the thing and took it outside. We think one of the cats must've injured it because it was all wonky and couldn't fly, just flopped around on the cement out front.

For the rest of the night, we were all spooked at the slightest things: movement from the corner of our eye, an unknown sound, even just the sudden recall of how gross the thing looked (*SHUDDER!*). Poor Lena was so traumatized she stuck like glue to my side the entire night. Seriously. If I was in the kitchen sitting at the table, she wouldn't dare to venture into the livingroom to sit on the couch, even though we'd be in each other's line of sight. "Mom, I HATE creepy things that bite when they get mad!" she said to me. So true.

The idea that such a creature could somehow find its way into our home is just, well, UGH! And how did it even GET in our house? Maybe one of the cats brought it in from outside? Its enough to give a person nightmares. Ewwwwww.

Cats...

I love our cats, Pablo and Punkin, you know I do. But sometimes I wish I could just give 'em the good ole Highland Fling right out the front door. What with the girl cat's incessant yowling when she can't find her brother, the overflowing litter box that wafts its stench throughout the entire house, finding tufts of cat hair on your friggin' pillow (meaning the cat's ass was where you lay your head at night!), and of course, the boy cat's obsession with escaping from the house every chance he gets. Its very different being a cat owner as opposed to a dogs', as we are finding out.

So the other day I went into Ryder's room to lay him down for a nap, and when I opened his door out raced Punkin at full speed, like the hounds of hell were after her. I remember thinking Poor thing must have been locked in here and really needs to use the litter box! Thought nothing else of it and laid Ryder in his crib for his nap. A couple hours later Ryder woke up so I carried him out to the kitchen and was holding him in my arms, talking to Tyler. Ty said to me, "What's that all over the side of his face?" At the exact moment he said that to me, a peculiar stench hit my nose. Didn't smell like a dirty diaper, I know that smell. No, this smell was... was... "OHMYFUCKINGGOD, THERE'S DRIED CAT SHIT ON HIS FACE! WHAT... THE.... FUUUCKKKK!!!!" All over his cheek, jaw and the side of his neck, and all down that side of his shirt. Dried, smeared cat shit. I raced to draw a bath and threw the poor kid in, then went into his room to check out the situation. The cat crap was only on one particular blanket, in one section kinda underneath, so I think what happened was Ryder must've rolled over on that blanket while sleeping and that's why it was only on one side of him. The cat obviously crapped under the blanket to hide what it did, that's why I didn't see (or smell) it when I laid Ryder for his nap. I was pretty traumatized. And I didn't see Punkin for the rest of the day, she was hiding, so obvs she knew her ass was grass. Stupid cat!

Flash forward to a couple of days later. I went downstairs to do some laundry and I noticed that it smelled really bad downstairs. Asked the boys if there was something raunchy in the bathroom garbage (no), or maybe some moldering towels (no), or even dishes with rotten food on them somewhere (no). Well, what was the smell and where was it coming from? The boys room smelled kinda stinky, but just the usual little-boy-sweaty-socks-dirty-clothes-unwashed-hair smell. (How sad that I consider that smell "the usual", eh? lol) Eventually I gave up on locating the smell because the downstairs was basically tidy and there was nothing obvious that the smell could be coming from. So I went into the laundry room to throw a load in. That's when it hit me that the smell was coming from in there! It was overpowering! Now, that's where the litter box is so you'd think that would be the source of the smell but the litter box wasn't that bad. I mean, it was semi-full but not to the point of 'horrifying'. I figured maybe there was a particularly nasty towel or dishcloth. Reached into the dirty clothes hamper to grab a handful of clothes to throw in the washer, and closed my hand around...A GINORMOUS FUCKING CAT TURD.

Yes. A gigantic piece of cat shit. A huge log. In my hand. And it wasn't old and dried. No, we're talking fresh and steamy and solid. (At least I found the source of the smell, though!) Why would the cat poop in the laundry hamper when the litter box was three feet away? Some form of revenge for whatever transgression us humans did? Who knows what goes on in the mind of a stupid idiot cat. All I know is that I was just ITCHING to Highland Fling the cat right out into the field across from us, and I know I was screaming and yelling at the top of my lungs because the boys came running. Then there were three of us gagging and retching. Suffice it to say that both cats stayed well and clear from me for the next few days. STUPID CATS!!!!

Weekend Update, here we go!

Hello everyone! Its been a while since I've posted so I thought I'd give y'all a little update on what's new with the Kasha family.

