A Simple Country Mouse

So here I am, bloggers. Yes, I'm alive, and no, I haven't forgotten all of you, just been one thing after the next. From start to finish, here is what has happened in the past 3ish months. Gamer and I found out we are having a little girl. So, Space Monkey is what we call her as a nick name. We can't wait until she is born and we can actually meet our little one. She's kicking around like a healthy little one should. There is no sign of any problems, or defects, and it appears that there shouldn't be an cause for a miscarriage. I don't know if I would handle it if I lost little on. She's already become Gamer and I's whole world. She's already a daddy's girl. Calms right down when daddy talks to her or rubs his hand on my tummy. It's adorable. I know she's definitely going to be a sweetheart. How can she not when she has her daddy's genes? Author moved out. We are sad to see her go, but we know this is where Abba has called her to be...

I know I haven't posted in a while guys...Like a long while, but I promise I have some half decent excuses. Mostly I've have a few catastrophes going on. As I'm at work right now I will keep this post short, but I wanted you to know I haven't forgotten all of you out there. I will do my best to post later this evening, and catch you up on all that has been going on here at the Sound Castle. Thanks you guys. You are the best followers a blogger could have!

You remember that old saying " April showers bring May flowers?" Well that's certainly the case around here at the Sound Castle. Today the weather can't seem to decide on whether it wants to rain or be sunny. So, it's been a mix of both. Granted, if you don't like the weather of the moment flip a dime and it will change in the space of it. Or you can wait five minutes if the dime doesn't do the trick. While all of us humans are not loving to bipolar weather, my garden most definitely is. Everything is still alive and kicking bloggers! Yay! Though part of it may be that I finally got them potted and with some really good potting soil. Between that and trying to check on it everyday, rotating which plants are where in the sunlight, and pulling all the dead leafs off the growth might have something to do with it. I am loving the sun, when it comes out, to sit and enjoy in my little patio garden. I don't garden a lot, but I have been enjoying my little pi...

Life is absolutely and undeniably crazy sometimes. That can be a good crazy, an indifferent crazy, a bad crazy, or sometimes a mix of it all. For me, It's been a good kinda crazy. Like you hear those country songs about living this crazy life to the fullest? Well, that's been me and the whole Sound Castle lately. For me personally, between being pregnant and work, it's been a busy time. To top it off, I planned, from start to finish, Easter brunch for work for what we thought would be 1,000 guests. That's a huge event to do. It was my boss's idea. She thought after the Women's Christmas Dinner it would be a good idea to train me in-case something like that ever happened again. So, why not the largest event of the year next to Summer Hummer? That seems reasonable right? Well, I'm proud to say it was a smashing success! My parents couldn't make it because of work, but they called as soon as they got home to see how it all went. They were excited for me. T...

Hey bloggers. I know I haven't written in a while. Life has been interesting. What you don't know is for many years I used to suffer dreadfully from depression. Not so much now, but every once in a while it still pops up. Now before you think this is going to be sad post, it's not. As of late the depression has been around and I've not had any motivation to do anything...until yesterday and today. Yesterday I started on cleaning my disaster I call a room, and today I had got a ton done at work and finished my favorite painting yet. I love it. Not going to lie, this isn't me just saying it's cool. It really is quite interesting. With a deep sapphire blue sky and emerald green hills as the background for the trees and baby bassinet in the foreground, it's a very solemn painting. The simple and quiet stars glistening in the sky give light of an otherwise dark picture. Painting it reminded me that even though life may look bleak and dark at times there is alway...

Well bloggers, spring is finally in the air!! The air is still cool, but the sun is beginning to shine through the seemingly endless rainy clouds. And it's not just peaking through once in a while. It's beginning to shine for whole days. I'm so excited. It means the rainy season is about to end and the sunny season is about to start. That means I get to turn our porch into a garden oasis...assuming it lives long enough to even grow a little. I seem to be the opposite of a green thumb. More like a black thumb. Everything I touch dies...in short order. Oh well, it's worth a try! I hung outside lanterns up in the beams, and put a small tree that Author bought me for my birthday. Granted, poor thing doesn't look so good right now. I should get a larger pot, and maybe some potting soil. Anything else I should get? Please leave me any ideas in the comments...I will happily try anything. I would like to get some herbs like oregano, cilantro, and parsley. Hmm, I bet rosemar...

