Look whats on my bedroom windowsill!

This afternoon while I was in my bedroom resting I heard this scratching against our bedroom window and I kept seeing this Robin flying in and out. She's been building this nest and its awesome! Its actually quite big in size and the dirt inside the nest is still moist from her doing whatever it is that birds do to make their little homes.

I cant wait to see the eggs and then the babies, it should be really neat to watch this so close to where I can actually keep an eye on her.

I'll keep yas posted on the development of my new neighbors!

1st Wall is up!

I hope everyone had a great weekend. For us, after Friday it was nothing but rain. Baldyman wasnt able to do anything on this project. Tonight he was able to get this wall up and hopefully one more. After that, he will work on the roof, getting the roof panels on and the see thru panels. Hopefully, then windows and doors and we can start working on the inside. We've just had to much rain to deal with lately.

Hopefully the rest of this week will get dry and warm up a bit. I hope no one has to deal with this Swine flu going around...that sure is scary. Oh well, I'm off to visit a few blogs and catch up with all of you!

Whats on My Walls?

Another project we've been working on besides my little cottage outside, is the hallway inside. Its needed a painting for along time now. Me and Baldyman finally got it all painted this week. I bought a few new pictures also. This picture is at the end of the hallway right before you enter our bedroom. For some reason, I just love it. The price is lovable to--at only $6 dollars and something.
This picture I placed on the way right next to the laundry room door. Another one i fell in love with. If anyone has a Kohls in there area--they are having a huge sale this week--55% off their pictures!
This is the largest wall in the hallway. I fell in love with this word paper. At Kohl's it was 55% off so I paid I think $13 dollars and something.
And finally the thing I hated the most upon entering our house. This little piece of wall that you see when you first enter. Not only was the paint nasty--but the picture I had up there reminded me of high school days. I did take a picture of them, but I accidently deleted the before photo. I ordered these word stickies online from a company and I'm very happy with them. Once I got it down how to get the letters off it was a cake walk.

So, there you have it, a little of whats on my walls. We have alot of little projects going on around here in between working. I've noticed I havent posted for a few days...I guess I have been busy! Today its very nice outside so I will be putzing around the yard once again.

Grandma and Ellie having fun

Ms. Ellie popped on over for awhile tonight. I bought this goofy flashlight a couple of weeks ago at a Book Fair at work. It has different colors on it and then it has about 14 various spooky sounds that you pick to listen to. I realize its not Halloween but then anyone that knows me--knows I always go for the strange stuff. I'm the weird Grandma! She was mesmorized by this light. It took her all of 15 minutes or less to memorize every sound on it and she was able to tell me which one to pick.
This is us making the sounds of the ones she picked. Excuse my condition--I do know I look "rough"...lol What I didnt know is there is a huge stain on my sweater--lol!
I'm sure this must have been the monster one by the looks of our mouths! Having Ellie is always a blast. Our other two grandaughters popped in also--but Baldyman didnt get their picture with Ellie. Its amazing to me that in 2 months she will be 3. Her baby brother is due in August and she calls him Baby Eli, and I"m the big sister!

You cant beat being a grandma!

Cottage Update

This is how far Baldyman has gotten. He has about 3 more pieces to put on the roof and then he will begin siding it and putting up the roof. Not sure yet about windows, I think I want two 2 small basement type windows on the sides. For the front he's gonna do something with screens and covers. On the roof he is probably gonna use the steel panels-much cheaper--quicker to get up. He dosnt know know how really how to do the other kind of roof, but he also thinks having the steel roof makes it more permnanet and the snow will slide off better. The roof will also have either see thru panels or skylights whatever we can find to do.

I'm in a dilema now because I want a white sleeper loveseat but so far I'm having no luck finding anything reasonably priced. Looking online is proving no help either because when I find something reasonable, shipping will ruin that. I dont want to comprimise on the white loveseat sleeper because this is really for me and the feminine side plus I want to be able to sleep out there or the grandkids. If anyone knows of any help let me know!
Our weather right now is not good so hopefully it will improve so he can get back out there.

