House Anyone?

We are finally having an open house here tomorrow afternoon. I'm very excited but really don't know what to expect. The only experience I had with an open house was when we moved from Anna Street to here. We listed our house on a Sunday, had an open house the following Sunday, and got a contract the next day. Basically, that house was on the market for 1 week. Even though I know it's just timing, I've been questioning why this one hasn't sold---or been shown that much. John and I had a de-junking day today. Anything and everything that hasn't been used in 2 years or doesn't need to be a part of the move was chucked. Let me tell you, it took about 5 hours. I feel better and think the house looks great, but my allergies are definitely in full swing after stirring up so much dust and whatnot. :)
John and I did finally put a contingent contract (basically we have 90 days to sell this one--and that is if all of the inspections and appraisals go as planned) on a house in the Belmar area. I won't divulge any more information about it right now. How's that for suspense? Haha
Seriously though, it's going to be a great thing. I can honestly say for the first time since being a homeowner, I am not stressed about selling OR buying. I love this place of peace and contentment that I've reached.
This house--my beautiful 2 story on a hill--has been a huge blessing, but I can't wait to see what's in store for the Haskells as we embark on a new chapter in 2008.

They've Been Found

After laying the children down for naps yesterday, I plopped my bum down in my recliner, cracked my nuckles, and started to work on some very important stuff (you know--Ebay, blog, etc.). Suddenly, I heard Christian holler from upstairs for me to come quickly. Thinking that he probably needed to potty, I went up there to check out the situation. Not so lucky. I walked into his room and saw him hovering over the hamster cage.
"Momma, Momma! My hamsters had babies!" he hollered. Oh great. I knew he'd discover them sooner or later, but I was really hoping to just surprise him with it in MY timing. They are so very cute and fun to watch though.
I had to explain and make it very clear that we are not allowed to touch them right now. In fact, we have about 4 more weeks to wait. By 6 weeks old, they will be mature and able to survive on their own. That's also about the time we need to find new homes for them. So far it's been a total guess as to how many she actually had. There have been 1 or 2 that are brave enough to wander around the cage, but the majority of the time they are all in the nest and wadded together.
Since Caitlin overheard the comotion, she wanted to see them too. I made the executive decision to clean out the cage and put them and the momma in the roll-around ball so they could see them without touching them. The cage hasn't been cleaned out for 2 weeks now--but that's just because everything we read said not to disturb the nest for at LEAST the 1st 2 weeks. Ok, done. Now on to the cleaning! So I had to use a spoon to scoop the babies out one at a time. Momma hamster was none too pleased with the ordeal. She kinda freaked out on me and took a bite of my finger. Uggggg.
I got all 7 babies---that's right, 7--out and put in the ball, quickly changed out the bedding, got fresh water and food, and then put them all back. The momma hamster acted upset for at least 2 hours afterward. The cool thing was that the kids got to see them up close and personal. Like I said, they are very cute----however, I don't want them all living here for good. One hamster per child is way more than plenty! I'm gonna wait another week or so before I attempt to take a picture of the babies. See there....now you all have something to look forward to! :)

Curly Sue

Amazing! Caroline is finally showing that she has a bit of her momma in her. :) Usually after a bath I comb her hair down straight. By the end of the day it's usually wavy and funky. I decided today not to comb it, but rather let it dry naturally--this was the result. Also, I still see some red in it which is so fun. It's such a change from my other 2 kiddos who have always had board straight blonde hair. I guess it's ok if she looks like her daddy's clone as long as she keeps curls like her momma. Ha!

Baby Brother

I just thought I'd share a pic of my sweet baby brother, Josh. Ok, so he's 23 and technically NOT a baby. :) He and my mom are in Europe for 2 weeks. They left this past Saturday, and so far I've gotten just one update on where they are and what they've been doing. From what I understand, they will be visiting France, Switzerland, and Italy. Josh posted this pic on Facebook sometime today and I thought it was just an excellent one of him. In fact, I may print it and frame it---being as he has not given me a pic of himself in 5+ years (hint hint Josh). Please pray for their safety and wellbeing as they travel and visit these amazing places. I can't wait to hear all about it when they return!

