junk6

at the beach with the fun ladies of our church. i will assure you NO foolishness is going on! ps. we played truth or dare. which was just truth. got some good scoop.

you LOUSE!!!!

ok SO....the worst of the worst and one of the least most FUN things has happened. the phone call:
nurse: mrs. liz? we have butter in the health room and we have what we think might be a couple of suspicious spots in his hair. now............................(she talks with long pauses) this might be lice eggs.

me: WHAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTT??? oh no you are kidding me! this can't be happening! i am going to the beach tomorrow do we have to treat the whole family? should you go and check my daughter while you are at it???

so, there i am with both kids with "possible" lice. checked out of school. i headed to pre-school to get crunch. might as well have a freakin bug party with all of our family and some of that wonderfully affordable shampoo and de-bugging comb through gel! NOT ONLY THAT!!! we had to strip all of the sheets and comforters and pillows and cushion covers. then we had to put all of the stuffed animals and anything that can't be washed in garbage bags for like three weeks. THEN we have to DE-EGG ourselves each day because (grab a barf bag) in 7 days the EGGS WILL HATCH. huuuuaaaah. i just threw up in my mouth.

everyone was treated except for bert. he'll be sorry when he has a couple of hatching eggs on his head.

the cone of shame.

poor moss the dog. no only is his weight problem causing other doggies to laugh at him.....now he dons the "cone of shame". he has been licking his darn foot for so long it has this horrifying bump on it that is getting bigger and bigger with his every lick. so, peanut and i took him to the vet where they fitted him in the cone and told us to give him some benadryl. now he lays...on the floor...with the cone...flattened on the bottom by the weight of his droopy "what have you people done to me NOW" face. oh, and while we were at the vet he weighed in at EXACTLY WHAT HE WEIGHED LAST TIME! no weight loss. this dog has no metabolism. poor poor hefty cone wearin boy!

junk5

butter and his little friend are in the backyard looking for animal "weapons"?

his expwanation: "wike when a bee dies and wooses his stinger. OR when a WHINO dies and wooses his horn! THAT might even be in the backyard!

junk4

last night we turned all the lights off and told "stories". when it was crunch's turn his was about a spiderman m&m. it was HILARIOUS.

a hole in my heart and a crash diet

i feel a bit of a hole in my heart where frannie used to be. sounds kind of silly but i do! i miss holding her and i miss her sleeping with me in the bed. don't get me wrong, moss the dog is GREAT but he is SO big that i cant hold him, i've tried. and when he gets up in my lap...well, it's just weird. and he should be named "gassy the dog" cuz when he toots it is an almost visible green cloud that looms so densely on your face that it is like some sort of atomic re verb. (i do not know if that sentence made sense but it does not matter cuz this is my blog and i can say what i want). so i started thinking that i might be ready to have a smaller (already trained) pound dog. i went online and found the cutest little 12 lb adult dog that would be perfect xcept for the adult part because what if she is actually really old and then i have to go thru the same thing that i went through with frannie? right now the kids are gathering all of their money together and have come up with $26.83 for a new dog. they are going to put it in bert's walk-in closet with a note that says "money for new doggie" how will he be able to resist? he has said no to a new dog. but we are not asking for a new dog we are asking to "rescue a previously owned or abused dog". i just heard butter shout to peanut "hey i just found 10 cents!" so they now have $26.93! they only need about a hundred or so to cover adoption fees.

update on moss the dog's crash diet:
he is STARVING and is STEALING FOOD RIGHT OUT OF PEOPLE'S HANDS!
he has become a much better "dustbuster" than before. he can spot and hear a dropped m&m from across the house. he has even resorted to eating grass.
he stole a peanut butter and jelly sandwich from the counter top that shay (the babysitter) made for crunch. she is still mad at him. we have been exercising him and he gets tired pretty easily but one day he pulled crunch on his tricycle down the sidewalk with his leash. that was fun until butter realized that he needed to actually "STEER" the handle bars. we won't try that again for a while (that was a "what was i thinking" moment).

junk3

straight from my facebook status but perfect for my new "junk" entries

note to self...remind babysitter when crunch asks for his RED BOWL he is not asking for RED BULL. i could have sworn he was asking me for red bull this morning. THIS MISTAKE WOULD HAVE MASSIVE CONSEQUENCES

junk 2

just cuz you think you have your phone on "locked" in your back pocket does not mean that your butt can't somehow hit the two buttons it needs to, in order...so as to unlock the lock and answer the phone letting the person calling listen to your entire conversation with a friend.....thank the LORD that you were not sayin something that you should not of. ffffyyyyyeeeewww!!!