Opening up our little Pond

We have a very small pond, but for us it gives us alot of pleasure. This is how it looked this afternoon after Baldyman took the plastic cover off protecting it from the fall leaves and winter snow. He was hoping when he took the cover off it would be dry inside. It was. Normally, its full of leaves, water and god knows what else. He decided last fall to buy a sheet of plastic and put bricks on it and see if that would minimize his spring clean up. He was quite happy with how it worked. If you notice the brick waterfall in the back of the pond, thats one of my fountains I bought last fall. I thought if we put it next to the pond and as the trees grow blossom out it will look almost like it belongs here.
This is after clean up, adding some mulch and turning on the lights. You cant see the lights real good yet but I think it looks really nice. Once all the greenery grows in, its going to be real nice. We just have to cover up the bowl cover he uses to hide the cords yet. This little pond will be right across from my little shed he is building. By the way, thats real slow going! He's working hard though. In between that, we end up doing stuff like this--opening our pond and other yard stuff. It was the most perfect day here in Wisconsin. We were about 75, sunny, blue skies and not a wind at all. Its rare to have these days so I made the most of it. I got grass seed planted, mulch laid out, weeds pulled and more yard clean up. AND..I made a nice white cake with coconut frosting and a tuna casserole AND ......I even got my dreaded ironing done!

Cottage Update

So far we have a floor and one wall! Baldyman thinks he will be done soon, but its looking pretty ifty. Who knows though with the weekend coming up, he could possibly do it. He dosnt want to buy windows for it, he claims he has this neat idea for windows. He scares me because he's not a builder by any means. And if you notice the roof is gonna be odd shaped to. He keeps telling me he has this in his head.
While he's dreaming of how he's gonna do this small project, I'm dreaming of how I'm going to decorate it. I told him last night its gonna be 100% feminine girly decorated. He wont even want to go in it. I"m going to get a small white loveseat, hang candle chandeliers, i have a vision.

Today is my last busy day for this week, so hopefully this weekend I can post how far we get on this. I hope everyone is having a great week so far.

Check out this blog and Giveaway!

I have no clue what her giveaway is...she's a sneaky little gal! BUT....does it matter, its a giveaway! It took me forever and a day to follow her blog yesterday, Blogger just refused to let me. I think its all fixed now....so why dont you visit her here check out her blog and enter the giveaway!

Thats my post for today, for the next 2 days I have long days at work so I may not be around. Have a great day and enjoy the weather if your like us in Wisconsin and finally have some decent temps.

Movie Review!

Seven Pounds. We rented this last week. Normally I'm ok with Will Smith movies...but the last couple I've seen....I think he must be bored and just not sure what to do anymore. Seven Pounds I found to be very depressing. The overall message of the movie was about a man who could not forgive himself for an accident and felt he had to make right. I just found the movie hard to take, and dismal. For one, in real life I'm sure this has happenned more than any of us would ever want to, and I cant imagine anyone spending the remaining time of their lives doing what he did--every human being he encounters he has a purpose for the meeting and its all about trying to make himself feel better for what he did.

Anyhow, if your looking for a good movie to watch..I say pass this one up. If your feeling down and want to continue feeling down or just feel like having a good depressing cry with a box of Kleenex---go get it!

Bugsy's Gone!

Our son showed up yesterday and came and got Bugsy. I thought he was coming today. While I dont miss some of the chewing and messes the little guy made I DO miss him! In fact I called my son 3 times last night to tell we missed him and want him back soon for a weekend visit. i have to tell ya--he kept us on our toes. This is our living room floor cleaned up...vacumned and all of Bugsy's toys put next to his crate.
This is Bugsy's girlfriend pillow. I think it was the leopard fur trim that attracted him...pretty sassy huh? He was quite brutal to his girlfriend pillow.
Forgive me for the almost X-Rated picture of Bugsy. He was in the process of biting and flinging around his girlfriend pillow. I told ya-he wasnt to kind to her.
And...look this is Bugsy after he tore up my house, ate alot of my pretties around the house and decided to take a nap next to me while I was on the computer. Its hard to believe something so little did so much damage! Even so,,, I miss him already. Its amazing how fast you become attached to these critters.

Baldyman has the floor of our little cabin in--and thats as far as he got! We did other work on the yard. Baldyman has been complaining his legs hurt. I told him if this is how he gets after just a floor--I might NEVER get this done! We have a rainy day ahead of us, but the rest of the week is suppossed to be nice and warm and sunny. I'll get him going!

