Election Time

Less than one week until the election.  Let us remember that Donald Trump can't save us.  Hillary Clinton can't save us.  The only One who can save us is Jesus Christ and as a nation we have forgotten that.  He knows who the next president will be and He has a purpose and a plan.  We need to take the time to pray that His Will will be done.  Yes, let's continue to talk about and share the important issues of each candidate but do not forget to do so maturely and above all, pray.  Pray to the One who can save us.  We need saved.

Halloween

We are now in November.  How is that possible?  This year went by so fast.  In a few weeks we'll be celebrating Thanksgiving and it won't be long before it's Christmas.  NEXT MONTH is Christmas!  I'm so not prepared for any of it.  Every year goes faster and faster. 

I didn't even write anything about Halloween. 

My son wanted to go as The Phantom this year.  Both of my kids love The Phantom of the Opera.  It was an easy costume to put together.  We bought the mask and the cape and bought a white dress shirt that came with a tie and he already had black pants.  My daughter wanted to go as Elsa.  What girl doesn't want to? 

We went to a Trunk or Treat/Carnival for my son's cub scouts, then we went to a Trunk or Treat at their school.  We went to "Happy Hauntings" at our favorite amusement park and then, of course, we went around the neighborhood on Halloween evening.  My kids have enough candy to last until next Halloween. 

I've been MIA from Blogger for awhile but I so badly want to get back into writing again.  So, stay tuned. 

Hopefully you had a safe and wonderful Halloween. 

Fall Fest

I love the fall and we seem to have so many traditions this time of year.  I think we found one to add to the list.  There is a farm a few miles from our house and every October they have a fall fest.  We have never been there.  Last Sunday my daughter's friend from preschool had a birthday party there and we were invited.  I'm so glad we went because we were the only kids that showed up.  We felt bad but her friend didn't seem to mind.  It was fun. 

This place had a petting zoo and the kids met a skunk.  I never imagined having that chance to pet a skunk.  Usually when you see this animal you want to run the other way. 

 

The kids also made their own jump ropes.  It was hard labor for those poor children.  

There were games to play, a pumpkin chunkin, hay ride and lots of fun.  I hope that this is something we can do again next year.  

Happy 5th birthday K! 

Rainy Day

It's a rainy day.  The kind of day where staying under the covers in bed with my pajamas on would be ideal.  However, that didn't happen because housework and responsibilities keep me from being lazy. I'm proud to say I rearranged the pantry, scrubbed the bathroom and kitchen floors and ran to Walmart to buy my daughter an umbrella.  

This morning my son had his Spider-man umbrella and willingly let his sister hang out under it until the bus came.  I felt like such a bad mom because I had yet bought an umbrella for her and my umbrella was in the trunk of my car that's currently in the body shop.  Ugh.  So, I ran to the store and bought her one and can't wait to surprise her with it when she gets off the bus.  

It's a nice cool day out and the rain is definitely needed.  I love the rain.  It's so relaxing and peaceful and provides nature with nourishment.  We haven't had a good rain storm in a long time and everything is drying out.  

This has been my car rental since Monday evening.  It's a Ford Focus, which is a little smaller than my Taurus.  The insurance of the woman who backed into me a few weeks ago is paying for the rental while the car is in the shop.  It's been a great little car although you can tell it's been beat up by previous renters.  Why are people so rough with rental cars?  Because it's not yours you don't care about it?  I always believed in taking care of the things I borrow and returning it in the same condition it was given to me.  I will not miss this car though and I can't wait to get my car back.  It's ready and we'll be dropping this off and picking my car up this evening.  I'm excited.  I wasn't always a fan of Fords but since we got our first Taurus I've been hooked.  I have always, always, always loved the Mustang though.  Maybe someday.

Well, I have a ton of other things to get through before the kiddos come home.  I miss them so much.  The days without them drives me insane.  I go crazy.  I do like the quiet time but I miss the energy they bring too. 

