I just had the BEST thrift store night. Possibly one of my best ever. I'm still shaking with excitement and nearly hyperventilating. After a not so good day with the saddy crying babe, Reas shooed me out for an outing of my own. Ok, actually I told him I was going, but still. He was happy to take over. I started out at DI, of course, and came away with pure delight.

I've been dying to replace the boring beastly brass light of a thing on the outside of the house by the driveway since before we even moved in, but couldn't bring myself to fork out the $60 or more to do so. And oh oh my. There was a reason why. Subconsciously I just knew there would be something out there. I got this baby for $2!! I was too excited and forgot to take a picture of the BEFORE. She was a rusty bronze color. Now, after her little paint job she's ready to out shine 'em all.


NEXT. Now, you have to understand. I have this thing for ladders. I'm not sure how it all came about, but it's kind of weird. I've been itching for years, literally, to find me the perfect little ladder or maybe a few of them if my stars would all align just right. I found one TONIGHT. It was right there waiting for me to bring it home. Five smackers later and it's the newest member of the family - and it doesn't cry. Ever.




Now. If I could only decide where to put it.


It could be used for a strictly functional purpose and add a bit of shabby charm to the kids' bathroom.


Or...it could serve a purpose, but still make a fashion statement.




Or...it could just sit there looking good and telling the world, "I'm sitting here because this girl's got a thing for me."

I'm attempting to hide those disturbing electrical cords. Hmmm. I'll have to work with that a bit.

What to do, what to do?


Next. Yes there's more! I've seen jewelry trees out and about in blogland. I've been thinking about finding one for the girls' room. Funny how sometimes you just have to think really hard and then kabamm! there it is. That is - if you're willing to work with what you stumble across. Like this lovely, crunched up, hot pink Easter egg tree -EGGS INCLUDED! Probably not worth its .75 cents, but it was EXACTLY what I had in mind. Perfect size for a jewelry tree.


After fluffing and painting, I'm quite pleased with the results. And now Maggie is excited to put her jewelry away in its special little place.




And last of all, this is seriously the cutest little $1 egg collecting basket with the chicken wire and all. Although I don't have immediate plans to hit the ranch, I think it does a darn good job collectings books. And when my farmgirls call me up one day, I'll totally be prepared.




Then there were other things like a huge square down pillow form - who could possibly pass that up? And another little square tile to add to my collection. I just know I'll find something to do with them sooner or later. In the meantime, we might need to add on an extra bedroom for storage space.

All of these TREASURES for $10.75!

One of Vegas' finest natural wonders must be the summer thunderstorms that start rolling through this time of year. We love them! First the clouds come, then the wind starts howling like mad, and finally the rain. Usually they're those giant drops that sting when they hit your face. Ahhhhhh. The temperature drops at least 10-15 degrees, making it a comfortable 95 (sense the sarcasm). With the wet and the wind, even 95 doesn't feel too bad. We're currently in a run of afternoon storms and it has been heavenly. Of course, the kids can't get enough.

While other "normal" children run for rainboots and umbrellas, mine say, "Get the goggles and towels!" Oh boy. Las Vegas blood through and through. We wouldn't want water to get in our eyes now, would we?

It made for some great super hero adventures in the rain.

And then there was Claire. She loves "weather" about as much as fireworks. This isn't anything new as you can see here. One of these days...

she'll realize life is kinda fun after all.

In the last 24 hours I have...

cut out curtains one handed
made enchiladas one handed
emptied the dishwasher one handed
moved laundry from washer to dryer one handed
made 2 pans of potatoes for a funeral one handed
googled "colic" and read numerous internet articles while standing and doing the baby dance
walked Lily up and down my street 12 times while singing all the verses to at least 5 primary songs
bawled like a baby
neglected 3 other children
taken a record speed shower to the sound of a screaming baby
drove to Jack in the Box at 10:00 PM so Reas and I could drown our sorrows in smoothies and milk shakes

In fact, I am typing this very minute one handed and standing up. Lily is one of those elevation sensitive babies.

