Hands, Flowers, Planes, and Rough housing

If you don't want to see any of the funeral photos you can turn back now.

My little family had a rough couple of weeks. Three funerals in 5 days is a lot. Granted tragedy does happen but these were all people who weren't related to each other. They all knew each other and were friends but not related. I don't know how people pull through those tragedies where more than one family member dies at a time.

I stayed a couple of days after everyone else went home to help grandpa. He seems to be a lot more open with me than his own family. We both cried while going through grandma's jewelry, the closets, teaching grandpa how to run the washer, writing a grocery list. It was rough but I don't think he wanted to let his son and his family see him break down like that.

We both cried really hard when it came time for me to head home. I just pray he doesn't do anything stupid if you know what I mean. That would be horrible.

I think I have him talked into coming up and visiting us after harvest. I wish I could talk him into actually retiring from farming but I doubt I'll get that accomplished this year anyways.
It breaks my heart to think of him alone in that little house. They were married 58 years and she did everything for him and he did everything for her in return. I know how lost I would be without Austin and we've only been together 13 years.

I know I'm rambling. I should be looking forward to my weekend and I am don't get me wrong. We have the Vanatta family reunion this weekend and during that I'll be taking family photos of the individual little families that come this year. Sometime this weekend, depending on the rain, I am taking photos of the cutest little girl. And after that I am taking photos of my pregnant sister-in-law. Yep. She's having a girl. I don't think that is fair but it should be fun. I'm almost afraid to have another one because I know it will be a boy because that is the way things work in my family. My brothers have the girls and us girls have boys. Naughty little boys.

Well I'd better get going if I want to make it down there by midnight. So here are the photos. I was too tired to edit my raw files so these are just the basic jpg. Yep, I've resorted to that. O'well.

Grandma always loved it when Mark would fly over the house so after the cake and coffee he flew over several times for old times sake.

My wonderful husband took this photo. I know he's got some mad skills... hehe hehe hehehe Amazing what my camera will do on Auto.

Austin and Mason playing in the yard after the funeral.

After all their horsing around Austin taught Mason how to roll down the hill. Naturally it had to be in the ditch in the front yard by the road.

Does anyone else see something wrong with that?

Mason and Austin's roses from on top of the casket.
The flowers were beautiful. The next day I went by the cemetery and as I was walking up there were hundreds of butterflies all over her flowers. As nature would be, there were birds after those butterflies and I couldn't help but laugh because grandma would have loved it. She always liked birds better than butterflies.


We wanted to be able to remember what Grandma's hands looked like.
Mason has the option of giving his future wife grandma's ring. I think it would be sweet but what if he marries a bitch not very nice girl and something happens to it. What then? I think it would make a good anniversary present. You know like a 50th anniversary or even 60th. You know after we know if she will stick or not...

I Think We're Mending

I think we are on the mend. I haven't cried in 2 days.
This weekend we are going to the Vanatta Family Reunion or as my husband refers to it The Freak Show. Either way he is going.
I had been hoping for some beautiful weather but I don't think that is going to happen. Looks like rain chances all weekend clear up to Wednesday.
I'll keep checking ketv.com and hoping for a little bit of sun on Saturday and Sunday. Not that I can't take photos in the rain it is just that the subject is usually happier in the sun.
I guess I'll just leave it up to them.
Just as fair warning if anyone is squeamish about funeral photos then don't look at my photos tomorrow. Don't worry no faces or caskets but some people just rule them out all together.

Rough Week

We had a rough week.
Austin's Grandma Hansell passed away last Thursday. I miss her terribly. I have cried everyday since and am sure to do so for the near future. I cannot begin to imagine what his Grandpa is going through. I will be splitting my time between home and grandpa's for the next couple of months.
I went to 3 funerals in 5 days. I think it is safe to say that I am drained.
I am taking the weekend off and going camping. I hope to come back in a better mood on Tuesday. Until then be safe and enjoy your 3 day weekend. I made 6 bags of punch so I know I will enjoy mine...

Iowa State Fair Part 2

While at the State Fair we went down the boulevard of breeds. Basically they have all different kinds of animals in pens.
You'll have to forgive me if this little country girl didn't want to post pictures of cows, pigs, sheep and chickens on her blog. I can look out my window and see those.

This year they had elk. I thought this was interesting. They had pictures books going through the stages of the antlers and a couple of sheds even.