• Still not smoking. I don't know the exact number of days its been but it must be around three weeks now, eh? It gets easier every day, though I will admit I have my moments where my fingers are literally itching to hold a smoke. Like when we were camping this weekend, it was my first time camping being smoke-free and it just wasn't the same. Sitting around the fire is so BORING without a smoke in hand, haha.
• Gunnar is a now a productive, active member of the job force! He is a paper carrier for the Red Deer Advocate, and I could not be prouder of him! He has 24 'customers' on his route (here in Westwood) to which he delivers every day, and on Mondays and Thursdays he delivers the flyers and Central Alberta Life papers as well. The little bugger is pulling in over $120 a month! He is absolutely ecstatic to be earning that much money and already has a list of all the things he wants to buy. I did have to explain to him that just because he has his "own" money now does not mean he can buy anything he wants, like a Blackberry phone, haha.
• We went camping out by Prairie Creek just this past weekend and had an absolute blast. The Elgert clan was out there and saved us a spot. We weren't in the actual campground, thank god, but just off the side of the road in a big clearing. Everyone out there had their 'toys' so it was like a real community of quadders and bikers (dirt-bikers, that is). I have some great pics and video footage that I'll put up later in another post. We came home late late Sunday night and were unlucky enough to be caught in that nightmare storm while driving. Ty was in the motorhome pulling the trailer, in front of me, and I was driving the truck with all the bikes in the back. You guys, I have NEVER driven through anything that scary in my entire life. The rain was coming down so hard and fast my wipers could not keep up, there was like a foot of water on the road, and I couldn't even see the road! Once in a while, during a lightning flash, I could make out the white line on the side of the road and that is the only thing that kept me going straight. I was praying out loud the entire time.
• Oh, and I brought home some 'souvenirs' from our camp trip, in the form of hundreds of red welts all over my body, courtesy of those delightful little bugs known as 'no-see-ums'. How nice for me, eh? The areas of my body affected the worst are my ankles, calves and left wrist, but I have them on my chest, forearms, and the back of my neck, too. I have never, ever felt anything as itchy as those tiny red spots, I have literally been scratching the skin right off my body trying to appease the awful itching. After-Bite does not work, neither does calamine lotion or that old-fashioned stand by -- making an X with your fingernails then dabbing spit on it. The only thing that gives me a moment's relief is spraying Solarcaine on the bites, which cools and numbs the skin for about a minute. Then its fiery itching pain all over again. And on the Solarcaine bottle it says not to apply more than four times a day. YA RIGHT!! I've been doing it like four times an hour, and to hell with the recommended dosage. And the thing that's weird with the bites is that I didn't notice them while I was out there; it was only after we came home and went to bed, the next morning is when I noticed that I was covered head-to-toe in them. That was Monday morning. It is now Wednesday and it seems like every day I am getting covered in more. It makes me think that my pillow, which I brought camping, is maybe infested with them and they come out at night and crawl all over me and feast? Except I don't see the bugs on my bedding. And Ty isn't getting bitten, just me. So what is going on? Do I have fleas? What does a flea bite look like? But if it was fleas Ty would for sure have them too, right? So I don't know WTF is going on here. All I know is that if the itchiness doesn't go away soon, I am going be covered in scars because it is seriously impossible for me to not scratch. It just feels soooo goooood, even when it bleeds. The pain disguises the itching, at least for a few seconds.
• I'm planning on having our garage sale two weekends from now, so not this coming weekend but the next one. I think its the 16th. I really need to get rid of all that stuff, so I'm going to advertise in the local paper and hopefully there'll be a good turnout. Like I said before, if anyone has anything they want to get rid of and donate to us, please do so before that weekend. Thanks!
• Ty and I are re-starting our Deadwood obsession and are already on Disc 4 of the first season. Gunnar watched a bit of the show with us last night and he thought it was "hilarious" how often the F-word was said. He goes to me, "Mom, I bet you wished this was real life and you were there, because you would get $1 for every swear-word!" (I've instituted a new rule around here after noticing my boys were starting to swear like sailors, and since both boys are notoriously cheap with their moola they are now very conscious of what they say, lol. But they do both owe me about $5.)
• OMG, get this! Ryder got scratched on his finger (or bitten, but I think scratched) by a squirrel when we were camping! It didn't draw blood, and I immediately washed his hand with soap and water, then put antibacterial/disinfectant spray all over the hand. When we got home I called HealthLink and they said they were 99% sure he was okay based on lack of symptoms, no blood drawn, and the squirrel looked healthy. But anytime there's an "encounter with wildlife" HealthLink has to notify a certain agency and they then call you to discuss the encounter. So that guy called me and asked all about what happened, then he said he had to call the Medical Officer to see what he thought, about whether Ryder would need a Rabies shot! Ai-ay-ay! Poor kid. So I'm waiting to hear back from the guy and get the final verdict.

Take a trip with me down Memory Lane...