A Birthday And More

I want to start out by saying a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my sweet friend Misty!! I hope you have a terrific day and get tons of presents and rest/relaxation--much love to you!! :)

So I'm back to my "night owl" habits again. Sheesh. I can't seem to sleep a wink when John is not here, and it's not a good thing. I really feel sorry for the 3 C's--Momma can be a complete grump without sleep. The ONLY good thing to come of it is that it gives me a chance to get more sewing finished. I know, I know. What in the hay could this crazy woman have left to sew? Oh, my friend--bunches. If only my friends would stop having babies for a few months, then I could quite possibly catch up. Haha
John and I are really diving in head first at church. It just thrills me to pieces that we have found a place to serve and worship that truly feels like home. Honestly, it used to frustrate the tar out of me that people who had a wonderful church home would spend all of their time doing "churchy" things. Like I thought they had more important things to do or something. Anyway, I've been so fortunate to be allowed to play my violin with the worship team for about 7 months now. I play for 2 weeks and then I'm off for 2 weeks--it's a great rotation. Now that we've kind of revamped our childrens' ministry, John and I have the opportunity to serve there too. John will be teaching the 4th and 5th graders during our 2nd service, and I will be teaching the 2nd and 3rd graders during the 2 weeks that I'm not playing the violin. I honestly never thought John was the type to accept a challenge like this, but I'm constantly amazed by him. We still have lifegroup every week as well, so it really feels like church now consumes all of our time. VBS is on the horizon too, and I've signed up to help in the kitchen. There's no real cooking involved so I think I'm safe. Ha! It's so funny that you think you'll never be "one of those" that lives at the church, and then you wake up one morning and you totally are!

(I know this is a long post, but bear with me)

So summer looks to be another busy one this year. On top of church activities, we will be in a Pantex softball tournament in June, we will probably be starting another season of softball through the church league, and much more. John and I have been eyeballing some houses, so I'll have more details about that in the near future. We are having an open house here very soon too, so hopefully that will draw out those prospective buyers!
Ok, it's seriously nap time for this momma. The house is quiet--wahoo! :)

Tents, ATV's, And Stickers

John, the kids, and I just returned from a fun but exhausting Memorial Day weekend trip. We were kindly invited by some friends to tent camp on a ranch 5 miles West of Memphis (for those of you who don't know, John's 1st firefighter job was in Memphis, and I have family that still live there). The ranch was amazingly beautiful. It had a live spring that fed into a creek, lots of wildlife (we know this from the tracks), a ranch house, and tons of room to roam and ride ATV's. We and 5 other families went down on Sunday afternoon. Only 3 families stayed--2 of us pitched tents and the other stayed in a trailer. The weather was kind of crazy Sunday night, but all in all it was nice--just windy and hot. This morning, we got up and rode to the creek where the kids played for several hours. I don't think my 3 children have ever been that dirty, but I know they had fun! John really fell in love with the ATV's. In fact, on the way home, he was talking about wanting to get some for us and the kids. He's so silly! The only thing that was rough to deal with was the amazing amount of stickers on the ranch. I swear, I haven't seen that many stickers in my whole life! I am sure I still have some small pieces of them in the soles of my feet. All in all, it was a nice getaway from the daily grind here at the casa. We are thankful that we had time to spend with friends, and I hope to be invited back in the future. :)

Great Strides 2008

John and I are participating in the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's Great Strides 2008 Walk and want to ask all of you to join us. Cystic Fibrosis is something we are both very interested in. If you haven't read the blog titled Confessions of a CF Husband (located under Blogs I Read), then I encourage you to do so. Also, if you remember the photographer Janice S. that recently took our family pics, her son has CF. I am amazed at the strength these families have in dealing with this disease. The website for the CF Foundation is: http://www.cff.org/great_strides/find_a_walk_site/
If you would like to come walk with us, it will be on Saturday, June 7th at 9am in Medi Park. We look forward to seeing you there! :)

Hello Again!