Before you jump to an assumption about what this blog is going to be about, stop....and read it. I promise, you might find it a little more amusing than you think. Tell me bloggers, what are you sick and tired of? Is it the cat shredding the back of your chair? Or is it the kids running up and down the hallway with their fingers on the wall? Or maybe it's the little things like a bowl of cereal a counter? Something I have a habit of accidentally doing. The fact that you dropped your keys on the pavement and didn't realize? Yup, it was one of those days. But for me bloggers, it's more of a I'm actually sick and I'm really tired. But still a rather amusing day. To start my day off, I forgot to put my jeans in the dryer. So they were still wet 45 minutes before I had to go to work. Ooops.... My own fault. Then in the car racing down the hill, I had to stop at a red light, 5 times in a row. Had I not been speeding, I would have had all green lights. Again what am I go...

Hey bloggers do you ever wonder what life would be like without technology? I just got a brand new phone and I can talk to it and it texts. Not only that but I'm blogging just by talking to it right now. Granted, I'm still trying to figure it out so if it doesn't sound right, I'm sorry. So this may be a short blog. How do you use technology? Do you that just to play with it? Do you use it for work? Do you use it for your kids? This new phone that I just got is so much fun but it I also use it for work. For me writing is fun but this is even a new way for me to do it. It's a way for me to write what I'm thinking without actually having to write it. I can put my thoughts on paper just by saying the words. How weird is that? I've never had a phone that I can talk to and it does what I need. I can't wait to see what else it does. Well bloggers I'm going to go back and try and figure out exactly what it said. Talk to you soon. Literally.

Do you ever wonder bloggers, about how time passes? I often do and I wonder what the future will bring. When I say how time passes I don't entirely mean in which direction or the shape of time, though I have thought about that a great deal too. No, I mean what lies ahead. Do you always look to what will be, or to what is? Someone once told me the best way to live your life is as if you only had a day left. Financially, we all know this to be a very unwise decision, but what they meant was live life to the fullest. Don't live in the past, just learn from it. The same goes for the future. Don't live for it, but don't throw it away. It's all very simple really. If you live life to the fullest by making friends and influencing the world around you, you build a legacy. One that will last through time. But then the question gets asked, what do you want your legacy to be? What do you want to be remembered for? This is something I have thought long and hard about. Here is ...

Well bloggers, the sun is out and the day is beautiful. Things here at the Sound Castle are great and we are loving life. Today is a day for cleaning and for relaxation. I had planned on hitting Pier 1 but decided I would rather spend the day cleaning and not having to leave the house quite yet. Tomorrow is Gamer and I's appointment with my doctor. It's the first ultrasound! We hopefully get to hear the baby's heartbeat!!! We are so excited. I can't wait!!! I will let you know how it goes. As a family, we have decided that this little one's nickname is space monkey. They are going to be so cute...even looking like a space monkey the first time. I am going to try and work some on a painting tonight after the house is clean. I have been feeling really down lately, probably hormones, but you know. So, I think one of the best ways of doing that is taking time for me and the hobby that makes me terribly happy. I'm so looking forward to it. It's going to be a bl...

What do you do when your heart is broken and bleeding out? Do you rage, and hope the pain fuels your anger? Do you shut down, or run away? Do you cry like there is no tomorrow and pray that the hurt falls with your tears? I am guilty of the first. Growing up, showing feelings was weak. It was the culture I grew up in. A rough and tumble, hard edged way of life. The best way I could hide my pain was in anger. It was to see red and keep everyone at bay with cruel words and harsh realities. I still do that sometimes, though those that know me, know that its a facade, even when it hurts them. In my pain I used to lash out. It was the old saying hurt people hurt people. To this day, it is rare I get to that point, but every once in a while it sneaks up on me. Last night I saw red, but I have learned enough to lock myself away until I'm at least seeing normally again. I should have locked myself away for much longer, and not trusted myself to do anything. Instead foolishly, I did someth...

Well, as much as I wish it, there haven't been very many peaceful days, and even fewer quiet nights around here. Granted it might have something to do with the fact that I'm tired all the time, and being pregnant doesn't help. I have been so sleepy. I swear I could sleep for the next 7 months and be terribly happy. And the emotional swings I could definitely do without, but such is the way of life. Gamer is off at his parents house having dinner...or some such thing, and Wizard is at work. Author should be home soon, and we will get to catch up on our shows. I'm excited because I got some serious time alone, which has been so helpful. I have been so busy with work, and trying to have enough energy to simply get through the day, that it leaves very little time for much else. I haven't cleaned house, done dishes, or laundry in forever. Grocery shopping you ask? Forget about it. Minute foods in the microwave or popcorn from the air popper, and when that wont do, take ...