I like to watch the horse shows. Austin does not. So we compromise (yes we do know how to do that) and watch the parade. Well it isn't really a parade. They line up outside and enter the arena at a nice gate (walk, prance) and make a turn around the arena and exit. They line up again and enter the arena again but go the opposite way around the arena, exit and go back to their barn. The ribbon winners are announced over the loud speaker outside.
The whole thing from start to finish, maybe, takes 15 minutes.

These are some big horses. I hadn't actually seen clydesdales pulling such little buggies. I usually have only seen them actually working.

I give you one guess as to what this little horse is doing.

Yep, it took a poop. I don't know why but sometimes you get a owner that gets embarrassed by this sort of thing. This one obviously wasn't.

Mason watching intently. He loves horses.

I love watching the handlers expressions. This one really cracked me up. I don't think she knew how to smile.

And here she is again.

We start to walk away from watching this and Austin leans down and says "did you see the strange one?" I told him I got photos.

I think it is just sick that I knew what the hell he was talking about. I should have looked at him all strange and said 'huh'.

Mason really was excited to stand there and watch. We usually go through the horse barns but we didn't this year. We couldn't risk Mason jumping out of the stroller and getting hurt.

So that was our day at the fair. Thankfully we have another whole year before we have to do that again.

Iowa State Fair part 1

Last Thursday we went to the Iowa State Fair. It was fun and didn't argue too much. I say too much because it is impossible for us not to argue at least a little.

Here are a couple of the sights...

Cotton Candy!! The only thing we ate on a stick.

Mason doesn't like cotton candy...

He cried and screamed...

and looked like we were abusing him every time we tried to give him some.

I know we are crazy trying to give a 2 yr old pure sugar but he didn't like it anyways.

Here he is a couple of minutes later watching the horses while dad was holding him.

This is just the naughtiest face.

You can still see the tears in his eyes and the remnants of the black eye.

I know hard to believe that a state that outlawed smoking everywhere but your own house or vehicle is selling smokes at the state fair. Why? Because they were price gouging. 7.55 per pack plus taxes.

I work at Kum and Go and I know that smokes without any sales comes up to 7.25 with tax. What a rip off.

Sure am glad I quit...

A view down the midway.

You can find anything on a stick. ANYTHING!

Well anything but bacon, that is found outside the gates. I'm told it was really good but didn't have the guts to try it myself.

I was going to try the candy bar on a stick but didn't want to wait in line.

That man on the right in the cowboy hat, he is for sale or trade. Kid and stroller included...

The idiot on the left didn't put his leg up on that block until he saw me lift the camera for a photo. There are assholes everywhere...

A view of the crowd down the grand concourse.

We came late in the afternoon and this was about 7:30 or so so it was getting busy again with the after work crowd.

I figure it will be another 15 years or so before we can ride the skyride again.

I ♥ the skyride!!

I've told my husband for years that I am going to get a chain saw carving for the yard. He doesn't believe me and I told him if he didn't start to take me seriously that I was going to find the tackiest one I could and put it right where everyone driving by will see it.

We got sprinkled on while were there but this 'little' storm let loose on us after we got back to up to Ames and I picked up my car. I love how the clouds looked walking out of the fair. I don't love the light pole but didn't want to miss this picture.

I will be adding the few animal pictures I took tomorrow.

Monday

So I promised a photo filled Monday and that is what you are getting. Sit back and hold on I'll be jumping from subject to subject because I am a little scatterbrained today. But first a little bit of word imagery.
The sun is shinning in the dining room windows while the ceiling fan hums and the central air whirls. A stroller is in the middle of the room with a sweaty little boy sitting in it dressed in footie pjs and snow gloves. Every couple of seconds he fusses because he can't hold onto his little cars.
And that is how my day is going so far. I know it sounds fun.

Just Real Quick Like

We went to the state fair yesterday. Fun! Pictures coming on Monday. Right now though I need to get ready for work and then tomorrow I am going camping with my family. Earlier today I ran to the store for my punch stuff, 45 dollars worth of cherry schnapps and Austin stuff to eat for the weekend.
The stick in the mud wants to stay home this weekend. I seriously considered leaving Mason home with him but I think my family would be upset if I didn't bring him.
Anyways have a good weekend and check back in on Monday for pictures. I have a ton to put up from the last couple of weeks. We have been so busy that when Mason naps I have been napping. I just can't seem to stay awake.
Talk at ya later.

