The Crock-Pot

Don't ya just love the crock-pot? I do. I love putting dinner in in the morning and by 4:00 the house smells of our delicious dinner. We do regularly entice the kids friends to stay for dinner with the smell. I have used my crock-pot every day this week, yes I realize its only Tuesday, but I'm not being picky. Yesterday's dinner wasn't a smashing success, but tonight's smells really good right now, its a lentil stew. Besides, since dinner was already cooking I had plenty of time to make the apple strudel for FHE! I love that you can take a cheap cut of meat and make it super yummy. Plus its such a fall/cool weather thing. I love that I can take a few minutes to throw dinner together, then no matter how crazy my day gets dinner is done and I don't end up eating out because I'm too tired or just not in the mood to cook. I am also a HUGE fan of soups and my crock-pot gets plenty of use making soup. Its the appliance that helps me feel like a pulled together homemaker-yummy food, and sense of self all wrapped in one.

Can You Think of a Commandment You have a hard time Keeping?

"Thou Shalt Not Kill"

This was the question I asked the girls at devotional this morning. I wasn't asking them to respond out loud, but Sarah had a quick response. Here I was thinking they might be thinking of "Honor Thy Father and Thy Mother", no Sarah explained that she just has a hard time not killing people. So far the body trail hasn't made it back to her. She and I had a bad day yesterday (see previous post), and she said that she was going to kill me, luckily I made it through the night. Maybe that's what she's talking about. Am I raising a psychopath, a serial killer? Sarah keeps us laughing, she's especially funny when she's angry.

You know, Ali.....

If you know Sarah you might have heard of Ali. Ali showed up about 3 years ago when Sarah was in preschool. She started telling us stories about her fairy friend Ali. I asked her preschool teacher if she had been talking about fairies or read a story about a fairy named Ali, she hadn't. Ali goes through things that Sarah goes through, hears about or wishes happened to her. Ali has a mom and dad. Her mom used to drink coffee until she stopped because they are Mormons and Heavenly Father told them to stop(just to be clear I may have a caffeine addiction, but its strictly soda). She has a little sister named Ruby who gets into all kinds of trouble that Ali has to help her out of. She also has a brother named Brian.

When Ali first showed up a was a little worried, because she seemed so real to Sarah. Anytime Sarah started in on an Ali story (You know, Ali-they all start the same) we would hurry and remind her that Ali was pretend. Now the stories start: You know, Ali-my imaginary fairy... I've stopped worrying about Ali, because I realized that she helps Sarah figure life out, and deal with what's going on around her. For example once one of our neighbors crashed on her bike, well then Ali crashed on her bike and was hurt and sad, but she was ok. I know that someday Ali will disappear, and that will be kind of sad. Ali reminds me of what an imagination Sarah has, and I hope that she never looses that. I thought I should take a minute to write about it, before we all forget about Ali.

What did I just do?

I registered for the Pony Express Days 5K! Holy crap! I know a 5k isn't that long, but I've never done a race before and now I'm a little, no a lot, nervous. I printed out my training schedule, and figured out that I should start training this week! Holy Crap! Good thing I have a run planned with Mandi tomorrow. I've always toyed with the idea of doing a 5k and when Mandi decided to run a half marathon I decided that I would give it a go. So, after talking with Mandi today I went ahead and signed up. I'm excited, I'm not looking to do anything, but finish and run the whole thing. Tiff is supposed to be doing this with me, so here we go.

Also, on another note. We went to Las Vegas last week. Tiffanie had a conference and it was a great excuse to visit Melanie. You can get an overview of our trip on Melanie's blog, and I promise I will post some pictures soon, not just of our trip, but I want to show off my April Fools day dinner, and my school room and coat closet (I was thinking today that of all the improvements we've done on our house the closets are my favorite).

Well, wish me luck as I train for this run. I'm reminding myself that this is supposed to be fun!

I have a school room and a coat closet!

I am soooooooo excited! We turned the room that Mike and Tiff were using into our school room, and turned my upstairs hall closet into a coat closet. Not having a coat closet is one of the things that has frustrated me about this house, (along with a small kitchen) and it was fairly easy to take out three of the shelves and add a closet rod.