Happy Hump Day

I wanted to start with this brief disclosure.  I've been receiving emails from people asking if I can feature them on my blog, or if I would like to be featured on their blog, or if I would like to buy something.  I appreciate those who take the time to read my posts.  I love the visitors and new friends and I love if comments could be left on my post after reading them so I know who is viewing them.  However, this blog is a place for me to jot down my own experiences and memories.  I am not interested in anything but that.  I may post a recipe from time to time and maybe share a life lesson that I have learned but I am not interested in blogs that have those "How to ..." advice.  When I started blogging several years ago it was so much simpler then.  People blogged about their daily lives and spoke about what had been going on.  It was more like a diary and that's exactly how I intend to keep mine.  It seems most bloggers now just want to spend the time focused on helping others how to be a better parent, better spouse and all that.  It may work for them but it's not what this blog is about.  So please understand that I will not be using this blog to feature others and I do not like spam of any kind being emailed to me.  Thank you for that understanding.

We are now in fall.  Summer is over and I have been slowly bringing out all the fall decorations.  I do like this time of year even though I do not enjoy the cold winter that follows.  The weather continues to be warm and the leaves are starting to change colors.  We are also very close to a very important presidential election.  This one is probably the most important one in my lifetime.  I'm really trying to steer away from writing about anything controversial on my blog but I may post at least one sometime between now and November.  I'm sure I won't be able to contain myself.  If you follow me on Facebook you know exactly where I stand and who I plan to vote for.  I am not afraid to speak my mind; however, the purpose of this blog was to keep it peaceful and happy.  However, this is life and my life isn't always happy.  I have to be real and honest.  I'm not always as sunny and cheery as I could be.  So the title "A Little Bit of Sunshine" probably isn't accurate.  Sunshine came from my real first name Dawn, which means "Break of Day."  My favorite color is yellow.  I love sunrises.  It all just made sense.  So, anyway ...

We continue to love this rabbit.  She's getting pretty feisty but is a lot of fun.  She loves hanging out with her big human brother on the couch.  We're definitely keeping her.  There's no doubt about that.

This morning I was running through the house trying to get the typical housework done when I noticed my son's backpack on the floor.  Oh no.  I grabbed the backpack and drove to the school.  This isn't the first time this has happened.  I'm not sure how I didn't notice he was missing the backpack when he got onto the bus.  I'm glad I found it and returned it to him before his lunch time.  My father came over today to trim two of our trees in the front yard.  I appreciate how much my dad has been doing for us.  My husband is always very busy and finding the time to get through everything is impossible.   Even though there is so much more that needs done around the house I am sitting here watching an episode of Parenthood on Netflix.  I just discovered this show and love it.  It's so good. 

Okay, that was nothing but a bunch of rambling.  I will have more to say soon. 

HAPPY HUMP DAY!

This Is Life ...

Last Friday my husband had to have a minor procedure done on his shoulder.  His shoulder had been hurting for months and he had enough.  That procedure was the best thing he ever did because he's feeling so much better and is walking around pain free.  This poor guy has already been through so much in his life.  Arthritis topped with tons of surgeries.  No one deserves to live a life of constant pain.  No one.  But especially him.  I wish he didn't have to suffer.  Sometimes I can't help but go to God in prayer asking "Why him?"  Still, through all the pain he's endured he still gets up for work and goes about life like any able-bodied person could.  He complains very little.  It's amazing.  I'm so proud of him.