A's painting

i am waiting on the pick-up of a painting painting. my friend commissioned me to do a pretty big one for her. she is a fellow artist and kinda just let me paint!! i LOVE that kind of customer!! i sent her the photos of progress along the way.
step 1 spread clear medium
step 2 carve sketch into it
step 3 let dry
step 4 paint over with color to see imprints more clearly
step 5 paint your colors!!

JUNK

a new aspect to the blog. sort of like a facebook status or a quote or a tweet. look for these. they will be titled JUNK! not the bad kind of junk but just the xtras in my life and my kids....junky and funky but real! here goes my first:


JUNK!
crunch thinks that the word BROCCOLI is hilarious. he will put it anywhere in a sentence.....ex..."momma your lookin like a broccoli and juice box!"

the hair is fixed and now butter looks like a man.

EVERYONE sais go with a buzz but we chose to leave a little in the front to do a "sprig" with. i call it, the redneck.. "i just ran SMACK into a wall and then someone spritzed me with hairspray" look. here is what the little man had to say about it on video. let me know if you understand anything the boy says. he tends to talk through his missing bottom tooth. he thinks he looks AWESOME and then crunch got to get some of his mop cut too!

what did you just say??

my in-laws are from minnesota. but they live in the south and have for years. when they return to the north, they are even accused of having southern accents! HILARIOUS! my mother in law talks like rose nilen from saint olaf (golden girls). THIS MORNING MY CHILD SAID THE UNTHINKABLE! THE WORST OF THE WORST THE SIGNATURE FARGO-ISH TERM EVER!
"YOU BETCHA!!"
ok my beloved relatives, i do not know what this means but i might just put him on a plane and send him up there to hang out for a while! he's got it in the genes! yah?

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!
ok, i feel a little better!

an unfortunate hair poem

poor little butter
could not see
"mom, cut my hair"
he said to me

i guess he could not wait
so this morn
in a twist of fate

scissors came out
and he cut away
no more bangs
and rat tails left to stay!

oh my gosh
"what did you do?"
the tears came as it occurred to him
i've got to go to school!

crocodile tears flowing down his face
that broke my heart
i need to show grace

going to face the kids at school
with a bandana over the doo
hope they don't give him too much poo!

getting the hair buzz this afternoon
will post a pick of a happier kid
without such a look of doom!

hell is full of mismatched socks

right now at this moment i am sitting in a pile of socks that have been in THE BLACK BOX. with no matches. why can't i throw them away? because, lemme tell you why....ok....well, i keep throwing socks from the dryer into this box thinking OK NOW the matches have made their way in. i just bet THAT VERY sock that has not had a match in two years is going to finally find his long lost lover sock. SO i POUR out the entire box on my bed and try and match them. every time i start this process i think OK i can just throw all of these away and go buy a six pack of socks for each kid and all problems will be solved. but noooooooooooooooo i can't seem to let go of this BLACK BOX and be FREEEEEEEEEEEE! i am like one of those hoarder ladies that cries when her socks go on the "Got Junk?" truck. EVEN after she found her lost set of teeth under the pile of old newspapers and her collection of dog poop. (i know i am not the only one that watches that show). right now.....in a minute...or two there will be a black box of socks on the street. i'm taking steps FORWARD! right NOW! watch me world! hoarder lady and her new/old teeth are heading outside! here i go! right after i make sure there are no possible matches. i'm just saying.