A few years ago Darren and I listened to some cds about love language. My love language is time. That means the best way to show love to me is to spend time with me, or doing things for me. Darren and I agreed that I could make him a "honey do" list so he would know what projects I wanted done. Now, along with this comes another agreement, defining what is "enough", because honestly once he starts working I could work him to death on projects and it would never be enough because there is no end to the projects I can think of that need to be done. This also hold true for the way he recieves love, there has to be a definition of what is enough. So, back to my school room and closet. Yesterday we met my brother at the storage unit he shares with my parents to get McKay's old twin bed. We brought that home. Then Darren installed four more shelves in the closet of the school room. Then, he took Shelby's day bed apart, we hauled it to the school room (needed for a comfy place to read, and for the ocasional cousin sleepover), and put it back together. I set to work emptying the upstairs closet and moving the school stuff downstairs while Darren put the twin bed from the storage unit together in Shelby's room. When that was done he knocked out the shelves in the hall closet and installed a closet rod! I would say all of that work was more than "enough" I'm certain that he loves me! I love the new space, not only the school room, but in my closet now that coats are not hanging in there. It is also nice to have all the school stuff in one place, and not poking out from every available corner.

Walking Dogs

About a year ago, after reading Thomas Jefferson Education Home Companion. I was trying to come up with a way that Shelby could earn money. Something that was real (not just me making up work) and meaningful to her. My brother in law, Mike, has a nephew that likes snakes. Tiffanie was telling me that he started selling mice to people with snakes. As creepy as that is, it got me thinking. What does Shelby love? Dogs. She has to walk Keno everyday, maybe she could get a couple of other dogs to walk too, since she has to go anyway, she could make money while she's at it. Darren and I also thought she could start paying for dance, not all of it, just $5 for every day of the week that she has a class. So if class was 2 days a week, she would pay $10 a month. She would also have money to pay tithing on. When I presented the plan to her, she cried. How could I be so mean. Mike talked to her about his money making endeavors when he was a kid, and she started to warm up to the idea. We decided we would make fliers and give them to people with little dogs. It has been wonderful! She has 4 dogs she walks each week plus Keno. She loves the dogs, and has hired Sarah to help her on days that she has more than 2 dogs to walk. She pays Sarah a dollar a week. I love what this has taught my girls. They have to be responsible to show up on time, they have to manage their money. Shelby has since opened a savings account that she pays 10% to each month. Plus, I have not bought her a single webkinz, she uses her own money.

I was so glad they stopped by the house last week with the dogs so I could get pictures of them with the dogs! Thank you to those that have been kind enough to let my girls walk their dogs. Their relationship with the dogs and the owners has blessed their lives and it touches my hear too.

Fairy homes

My girls, especially Sarah, love fairies. When we saw an article in Family Fun Magazine this morning on building a fairy house, they were totally excited. They quickly got dressed, ate breakfast, and cleaned up their rooms, so that they could get outside and work on their fairy houses. They used flowers from the funeral yesterday to make beds, and other fairy household items. Sarah covered the floor of her house with petals. I did feel bad that they didn't dry them to save, but this is what they wanted to do, and now they are preserved in pictures. To make the houses totally magical, they sprinkled them with glitter, and then spent the rest of the morning going in and out of the house to check to see if the fairies had been there. Some things had magically moved, so we know that they did come and visit.

Update

I know I have been kind of a slacker blogger. It just seems like I never get the time to sit down and write. So here is a little update of what has been going on.

1.We have been working on finishing a room in our basement. Actually, to be honest Mike (my brother-in-law) has finished a room in our basement. Mike and Tiff and Carter will be moving in with us soon, and now they have a room to stay in! I am excited to have them stay with us, and even more excited that they will be living in Eagle Mountain. Here are some pictures of the new room before and after. Isn't the color fun?! Keno adds a little human interest, although I don't think he can compete with Sarah dancing.

















2. Darren was called as the Elder's Quorum President in our ward. We were so surprised when we got the call to meet with the Stake President. We didn't think Darren would ever be released from scouts. I have so many thoughts about this calling as well as my own, but the right words just aren't coming to me right now. So, I'll just say that I know that Heavenly Father is aware of our family and will help us in all that we have been asked to do.

3. I have loved summer! We have a had a lot of fun with our family. Tiff and I perfected ( in our opinion) lounging at the pool. We bought umbrellas, and beach chairs, and went as often as we could. Tiff and I went to the Parade of Homes, and check out this room!