Well bloggers, we are back. Sorry it's taken me so long to post again. I've just been really tired, and work has been a bit stressful. But, you remember that tid bit of news I mentioned last week? Well, now I can officially tell you. Gamer and I are having a baby! No, we don't know what it is yet, but we hope to find out. We are SUPER excited. It's been a while coming. We went over to the valley where I grew up for my birthday, and to tell my parents. Which is why I couldn't tell you last week. But now you know!!! How exciting is that!!!???!!! I will update everything on here for you to keep up and enjoy the process too. And now you know why I have been so tired, and not keeping up on this blog nearly as much as I'd like. I look forward to posting about it though. As of today, I am pretty tired, and not feeling great, but I'm getting through. How about you? What have you been up to? We here at the Sound Castle are gearing up to move into a three bedroom. We...

I just watched this movie called Radio Rebel. It's an adorable movie if you get the chance to watch it. It reminded me today that being different is OK. Being anonymous on a radio station is very different than being real with the people you know in real life. Like being anonymous on a blog... I realized today that to some extent I had forgotten why I started this blog. With all the views, and posts, and even the publicity this little blog was getting, I was forgetting the very reason I started in the first place. A place for me to be real, to write what I thought, and to let myself be heard no matter what anyone else thought. Yes, the page views have gone down, but that shouldn't stop me from writing. It's shouldn't shunt what I think. So, with that in mind, I am going to do something crazy. I'm going to start with writing down exactly what I am thinking right now. I'm thinking that instead of being afraid, I need to be brave. So, I'm going to admit someth...

Good morning bloggers! Today I'm off to work and looking forward to a great day. With my new haircut super easy to style, almost no need for makeup, and a yummy lean cuisine in the microwave, I'm set for the morning. Granted it's going to be an 8 hour shift, but hey, it'll be interesting! It's a tad cold today so I decided to go with my blood red shrug sweater with a black cami under it. Author bought me the shrug for Christmas, and I love it. She has a matching black one. We love to share our wardrobe because it opens ours up a ton! Shopping yesterday went really well, and I managed to get all kinds of yummy food for Gamer and I. Seriously, I love Fred Meyer! Their prices are great, their food selection is  really good, and I love their customer service. After Fred Meyer,  it was off to a haircut. Something I haven't done in months. Years if you don't count not going to a salon. I really enjoyed it, and the gal did a great job. I get up, throw my hair unde...

I can't wait to tell you our latest news bloggers, but if I do, Gamer just might string me up. Not really, but you know what I mean. It's so exciting!!! You will have to stay tuned in to hear the latest!!! Now onto the everyday stuff. Gamer and I are heading to go see my family for the weekend next week, and we are looking forward to getting away for a little while. I hope to have a relaxing laid back weekend with my parents and little brother. Half-Pint just gets bigger and bigger every time I see him. Over half way through his freshman year already. That's crazy! Last time I checked he was still 10 and just a cutie. Now, he's almost 15 and turning into quite the little hunk. Poor guy. He's got girls hanging on his arms, and he could pick up a date (or 10) in a matter of a few seconds. Good thing all the girls know he has an older sister who would be more than happy to beat the crap out of them if they so much as look at him the wrong way. Yup, overprotective big ...

Today this sky is cloudy and gray, but it's at least a little warmer than it has been. I plan on spending the day in my sweatpants and comfy sweatshirt watching shows and reading. No work, no cleaning, no errands, and just some time to myself. With all the stuff going on in our lives, we are all running a little tired. Thus I'm taking a day to relax. I have a pot of hot water on the stove to have a cup of cider to curl up in my papasan with while I enjoy a day of just chilling. I am looking forward to all the stuff coming up, but I'm also glad to just relax sometimes. I think sometimes I try to hard to do everything, and need to step back and say no. Granted, it seems rather outside of my nature to be able to do that. Do you ever feel like that? Things getting out of control? Perhaps it's time we all take a break and say no. In other things, Author finished her latest book! She is in the process of printing off the manuscript for me to read. I can't wait! Wizard i...