Yes, the evidence is conclusive and the verdict is in. I've been avoiding the dreaded baby "C" word, hoping that this little Lily of ours would just get happy. I haven't even mentioned it to my mom, sisters, or closest friends. So, um girls - there you have it. Lily is colicky with a capital C. I guess she saves her "best" moments for when we are at home, so it's sort of been our little secret, but it all seems to be getting worse.

I'm not even going to ask for advice, mostly I'm just enlisting the help of blog therapy. I know there's not much I can do for her. However, any advice regarding how I can remain sane through this would be appreciated. I probably shouldn't go through the drive-thru every night.

So, to end on a happier note. I did get a laugh out of one of the articles I read last night. It was listing some of the possible contributors to colic. One of which stated...

* the presence of excessive anger, anxiety, fear, or excitement in the household;

ok. I'll admit we have some of that at times but LILY IS THE CAUSE OF ALL OF IT!

After reading through a whole list of causes, the last one was the best.

* probably a multitude of other factors as yet unknown.

Basically meaning, we don't know why the heck you have the saddest baby on the block so suck it up and deal with it.

Here's my current view of Lily. Close up and personal in the baby carrier. My back could use a break about now.

I better go check on the other kids now. I just heard Claire say, "I feel wicked!"

Just a heads up. Expired Kool-Aid is not cool.



Maybe if it's only a LITTLE expired you might be safe, but January of '06 is pushing the limit. The problem isn't only that it doesn't completely dissolve. The taste is something of a mix between moldy asparagus and shampoo... and I love asparagus. Besides that, the painful after-taste lingers like you wouldn't believe.

You know what's most funny about this? We didn't live in this house in Jan. of '06. We didn't live in our LAST house in January of '06. I've managed to pack up and move this crumpled package of fruit flavored sugar TWICE!

Remember what I once said about my disorganized cupboards? No longer so! After chugging that sludge I decided to get down to business. I didn't go as far as alphabetizing my spices, but close.

And as a friendly reminder, check the dates on your Kool-Aid packages. You'll be glad you did.

We started out the 4th with a bang. Red, white, and blue donuts from Krispy Kreme is never a bad place to start. The kids were excited to wear these oh so fashionable 4th of July thingies they made at craft time at the library.

Except for Claire. THIS was about as much excitement as she could handle:









This year we ended up staying home for the fireworks. We didn't plan it this way, but as we were climbing into the van to go find a great show we realized our own neighborhood was pretty darn good.



Since our kids seem to have NO tolerance for loud noises it was PERFECT.


Two of the upstairs bedrooms face the street. From their windows we could clearly see 5 great firework shows in the air and 3 down on the street in front of us. I tried taking pictures so you could see just how good we had it, but my camera just kept focusing on the dirty window. Dang automatic focus.


No one was crying because of the noise, no one was complaining of the heat, kids were already dressed for bed, and the toilet was right down the hall for maximum convenience.





It was pretty much a mom's dream. Let me further explain.

When their legs got tired, I had chairs.







When Ty got cold, (don't ask how that works in Vegas in JULY) I had a blanket.







When Claire got scared, there was a place to hide.








When she got crabby and tired, there was a bed!





No excitement lacking. Those faces say it all.








And best of all, when it was all over they fell into bed and that was that.

WHAT has the world been hiding from me? There's no doubt today will go down in history! I have discovered a little something that will most certainly be on my "Top 10 things I want my Daughters to Learn Before Leaving Home" list. Maybe you already know this and maybe I'm going to look like a big dork for exposing my lack of cleaning know-how, but if even just ONE of my dear friends can benefit from this, it will all be worth it.

Here's the story. OK, it's not so much a story as just an issue. A very big issue. I have had glass shower door issues all of our married life (no, this isn't going to be a juicy post if that is where your little mind is taking you). Supposedly, shower doors are supposed to be clear. Mine ALWAYS end up permanently frosted. No way around it. I've tried everything...or so I thought. I've googled "how to get shower doors clean" at least 12 times and I always end up super frustrated. Scrubbing and scrubbing for nothing but a severely aggravated carpal tunnel. Glass gets to a point where no amount of windex, ammonia, vinegar, or the scruffiest, buffiest scratchy sponge can even begin to clean through the hard water. Even magic erasers won't work here. It's very VERY discouraging. I'm a firm believer in the fact that it's nearly impossible to keep a clean house if you're not happy with the way your house looks after such an effort to clean it. Why put forth the work if you're still unhappy with the end result? That's why it's important to make your house scream "YOU" and decorate with what makes you happy. Hold on. Getting off the subject here.


