Skunks dont wear flip flops!

Well, we had some suspicion all day yesterday that we had a skunk in our garage.  It was confirmed last night after I went out to get my iPad from the car and came face to face with the little "stinker"...tail up.  It all started Saturday night.  I was coming down stairs after checking on the girls at bed time when I heard a scratching on the door to our garage.  I assumed it was the cat that shows up every  now and then.  He usually finds a place to sleep and so I figured he just got shut in when Harley closed the doors.  Anyway, I opened the door and did not see or hear anything (the cat usually meows when I open the door) so I shut it back and went to bed.

The next morning Hayleigh was heading outside to check on her rabbit and she came running back up stairs all excited saying she saw a skunk.  When Harley went out there he couldn't find it anywhere.  We were late for church because of all the excitement - but we did have a good story to tell.  So, after church Harley swept out the whole garage and cleaned out some other things....no skunk.  We just assumed that somehow it must have scurried out that morning when Harley opened the garage doors.  We had Hayleigh's family birthday party and everything went just fine.  About 9:30 that night I went out to my car and there it was.  I calmly came back in and informed Harley...he went out and saw it as well.

We spent the next 30 minutes or so trying to coax it out of the garage and away from the house, all without getting sprayed.  There were rakes involved and a lot of close calls.  I wish I had thought to take a picture or two.  Anyway, the crisis was everted.  Nothing or no one got sprayed!

I mentioned before about Hayleigh's family birthday party.  We had a great time celebrating with family. I made her a possum pie and we ate lasagna and garlic bread.  We are thankful for Hayleigh in our lives. She is such a blessing.  She works hard at everything she does, whether it's learning to hit a softball or working on math facts.  She will be 8 years old on Wednesday.  I'll post some pictures as soon as I get them off my camera.  

One last thing, Harley started his new job as the Fayetteville Fire Marshall today.  I am very proud of him.  It was a hard decision for him to leave the guys on shift to take this promotion.  He has a lot to learn about the job and he has never sat behind a desk before, but I know he will do a great job.  He's excited about it and he gets to go to Las Vegas next week for an arson training.  I'm trying to think of a way that I can get the school to pay for me to go to Vegas :)  Just kidding, but I would like to go someday.  

Hope everyone has a great week!  I need to thank my mom and grandma for helping with the girls all the time.  I don't know what I would do with out them!

Sometimes you have to wear your boots

I actually took this picture a couple of weeks ago, but the rain we are getting reminds me that sometimes you shouldn't wear flip flops! I have slipped more than once when my flip flops got wet. It's not a good idea to wear them when you check cows either! :)  I actually broke down and purchased a pair of rain boots that are suitable for public wear...in that they are not covered in something's poop.  Maybe I'll get a chance to wear them tomorrow.  The weather has been so crazy lately.  We are all fighting the hacking mucus cough and headache....good ole Arkansas weather!  If you don't like it, just wait a little bit and it will change.

We have a short school week this week! It makes it easier to get up and go for some reason! I love my job, but I'm excited about the small break for rest and family time! I'm looking forward to the food too for sure!  I plan to take the girls to see The Muppets on Wednesday.  It looks like a cute movie and I used to love The Muppets when I was a kid.  The Swedish Chef is probably my favorite character, even though he doesn't get a lot of attention.  It cracks me up the way he talks.

I have so many things to be thankful for.  I try to be thankful for our blessings every day, but also really enjoy reading what others post about their thankfulness as well.  It's nice to be reminded to remember to count our blessings.

Haddon has really started to develop a little personality lately.  She has started climbing up to get candy and then running upstairs to eat it.  Then she will come downstairs to get another piece and run right back up to eat it.  She tries to distract me - she'll say "you go in der".  She also asked to go to "hinese" food today.  That is her way of saying Chinese food.  We like to do that after church on Sundays.

Well, it's about time to start baths and bed time.  Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving.

Is this gonna work from my phone?

I picked a picture of the girls on Halloween to try this out. I love this picture - The Lady Bug, The Rodeo Princess, & The Zebra!

November = Flip Flop Weather?

Well, we are smack dab in the middle of November in Arkansas.  The weather today was in the 60's...perfect flip flop weather.  It is actually supposed to get a little cooler for the rest of the week, but I have a rule that anything over 45 degrees is fair game for the flip flops to come out.  That is really just a joke, but it is possible to wear flip flops all year long in Northwest Arkansas, so I take advantage when I can.

Today was a good day!  I continue to bask in the many blessings God has provided for my family.  We are all healthy and happy (most of the time)!  The girls are growing and blossoming into their own personalities.  It amazes me how three girls that look so much alike can be so different from each other.  We love all three of them so much.  I will be sharing more stories about the girls as we go along.

This post is going to be pretty short.  I really just wanted to get the first one out of the way.  I'm also playing around with the Blogger App so I can add pictures from my phone.   I've got to go though and pack for my trip tomorrow.  I am going with the other counselors in my district to the Arkansas School Counselor's Association Fall Conference in Hot Springs.  I am going to miss Harley and the girls, but I am looking forward to being with coworkers and other counselors and learning as much as I can.  I'm also hoping I can get some school work done while I'm in my hotel room at night.

Thanks for reading!  Have a great day tomorrow! :)