So you remember that news that I couldn't reveal a couple posts ago? Well, it's official! The Sound Castle is moving to a new location! Instead of us all being cramped into a two bedroom one bathroom apartment with Author on a mattress on the floor of the living room, and no place to put anything, we will hopefully be moving into a small townhouse with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and even a garage!!!! We are Psyched!!!!!!! An actual living room, and a real bathroom that only two people share instead all four of us!....canyoutellweareexcited? heehee.... We found this little place right smack dab in the middle of all of our works, and it's access to everything is the same as here. We really like the location, and from the pictures online, it looks adorable. It's a three story townhouse, garage and washer/dryer in the basement, dining room, living room, kitchen, one bathroom, and a bedroom on the first floor, and the second bathroom, and two bedrooms upstairs. I can...

I just got my last painting finished. It's beautiful. Even I will admit that. Let's see if I can describe it for you. Imagine in your head you are standing at the base of two hills each covered in yellow flowers with black centers. They are called balsam root flowers. The shades of green bring out the deep blue of the setting sky behind these hills. The sun is dipping low in the horizon and the faint casts of reds and yellows are fading into the deeper blue of the night sky. Yeah, I'm surprisingly proud of it. Then again, it's for my parents. My dad started this buzz word called "Hick-onomy." It's finally starting to get the recognition it deserves. Hick-onomy, according to my father, means the economy of localized areas, usually rural. The “Support your local hick-onomy” movement promotes economic development with the goal of providing for the material needs of local families and individuals, without compromising traditional rural lifestyle, and prese...

We have our niece over for a sleep over tonight. She is so tiny compared to a full sized human. It never ceases to amaze me how fragile our lives start out. For instance, did you know that if a child is not held or loved on in the first few hours and days of it's life it will not live? While this is not as large of an issue in today's culture, it has been throughout history, especially in orphanages. One of the largest things affected by not being held and touched is the brain. The hormones that are linked to emotional and social bonding are not as prevalent in children who have not been shown the proper love from day one. They tend to have behavior, emotional, and social problems. Weird huh? Babies and children are so fragile and yet, can be so resilient. For instance, not always, but many times, a mother pregnant with a child can be in a car accident and the baby will be just fine, even when the doctors say they may not be. I happen to be one of these cases. Supposedly, my mo...

Sorry I haven't exactly been writing the past week, bloggers. My hubby has been house-sitting. You know me, I don't sleep when he's not here. The last few nights have been spent tossing and turning from one side to another laying in wait for sleep to even bother to attempt to pass by that I may snag enough of it to get some much needed rest. In between that has been work, cleaning, rearranging the house, and more attempted sleep. Running on 2 1/2 hours of sleep in a day is really not my thing. That's why I've been to brain dead to even think about blogging. However with the big news I thought I should probably at least attempt to blog. Now, while I can't reveal the big news yet, I can tell you it will be interesting to see what comes of the Sound Castle's latest idea. Whether it turns out to be a good idea or bad remains to be seen. Granted, I'm biased and think it's a great idea. You will have to tune in to hear (or see I suppose) the final decisio...

For most of you, I'm sure you would never think that commercial kitchens every once in a while decide to...well...rearrange. Like every other thing in business you have to keep your work area as efficient as possible. The same goes for all kitchens. So, for my work day today that's exactly what I did. Things went from upstairs to down, whirled around, and stuffed back into other corners. Mind you, while I'm doing this, my head is pounding from the sinus infection, the bleach my co-worker is using is making me nearly pass out, and I find that I somehow wound up on the floor curled in a ball with tears streaming down my face. No idea how I got there, but I discovered myself in said position about an hour before I was supposed to head home for the day. Can't say that I'm not happy about having a couple days off to try to get some sleep, and hopefully, get over this darn thing. Right now my head is still playing games, like, flips on the trampoline, crashing through t...

You should all know me well enough by now to know I can be rather sarcastic at times. Today is one of those times. Just for the record, I think thank you notes for getting a cold from someone should be a thing. So, here's my thank you note to my niece. Thank you Little One for giving me your stuffy nose, sore throat, and everything else that goes with a cold. I appreciate it.....let's just hope it doesn't turn into a sinus infection ok? I have a deviated septum, so even the smallest thing, like nothing more than a stuffy nose, usually turns into a full blown sinus infection. It's just peachy. At least I get to take antibiotics, which make me terribly sick, and want to throw up for 2 weeks! Yay! I'm totally kidding in case you don't speak snarcasitic. (otherwise known as snarky sarcasm) I hate being sick, but at least I don't think this one will be to bad, as I have been trying to not get sick. Things like washing your hands, eating right (which of course in...