The Boy Who Cries Wolf

All morning I hear, 'I tuck! I tuck!
I go in to get him unstuck and he giggles and runs away.
Now this tells me that it is just an attention getter. So do I ignore it when I hear him yell it or do I investigate it every time? Mind you he has been copying the correct amount of panic in his yell.
I mean what happens if that one time I don't check him he is actually stuck somewhere. What then?
How do I teach a two year old not to cry wolf?

My Poor Little Baby

Last Wednesday night we went to Princess Hateful's Raquel's for supper.

I know, I know can you read the enthusiasm.

Anyways we had to go because Austin's Grandma is in town and we all wanted to get together for a 'family' dinner. Which is a joke all in itself but anyways we went and it didn't end up being that bad.

Considering who was there it went fantastic.

(by 'we all' I mean his mother and sister)

Towards the end of the night Mason went running through the kitchen playing with the dog and tripped over his own feet and went flying into the corner of the door on the oven head first.

Well maybe more eye than head but anyways it happened and there wasn't anything I could do to stop it even though I was standing right there.

I hurried and picked him up and his little eyebrow was already sticking out almost half an inch. It looked totally gross and so we fought with the poor little kid to get him to keep an ice pack on it. Austin started freaking out and I was just glad it wasn't a bleeding wound. Nothing like panicking over something little.

This is what it looked like the next morning.
He couldn't even open it all the way.

He was being so cooperative. I couldn't believe it.
Then again it might have just been the cookie I was letting him eat for breakfast.

This is what he looked like on Saturday morning.

He still wasn't quite able to open it all the way.
I don't know what happened to the photos from Friday. I think my husband erased them off the camera. He tried to convince me that I just didn't take any that day.

Yeah like that would happen.



This is what he looked like Sunday morning.

I'm just glad he will finally look at the camera again. I am tired of the back of the head photos or ones of him running by me.

I can't get over how blue his eyes are. Sometimes I sit with him and wonder 'Where in the world did those brilliant blues come from.'

Princess Hateful

My sister-in-law sucks. That is all I have to say.
Now I have to wait for her sneak attack. Great. At least I can feign ignorance because I got it switched to a private blog before she could give the address to her mom.
Austin knows about it too. He has for awhile. He gets a laugh out of it and takes it fairly lightly. I mean really some of what I write is not flattering for him but he said "At least you don't sugar coat anything". That is for sure there is no sugar coating anything here. Just hiding until she forgets about it and I can take it off of private again.

My Poor Little Boy

My poor little boy has a blackeye.

We had to eat dinner at Raquel's Wednesday night, which is another whole post in itself, but anyways, Mason was running through her kitchen and tripped over his feet and went flying into the corner of the bottom of the stove. I felt so bad because I was right there drying my hands and watched the whole thing happen and couldn't stop it.

By the time I picked him up it was already swollen and starting to turn purple. These photos were taken Thursday morning. Thankfully the eye doesn't look as bad today.

I felt so bad that I let my son eat cookies for breakfast.

He couldn't even open it all the way. Poor little kid.
I know who could say no to this little face anyways. Takes away some of the guilt.

What Kind Of People??

Really what kind of people find snakes in their house? I'm serious What kind of people? I don't want to be one of those kind of people and yet I found a snake in my house.

Not even in the basement!

Nope!

Upstairs!

In my upstairs by my bedroom door.

That is so wrong on so many levels.

I had just put Mason down for a nap and saw something move out of the corner of my eye. I whip my head around and start on that slippery slope of denial or in my case self preservation.

I could not deny it when the dog went up to it, sniffed and then started growling.

I couldn't even scream because Mason was napping. I hauled my but downstairs which I'm still not sure how I got down and out to the garage. At this point I was hyperventilating and Austin was having a hard time understanding me. Finally I yelled SNAKE. IN. HOUSE. UPSTAIRS. I broke down and started bawling when I had to say by the bedroom. Austin takes off for inside and forgets the shovel.

I snap out of it and yell after him 'you forgot the shovel'.

Austin stops by the bathroom and grabs a towel (a good towel which I in turn burned).

I finally show him where I saw it and thankfully it was still there. My biggest concern was that it would have taken off and we wouldn't be able to find it.
Austin used the towel to pick it up and take it outside.