4. I started school back with the girls at the beginning of August. I am really excited about this new school year! I found a History curriculum I really love, it called Story of the World. We are also making a BIG time line, it has lines for world history, American history, Church history, and Family history. I'm excited to see how everything comes together. We also got our new math books, and Core Knowledge books. I feel like I have better grasp on things this year, and I know what I want to see happen in our home. Wish me luck, I need it! Here is our 'First day of School' picture.
So, with all of this going on I needed a little getaway with Darren. Two weeks ago we went with Mike and Tiff to Park City. We shopped, went to the movies, and visited the Olympic park. It was the perfect break. I came back with new clothes, and ready for whatever is ahead. There's a quick blurb about what has been going on in our home.

This is how I feel somedays

There are days I just feel so empty inside, she said, that the only cure is buying stuff I don't need from WalMart. The best thing, she added, is that it all breaks after a couple of weeks, so I can throw it out & start all over again.

This describes my feeling today. I want to go shopping. The purse store is calling me, maybe a new restaurant I haven't been to, instead I am wasting time on the computer, waiting for my sister to call and tell me she can play. Hehe. This thought from the story people also describes how I feel about Walmart-it makes me crazy.

Swimming Lessons

Swimming lessons have run our lives for the last two weeks. I chose to have the girls take lessons at Riverton Pool, since its fairly close and it was affordable. So we drove into town Monday through Thursday for lessons. I chose a lesson time of 11:45, so that we could have lunch at the park and then go back to the pool to swim if we wanted to.
I have lived in Eagle Mountain for almost 8 years, so I am conditioned now that if you go into town you must make it worth the trip so I packed as much as I could into my daily drives. Basically I'm exhausted. The 4th of July on Friday and a trip to Price for Taylor's Baptism made last week totally fun, but also exhausting. We were late for church on Sunday because we just couldn't move fast enough.
So this week is all about catching up on things I have let slide; housework, practicing piano, and blogging. Here are some swimming lesson highlights.
Aren't my girls fabulous in their matching swim suits? I love dressing them the same, its in my genetic make-up.
Here is Sarah leading her class in a game of "red light, green light". The color of the "light" determines how fast you kick your legs.
And now the most climatic moment of all. Its the last day of lessons, will Shelby jump off the high dive? She has jumped off the regular diving board, which took a lot of courage because the water was 12 feet deep. She climbed the high dive once only to turn around and climb back down. Are you on the edge of your seat with anticipation? Well I will leave you in suspense no longer.

She did it!

Red Box

Have you tried the Red Box? I gave it a try because I got a couple of coupons for free movie rentals from McDonald's. The Red Box is an interesting thing. Its a great idea because first of all its only $1. So, you rent your movie and then take it back the next day, which is great because I forget about returning a movie on Thursday that I watched Saturday night. Plus if your late to the other places they charge you for another five days and the Red box only charges you for one more night. The thing I don't like about the Red Box is that there is always a line, at least in this neck of the woods, and if there are people waiting behind me I feel self conscious. In a regular video store I can browse and not worry about how long I'm taking, but at the Red Box I feel like I need to know exactly what I want get it, and move on. This must have been invented by a man, because I just described shopping with Darren.
Last night I was returning a movie (after promising Shelby that I would only return the movie and not a buy a drink too, She worries about me keeping the Sabbath day holy). There was a line, of course, it was getting close to 9:00 when the charge for another night is added. There was a lady trying to rent something, it was taking her a while to find what she wanted, so she was getting nervous. She found what she wanted, and then was swiping her card the wrong way, so it wouldn't work, and instead of anyone saying anything, we all stood and watched. So, after about 5 tries she gave up and left. The next lady in an effort to be quick put her movie in the machine and walked away, only to have the machine spit it back out because she put it in wrong. The kid behind her, wearing turquoise and black checkered pants, didn't know what to do with her movie. Good thing the lady was still watching, and came back. She had the movie in the case backwards, once someone pointed this out to her she was able to successfully return her movie and move on. Funny how someone helped that lady, but not the poor lady that had her debit card turned the wrong way. I guess someone decided that helping the second lady would move things along and helping the first lady would only make her be in line longer. Funny that. So, another thing about the Red Box is that it makes for good people watching. How will people behave under pressure? Hope I haven't totally bored you, but I had fun thinking about this.

This is love!

