More Updates

Abbi has two surviving kittens, and they both have their eyes open now! They were two weeks old yesterday.

Rosie's four are all doing well and will be one week old tomorrow.

Mommies and babies. We have a "large" and a small solid black kitty, a "large" and a small black and white kitty, and small calico and a small white and tiger.

The girls came over for a day, and we went to the park. Unfortunately I forgot my camera, so I just have photos at home before we went.

Tyler, Jasmine and I were on our way to NOLA for the St Patrick's Day parade but got in a pile up on I 10 west, so we are at a hotel in Moss Point, MS instead. :(

Quick Updates

 We have new fur babies. Abbi delivered her first kitten around 6 a.m. Saturday. Then there was a delay as she delivered a stillborn, and she removed it from the area. Then she delivered another kitten. I had to leave right after the first one, but Rick kept me informed. He told me all three kittens were black, and two were live births.

So when I got home, I reached into the kennel to lift one out and see it, and I pulled out an orange and white one!! No one had realized she'd had a third live birth!

This is right after the first one was born.

Mama with her three kitties.

I also painted  my office.

Keeping up with the kitty situation and getting moved into the new house has kept me really busy.
Abbi's sister Rosie should be delivering her kittens in the next couple of weeks. I had made spay appointments, but the cats were pregnant before appointment day came.

I am also working on the manuscript for The Christian Girl's Guide to Middle School which will release April 2020. I think it will be a fun and useful book for girls in grades 5-7.

Oh, and I also got my motorcycle endorsement yesterday. I had to retest. I tend to freeze up on tests and do stupid things even though I can do the skills. I also bought a 250cc Honda Rebel.
I'll post pictures of that later.

It;s a Whole New World

It really is. And a world without Internet or phone service right now. We moved within Bay County, but about 30 minutes from our old house. From a lower class area to the better area. Which means things are more expensive. But we are living in a house that still has ceilings and a roof and is mold free. At one time it was the former mayors' house. I guess she lived there until she was 92.

We've only been in the house since Monday, so we are still trying to find our stride. The care and keeping of four dogs and three cats, two of whom appear to be quite pregnant, has been a challenge. We are trying to keep them out of bedrooms at this house. In the last house, the main areas were carpeted and the bedrooms were tile. In the new house, the bedrooms are carpeted, kitchen is tiled, and the rest is hardwood.

These are our "before" photos. Everything is either white, off white or very light pink except our bathroom which is very light green. 

Dining room, which will be our main room. I splurged on a 5x5 square table with a rotating center, six chairs and a bench!! Not sure what the rotating center is for, but for us it's so everyone can get a look at the Dixit cards.

My office

Kaleb's room

Kayla's room

Kids' bathroom

Jasmine's room. The picture went to Adam's house in GA because he has a western theme.

Other view of Jasmine's room. She took the mirror down. She collects keys, sock monkeys and dream catchers.

Master bedroom. Less than half the size of our old one. Old bedroom also had a huge bathroom and walk in closet.

Master bathroom. 

Master closets. This house has very little storage. The water heater is in what should be a hall closet for towels and such. The indoor AC unit is in what should be Kaleb's closet.

 I guess I did not take photos of the large laundry room, which will be Ty's area, and the front room, which was previously used more as an entry room than a living room. For us it will be the living room.

Jasmine and I were messing around taking pictures. This is one of our new chairs.

Next post I'll have more football photos, Jasmine's 18th birthday, Tara's baby and the start of us adding color to the house! And hopefully newborn kitten photos.Hard not knowing the due date. Could be tonight. Could be in two weeks, Who knows? Maybe both. We think both of the abandoned cats we took in are pregnant. I had their spay appointments set, but felt uneasy about it because I thought they might be pregnant. So the surgery will take place after the babies are born. One lady suggested that I go ahead and get them spayed anyway as that would take care of the kitten problem!!!! I could not think of one thing to say that would have sounded even vaguely polite.

So check back soon for updates on the house, kids and cats.

First Flag Football Game

The twins are playing in a free flag football league. No practices, only Saturday games. So only an hour a week commitment. It was pretty fun to watch, and they had a blast.

Kaleb made a touchdown, and Kayla got the ball about a yard from the goal, but she turned and ran the wrong way!!! She may have a hard time living that one down!

We're Moving ... Maybe

We have been in a mold filled house for too long. Partly because it's been one thing after another since the hurricane. And lately because we needed roughly $12,000 up front!!! Who knew? Well, maybe you all did, but I didn't. We didn't face that when we moved into the double wide we are in now. 

The first house we viewed was perfect for us. Huge fenced in back yard, five bedrooms if we used the spare room as a bedroom etc. Even had a big greenhouse in the back yard. But the realtor who showed it to us hadn't checked, and the house was already under contract when she showed it to us.

The next few houses had too much damaged. 

Then we found one that just needed new back steps and a new roof. So we signed a contract and put down $1,000 earnest money.

Then we had to have it appraised for $465.

Then a full inspection for $475.

Then they told us we needed an additional $9,900 at closing for insurance, flood insurance, land tax and closing fees. Good grief!!!

So I emptied three accounts in three different banks and sold a lot of stuff. 

Then they told me I had to prove where the money came from!!!!! It might be laundered money. NOPE. I only laundered 26 cents last week. Honest. It was in the bottom under the gyrator. 

It's a crazy world.

So now we have a list of FIFTEEN things we still have to do (like prove the money is legit) before we can close.

Here the outside of the house. Despite how high up it is, they insist we have to carry flood insurance! We will need an ark before this house floods.

When You Want Just One Photo

of a three-year-old smiling at the camera.

Well, I tried!!

While Dad and Mom Cruised ...

The girls, Tyler, Jasmine and I hung out. Due to hurricane damage at her school, Jasmine attends school from 7-12 in a shared building. So while Hunter and Jessica were gone Tyler slept at their house, walked their huskies and got the girls up and ready for the day. He entertained them until about 11:30. Then I picked them up, went and picked Jasmine up, and we'd go on our adventure for the day.

The first day Hunter's mom had them and we met at a park.

We tried to get photos of them together. It didn't happen.

On Monday I picked Jasmine up and we headed a ways away to a snack shop that had a beach right across from it. I did not realize that for some reason Winter no longer likes the feel of sand. Trying to put her down brought on a major screaming fit, so after letting River play a bit, we loaded up and went to Conservation Park and walked a short trail, then drove back to a park not far from us.

On Tuesday Winter was fussy part of the day--until we got a banana split!

On Wednesday we went to Dave and Busters for lunch and to play games. They wore shirts I'd bought them at Old Navy on clearance the day before.

More photos to come. But this is enough to put everyone into photo overload.