As I have failed to mention our other two residents in the house, I should probably do so now. In our house you already have met me, Mouse, Scientist, who we should really call Wizard as he plays Magic the Gathering, Gamer, Author and Liddy, the resident cat. In our house is also River, and Nobody. River is the dog who chases Liddy around the house, and is learning to play fetch. He still has yet to learn how to pick the ball up or bring it back. His bed is virtually unused, except by Liddy, and his toys un-chewed. He is a very quiet dog, but can be rather obnoxious sometimes. Every once in a while he pees on the outside of the toilet, but other than that he is really quite good. For a border collie/ Aussie mix, he is rather calm. Nobody on the other hand can be quite difficult. Last night he turned the heater up to 70 degrees and left it running all night long. He likes to play with our lamps and make them flicker, as well as he has staked claim on living in one in particular. A tall...

There is a very old friend of mine that I am going out to dinner with tonight, and I can't wait. It's been a long time since we have just hung out and and done dinner. We used to do it all the time, but in the pass few years we just haven't had the time to do so. Author is headed off to her Christmas party for work this evening, and Scientist and I are going out. Yes, Scientist is my very old friend. We grew up together in a very different culture than the one we now find ourselves in. With the Code of the West drilled into our heads, common courtesy law, and common sense reigned supreme, the one we now find ourselves in is very different. After he graduated high school, he stuck around, and worked at a little restaurant in the middle of now where. I was working for a bakery just across the street, and was asked if I'd like a second job from the manager of the restaurant. I took the job and waitress-ed after work at the bakery. At the time my life was anything but perf...

I didn't forget about you bloggers. Today was my first day back to work in a while so I was a little pooped...well that and I apparently pulled a muscle in my left shoulder. How you ask? Not the faintest idea in the world. It was about 9:00 pm or so it started hurting like a tree sized bonfire started with old oil and gasoline. I took some pain reliever but it didn't seem to do a whole lot of good. I also tried a heat pack, and that seemed to work until the weight made it worse. Oh well, I'll sleep it off, or just get to the point where my body doesn't notice the pain anymore. That seems to be a pretty normal thing for me. Enough about that. Onward. Work was actually pretty entertaining. I got to move all the stuff out of my kitchen and into the gym, then put it all back...maybe that's why I threw out my shoulder...no, no, I won't start that again....I hope. Then it was slicing bread, and doing my schedule. Thankfully it was supposed to be only a 3 hour day...t...

Well bloggers, you know the old saying sleep lost is never regained? Or is that time lost is never regained? Just kidding! But it is true that you can catch up on sleep. You can't regain time, but you can on sleep. I've spent the last couple of days doing just that. Sleeping! Granted I couldn't sleep until 4:00 in the morning on New Year's Eve, and 2:00 last night, but I did get to sleep in late too. This morning my alarm woke me out of a dead sleep to remind me that I had to pack for Gamer and drop him off at the church by 10:00. I crawled out of bed and trudged to pack. Once that was done I stumbled down to the car, and we took off for the church. I dropped him off, and headed home as quick as a whip, considering I looked like a disaster had struck. I went straight back to bed when I got home, and was out almost before my head even hit the pillow. I didn't budge for 2 hours, and then only long enough for me to glance at the time and decide I didn't care how lo...

Can you believe it bloggers? It's already a new year once again! That's crazy! Where did the time go? I can't believe that it's 2014. Just two years ago many people were convinced the world was going to end on 12/21/12. Yup, that worked...now that it's 1/1/14. Oh well. It was amusing none the less. I have been trying to think about what my New Year's Resolution should be, but to be honest, I think this year it's simply going to be, live life to the fullest this year, and don't spend to much time worrying about things I can't fix. As I stop and take a look at the world around me, and the year that I've had, I must say, I can't say it's been a bad one. Yes there have been bad things, but nothing that could take away from all the good. I started last year with the ambition to move into our own apartment, start on kids, and go on an amazing missions trip. Two of those things happened, but one didn't. Gamer and I had hoped on being pregn...