Anyway, the procedure was supposed to take place in the morning but the doctor's first patient was having some kind of problem and his surgery was taking a long time to get through so everyone had to wait.  Okay, no problem.  It wasn't the patient's fault nor the doctor's.  You have to do what you have to do.  We waited ... and waited.  Finally my husband was brought back and prepped.  We continued to wait ... and wait.  I kept watching the clock because I needed to be home by 3:50pm to get the kids off the bus.  Finally at 1pm he was brought back to the operating room and the procedure itself was quick.  We were out of the hospital after 2pm and I had to immediately bring him to another building to start physical therapy.  The plan was that I would drop him off, run home to get the kids and then go back to pick him up.  I pulled to the curb to let him out and then BAM someone hit me from the back.  I turned to see a car had backed out of her parking space and slammed into the corner of my bumper.  I freaked out.  No, no, no I don't need this right now.  I need to be home for the kids.  My husband called the police so an officer could file a report for the insurance company.  I sent a text to a neighbor asking her to get the kids off the bus for me because at that point I knew I wasn't going to make it.  The police came, made the report and I made it home 10 minutes AFTER the bus came.  I'm so thankful my neighbor was there to help out.  So the kids and I jumped into the car and went to pick up my husband.  Whew.  It was a stressful day but it could have been worse.  We're all okay and that's what matters.

The lady is at fault and her insurance will pay for the repair.  I also get a rental car while it's in the shop. 

 Then, this morning after the kids got on the bus I noticed the car was standing crooked.  Sure enough, it has a flat tire.  Ugh.  That poor car.  

My daughter has finally adjusted to school.  There are no more tears and she's learning so much already.  I love seeing the smiles and happiness again.  She still says she misses me.  The long days are still very hard for her and probably will be for awhile but she's hanging in there and I'm so proud of her. 

My son has been having some issues lately and I'm not sure what to do.  It seems he's been slacking with his homework.  He's always been so smart at math but I've had to erase his answers several times before he gets it correct.  His spelling homework is easy because he just has to copy the words onto a piece of paper and the words are already written for him.  All he has to do is look at the words, but even so, he still misspells them.  There's no excuse for misspelling words that are right in front of him.  Then I find out that he has had reading homework that he hasn't even bothered to do.  I was so upset with him.  I lectured him on the importance of doing his best and grounded him from hanging out with friends the rest of the week.  I am sure I'm being too harsh but I want him to understand the importance of doing his best and finishing assignments.  His handwriting is sloppy.  I need to work with him more at home on these things because I do not want him to fail the third grade.  If you are reading this and can offer advice send it my way.  It's appreciated. 

I spend my days alone and with so much to do around the house, yet, nothing seems to get done.  My days seem to be a blur as if I'm just walking around in a fog until the kids come home.  I thought I would enjoy this alone time but it turns out I hate it. 

We Got A Rabbit

Yes, you heard that right.  We got a rabbit.

My kids have always said they wanted a rabbit.  Well, they also ask for a dog but that's something we cannot afford right now.  As I was looking through the SPCA's website I came across this beautiful, big girl.  She's a Chinchilla Rabbit.  We all saw her pictures and fell in love.  We just had to have her.

Yesterday on September 11th, the 15th anniversary of the biggest terrorist attack on the United States and also Grandparents Day, was when we made the adoption official.  She was a little bigger than we had expected but that's okay.  She's perfect.  I had educated the children on bunny care and that she's not going to be the kind of animal that wants to be snuggled and held.  They were so excited.  She's definitely a strong-willed, stubborn girl but she's adorable and so much fun.

The best part is that she's litter box trained.  I had no idea you could litter train a rabbit.  It's made things a lot easier.  My husband built a cage for her but we let her out as much as possible.  She's still getting used to us and the new surroundings and we're willing to be as patient as possible.

 

 

Today the kids are in school and I opened up the cage door to let her free.  She likes exploring, running, hopping and playing but she's good about going back into her cage when needed.  She's quite entertaining.  A great addition to our family.  She's a bit messy but that's expected.  I'm glad I have someone to entertain me during the day.  

Rabbit care is a lot different than it used to be and that's because they learned so much about what rabbits can do.  When I was little we had rabbits who lived in a hutch outside.  Now it's recommended to keep rabbits indoors.  They can be litter box trained and if properly cared for inside they can live as long as dogs.  It's pretty neat.  I have learned so much about these creatures that I didn't know before.  We are definitely going to enjoy her.  

Maybe in a year or two I can convince my husband to get a dog.  My kids would be so excited for that.  We're pretty happy with this furball.