Small Cottage in the Making

Ok I decided since I cant afford to put an addition on to this house or because we dont own it, that I'm tired of not having one of my dreams. We decided to build a very small shed (cottage) that we can somehow take along if we dont end up buying this house. This is the beginning, yep these few pieces of wood. Baldyman will get the floor up today and then we will head out and get what we need to frame it. The plan is to make a small building that I can put a white loveseat in that turns into a bed, a little table and chairs, a potbelly fake stove and just a few other "ladie" type decorations. Its going to go next to the pond we have so I can hear the water. I already have a bunch of things to place inside it. This is Baldymans Mothers Day present to me he says. We plan on being able to sleep out there, watch movies, relax, star gaze. He's going to have the roof either all clear or have a couple of skylights so we can watch the rain, the stars and moon. We are the type of people that live for the moment. I cant wait to see if we will purchase this house, at this point we still dont know, but yet I'm tired of not having somethings that would bring me some joy. We would like to stay in this house,,,but we also talk of moving to a warmer climate to live out our ending years. We talk of moving more seriously now and so are some of our kids...so who knows what will happen. For now though, hopefully in a couple of weeks I will be moving out doors for a good part of our warm weather season. I'll keep pictures posted as we go. P.S. Bugsy has now made day two of 0 presents for Grandma Dawnie!

Learn to Let Go!

I found this plague last week at our Local Hallmark Store. Unfortunately it came in a box--lol! I picked it up last night because I think its so fitting for probably 100% of us. Life isnt easy, at times its downright challenging and exhausting. I've noticed for me the older I get, the less I can handle stress wise. I'm simply not up to the challenges anymore and quite frankly I dont care to get involved in any type of drama or chaos. I went and bought this because I figure if I see this daily it will help me get this in perspective and when a fire comes my way--I can pick what I think is worth my battle. I got a challenge last week that I decided was absolutely my last time in dealing with certain things. Not only do I not want to expend anymore energy on literally what i feel is "bullshit" but also it really boils down to this for me....I know who I am--I know what i am, I know what I'm all about, and no matter what certain members of my birth family will try and do, they are not worthy of my breath anymore. I wont even give it a second thought. Some people will spend their entire lives literally trying to make a living hell for others-because they are choosing to live a living hell and dont want to live it alone. Life is to important to me, its short-it can be taken in a second, I want to enjoy every second i have and not waste a moment on pettiness. "Learn to let go", its simple really.

I think this little phrase can be paired up with "pick your battles". Most of us know by now--what is worth our fighting for. There isnt much anymore I am willing to fight over--my kids are grown--they can protect themselves...material things arent worth fighting at all, so really what is there? Would I fight for my reputation? NOPE--because I know who I am and what I am--and if people who are close to me dont know by now--thats their problem and not mine and again...what it comes down to for me--is I really only care about God and what he thinks of me.

This is a longggg post and I didnt intend it to be, I've had a super busy week and am finally able to find some time to play. I have alot going on in my mind because of some personal things going on. I'm going to have to make some personal decisions soon because I find my "space" being challenged and I need some space. I'm at a point where I'm once again pleasing everyone but myself. Women are so good at that arent we?

Bugsy is doing very well. He made it 24 hours without leaving me a present yesterday! He's sleeping quite well also! Only issue with him is he is chewing everything I own. When he leaves I will need to replace all my cute stuffed animals and one pillow in particular. I think he took to this pillow like his woman. He was trying to be lovey with it--but was quite brutal and has been ripping apart during his lovefest. If he dosnt shape up I dont think he's ready for a partner.

We are suppossed to have a really nice weekend, I'm excited to be outside! I will be posting this weekend because I'm HOME!!! YIPEEEE.

I'm still here!

I've been so busy with these pets and trying to work that I'm finding no time to blog! I'm off tomorrow so that surely will help. I'll catch up with all of you then, I tell ya, its tough having a puppy around, especially when they are not fully trained. I've been cleaning up presents all week!

Guess whose visiting Grandma for the week?