what i want to say

what i want to say and what i feel like i can't say are starting to blend together and cause a little "friction". i started blogging because i was encouraged to by friends. then, when i began to blog a lot i felt "encouraged". it is definitely therapeutic to me to blog about my feelings and struggles. about my children and their struggles. but now i feel a little downtrodden.
questions posed:
are people reading my blog for entertainment? certainly some are. are they reading it for a laugh? sure, when the posts are funny. are they reading it to keep up with my family? my family probably is and maybe some out of town friends.
and then this question:
are they reading it to laugh AT me, instead of WITH me?? this question was posed to me. "well, if they are than they are." was my answer.
i am not private.....BIG SURPRISE!
i am not ashamed or embarrassed easily....i know you did not notice this, either!
so the question is WHY DO IT?? WHY DO I NEEED TO BLOG?
ok, well.....hmmmmmm. i like it. it gives me an escape from my life. it gets the feelings out instead of in. i like the amount of attention the blog gets. the positive attention. i am not crazy about negative attention. i am learning that this comes with the territory. MOST importantly, i want to share the Gospel! i have many posts about my faith in Jesus.
i have been asked to remove things from my blog in several occasions. i have been asked to "edit" things. i have insulted people without knowing until i was told. NEVER INTENTIONAL.
being a "people pleaser" and a blogger do not really jive.
i had NO IDEA that "this funky junky" would be read by so many. i am thrilled! BUT it also opens the doors to some of these problems (mentioned above). i TRY to never use last names and when applicable i change names. sometimes i have not changed names and this has caused problems. for this i am SO SORRY.
am i discouraged? yes.
am i going to keep blogging? yes.
i don't think i should stop blogging but it will be better because of lessons learned.
will i still offend people? OF COURSE! no one can make everyone happy.
there is a big difference in offending someone and HURTING THEM.

a friend taught me an important rule of thumb.....said by the apostle PAUL
"everything is permissible, but not all things are beneficial"
this will be my guide. i will write to my hearts delight, unless it is not beneficial for me, or hurts others.
SO, JUNKIES! i am going to continue to blog and post photos of art and tell stories and PRAY that the things i post are beneficial, fun, and helpful. and sometimes a little painful for me but helpful to the call of faith in Christ through all trials.

spring

when spring "springs" at my house it reminds me of the day that i brought peanut home after having her. the bright pink azaleas had bloomed while we were in the hospital. i always look forward to the bright pink EXPLOSION of azaleas avery spring since....to remind me of bringing home my first baby love!

when peanut and her friend shelly swiped my camera...

they got some pretty cute shots!

a question? or not. well. if i had a question and someone wanted to answer it.

MY QUESTION (on facebook):
ok what is the difference between "passive" and "passive aggressive"? i forget. i think i don't like either of these behaviors.
ANSWER FROM MY FRIEND LOU:
Passive is when your dog rolls over for you to scratch his belly. Passive aggressive is when he rolls over and says, "No, that's cool if you don't want to scratch my belly. No really, go ahead with your important life and blogging duties and raising kids. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine over here with no one scratching my belly."

smarty farty! what a great answer. but, by this definition...i am passive aggressive. blaaaaaaaaaa! roaaaaaar!

dog walking me.

Moss and i went on a walk today on a trail in the middle of town. this one has a river that runs next to it. not a big river. more like a creek. moss walked me. until i finally let him off the leash and he went crazy. "love handles" shaking...(on both of us). he ended up in the creek. i sat next to the creek. today was a good day.

"fat dog in a little coat"

moss the dog is fat. i knew that he was somewhat square but i had no idea that he is 20 lbs too big. i took him to the vet today because i was concerned with these swollen sides that he has. it turns out the diagnosis is "love handles" he weighs in at 100 lbs and is supposed to weigh 80!! so, the "diet" begins because WE CAN'T LOSE ANOTHER PET! i will not stand for it. my kids would have to go to grief counseling.

a lost art

dear junkys,
today was a pretty day and i was outside when the mailman came. he handed me our usual small stack of mail. i noticed a black envelope addressed to me. when i flipped it over to see who it was from i had a natural smile because this girl is one of my FAVES of all people. BUT, i knew it was probably an invitation to a home clothing show or something. i mean...what else would it be if not an invitation? ALTHOUGH, it is actually getting a little rare to get a "snail mail" invite as apposed to an "e-vite". i opened it and was touched by what i read...A NOTE, A LETTER, an actual WRITTEN (by hand) NOTE TO ME! it was so fun to open an envelope and read the words that someone is thinking of you. in this case, my friend was thinking about me and how i had lost my dog. she also offered her own story of losing her dog and how hard it was. SHE EMPATHISED. then she gave me assurance that my grief would subside. she also wrote that she would be praying for my family.
i saw her tonight at the soccer field. i hugged her neck and thanked her for the sweet note. we both agreed that hand written notes are a dying art and the Internet has replaced it.
i feel encouraged to write notes to people. i hope that this art does not die as the quill and ink bottle did. don't misunderstand: i LOVE facebook and all of the e-notes that i send and am sent. LOVE THEM. but, something happened to me today when i realized that someone spent the time to sit down and hand write a note to me. that action alone shows thought, consideration, time, effort, and a stamp!
i'm gonna write a letter tomorrow. thanks K.I.!!
Sincerely,
liz
P.S. this was not handwritten.
P.P.S. i don't know or remember what P.S. actually stands for.

