If You Give Logan A Power Washer

Jumpy The Squirrel

No one told me that once we got a bird feeder that we would instantly be caretakers of 20 new pets. Besides the birds that now need their feeder cleaned and taken care of, there's now a squirrel that we're battling so that these new pets get fed. The kids affectionately call him, Jumpy the Squirrel. On numerous occasions, I have run out on the deck screaming and waving my arms to get this dag-um squirrel to stop eating all the birdseed. First we had the feeder too close to the deck ledge, so he would stand on his tippy toes and reeeaaach out to get the seed out of the feeder. It was funny to watch, but we were going through a bunch of feed because of it. The kids love my antic for scaring the squirrel away, and there has already been talk of us being red necks after discussing shooting him with a nerf gun to scare him off. :)
Kevin came to save the day and moved the feeder further out from the railing, so Jumpy couldn't get to it. It took a week, but we saw Jumpy starting to jump and hit the feeder so the seeds would fall on the deck, and he would eat it from there. Then the kids started rambling about something, and I wasn't really listening. I'm sorry...I was busy. They came running to me the next morning saying, "Mommy! Mommy! Come quick! Jumpy's doing it again!" I ho-hummed to the window and ran to grab my camera. Why? Because I'm always thinking about you guys and reporting how sad my life is that these little things are big excitement around here. Check out Jumpy's latest tactic for his meals.

Say it with me, "What the?" This frappin' squirrel is hanging on by his tail and dangling over the edge and eating. Where is he jumping from? How does he get into position without the top of this feeder falling off? He's really starting to make me mad!

Since this picture was taken, Kevin has moved the feeder higher up and further away from deck rails, chairs, and trash cans. We'll see what Jumpy does next. Kevin's expecting a Mission Impossible move of crawling down the line from the tree trunk. Maybe that's what he's doing now to get into this position? Any advice for annoying squirrels?

Happy Birthday, Dita!!

Happy Birthday to my eldest sister, Dita. Her given name is Arlene, but I've only ever known her as Dita. Which name do I use for her acrostic? Since I call her and know her by Dita, I think I'll use that one.

D- DETERMINED Anyone who has ever met my sister knows that this words describes her perfectly. She knows what needs done and she finds a way to do it. Persevering would be a better word, but there's no P in her name.
I- INSULIN Dita has Diabetes. She's had it since she was 10 I think. As far back as I can remember, she never let it get her down. That's IMPRESSIVE.
T- TOUGH My sister has put up with some crap. Crap doesn't fit that sentence too well, but this is a G-Rated blog. She gets through it no matter what it is. She smiles when she doesn't want to. She laughs when she wants to cry. She does it for her children.
A- ADORING This is where her children shine. You can tell her love for them just by watching them. They are what keep her going through all the words above. They are her driving force. I don't think she'd have it any other way.

Happy Birthday, Dita! We love you!

Mobile Marley

We went to a playdate today. It's one of my good long time friends..about 20 years. She was getting rid of a little bike that her daughter grew out of. I had seen Marley pedaling a tricycle a couple months back, so I put her on it. She did wonderfully. She didn't understand the pedaling backwards to brake. She had been down this strip once already, so I felt fairly confident she could do it while I videotaped it. Here goes...



She's fine. Kevin commented about how she didn't even cry. It wasn't a big spill, but it did scare her. She said, "I'm fine, Mommy" and got back on the bike. That's my girl.

Spring Daybook

Outside my window...
It's spring folks! It came in like a lion..or a lamb...or a lion. I don't know. Kevin says a lion scares him, but I think it came in strong. Well, you guys work it out yourselves. :)

I am thankful for...
Good friends, hope, prayers. All three are getting me through.

I am thinking about...
home schooling. I tend to be that person that doesn't trust her own decision regarding her children. I think I have it right, and then I hear or see something else and think I have it wrong. I'm confused and I need to really sit and pray about it. It stinks.

Learning all the time...
See above. Rory has moved on from birds to weather. Logan is cruising along reading really well and is almost done his math book. Marley's bringing up the rear. She surprised me tonight with reciting the Our Father and Hail Mary with us tonight. Kaelyn was grateful tonight for doing well in math today at school, so all around the Bucy's are braining it.