My girls walk dogs four days a week. When the flowers and trees started to bloom they would often come home from their walks with these little flower gifts. I started putting them on my dresser in this candle lid. I always thought I would throw them away, I would think of the bugs that the flowers could be holding. The reason I didn't throw them away is that its Sarah's job to take out the garbage and I thought if she saw the flowers in the garbage she would think I didn't love them, or her. The kids are often devastated when they find beloved (to them) things in the garbage. Then, one day I was visiting with Mandi and she told me that Sarah (just to be clear Shelby and Sarah bring home flowers) had given her flowers after they had walked Sandy. I thought "that is love". I know my girls admire Mandi and that giving her flowers was Sarah's way of letting Mandi know. So, for now I wouldn't dream of throwing away my little collection of love.

Chickens-Saturday Sentiments

My computer says its 12:22AM so, I guess technically this is now a Sunday Sentiment. I know that when I try to get up at 7:00 to "surprise" Darren with breakfast in bed I am going to regret being up so late. But, I felt bad that I have skipped my weekly Saturday Sentiments post, and I have been wanting to write about this so I am going to just do it. I should be able to get a nap tomorrow.

There is something that I just love about chickens. I started collecting different chicken things when we moved into this house. I think its the earthiness of them. I love that I look out my window and see my neighbor's chickens. I also love the rooster/chicken stuff that friends have given me, that just makes them special. The yellow chicken on the shelf is from Mandi, and has rebar legs-so cute. The white chicken is a pitcher that Darren brought home from his mission. It is called the barfing chicken and comes with a ceremony-weird missionary stuff.

When I saw this plate rack I had to have it, and I had a great time accesorizing and figuring out what I wanted to go on the plate rack. Yellow and red are my favorite colors, so I look at this and smile.

Now, this isn't a rooster or a chicken, its a Turkey. This platter was given to my by my mother in law, it belonged to her mother. No one else wanted it-I can't imagine why. I saw it and fell in love. My Grandpa Harward was a turkey farmer in Richfield. I remember going to see the turkeys (not pleasant, turkeys flock to the fence when you drive by ugly things happen to the ones in front and they stink, but I'm talking about happy memories here). Making marinated turkey is a close to a religion in my family, and eating is the best. My grandparents and uncle's homes where decorated with all kinds of turkey things. So, I love this platter. It gives me a connection to my Harward roots, even if it came from Darren's family. Like I've said before, it doesn't have to make sense to you, it does to me, and that's enough.

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy

After our trip to Logan, in April, Darren and I thought it would be fun to take the girls to Ephraim, to visit Snow College. Darren and I met during our first year at Snow, so this is where it all began. Plus, we try to talk about college whenever we can to get them pointed in that direction, so visits to college campus' are a must. My parents did the same thing with my brother's and sisters and me, it must have done some good even if I did decide at an early age that I definitely did not want to go to BYU (not that I had the grades that made that an option, but I digress).

We thought it would be even more fun to go during the Manti pageant. Darren's parents have some property in Fairview so we decided to camp. We didn't make it through the entire pageant, Sarah woke up about 10 minutes before it ended and was crying because she was so cold, so we left.


This trip was a little different for me than our trip to Logan. I had a great time in Logan, going to USU. I had great roommates, I really figured out what I wanted to do with my life, I got engaged, and then got married. Everything that college should be. Oh yeah, I did graduate too. The thing that made this trip different was that as I walked around the campus of Snow College I remembered how hard life was. I was always worried about my grades, that during my first year weren't very good. Meeting Darren was great! Saying good bye when he left for his mission was hard. My good friend at the time also left on a mission a year later while I was still going to Snow. It was a time to grow up and learn some hard lessons, like you have to study to get good grades, and if you don't get good grades they take away your financial aid, and if they take away your financial aid, all the studying in the world doesn't matter when you can't go to school. I also had lots of roommate drama. Note to Moms: If the kids don't really like each other when they are in high school, its not a good idea for them to live together. That might be a good topic for a future post: What I learned from living with 27 different girls over 4 years.

So, why is this post titled Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy? Two reasons. First, I did figure out a lot about who I was and who I wanted to be. I learned that I could do hard things, I actually made the dean's list the next year. Quite a leap from academic probation. I figured out how to live with different kinds of people. By the time I went to USU I knew what to do and how to do it and I got to have a lot more fun.