Tell me you've been here before: you've been working on a project on your computer and literally just as you were about to finish and hit 'save', something happened and you lost everything? Well, that was me today. My computer had been running real slow all morning but I was determined to write a post about our weekend camp trip. It took forever to get all the photos uploaded, then in order to post the videos I had to upload them to youtube first. Then, I typed in all the text. Keep in mind this was done in fits and spurts, over about three hours, in between having to be a mom and work around the damn slow-ass computer. And for some reason, Blogger, who normally autosaves your draft every few minutes, wasn't working properly and so all my work was not being saved. And literally, the second that I hit 'publish' on the post, a window popped up informing me of an internet explorer error, and poof! Just like that, all windows closed and I was left with my wallpaper, a really hot pic of Adam Lambert, staring at me with dark intensity. I could have screamed! I was this close to picking up the monitor and throwing it out the window.

So, now that I've had all day and night to chill out about it, I've decided to hell with the post about our camp trip (even though it totally rocked as all my posts do, right?). I'll do it another day. I'm just not up to trying to remember everything I had typed down and uploading all those pics again.

Instead, I'm going to do a post about my all-time favorite camp trip, ever.

It was way back in 1998, eleven years ago, during the early days of Hubs and I being a couple. We were just young punks back then (I was 18, Ty was 20), crazy in love, and I was about 3-4 months pregnant. We hadn't told anyone about the baby yet due to a multitude of reasons, but the main one was that we were simply enjoying having this wonderful, exciting secret all to ourselves.

It was early April and we decided out-of-the-blue to take off one weekend for a camp trip up at the Brazeau. The few people we told about our trip thought we were insane to go camping in April, when there was still snow on the ground and temperature was around 0 at night. But we didn't care. We were looking forward to a weekend of peace and quiet (and fishing of course, on Ty's part), and just being together on what was our very first time out camping together as a couple. We packed up our stuff, loaded it in the back of our cute little blue truck, picked up the boat and trailer from Ty's dad Ed (who also thought we were nuts, I'm sure, though he was too kind to say anything), and made the long drive up there.

It was the early afternoon when we finally arrived, and seeing how I was pregnant and Ty treated me like a fragile piece of china, I got to sit and watch while he unloaded the boat and parked the truck. Ty had decided to surprise me with the fact that we wouldn't be camping in an actual campground, but on a secluded island out in the middle of the lake. I was utterly charmed by this, of course, and thought that he was just the most wonderful, sweet, romantic man ever. So we loaded all our stuff into the boat and took off across the lake. I should clarify -- he loaded up the stuff while I watched. That 'fragile' thing again, typical protective father-to-be, eh? But very sweet. Nowadays I'm much too independent and determined, to sit like a lump while someone else does all the work, but back then it was a novel experience and I was going to enjoy and take advantage of it. Hah!

The view of the lake from shore.

Look at that gorgeous man working up a sweat while I sit and watch.

So away we went, zipping across the lake in our boat, enjoying the crisp air whipping through our hair (Hubs was a long-hair back then). We approached the island slowly, as there was a narrow strip of deep water surrounded on both sides by shallow sandbars and Ty didn't want to catch the boat motor. We set up camp, and it was heaven. Just our tent, our gear, a couple of lawnchairs, the cooler, and each other.

There's our cute tent. Nowadays, I'm used to the motorhome but back then that little tent was a spacious palace for the two of us. I remember that I was a little uncomfortable with the fact that we were out in the middle of Bear Country with just this nylon tent enclosing us at night, but Ty reassured me that he had brought along a little something to take care of any wayward bears that may come along (NOT a gun, don't worry). "My hero" I called him and his chest puffed out in that typical male way of self-pride. "Gotta take of my little lady", LOL.

Inside our Tent of Iniquity.

Look at his long hair! And that was actually after he'd had it cut shorter, to shoulder-length. When I first met him in June '97, he had waist-length hair and he was a carbon copy of Anthony Kiedis from the Chili Peppers. Lust at first sight.

Aren't we adorable? And so young! (I had a touch of a cold, which is why in all my pics I have a big stuffy red nose; and I was still having morning sickness, which is why I'm so pale. It was kind of a secret embarrassment for me, to be with this total hunk of man who was all tanned and full of vitality, and I looked like a limp noodle.)

Ty hated that I took this pic of him, he said he looked "like a doofus" with the goofy grin, so I let him take a revenge pic of me...

...and here it is. I'd literally just woken up and was on my way to take a pee in the bushes. I was not amused.