For those of you who don't know--and for those of you who do, I had recently decided to take a few days off from the computer. I found myself on here 24/7, and it was not a good thing. During the 4 days I have been away from cyberspace, I have had time to recollect my thoughts, change my views on some matters, and just get some good ol' house cleaning done! :) I have also been sewing a lot, which is such therapy for me. I will post pics as soon as I finish it all.
John went to see the sports medicine doctor this past Monday. He went in to the appointment fully expecting to schedule a surgery date, but that wasn't how it played out. The doctor decided to try a cortizone shot and see if swelling is the underlying issue. John got that shot before he left the office, and he now says he can tell an improvement! The doctor scheduled him to come back in 6 weeks so he can see if it actually "fixed" what was broken. Praise God there is no surgery in the very near future!
Caitlin only has 1 more day to be a 3rd grader. Her school had a swim party yesterday at Southwest pool (my question here is this: why do they even bother having this week of school when all they do is party and watch movies?) and she got so sunburned on her poor face! I tried to keep up with the sunscreen, but I left before she did--she got to go home with a friend for the afternoon--and she didn't pay attention to me when I told her to re-apply the sunscreen. I will DEFINITELY be more on top of it this summer. She came home from her 1/2 day of school today and said that the boys in her class were calling her "salmon face." I tried not to laugh--but that's pretty creative! :) Poor, poor Caitlin.
Ok, so finally I get to the interesting stuff. Ha!
On Monday morning, I woke up to a horrible screeching fight. Christian's 2 Russian dwarf hamsters were really going at it. It was so bad, in fact, that they were both bloodied and missing hair in spots. I know, I know--so sad. They have been picking at each other relentlessly for about a week now, and I guess Monday was just "the day." They settled down and I went about my morning routine with the kids. Around lunch, I went back up to Christian's room and discovered that the albino one (Max) was dead. ACK! I hurried and was able to properly dispose of him before Christian found out. Max had been having health problems as well, so it was really no surprise that he expired. I knew I would have to clean the cage out and thuroughly disinfect it, but I wanted to wait until the evening before Caitlin's volleyball game when John would be there to watch the kids. So, that evening, I went upstairs fully expecting to clean out the cage. I opened it, picked up Alex to put him in the roll-around ball, and I was greeted with a huge surprise---HAMSTER BABIES!! That's right folks--Alex is a girl! When I realized she had been pregnant this whole time (from start to finish, hamsters are preggers for 21 days-I wish!), it made sense as to why she and Max were fighting so bad. Let me interject that when you buy dwarf hamsters, they can't tell you if they are male or female--it's the luck of the draw. Anyway, I read that you have to leave the babies alone for at least 2 weeks or the mom will kill them out of fear and frustration. SOOOOOO, the kids don't know yet. We have about 1 more week to go before we will tell them. Meanwhile, I've been taking a peek in the little nest/house and there seems to be at least 6 babies--maybe more! They are so funny looking! I will get a pic as soon as they are mature enough. The plan for now is to sell them back to the pet shop--that is, unless someone out in bloggerland wants free hamsters! :)

Yeah, It's Been A Few Days

I know I've waited longer in between blog postings than normal lately, but I really have had the week from "you know where."
Not that this week has been terrible horrible no good very bad.....it's just that it's been crazy. I have really learned self control over the past 7 days. It's been hard not to say exactly what I think at times, but I think it's better for everyone if I keep my comments to myself. I think another word that could describe me this week has been "helpless." I can't fix everything for everyone, and that in itself is a huge frustration.
Let's see....what else? Oh yeah. We didn't make it past the 1st game of the softball playoffs today. Not because we weren't good enough. We had to forfeit the game because we didn't have enough women to play. The rules are that you have to have 5...we had 3...see the problem there? So sad really. I think we could have won. :(
I would really like for all of you out there in bloggerland to pray for John this week. He goes in tomorrow to talk with a sports medicine doctor about possible surgery on his right shoulder. For those of you that haven't heard, John has been having a lot of pain in his shoulder for about 4 months now. It started out just being a nagging thing that didn't allow him to do certain exercises at the gym---now it has progressed to constant pain no matter what he is doing. He finally broke down and had an MRI done last Wednesday, and it showed that he has a bone spur impinging on his rotator cuff. That's fancy smancy talk for NOT GOOD. The surgery would be quick and laproscopic, so really no huge down time. They are telling him he would be back to full strength and ready for heavy weightlifting again in about 3 months. I think he's ready to have it fixed and over with. Like I said though, he will find out more tomorrow.
The kids and I finally got to go to one of John's indoor soccer games on Friday night. It was so much fun! Poor John---it was 40 straight minutes of running up and down the field! I don't know how he does that. He has another game tonight, so I think we'll go watch him again. Oh yeah----he scored a goal at this past game--I was so proud that I got to see it too!
This week is Caitlin's last one in 3rd grade. I swear, she has way too much packed into the next 5 days. I'm not sure if Momma's brain can keep up with it all. If I come back to the blog frazzled and incoherant, you'll know why. Much love to all of you this week!

What Is It With Late Night Postings?

