7 Things

I've got complainers out there heckling  me to write a new blog post.  You people really crack the whip, don't you?  Well, I've been busy.  Really busy.  Here's why:

1. We picked up a little side job for a few weeks selling fireworks at our friend's fireworks stand.  Here's what everyone should know about working at a fireworks stand. 

A. All men are pyros.  97.6% of the clientele are male.  The other 2.4% are women who are paying for    fireworks for the men in their lives that don't have any money.

B. My husband and three children are all obsessed with things that go boom.  Obviously, I knew of my husband's obsession with fire...after all, he's been a volunteer fire fighter.  But my kids...well, they would blow ALL of their financial resources at the fireworks stand if they were 16, and if they had more than a buck to their name.

2. I've been busy trying to get the Christmas cards out.  It might take an act of God.  I was going to hand- make them like I usually do every year, but because of the aforementioned side job listed above, I had to go with an alternative.  Just know that it took our family approximately 86 self portrait shots to get just ONE Christmas picture with us all looking normal.  Also note that I was the one that was running back and forth to the camera 86 times to reset the self timer.  So if I look winded in the Christmas card picture, it's because I walked sprinted at least two miles going back and forth.  I hope you appreciate it.

3. I've been busy doing laundry.  Did you know that I currently have a pile of laundry that rivals Mt. Everest?  Let's face it, my family goes through a lot of clothing.  We're mountain people.  We layer our clothes.  We also raise cattle.  We get manure on our clothes.  I have a hard time keeping up with the pile on a normal day, but when I'm working at a fireworks stand.....well, the stuff starts to multiply exponentially.

4. I've been busy Christmas shopping.  I had 3 people left to shop for.  Three impossibly difficult, absolutely and unfathomably challenging people to shop for. So what did I do?  I went to Western Drug, of course!  If you're ever in pinch with no ideas, you must go to Western Drug.  I bought my Grandpa several packs of "Shoot N C" rifle targets.  They explode in color upon impact so you can easily see where you shot when you're sighting in your gun. (I'm fully aware that this means nothing to 99% of the people reading this.) However, if you know my family, you know that NO Christmas is complete without Guns, Ammo, or shooting paraphernalia.  My Dad and my Grandpa go shooting every Friday.  It's like this little ritual they have.  They go shooting near my Uncle Mike's alfalfa fields on Friday mornings, then they drive into town to eat green chili cheese crisps at the local Mexican food restaurant.  So you see, these targets are the PERFECT gift for the man who loves to shoot, and has everything else he needs. Where did I find these? Western Drug.  It's the one stop shop.  If you don't live near Western Drug, then I can't help you with your Christmas drama. Sorry.

5. We've been busy cutting down a Christmas tree for my beloved's parents.  My mother-in-law is recovering from some back surgery, and we thought it would be nice to cut down a tree so that my father-in-law wouldn't have to. After church today, we loaded up the kids, put a Hank the Cowdog audio book on in the truck, and laughed our hiney off while searching for the "perfect" tree.  If you haven't listened to a Hank the Cow Dog book on audio, then your children are being neglected.  The truth is, my husband and I love them as much as our kids.  I have to warn you though, if you aren't familiar with ranch life, then you won't get half the jokes, but if  you know your ranch terminology, you'll love them.  Anyway, I digress.  Where was I?  Oh yes, the tree.  We found the perfect tree on the side of a cliff.  There's always a story behind each of our trees, and sometime this week I'll share a few tree stories with you....but this tree...well it was a real cliff hanger.  My husband risked life and limb to hike to it, and then remembered that he was going to have to somehow get back down the cliff with the 10 foot tree.  Needless to say, the tree ended up tumbling down the cliff and arrived at the bottom in 1.5 seconds.  My husband was there 10 minutes later. 

Side note: No tree limbs were injured in the taking of the tree.  Turns out...fresh cut trees are bouncy.

6. I've been busy finishing my last week of homeschooling my children until after the New Year! WOOT!

7. I've been busy enjoying seasonal holiday treats.  After several hours of Christmas tree hunting, we were famished. We drove into town and pulled into the local Sonic, where I was a victim of pretty Christmas advertising.  I made an impulse purchase of both of their holiday items...A small Sugar Cookie Blast, and a small Spiced Hot Chocolate with whipped cream. (They looked so cute on the sign.)  It was freakin' cold outside, so I thought these two items would go lovely together.  A bite of cold ice cream, a sip of hot chocolate....repeat.  Turns out, this was the dumbest idea I've ever had.  After freezing my teeth with the ice cream, the hot chocolate felt like a blow torch on them.  It was a torturous pain that made me want to go through the roof.  I'm going to avoid all holiday food impulse purchases from now on.

As usual, I will conclude my list at 7 things, because all good Christians make lists with 7 things on them.  It's the number of completion.  Totally Kidding.  Now you have a small glimpse as to why I've been busy!

Until tomorrow,

Nell