My most inspiring thought came as I was watching the pageant. There was Mormon handing off the plates to his son Moroni, and going off to battle knowing that he would die. As Moroni walks off all alone thinking "Where I go mattereth not." I thought about my life now. I know this world is changing and things seem to be getting harder, and there seems to be a lot to be worried about. But, I felt so grateful that I'm not alone, like Moroni was. I still have my family. I still have great friends. I most of all I have the gospel. This came to my inbox this week, and I've thought about it a lot.
"We all go through different life experiences. Some are filled with joy, and others with sorrow and uncertainty. . . .
". . . Aren't the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and our membership in His Church great reasons to rejoice?"
(Dieter F. Uchtdorf, ""Have We Not Reason to Rejoice?"" Ensign, Nov. 2007, 18)
I've been reading the Conference Ensign this week, and have found a lot of joy and comfort in the words of our leaders. There is much to find joy in. I am so grateful for my family, my home, Darren's good job that lets me be home with my family. I am so grateful for the gospel it is the good news. I love my Savior. I just want to put some happiness out there!

Weekend Review

We had a great weekend! I thought I would share a few photos .

Friday night we went on our Ward's camp out. It was in Ophir, which is this beautiful spot just around the mountain from Cedar Fort. It is surrounded by cliffs with holes that have been drilled into them from past mining explorations. The kids had to check them out, so after much begging Shelby, and her friends got Tom Davis to take them up to check out the caves. We arrived at the camp ground early and got set up, which was great because then we could relax and enjoy ourselves. Unlike other ward camp outs when we get there late, set up, eat dinner, and go to bed, only to take it all down first thing the next morning. We had a great time.


Saturday afternoon we went out to my in laws to help work on the garden. After years of my own garden performing poorly, and receiving lots of produce from my in laws I decided that we would help them with their garden. I clearly need help to learn how to grow a garden and they have it down pretty good. After we finished weeding and planting tomatoes Shelby asked Grandpa if she could drive the lawn mower. She did a pretty good job, and I can't believe how quickly she is growing up. Too soon that will be the steering wheel of a car.
Darren also wanted a turn on the mower, and Sarah wanted to drive too.
Tiff bought Singstar "90s" as well as a Wii so we went out to her house Sunday evening for a fun night of video games. Singstar is my favorite game, I think. Its karaoke on the playstation, I always wanted to be a superstar, this is as close as I seriously want to get. I also love Guitar Hero and Rockband, but I really like Singstar. The playlist for '90s is fun Tiff and I had a hard time getting through Wilson Phillips "Hold on" without laughing. This game also had New Kids on the Block, Paula Abdul, Cranberries, Extreme, and Vanilla Ice-fun stuff. I'm holding out hope that they will come out with a Singstar Show Tunes now that would be fun to belt out.

Random Thoughts

On Saturday someone I don't know posted a comment on my blog. So, I thought I would check out her blog. She had a link to a site called The Pioneer Woman. I was checking it out yesterday and she has a story on her blog about how she met her husband. I was hooked. Every spare moment I could find I was reading the next installment to this woman's story. The thing, I think, that really gets me is how great it is read about someone that loves their life and is in love with their husband. So much of what is on TV and everywhere isn't like that, its refreshing to find people that are happy. So, should you decided to check it out, you've been warned-it could be addictive, if your into that kind of chick flick story. She also has a cooking section on her site and I made the apricot bars (only I used orange marmalade because thats what I had), and they were so good, especially followed by a glass of milk. Plus, she lives on a ranch, and ever since I read Laddie, I have thought that would be a great life.

Today as I was driving home from the gym I noticed that the price of gas had gone up ten cents since Monday! I have already cut back on how often I go to the gym because of the price of gas, plus with warmer weather I love running/walking up the hill on Lake Mountain. We have been trying to be very careful with our money lately, especially since it doesn't go as far as it used to. So, as I was lamenting the price of gas a thought came to me. I think it is a good that I now take a closer look at what I'm going into town for. Staying home forces me to slow down and slowing down allows time to be quiet and think. The last two and a half weeks have been filled with more insight and personal inspiration, and a strengthening of my testimony, that I have missed in the craziness of life. I think its true that distraction is a tool of the devil, if our lives are so full that we can't be still, we can't hear the Holy Ghost, we may be missing out on something Heavenly Father would have us know. So, today I am grateful that the price of gas is forcing me to slow down, enjoy my life, and feel what Heavenly Father would have me feel.

Its Monday!?