I spent most of the weekend just in awe of our beautiful surroundings. Every morning Ty would wake up super-early to go fishing in the boat while I slept in. He'd usually return just as I was waking up, and he'd crawl into the tent and join me in our warm, comfy nest. That's the great thing about camping on a secluded island with no one around for miles and miles, and no one but the wildlife to hear anything, heh. Afterward we'd eat breakfast then go for a hike and explore the island. We'd come back to camp for lunch, then I'd crawl back into bed for a nap (I tired so easily during that pregnancy) while Ty went out fishing again. When I woke up he'd be making supper for us and then we'd just chill out around the fire, talking about nothing and everything, making plans for the future, thinking up potential names for the baby, imagining everyone's reactions when they found out, and sometimes just staring at each other in a daze, like 'I can't believe I found this person who is my other half, and that we have all the rest of our lives to spend together.'

The view from our campsite. Gorgeous, eh? Our own personal paradise.

One evening we were coming back from a little hike and noticed that a beaver was swimming to shore, right by our boat. We snapped picture after picture, giggling like idiots as we stealthily stalked the beaver while it waddled around, doing its thing.

This picture is dark but you can just barely make out the beaver coming ashore by the boat. See him there? That black lump?

We gave the beaver a silly name like 'BillyBob the Beaver' or 'The Beeve', something like that. Ty wanted to call him 'Beau's Beautiful Beaver' and I had to swat him for that. Men!

BillyBob disappeared back into the water shortly after this pic was taken, and we didn't see him again. But we kind of took it as a sign, that we were meant to be in this particular place at that particular time, and BillyBob was the proof of that.

Our very last night there, we decided to head out early the next morning so we could make it back home at a decent time. (Nowadays, we wait till the very last minute to leave camp so we can wring every last moment of enjoyment out of our trip, and we usually arrive home around midnight with the kids fast asleep. Funny how time changes you, eh?) But upon awakening we discovered, to our shock and horror, that overnight a stiff wind had pushed a large section of ice on the lake and carried it to our island. We were trapped! Unable to drive the boat (is drive the right word? Steer? Pilot?) until the ice floated far enough away for us to maneuver around it. We ended up waiting about four hours, and let me tell you, there were moments we thought we'd be on that island for the next month, living on twigs and grass and the occasional beaver (haha).

You can see the ice there at the far end of the inlet. We snapped this pic just moments before heading out in the boat. We knew no one would believe us about being stranded unless we had proof. And here it is!

And so there you have it. Pictures and memories from one of our most special outings as a young couple and we treasure the fact that we had that time together, before all the babies and the dog and the house and the responsibilities of having to be "the adults" and "the parents". Just the two of us, together forever (our motto since day one), young and crazy in love.

Lena the Photog

My little girl has discovered a new passion for photography. Every day she grabs the camera and walks around, snapping pics. She fills the memory card every time. I've transferred literally hundreds of her pics to the computer, but then spend like half an hour going through them, deleting all the extreme closeups, blurred or fuzzy pics. There was a series of about 30 pics just of the tv screen when her favorite show was on. I've created a folder just for her photos (she was quite thrilled) and these are a few of the best ones. Enjoy!

Look at that dirty little boy, he loves spaghetti!

The beautiful Easter tree that Gramma Dea got the kids, Lena loves that it "looks like a REAL tree!"

This is the other Easter tree that Dea got Lena a couple Easter's ago (she got all the kids their own 'tree' to hang Easter ornaments on, so cute!)

Pabs, the King of the Jungle-known-as-our-house. Enjoying a lazy nap. Like usual.

Punkin, his haywire sister. She enjoys long walks up and down the stairs, quiet dinners in the laundry room, yowling for attention, rubbing against people's legs, and chasing after her brother.

That "shh" above his head cracks me up. Its sooo not Ryder.

Lena also loves "doing writing", using the letters she's learned to make words. How crazy is it that she actually almost did spell a word? Her favorite word to write? P-O-O-P. Kids, eh?

Her beautiful new Princess socks from Gramma Hag.

The kid has discovered the joy of feeding himself, oh yay. Fun for Ryder, hilarious for the kids as they giggle at his food-covered head and body, lovely for Mama when she has to wait an hour for him to be done feeding himself, then the joy of cleaning up the massive mess. The things we do as parents to encourage independence...

The camera-battery charger went missing for three days after this pic was taken. Eventually I found it his closet in the dirty clothes hamper.

His ear looks ginormous in this pic. Must be the angle. Hoping its the angle.

'Humanity' is relative

Compassion, bravery, heroism -- these are not words that only apply to our fellow man...

I tawt I taw a puddy-tat!

I did, I did! In my bathroom, watching me put on makeup! Isn't he so cute? He looks so tiny!

(Pabby, AKA Pablo, is now a LOL Cat! The kids helped come up with the caption.)

I can has LOL Cats?

Its my new obsession, people -- LOL Cats. If you haven't heard of this online phenomenon before, check this and this out. Some dude started it all with a picture of his overweight cat staring into the camera and added the caption "I can has cheezburger?". Its now so popular, there's an LOL Cats book out (b-day idea there, just sayin'...). Here's a few of my favorites...