From the kitchen...
Bread, cinnamon rolls, bread. I'm trying to get my bread making down. The kids aren't eating it. My friend says to slab some peanut butter or cream cheese on it. I'm trying french bread tomorrow. Maybe pasta for dinner?

I am creating...
Can I say bread again? A messy kitchen?

I am working on...
being debt free. PERIOD!

I am going...
to get back into the swing of things. I've let our routine slip.

I am hoping...
to figure some health things out and be at peace with my decisions. It's all good.

I am reading...
A Little Way of Homeschooling by Suzie Andres I haven't started yet, but it's a Catholic unschooling book. I'm pretty excited about it.

I am praying for...
guidance.

I am hearing...
The Voice. The TV show. I love it. It had to be said.

Around the house...
it's a mess. Losing the routine loses the cleanliness. :( Hopefully we'll get back in the saddle starting tomorrow. We were on the run today.

One of my favorite things...
playdates. We don't have much of a yard, so getting them outside at other people's yards is satisfying their weather pull.

A few plans for the rest of the week...
school, playdate, school, cleaning, school.

Here are some picture thoughts I'm sharing with you...
Logan fell asleep in the car. We got home and Rory said, "Give me your camera! Quick!" She took a couple of them. This one is the best one.

Happy Birthday, Nana!!!

It is Nana's birthday today. Again I was trying to figure out which acrostic to do, so I stuck with the first name theme.

R- RINGMASTER Since life is a three ring circus, Nana is the ringmaster. She knows what everyone is doing and tries to help wherever she is needed.
E- ESSENTIAL See Ringmaster. :) Nana wears many hats; wife, mother, babysitter, taxi driver, maid (Had to throw that in there HA!), nurse, chef, pet sitter, dog walker, and the list goes on and on.
N- NIFTY KNITTER I don't really know the difference between knitting, crocheting, or this that and the other. I do know that Nana makes baby blankets for EVERYONE. She once made one with camels for Kaelyn's home room teacher. Everyone in the family has an afghan from Nana...some of them have two or three. If she doesn't like what she's made, she makes you another one and gives you both. :) She's teaching Rory too. Kaelyn, Sam, and Nik were interested at one point, but that faded. I would love to be that Nana for my grandchildren and family. My grandmother made us all quilts. Considering I can't even sew on a button, I better get my act together quick learning.
E- ENTHUSIASTIC Nana is a pretty laid back person (cough). Seriously, she doesn't ruffle her feathers easy...unless you're Papa. :) But she has been known to get excited, and when I say excited, I mean she is all out. These moments are easy to notice since she's normally laid back. These moments take place in politics, Nascar races, people pulling plugs off of life support, you name it. If it's something she agrees with or disagrees, watch out. And of course, she is always excited to tell you something about her grandchildren. That goes without saying.
E- EAGLE-EYED You can't get anything past Nana. She's had Brian and Kevin and while they got away with some stuff, you can't get much past her now. This has to do with the ringmaster. She also contributes to the neighborhood watch. HA! She has to make sure her brood is safe and must always be on the lookout.

There are many more things to say about Nana, but she has too many E's in her name. :) She is kind, thoughtful, loving, generous, strong, caring, hard-working, gentle, smart, etc., etc., etc.

Thank you, Nana for everything you do for everyone. I hope you have a wonderful birthday. Here is Rory's breakfast this morning.

Marley-The Rockstar

Marley loves music. Since she's normally jumping around everywhere, might as well put it to a beat. Add a Wii guitar, and here's what you get.



Are there really any words needed? This is Marley's favorite song at Church. We haven't being singing it because it's Lent. I know she'll be excited when it comes back at Easter. :)

Kaelyn's Art Show

This past weekend we went to an art show at the community college. It was featuring work from students in the local high schools. Kaelyn was picked for her sculpture. Here is a pic.
Forgive the glass. It was the best I could do.
Yes, I was THAT mom. I made her crouch beside the glass case, so I could take her picture. I think it's an awesome picture of her though, and I am thinking of entering it in next year's show. :)