I have sort of a love/hate relationship with Mondays. I love putting my house back in order after a great weekend, and this weekend was great! I had a great Mother's day, I hope everyone did, it was for me just what I wanted it to be. Darren and I put the chair rail up in my bedroom on Wednesday, Darren bought petunias that we planted on Saturday, and Sacrament Meeting was awesome-the Priesthood singing made me cry, what a great surprise! But, I hate that Darren has to go to work, and getting back to the daily routine is sometimes hard. Today, though Monday is inspiring me. We went to Wellington yesterday, and we didn't get home until late, so we got up late. I didn't get to the gym until 8:30 and then did the grocery shopping. I called to check on the kids and Sarah wasn't even up yet at 10:00-kids were tired too. I listened to an awesome Conference talk (Knowing that you Know) on the way home about testimony, that is my favorite part of going to the gym listening to Conference on the way home. I got my kitchen cleaned (my floor hadn't been cleaned in two weeks-as my mom would say "There was so much dirt you could plant radishes"), while the girls walked dogs. When they got home we read Anne of Green Gables. Shelby made me lunch while I showered. Then practiced the piano. We still have math to do, maybe making Apple Crisp for FHE will be math (science and home ec. too) for today. I love a productive Monday.

I have also decided that I need some new motivation in my piano practicing. So, I have made a practicing calendar. I am going to use it to make sure that I practice 5 days a week from now until the recital-Yes, Jeannette makes me play. I don't like to play in front of people, but that's kind of the point of why I started taking lessons again, so that I could play in Church.

I am also having some great thoughts about what I want my blog to be. To really be a piece of me and everything that I love. To share more of what is important to me and what motivates me. So, look for some new links and me to talk about somethings that I don't always talk about. I have a vision of what I hope this blog can be, and I am really excited about it!

Yeah! I got my trip to Logan!

After being so nostalgic on Sarah's Birthday I really wanted to take the kids to Logan. To show them around the town Darren and I spent the first 5 months of our marriage, and where I went to college. We couldn't go because of the snow, and Mary and Wicket were in the back yard, and we didn't think it would be a good idea to leave them there for too long. So, we decided to plan our trip for Thursday. I packed a lunch, and we went and picked Darren up from work, and we were off. Our first stop was the Logan Temple. We used to go every week- the things you can do when you don't have any kids. Sarah was most excited about the water fountain as you can see by her running in the background.


Our next stop was USU campus. We stopped at the "A", and then went to the bookstore to buy the girls USU T-shirts, we have to start the brainwashing early. It was also fun to talk with Shelby about college and all the things you can study, she was most excited about animal science (so, this counts as a school field trip!).

Next we showed them where our little one room "studio" apartment was and "The Pink Palace", where I lived before we got married. "The Palace" is a cool old house, and really I have some of the best memories there.

We had dinner at the The Bluebird, which included buying chocolate as we left. I bought a chocolate dipped York(along with some other delicious treats), but as we drove home, I thought the chocolate dipped York is kind of redundant, isn't it? I'm mean its already chocolate, but double chocolate can't be a bad thing-or maybe it can. I'll let you know, I haven't eaten it yet, sometimes just having chocolate in my house gives me comfort. Anyway, back to our trip. We followed up dinner with a trip to Charlie's for shakes. The weather was perfect, and the day was perfect. Thank you Darren for giving me such a perfect day with my family in a place I love!

Dogs

Does this look like happiness? I'm not sure it does, but this was our life the last couple of days. We were dog sitting my sister's dogs; Mary-the black one, and Wicket-the puffball. Four dogs in our little house is a lot of dog. Fortunately I live with the "Dog Whisperer" Darren loves dogs, and has read a lot about dog behavior, so he worked really hard with the dogs to get them to all assimilate into one pack. You may notice from the picture that they are still divided. Our dogs are with Darren, and Mike and Tiff's dogs are on the other side of the bed, with me as the divider. There was fighting and throwing up and even a little blood, but overall I would say it went really well. Darren did a great job of showing them who was boss, and getting them to live peaceably together. By yesterday Keno could walk past Mary without fearing for his life, pretty good progress for only two days. Part of the reason for this madness, other than Mike and Tiff going out of town, was that when they sell their house they will come to live with us, (dogs, Carter and all) while their new house is being built. This was practice for us and the dogs.

So, Garrett how did I do on my punctuation? I spent a lot of time working on commas. Am I just being paranoid?