I've Been Booed!!

This is what we received on our door last night at 9:30. Thanks for ringing the doorbell after Jacob's bedtime Kass boys. It was the laughing that kind of gave you away. The note said:

YOU GOT BOOED!!

When you get booed

You always need to boo someone back

When you do it

You have to have stuff in a sack

There is a boo sign in the bag

Hang it on your door

So people will know that you got tagged

When everybody gets booed on the street

We will have a party

But you won't have to have an invitation

To come to the celebration!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Directions:

1. get a trick-or-treating or Halloween basket

2. get stuff from the store and put in the bag

3. put the basket in front of the door and ring the door bell

4. RUN and HIDE until they answer and get the sack

5. after that, you are done booing people

6. Remember, make sure you make as many copies of this for as many people as you are booing and same for the "boo" sign

7. also, make sure that you don't boo people on other streets

Cute, huh? I wonder who we will boo tonight?

I'm in Charge!

Well, I wasn't supposed to be in charge of the rock climb, but I became in charge. So, last Saturday our church held our annual fest festival, which is free to anyone and everyone and advertised in our area, including the elementary schools. The festival has games, inflatables, music and free food. We spent the first hour or so walking around and having fun. Then we got to the rock climb. It was an inflatable but you actually had to walk up on it to get to the climbing area, which means that there were lots of kids on it jumping while they waited their turn to climb. It was total chaos. There were two employees from the inflatable rental company working the climbing area and no one was in front handling the kids. As you can imagine, when you open up something like this to the public, you get all sorts of people, including people who don't watch their kids (a huge pet peeve of mine). Well, the employees were begging the kids to stop jumping as it was making their jobs hard and asking the kids to stand on the ground and not get on the inflatable, etc. Was anyone listening? Were the parents listening? Well, some were but most were nowhere to be seen. The guy asked me if I could help. Since I attend the church and it was apparent to me that no one else did, I stepped up. I asked the kids to all stop jumping, over and over again. Then the guy asked me if I would get all the kids off of the inflatable. After an embarrasing climb up on it, I asked everyone to take 10 steps back and asked all the kids to get off and form 2 lines as there was 2 rock climbing areas. Did they? No! They looked at me like I was an alien. It took me about 5 minutes to get all the kids off and into 2 lines. Then I proceeded to sit my butt down and block the entry. You can imagine the looks I was getting.

Before I could get the kids off, there were two bigger boys who just came and cut in line (this was part of the problem...cutters). I asked them nicely to get off and in line. Their mom decided that she didn't like that I asked her boys to back up and came over and told me so. After I had everyone settled and in line, she decided that she wanted to cause some trouble so she laid into me right there in front of all those people. "Just who put you in charge?" "Who do you think you are telling my kids and all these other kids what to do?" And, so on for about 10 minutes. I tried to tell her that the employees asked for my help and I was worried that some of the little kids were going to get hurt. Then, I tried to just ignore her, but then she asked the question I just couldn't help but answer...."Who do you think you are telling these kids what to do? Their parents should be watching them." My reply, "You mean like you were watching your kids?" See, her kids were the worst behaved ones! They were cutting, pushing and making the little kids fall over.

Then I remembered I was at church, my church and I needed to act like a christian. About this time, Shane walked up and started listening in. I looked at him and said "help me, please." Then, he proceeded to go back and forth with her for about 5 minutes. It wasn't until he said that he was sorry that she was inconvenienced that she shut up.

I don't take c*&p from people real well, and I was so proud of myself for the way I handled the situation. So, I ended up staying there and being the doorman for another hour or so while Shane and Jacob walked around having fun. I don't mind as it was a church volunteer event. Clearly they needed more help.

The fun didn't end there. Some parents got into it later on about whose kids were cutting, etc. I tried to stay in my own zone and stay out of it. Church event? You wouldn't think so. Man, it is really hard to show grace when people act like that.

Update

Sorry I have been so quiet for the past week. I guess there hasn't been too many exciting things happening around here, but I will catch you up. Last night, Shane and I took Jacob to Mountasia as a reward for making straight A's on his report card. He also had a perfect conduct card, which he had been working hard at for the past 3 weeks. He gets in trouble for "talking at inappropriate times" or basically whenever the teacher's say to be quite. We played miniature golf first. Jacob lost his ball in the river on the 3rd hole so Shane and I took turns hitting the ball after that. Jacob doesn't really try to play. He just swings as hard as he can...hence the ball in the river. Then Shane and Jacob rode go-karts and did the batting cages. After they played in the arcade, we went to Fuddrucker's for dinner. Jacob begged to play more games, but we were gamed out and said no. It was a fun night and practically no one else was there. A weeknight is definately the time to go.

Jacob raced BMX last weekend. He raced two 8 year olds. Since there were only 3 of them, it was an all points race. Basically, that means that they all three race both motos and the main. Jacob is not used to racing one right after the other and it really tired him out. He ended up getting 2nd place overall. We are proud of him because he tried his hardest.