BUGSY! He moved in tonight for the week. Thats his little house for the time when Baldyman or I are not around and at night when he sleeps. His daddy--(my 3rd son) is going on vacation for a week and so we got Bugsy and Peschie which at this moment is hiding underneath the chaise that Baldyman is sitting on. Aren't Bugsy's ears the cutest thing you ever saw? Joel (his daddy) brought about 1 years worth of food, a box of toys, his cage, his bed, his nail trimmer--shampoo--lol...unreal. This dog has more beauty prodcuts that I do and he's a boy! I can tell Bugsy is already missing his daddy...but i also know he love his grammy. It should be an interesting week, with Joels dog and cat and my spoiled Genie. I'll keep you posted!

Easter came early for my house!

We had our Easter Dinner this weekend, since most of our 5 children wont be around next Sunday. I actually liked it this way. That means I will have an extra long weekend next week, and I wont have any committments! This was my bed on Friday as I got out the baskets and got them all together. Not only do I make baskets for the grandgirls, but also for our 5 adult kids. I know--alittle lame-but thats the mother in you I guess. I had a ton of leftover candy and I think I will give that to some family at work. Our dinner turned out great-I think it might have been one of my best ever. I made ham, lamb, Sweet Potato Pie, Hash Brown Casserole, Greek Salad, Applesauce, Green Bean Casserole, Dinner Rolls. For dessert we had chocolate cake and sugar cookies. Everything turned out really good.
This photo here--is a blurry shot of our little chiminea. We've been lighting it up before we go into the hot tub. It adds just alittle extra atmosphere and I get that smell i miss so much. Our fireplace in the house is gas which is nice, but i really miss that smell of wood burning.
This here is a photo of our hot tub--not a great photo--but this is it! We go in here just about every night--rarely miss a night. We've been doing this for over 5 years now. We always joke if this thing goes down--we will do whatever it takes to get another one because we just love it so much. Neither of us get sick that much anymore and its just great for an end of day relaxin and gettin ya ready for bed. That was our weekend--I hope everyone had a safe nice weekend!

Crocus!

Ok this is my Crocus after last weekends snow fall. I know it dosnt look like a whole of crocus, but i have to tell you, this is the most that have popped up. I'm excited. I have yellow, white and purple. Click on the picture to enlarge maybe it will look like there is more than what there really is....lol. We finally have a decent day ahead of us weather wise, all week its been rather rough.

I'm having my Easter dinner this Sunday because most of my 5 kids are going on vacation. Lucky ducks--heading to Florida. Why is it that my kids are going and i'm not? I dont get that. BUT..I'm excited because next week's work schedule is light..kinda like a minivacation for me. I plan on taking my grandaughters to see the Alien Monster movie and out to lunch tomorrow--today is me and Baldy's day to do whatever. I'll probably go check out gardening decor at some shop. Have a great safe weekend!

On my way to work!

I saw an interesting post eons ago about what a person sees on their way to work. I thought I would show you what i see on my way to work! Okkkk, here is how I start my day...I open the passenger side of my very dirty car (which I'm slowly cleaning) and I toss my purse and work stuff on the seat! Note--you can actually almost see the car floor! Thats a lot of progress for me!
Okkkk, I cheated alittle, I forgot to take some pictures on my way--so i went back out tonight in our mini van--lol, so you may notice the car looks different. This is the stop and go lights on my way to work. I drive about 18 miles to work--takes me about 20 minutes to get there--depending if I speed or drive so slow because I'm yakking on the cell phone.
This is Applebees--Pizza hut--a little mall type place I pass up!
This is the Rock River, which is way flooded out. Actually here-it looks mild compared to what it is right next to my work. This river has been causing our area anquish for the last two years. Its claimed many homes, playgrounds, benches, and it just stinks to high heaven. We sooo want it to go back to its normal level.
This is where i end up for alittle of my day. I check my email, enter case notes, listen to my soothing CD'S, and please note-the little bird cage on the desk. I brought that to work thinking it would be so cute to have a fake chirping birdie serenade me. Well, i turned him on and he's motion activated and people just breathe in the next cubicle and he starts twirping...I turned him off about 5 minutes after I got him. He's more annoying than a boss! LOL....Sooo this is how I spend my days Monday--thru Thursday. I hope you enjoyed riding with me to work!