Then I pelted him with a hundred question which he laughed his through. I asked him in fairly much the order I rambled them off to him.
How long do you think the snake has been in the house?
What is the likely hood of a snake getting on the bed?
Where are they getting in at?
What are you going to do about it?
Can we move our bed downstairs?
Did it go up the stairs or what?
No don't answer that I don't want to know.
Yes, answer me I want to know.
What if Mason found one?
Would it hurt him?
Are you sure they are more scared of me?
It didn't seem too scared when you picked it up?
What if it had gotten away from you?
Would you mind if we moved?
What do you think we could get out of the house?
What realtor should we use?
Really how do you think it got upstairs?
Promise me we won't find anymore in the house?!

Good thing my husband is used to my psychotic ways and didn't take me seriously on selling the house. I did tell him that he is switching me sides of the bed and then explained why. Because I can the floor on his side of the bed from the stairway so I would be able to be sure there were no snakes in there.

He laughed the whole time and now I can still tell when he thinks about it because he actually laughs out loud.

The Bastard.

And now a photo of our unwelcome house guest.

He was just a little thing but still not allowed in my house.

Worse yet I really think it was the dog that brought him in as scary as that is.

Real Life

Yes, this is how my dining room looks at the end of everyday.

No, we don't change out of pjs unless we are going someplace. Cuts my laundry in half.

My favorite is the phones around the door knob.

Yay!!!

I ordered a flash for my camera. It should be here today. Yay!!
I am photographing a PartyLite event in Ankeny on Friday and figured I might need one. I have to photograph everyone as they come in and then the little ceremony and some of the party.
Should be fun and I'm getting paid. I know it will go right back to PartyLite because I have my eye on a couple of things in the new catalog but it will be great experience for me.
I'm excited.
If I'd been thinking I would have arranged for payment to be in PartyLite gift certificates.
If anyone is looking for a new camera here is the site where I ordered my flash. It is my husband's site so you know I kinda had to. I'm just glad it is powered by Amazon. Maybe one of these days I will venture to tell y'all more about my husband's money making schemes just not today I have too much going on. I'll just say he is tired of working for someone else and has started a couple of websites that make him money. I think of it more as a hobby of his.
Here are his sites.
Glass
Swim Toys
Nikon Cameras
Hard to believe but he makes the most money off the swimming pool toys. Whatever makes him happy...

The Good Week...

Mason and I went down to see my family last week. It was good and we had fun.
Tuesday we had some late night Chinese with my cousin Jessica. She is such a sweetheart and I cannot wait until she has some kids of her own.
Wednesday we made it down to my mom's house. We hung out with my mom all afternoon until my little sister, Cameron, got off of work. My mother had class that night, she is going back for her Masters degree, I am so proud of her. Cameron, her boys, Mason and me went to the Sidney Iowa Rodeo that night. It was beautiful out. A nice change because it is usually so stinkin hot out you can't breath. Mason had a great time watching the cowboys. All the boys got cowboy hats and light up swords. I don't know how many times I had to yell 'Turn that thing off' on the way home. Great times.
Mom was home by the time we got back to the house. I let Mason stay up late to play with grandma.
Thursday we had a bit of trouble getting up so we slept in and then went and had lunch with my mom at work. She has worked at the Fremont County Vet Clinic since I was in first grade. A couple of the vets had kids in my grade so they have literally watched me grow up. They always get a kick out of one of us girls bringing our kids in. Imagine a naughty uncle teaching their nephew something bad.
Thursday afternoon Mason napped with grandpa while I went with Cameron to get her hair highlighted. It is always a treat going with Cameron anywhere because I never know what will come out of her mouth. Her and Val, the best hairdresser I know, are always full of gossip.
Friday, Mason and I went over to grandma and grandpa Hansell's for lunch. That is where I get caught up on the rest of the county gossip. After lunch we went to Shenandoah and picked up Austin's other grandma to take her home with us so that she could go to a family reunion in Illinois with us.
Austin had been calling all week wanting to know when I would be getting home. I was thinking it was because he loves me and missed us. Wrong! He was just out of food and was too lazy to go to the grocery store.
As I was leaving Shen to come home he called and told me that he wouldn't be home when I got home because he was going to the Nationwide qualifying race in Newton. Lovely!! Just lovely, I was hoping for a night of peace and quiet.
I dropped Grandma Elaine off at my mother-in-laws and headed home. Austin calls and says I'm not going to get to see Mason before I leave am I? He had just left home and I had left Jeff's so I told him that I would pull over on the next gravel road. We sat there and talked for 10 minutes or so. It was good.
Friday night I ended up cleaning out my car and doing laundry for the weekend.