We have a busy weekend coming up. The church's annual fest festival is on Saturday. They will have games, inflatables and other fun stuff for the kids. On Sunday, Jacob and I have to be at church at 8am (this is very early for me). We are participating in doing a cardboard testimony during a song in each service. I won't spoil the fun and hope that someone will be recording it so I can share it with everyone later on. Here is a link to one that another church did. It is very powerful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvDDc5RB6FQ

Someday I will have Shane show me how to get the video pasted into my blog so you can watch it there. After the services, the church will be celebrating its 35th anniversary. I can't believe that I have been a part of that church for 35 years. My parents co-founded the church when I was 3 years old (yes, I am 38!!). I do not know most of the people there now. It is kind of weird. But, the church is so big. Through small group, women's bible study and Shane being a part of the worship ministry I have come to know many people, but it is still only a few as the church is so big.

Hope everyone has a blessed weekend!

Yesterday

Yesterday was a good day in more ways than one. It was my birthday so Jacob couldn't wait for me to open the two handmade cards that he had made in school. My alarm went off at 6:55 am. I usually like to hit snooze a couple of times but as soon as it went off, I heard, "Mommy want to open your cards?" Not just in a morning voice, but in a morning, I have been waiting and up for a while voice. I begged him to let me hit the snooze button but just couldn't make him wait any longer as he was being so cute. I will keep these forever. Here is what they said:

I just wanted to say that your the best for everything youv done.

so happy birthday mommy!

Love: Jacob

Mom, did you now your the best.

thats why I'm giving you this very speshil card!

Jacob Cauley

Now how cute is that??? I feel so blessed to have him. My God is eternally faithful. I know that He will bless me again with a baby through adoption and I can't wait. In fact, I am tired of waiting but I have to wait on His perfect timing. Maybe He thinks I have my hands full with all of these animals :)

I also had lunch with a friend, Mary Ruth. God has blessed her too. After many years of trying to conceive, she is now 20 weeks pregnant.

Jacob and I picked up Shane at the airport at 6pm and then drove to eat at Red Robin...it was yummy.

The other good thing was seeing Moose and Boo play together. Moose has been very intrigued by Boo and finally decided to interact with her. She was letting Boo attack her tail and then racing her up the stairs. It looks like they might become buddies, which is what we wanted for Moose...another kitty to play with. Now, if we can just get Riley to a good point with the cats, then all will be good. That will take a while, of course. But, that's ok.

Hope everyone has a fun and blessed weekend!

Animals and Birthdays

OK, so we are having some issues with finding Riley a new home...meaning, we love her and don't want to lose her. The problem is that she is high maintenance with her issues and it is hard to find the time to deal with that. After talking to the trainer that she stayed with last June, I am going to work harder with her. As for the kitten, she is up for adoption. She is so precious, playful and loving but three cats is just too many. And, having to separate Sidney, Riley and Boo is a lot of work. As you can imagine, I am the only one doing this and it is a lot of work.

Anyways, Boo is slowly getting used to the upstairs. I have had her downstairs a few times. She doesn't do much...too many new sights and sounds. But, she does like to lay with me on the couch and watch tv. When she is out, Riley must either be outside or in her crate (the sight of Boo is just too much so I sometimes have to cover up her crate to calm her down). See, I didn't know that dogs were supposed to chase and kill cats. I have never had a dog that did this. I found this great article that talked about cats and dogs and how they were never meant to live together. Apparently, if they can live together in harmony, then you are lucky. So, that is what we are working on...harmony in our home. I have a feeling that this may lead to spending even more money on Riley at the trainer's, but, oh well.

I have sent out an e-mail to everyone I know to see if they either want Boo or will e-mail anyone they know who might be interested. She will be a great cat to someone. I really don't want to have to go to adoption day at Petsmart or Petco to find her a home. I hate the thought of some stranger taking her and possibly using her as bait for a dog fight. There are some horrible people out there. Some people will take kittens to use as food for their snakes...how awful!

Here are some pictures of her. She won't be still enough to take many, so I had to hold her some.

Today is my birthday!!! I think I stopped being excited about it when I turned 30. It would help if the sun would come out...that always brightens my mood. I have an appointment with my allergist, lunch with my friend Mary Ruth and another appointment with my physical therapist. After Jacob gets home, we are going to pick up Shane at the airport and then off to Red Robin for my free birthday burger.

I am Sad

Things have been pretty busy around here and some things have not been so good. First, the positives. We had a good weekend. Jacob's Nana took him to see Green Eggs and Ham at Jones Hall. It ended up being more of a symphony and Jacob said he kind of liked it. Basically, he had to sit still and quiet for too long; but, his Nana said he was good and enjoyed her time with him. While he was gone, Shane and I planted some new plants and mulched in the backyard. One thing to check off of our long to do list. Shane took Jacob racing that night and he got a second place win. He was upset as he tried his hardest but after 6 wins in a row, I think he needed a dose of reality.

