Already May

I have absolutely no idea how and why time is flying by so quickly!! Life has been incredibly busy here at home, but we seem to be getting through things well.

The PayPal incident seriously cost me two weeks of my life. I finally managed to get my accounts cleaned up, but it was seriously two weeks before everything was back in our accounts like it should have been. I had to file a police report, two fraud reports with our bank, a fraud report with the credit card company, and then there was all of the communication with PayPal.  I will give kudos to PayPal - they got on top of this quickly and worked on weekends to clear it up. AND, I was not responsible for ANY of the cost of this mess. 

Lesson learned - keep tighter security on my electronic information!!  As of this morning, I have all of the charges reversed, and I can breathe a little better that the loss of just over $1,000 is now rectified. Whew!!!

It is harder to get things done on the computer anyway since Ken and I are now sharing a computer. He still tries to maintain that he is not on the computer all of the time, but there is so little time during the day that I can get on here and get things done! We may not be able to share an office as has been the plan so Taylor can get her own room. We'll see what happens.

The girls dealt with State Testing. As is normal for their testing days, I dragged my sorry butt out of bed in order to make them a good breakfast and ensure their brains were prepared for the day. I also got baggies of snacks together for them with cute little messages on the bags for them. While they love every moment of this, I have to admit how much I hate it. I'm glad they're prepared and healthy for testing, but I absolutely detest mornings!! I am not human, I can't think, and I don't want to answer questions. The girls, however, want to ask a million questions, they expect me to be able to problem-solve and help them with their lives, etc. It's a no-win for me.

Happily, we invested in a Yonanas! machine. This is a FABULOUS invention where you freeze overripe bananas and other fruits, put them in the machine and they are mashed into a soft-serve ice-cream type thing. It's quick and easy to do, and I added some peanut butter to the concoction and spread it over waffles a couple of mornings. YES!!! Easy and healthy and a great start to the day all in one!

This is my Man. Yes, he is enjoying a bowl of black beans with onions and jalapenos. He has been on a spicy kick, and he isn't even suffering with stomach pains because his doctor gave him meds for the stomach burn he used to get. Sadly, the rest of us "pay" for his addiction to spicy foods and vegetables. It gets rather "stinky" when he has consumed so much!!  Ken has enjoyed grilling fresh veggies and eating a plate-ful at a time. We enjoyed our local Farmer's Market and learned how much to get and what was available to us there.  Ken and I are determined to continue having the girls snack on fruits and veggies and keeping healthy.

Ken has also continued to participate in the Action and Defensive Pistol matches at the Lucerne Valley Club and at our Apple Valley Club.  He's winning matches quite often now!! He enjoys getting out there and having a great time while staying proficient with his firearms.

I found this note tacked to my board in my office, and I HAD to take a picture of it. Jordan left me this note, and I wanted to ensure that I have proof of her feelings for the next time that she stomps off and complains that I'm the meanest mommy ever.  HeeHee!! As you can see, she feels that I am nice and responsible and kind.

Ken and I were happy to have Jeff Wells come out to shoot with us. Jeff, sadly, became unemployed, so he had the time to spend with us. We did some rifle shooting and then some pistol shooting. I'm currently waiting to take possession of my AR-15 lower and start building it, but I played with Ken's. Yeah, I need the light profile upper so I can control it better. As Ken puts it, my little T-Rex arms make things difficult.  Ken's Mini-14 is such a fun rifle though. It's amazing that the Mini shoots the same round at the AR-15 and yet they fire it so differently.  My 686 was the hit on the pistol range for Ken though. After Jerry Purbough, Jr. did my action job, it is a SWEET pistol to shoot!!

Ahhhhhhhhh. I was finally able to get my hair trimmed!! It really needed it as it had been so long!! Not only was I very tired of seeing so much blond in my hair, but I couldn't get the comb through my ends due to the yucky split ends.  Melodie had a lot of fun "flipping" my hair out, but it's always good to try something different.

Ken and I spent an evening at the Havana Cigar Club that opened up here in Apple Valley. We had a great time there: tried some new cigars, enjoyed a local band, and enjoyed some beers. There were very friendly people there - everyone loved to chat and share, and I cannot say enough about the amazing waitresses.  They were everywhere and made sure that everyone was taken care of timely and perfectly. They were both awesome!!  When we got home, we found Jordan all bundled up in a ball on the sofa. Taylor laughed and said that's how she found Jordan after a movie, and it was even funnier because Jordan kept swearing she wasn't tired!  Hahahaha.

And finally, here is the exact reason that Addie is NOT allowed on our bed. Yes, it was my idea, however, to allow Addie up on the bed to prove a point, and now she thinks it's OK to do. But it was funny to see that I was completely correct: Addie IS the bed when she is in it. There's not a lot of room for either of us if she's in it.  

Ken couldn't believe that I took the picture while he was sleeping, and he didn't even notice she was in the bed since he had crashed out. Oh! To sleep like a Dad. What an amazing thing that must be!