Ok, so obviously I'm having trouble going to sleep. Sheesh, after all, it's technically Wednesday.
I have just a couple of fun things to share. First of all, I have some more items to reveal that have been made from the fabric I posted a while back. I still have about 5 projects in the works, so I will slowly be sharing them over the next few weeks. Hopefully all of them get completed before school starts again. Ack!
Second on the list is a really random picture. I collected My Little Ponies as a child and recently had a moment of reflection on them. I kept ALL of my ponies and was able to pass them down to Caitlin. She did enjoy playing with them from time to time, but she was never as crazy about them as I was. In fact, they live in her room in a soft-sided storage box, but I don't think the ponies have seen the light of day in a year or more. Now, Caroline has discovered them. One day while I was watching her play, I noticed that the ponies were a bit dirty. I decided to clean them all and hopefully restore their looks to how I remembered them. I think it worked! As I was cleaning them, I looked at their hooves and noticed the year of manufacturing stamped on there. I have some from 1982, 1987, and so on...SO OLD! Haha So here is a picture of my sweet ponies in all of their glory.
Third thing is this: I got the cutest pic in an email from Kari G. who is great at capturing fun life moments on camera. I thought it was a great shot of Christian and her son Carson.
So in that order, here are the pics for the day:

Items made for a baby shower--shopping cart cover, sling, taggie ball, taggie blanket, 2 diaper/wipee cases, 4 burp cloths and 1 matching letter "L" onesie.
1 side of reversible apron made as a birthday present-my 1st try at darts and making my own bias tape--wahoo!
other side of reversible apron
The adorable My Little Ponies
Christian and his friend Carson

It's Late And I Can't Sleep

That's why I decided to post about what has been going on around here lately.
For starters, Caitlin is playing Kids Inc. volleyball again. Her coach from last season was able to form the same team (with a few newcomers), so Cait is very comfortable with all of them. She had her 1st game tonight and they won! School is out for the year on the 23rd, so she doesn't have far to go. I think the fieldtrips, award ceremonies, and other fun stuff will help the time left in the classroom fly by!
John and I are finished with the regular softball season, but our team made it to the playoffs! Wahoo! :) We should be participating in that this coming weekend if all goes well.
The house hunting is still in progress. We've found one or two that have caught our eyes, but the whole thing is we have to sell this one to buy another. Funny how that works huh? Anywho, we are continuing to pray and believe that God has already hand-picked someone to call this casa their own...
My brother Josh is graduating from UT this weekend with his Bachelor's. I am so proud of him and am looking forward to seeing him sometime this summer. To you Josh---a big hand clap and a hug. :)
So......yeah......that's about it for now. I'm really needing to go take a hot bath and climb into bed. We'll see how quickly that happens. :)

Happy Mother's Day And A Birthday

Today is special for 4 reasons! :)


Reason #1:

My sweet mom, Kathy

Reason #2:

My loving grandma, Madge

Reason #3:

My wonderful mother-in-law, Celia

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to you all! Thank you for being such huge blessings in our lives...we love you so very much!
To all mothers that read our blog: May your hearts be blessed and you have the chance to sit back, relax, and enjoy your families!

Also, there is a reason #4:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Keri M. Thank you for being the wonderful friend you are to me. Getting to know you has been such a gift--have a great day!

Running Around For Earrings

The things my 4 year old thinks of...
Yesterday was just like any other Friday. We usually start out by running errands, grab lunch somewhere, and then we head home for naps. I have been trying to save up all of my running around for one day a week, so theoretically I burn less gas. I had saved up about 5 "to do's" for yesterday, so we all piled in the car and took off. Christian started with his usual line of questions--"Mom, where are we going first? Then where next? Are we getting lunch? Are we going to go get Sissy? Are we going to the gym?" On and on....
I explained the plan of action. We would run some errands, grab lunch at Chick-Fil-A, and then head to the park before naps. That seemed to pacify the boy, so all was good. All went well, but I could tell something was bothering Christian as we were getting into the car after shopping at Wal-Mart. He had "the look"--you know, the one of deep pondering. He quietly said, "Momma, when are we gonna stop running around for earrings and get lunch at Chick-Fil-A so we can go to the park?" LOL Somehow "running errands" turned into "running around for earrings!" If only my day was filled with earring searches----alas, a momma can dream! :)

It's A Boy!

My long time friend, Melanie (Swopes) Lyons, gave birth to her 1st child yesterday evening at 6:58pm. His name is Jacob Eugene, and he was 7lbs. 6oz. and 20 inches long. We have been waiting for baby Jacob's appearance for SO LONG. Melanie was actually due on April 30th, but as you see, it took him a lot longer to decide he wanted to come. Mom and baby are doing great, and I will post a pic as soon as I get one!

To The Dark Side

Just so you all know, the Haskell household has FINALLY made the plunge into text messaging. I used to be so proud to say that we weren't "texters," but we fell to the dark side this past weekend while I was gone. John signed us up this past Saturday, and he and I spent the rest of the weekend improving our texting skills. Yes, we ARE that sad. :) So, for those of you that already have our cell phone numbers, feel free to text us whenever. Truth be told, I'm really liking it--probably too much!