Other positives are that our yard guys took out all of the yucky 80's monkey grass in our front yard. This is something I have wanted to do for years. It took them all of one hour and only cost us $50. It would have taken us all day to do that. Now, we have to decide if we want to replace some plants now or wait until spring. I am thinking wait until spring.

We also have being having a blast with our kitten. Jacob named her Boo. She is so cute and fun to play with. This weekend we started letting her explore the upstairs and some downstairs. She is getting more comfortable with the bedroom door open and this morning started wandering around the other rooms upstairs. Moose just sits and watches her. She is not happy but not mad either. Sidney just hissed at her and ran away. It will take time but they will accept her eventually.

Now for the bad things that have happened. We found out our sweet gum tree (which is about 4 story's tall) is diseased and needs to go. It shades our entire house all afternoon and evening. I can't imagine what our electricity bills will be like with it gone. I opted to have him cut off the diseased part (about the top 1/3) of the tree. We may get another 1-2 years out of it. There is nothing that we can do or that we could have done. Sweet gums are just prone to diseases. The cost $350. He is also going to trim the trees out front for another $550. Some of them were damaged in the hurricane and have limbs hanging up high. Oh, and the cost to remove the whole sweet gum...$1,350 plus $300 for stump grinding. Hopefully by removing it in stages, we can spread out the cost.

And for the saddest part of our lives right now...Riley. We exposed her to the kitten as the trainer had said to do...let her see the kitten and don't hold the kitten over her head. Still, Riley looked at Boo like she was prey and went after her when released. Boo is ok, thankfully. It just really made us wonder how Riley will be around babies and toddlers. She has growled at Jacob in the past and is unpredictable in her behaviour, even after all this time. I think her past is just too bad for us to trust her with a baby. We love her but we don't trust her. I listed her with the border collie and aussie rescue groups as up for adoption. I am hoping and praying that she will have a new home soon...one with no cats and older or no children. It's not just the baby issue, it's also that the cats hate her and their quality of life has suffered too. Jacob is upset. Shane is mad that I spent money on her and upset because he too loves her. But, we agreed that this is what has to happen. That, or she will have to be put down...which I can't imagine having to do. Please pray that she will find a new home and fast. For now, I am keeping her either outside or in her crate when Boo is out.

That's all the news for now. I have been so busy that I have no new pics of Boo. Shane is off in CA eating expensive meals for dinner and enjoying the cool weather. Meanwhile, it is raining here and I need to go run some errands but just want to crawl back in bed. I love sleeping in the rain.

Weekend Update

So, it's Tuesday and I am just now getting around to blogging for the first time in a while. Things have been pretty crazy around here...nothing exciting, just busy. On Saturday, I took my parents to the airport. They are going to the condo in CO...so, so jealous. Then we had pictures taken of us at church. They came out real good. Afterwards, was lunch then on to see Shane's grandmother, Nanny, at her new home. She is in a nursing home in The Woodlands. She is doing well after her fall in August and I must say that her nursing home is the nicest one I have ever been too. After we visited her, we went on to Armadillo BMX so Jacob could race. It was the first race in a few weeks and he took 1st place...his 6th in a row. Once he has 8 first place wins, he moves up to the intermediate class. That day ended with a big meal at the Cracker Barrel.

Sunday was spent at church in the morning and working on our flower beds in the back yard that were damaged by Ike. I hadn't even realized that some of my plants were totally missing...smushed by the downed trees. I am so hoping that they come back on their own.

Things are very busy right now. I feel like I have a million projects going on at once. This weekend I hope to have Shane get a few honey do's done around the house and I would really like to add some mulch and missing plants to that poor flower bed.

Tomorrow, the kitten comes to live with us. She is almost 6 weeks old and very cute and playful. I will have to keep her isolated from the other cats for a few days in hopes that they will accept her. We will see how this goes with Jacob as her "main" room will be the guest room. Then once the other cats are used to her smell, I will open the door and let them all meet each other. This may be traumatic for Sidney as she thinks that I am HER human and no one elses.

That's all for now. Tomorrow I will post some pics of kitty. Shane is on his way home from Atlanta and I am off to take Jacob to his drum lesson.

News Reporters and Ike

Well there is not too much to talk about right now, which is why I haven't posted in a while. I gave Jacob a challenge...if he could speak politely (meaning yes mam, no mam, thank you, etc) and obey me immediately for a day, then I would give him a dollar. He failed the first day. The second day he did better and earned his dollar but I didn't really spend all that much time interfacing with him. The challenge continues for a few days and then hopefully my positive reinforcement will be worth something. He was born a very stubborn, independent child and he still is.
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So, this was something that I searched for on YouTube after the storm. You know how you always hear about newscasters out in the field doing stupid things during storms? Well, they never let you down, including the infamous Wayne Dolcefino and Geraldo. Here are some links that I found. Some are funny and some make you grimace.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HW0M-DvkEn8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nx7-8Rv62LU&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYl9mgFhe2o
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ms_8dchieU4

I hope everyone is enjoying our awesome weather!