painting my tail off for two shows

here are the ones i have finished. still painting. took some days off to mourn frannie. but, she would want me to keep painting. actually she could not have cared less but it helps to say that!

a sad day that won't end

frannie was hit by a car. i had no idea that she had gotten out. there is a chance that one of the kids let her out. i never let her out during carpool hour because we are on the route and people drive up our street like maniacs. they must have hit her in the early morning. crunch and i headed out to run errands around 11:15. i saw her...before i pulled out of the driveway. she was in a pile a leaves down the driveway. with her sweet little head poking up out of the leaves. this sight was something she had never done. i ran to her and realized that she was very hurt. i picked her up and ran down the street to my neighbors..(crunch was buckled in the car, oblivious). frannie's tongue was turning white. suzie drove me to the vet. i could not stop crying and yelling her name. crunch was safely with a neighbor...still oblivious.
at the vet they hooked her up to an IV and her color came back, but she was facing a hurdle. a possible surgery.
frannie was 13. blind and deaf and not a very happy dog. she was tired, she avoided us, unless we were feeding her.
a full day passed while i waited for her to stabilize enough for an x-ray. i sat on the floor next to her little cage. she seemed so peaceful and seemed to recognize me and my voice. i would lift up her ear and talk right into it. i told her i was sorry. so sorry for all that i had said and done to make her life hard. sorry for this...this pain she was going through. i just stroked her little head and talked to her and CRIED. man, i am not sure that i have cried that hard in a long time.
after the x-ray and talking with our amazing vet, my decision (with my sweet daddy by my side) i called bert and we agreed that the decision to go ahead and put her to sleep. the surgery was too risky and because of her old age, it seemed to be the best decision. i held her as she received the dose of whatever chemical it is that ends animals lives was administered. this memory...i will never shake.
the memories of all of the years of having this little dog for comfort and love...gone in an instant. oh, the guilt. even knowing it was the most humane thing to do, is eating at me.
frannie drove me crazy and caused me anxiety but now i want her back. i miss her. there is a void now.
the kids screamed and cried their eyes out. that sucked. really. i held it together. bert was great. i am tired, my eyes are crossing. so, more on my thoughts later.
rest in peace frances tinybell. there is a blank spot on the end of the bed where she would lick my feet. i wish things had been better, easier, less traumatic, but losing a little family member Hurts and stings.

art for hope

TTTS (twin to twin transfusion) is a rare condition found in identical twins where the babies share a placenta, causing difficulties in equal nutrition, blood flow, amniotic fluid levels etc.

Art For Hope is the show that i am about to participate in that will raise money for this syndrome. check out the website by clicking on the post title art for hope (above).

the show is Thursday April 8th 5-8 (tickets at door $15.00) live music, tons of art and a silent auction

oooh oooh that smell! can you smell that smell?

we moved back into our renovated house two years ago. and for two years i have dealt with a nuisance that i have complained about. sometimes feeling pretty helpless because NO ONE WILL LISTEN TO ME! there is a smell. it is in the "added on" section of the house. in the boys rooms. JUST in the boys rooms. a PUNGENT rotten egg/skunky smell that only comes out when the "conditions are just right. usually late afternoon when it is warm outside. i have told paul the builder about it and he has not smelled it yet UNTIL YESTERDAY. i called him "come over NOW! skunky smell is back!" see, for two years i have blamed this on the paint. thinking we got a bad batch. but now, i am beginning to wonder if we got some of that defective dry wall that has been recalled! ugggggggggg! ok...so paul the builder comes over and HONEY, he smelled it and believes me now! peeeeeeeyew! what are we going to do? it HAS to be the walls. although paul got all of our sheet rock at the same time from the same place and the boys rooms are the only one that seem to be affected. it is extra embarrassing when friends come over in the late afternoon and i have to just tell them WE KNOW that there is a smell, no one died under the house, there is not an archaic diaper that is fermenting under someones bed. so, we just close the door, until someone opens it to see the addition and it hits them like a skunky toot. oops, sorry. brett would rather me not mention it but i am in the school of thought that you want people to know that YOU SMELL THE SMELL TOO! "i don't want anyone to think wow do they know that their house smells skunky?" or "did they boil some eggs before we came over?" mmmmmmm rotten eggs......

showtime

this time i used some mixed media. wine foil tops....hymnal pages....can pop tops. hmmmm is this my inward finster coming out??