Trip And Birthday

Here are just some fun pics taken over the past few days. The first 2 are from my trip to see Beth Moore and the others are from my birthday. My parents, grandma, John, the kids, and I went to the Big Texan for my birthday dinner last night. Just so you all know, you get a FREE chicken fried steak or prime rib dinner with all the trimmings and a drink on your birthday (has to be actually ON your birthday) so it was totally worth it in my book. :) Mom also decided we needed the free limo ride to and from the Big Texan, and that was really fun!
Also, thank you to my 3 sneaky friends (you know who you are) for the visit with balloons, flowers, etc. You guys are a mess--you totally had me fooled!
I had a wonderful birthday--a big thank you to everyone who sent me a card, called me, got me a gift, or even just thought of me yesterday. I am so blessed by all of my family and friends--a girl couldn't feel more loved. Here's hoping the big 2-7 year is the best yet! :)
(L to R) Teresa A., Tami S., and Keri M. in front of Pike's Peak--I think...Celia, correct me if I'm wrong on that

Our group that went to see Beth Moore--(L to R) Tami S., me, Keri M., and Teresa A.

The day's not complete without a cheesy smile (I'm so sunburned from softball-ouch!)

A sweet pic of Pappaw and Christian

Getting some help with my cake

Who goes to the Big Texan without taking a pic in the big rocking chair? (John's sunburned from softball too--double ouch!)

Grandma and the squids in the big rocking chair

I Just Felt The Need To Say

Blogging is something that has become as second nature as blinking to me. I can't wait to have something fun to post on here, and I am always excited to share our lives with those who know and care for us.
That brings me to this: When you open yourself and your home up to everyone in such a big way, there is always room for the negative to creep in. That being said, I want to share just a few things that have been on my mind and heart lately.
As with anything, there will be times when people are offended, frustrated, and opinionated when it comes to blog posts. I know this to be true from personal experience. Human nature is to compare yourself and family to everyone else's. I have found myself asking questions like:
Why do they have that?
or
What makes them think they are that great?
or even
Why are they such good friends with So And So?

As hard as it is, I have found that accepting the differences in friends and family is a beautiful thing. John and I don't ever want to feel like we have to keep up with anyone else. We are a unique, God-fearing, fun-loving family of 5 that lives a crazy but wonderful life. I really hope that all of you out there in bloggerland hear my heart on this and understand that we are asking for grace as well as permission to lay it all out there without condemnation. I can't tell you how amazing it is to read all of the blogs I read and really get to see how life is for others around us. Thank you for caring about us enough to come check out what's going on, and thank you for sharing your own lives with us! :)

Welcome Home Momma

As most of you know, I took a little trip to Colorado Springs to see Beth Moore live. It was "blow your socks off" amazing! That woman is such a gifted teacher and I was blessed beyond all expectations. Beth actually came up, held my face in her hands, and spoke an encouraging word from the Lord to me. I was shocked and amazed that out of 10,000 women, He sought me out.
I missed my babies and John like crazy though. It's weird to take any amount of time off and leave your chores behind when that's all you know from day to day. I was thrilled when I pulled up in the front of the house and saw John and the 2 older C's standing outside waiting on me. They looked so darn cute!! :) I dragged my luggage up the sidewalk and was soaking up their smiling faces when Caitlin bursts out, "Momma! We have a surprise for you!!" Oh yeah? A surprise for me?!? You shouldn't have!
I was anxious to see what they had. But................................
As I walked closer, Caitlin and Christian both pointed to a very odd thing in our lawn. A dead jack rabbit. REEEEEEEALLY?!?
Caitlin was so excited to tell me about how she held open the front door for Daddy to shoot it and Christian gave me a play by play of it's demise. John just stood off to the side smiling ear to ear. *deep sigh*
I rolled my eyes and walked right past the mighty hunters to relieve my shoulders of my heavy bags. Man, nothing says "Welcome Home Momma!" like a dead jack rabbit. Mother's Day is next weekend--I'm just thrilled to see what I will get.

What do you think??

The blog design is FINALLY finished, and I couldn't be more thrilled! :) The woman's name is Jennisa--her information is down toward the bottom of the right hand column. Her business is called Once Upon A Blog. Please, if you are interested in a blog design, give her your business. She was a pleasure to work with and totally a people pleaser! I have lots of pics to post from my trip to Colorado Springs (we'll be back late Saturday night) so be watching for those!