Back to showers, grime, and scrubbing.


It has been a neverending battle, so much so that when we were house hunting, the kind of shower we would be getting kind of had its place. You know that lovely Willie Nelson song, "Always on my Mind." Yeah, that kind of describes my relationship with my filmy glass showers. But once again, a glass shower in the master bath. Rad.


ENTER a bit of personal revelation. I was sitting rocking Lily because she was having a very sad day and that was the only way to help her. I was thinking about how nice it would be to get a shower sometime in the next century. Which led to "maybe I'll clean the shower while I'm in there" which led to "nevermind. Scrubbing that blasted door doesn't get me anywhere" which then led to "TRY THE S.O.S PADS." What! Seriously?! Those little things that I've had under my sink forever? I almost busted out in a HALLELUJA before I even tried it because I just knew it would work. Then there it was. Right on the box. Works on "glass shower doors."

And boy does it work! This is the only "just wipe and walk away" product I have actually seen truly work! OK, you DO have to rinse. But rinsing is NOT scrubbing. I know scrubbing.


I was so excited I started wiping everything! They work everywhere (I wouldn't recommend walls). You'll get things clean that you didn't even know needed cleaning. It's a miracle. I'm so grateful that us hard working mommas are entitled to a little revelation even when it's about our cleaning troubles. Life is good.



I'll swallow my pride and show you the BEFORE and AFTER. It's nothing short of amazing.


Notice how you CAN'T see the shower knob through the glass. Yes, I'm blushing.

Oh! Hello. There you are.

Alright friends. If you don't have a little box of these S.O.S scrubbies, go get yourself some. Then, you too can be gleefully domestic.

Next stop: get myself a squeegee to keep it this way!

In case it wasn't obvious enough already, I have no blogging mojo lately. Could it be the 110 degree weather? maybe. I catch myself thinking "please don't talk to me, breath on me, or touch me." That's a tricky thing with four little ones. And there's just not enough air flow at the computer desk to sit here for very long! And the mouse gets all sweaty. If only someone would bring me a cherry limeade or something (thanks Laura. I think I'm hooked), then all my cares would flutter away.

Despite the blasted heat that I'm just going to have to deal with, I'm beginning to get back into project mode once again. Projects? PROJECTS? Yes, I know. Don't yell at me. I still haven't started blogging about our trip, but I can tie it all in. Watch this.


Driving half way across the country (see? I told you I could do it) led us through so many little cute towns with little cute houses and some very BIG cute houses that I was drooling over. Whether they were big, little, old or new they all had one thing in common. The most beautiful and charming front porches. I was too busy dreaming to think to take any pictures, so you'll just have to believe me on this one. I came home inspired to do something about THIS (the porch. not the kids):


Months ago, I found two of these chairs at DI for $5 bucks. Hmm. Imagine that. Definitely in need of some updating. That fabric was even uglier in real life. Sorry about the blurry picture. Don't stare too long or you'll start going cross-eyed.



I hadn't gotten around to painting or recovering them, but was totally inspired to do so while we were gone. I'm such a sucker for toile. Anything toile. If I could find toile toilet paper, believe me, it'd be in my bathroom.






I potted some more flowers for the umpteenth time and am praying really hard that I can keep them alive longer than a week or two. It's amazing what a little color can do.







A rustic wooden crate for extra seating with a little personal touch by moi.



There's nothing like a welcome sign to say um... "welcome!" to your guests.





...and there we go!












Not too fancy or frilly, and maybe doesn't compare to the lakeside estates in Missouri, but it makes me smile nonetheless. So go ahead. Plant some flowers and home-ify your front porch. Your neighbors won't be able to keep the cookies away. I'm sure I'll hear knocking any minute now.



Next on my list - PAINT THE FRONT DOOR! Can't wait.