I’m a “townie”

Well I guess we are officially ‘townies’ now, no longer country folk.  We have moved into our new house and while the house is beautiful the close proximity to other houses is not so great. But we will make lemonade with lemons!

 We (or should I say me!!) are still unpacking but at this point it is the boxes of “not so essential” stuff, putting up curtain rods and curtains, hanging pictures and my “to do” list goes on and on. Randy’s mother, Anne, came up for a few days and helped me clean the old farm house and the new house.  She was such a big help.  The boys and I went yesterday and bought  a bike for me with the intention that we are going to do some family biking.  If anyone has for sale or loan one of those toddler seats for the back of the bike give me a call.  Speaking of calling….our old dial up account, “r.mull…” was suppose to be transferred to our high speed account here but it has disappeared into cyperspace along with all my old messages and email addresses.  So if you would like our new phone number and address just email me at kelly@mullencontracting.ca and I will send out the info.

Since I goofed off yesterday with the boys (it was grading celebration day, lunch out and all that stuff) I have a list a mile long to do and I am on a mission and I intend to have alot of things crossed off that list today!!!

My “AHA” Moment this week: We sometimes take for granted what we are able to do everyday but having been through a time when my body was not there for me, no energy, no strength… I just want to say I am so grateful that I can clean my house and unpack and do all these things. Thank you Lord for the health and energy to do all  that I am doing!

First things first….

I HAVE NOT FOUND ANOTHER CANCER LUMP!  Apparently, there has been a story going around that I had found another lump and I am just here to tell you that I only have the two on my chest that God gave me…no new  ones and no mastectomy.  This story even made it’s way to Pennsylvania.  But from the horse’s mouth, I’m here to tell you I am fine!

Secondly…..I am packing up my home.  Yup, we are moving.  Randy’s brother, who runs the mink ranch on our property, and his wife and family are moving into our house (farm) and we are moving into the model home Randy has in Kentville.  We will stay for a little while then put it on the market with the intention to move back to our farm and build in the woodlot.  But who knows, we will see what God has in store for us.

When this all started to come about, I prayed for God’s guidance because I have been in two minds as to what I want to do…move or not move. There are pros and cons to both.  The thrill of living in a big, NEW, beautiful house in a nice subdivision.  Which then leads me to the con…a subdivision…leaving our beautiful 60 acre property. Not being able to send the kids out to play in the fields and barn.  On the bright side we are just up the road from the soccer fields, playground and outdoor pool. But it is not forever and things always have a way of working out and so I am looking at this as a grand adventure, just another fork in the journey of life.

I’m not sure what is going to happen to my current email so I am posting my email at the office/model home if you need to reach me: kelly@mullencontracting.ca

I’ll let you know phone numbers and an address as soon as I have them.  For now just keep mailing to our current one.

I am off to pack and purge……. 

Happy, Happy, Happy

Birthday

Cheryl Moody!!!!!!

New Look

In honor of my newly painted door on my house, I have changed my blog to match….orange.  This seems to be my new color choice lately.  I have never been an “orange person” but seem to be gravitating to it.  I even got orange flowers on my verandah to match!

I know it has been forever since I blogged.  Life is busy, what can I say.   I am at the office now, suppose to be working, but thought I would take a minute to catch up on the blogs.  Seems a few of you bloggers have been slacking off with the nice weather.

To update you on the Mullen medical news:  I have surgery on Monday, June 4 to remove my portocath…yah.  Geoffrey has surgery on Tuesday, June 5 on his ear.  Since he was a baby he has had ongoing ear problems with several sets of tubes.  His eustacian tube on his right side is not working properly, which is beginning to “thin and bow his eardrum” and also causes him to have ALOT of pressure in his ear. Hopefully this will relieve the pain for him.  Both procedures are day surgery and we will be home that evening.

A friend wrote in her blog how she was reading the book of Proverbs to her children.  I thought what a good idea. So I am rereading it, sometimes to myself and sometimes to Sara.  The other morning Sara and I were sitting at the patio table on the verandah having breakfast and I was reading to her.  Right in the middle she stopped me to tell me she had to go to the bathroom “but to please stop reading till she came back!”.  She very intently listens although I am not sure how much she understands at only 3.  I am finding all kinds of new things that I didn’t ”see” before and it is amazing the little gems of truth you find when you reread something.

I just want to remind everyone to stop for a few minutes, early in the morning perferably, take a deep breath, look around and thank God for the beauty that surrounds you, your health and those you love.  When I go out on my verandah in the morning I am in awe of the green of the grass, the country smells, the vibrant colors of my flowers, the sounds and noise of our animals…its hard to give justice to it.  You’ll just have to come visit our farm and see for yourself. No matter what is going on in your life….Life is good.

Stampin Up

I am having a Stampin Up “Retirement” Party on Monday, May 21st, at 7pm at Susan’s house (just meet at my house if you need directions).

The new catalogue comes out July 1st and many,many sets from the current catalogue are being permanently discontinued so this is a good opportunity to place an order before you can no longer get that set you’ve always wanted.  The discontinued list  can be seen on their website, www.stampinup.com.

Plus I’m making a fabulous dessert!!

RSVP to my email or phone. 

A day in the life of farmer Kelly

I really wish I could post some photos.  I have some really great ones from the mink barn…Sara holding a baby to name one…too cute.  Oh well!   If anyone has the HP photo program and you know how to resize the photos when sending to your blog, please let me know.

You know how some days you think back and wonder what you accomplished.  Well, today I feel like I actually did something and I’m not bragging but man, I really got alot done:

-got the boys off to school

-did 2 loads of laundry, cleaned the kitchen, made  beds, you know, the usual

-cleaned out part of the barn and made a “huge”pile for spring clean up

-cleaned up the horse feed room in the barn

-cleaned out the chick room and got it ready (new shavings, food and water) for the 100 chicks that arrived this afternoon.

-raked out my shade garden and planted a new hosta in place of the creeping vine I replanted near the chicken coop and then had to replant a little maple tree from the chicken coop to out by the road

-speaking of chicken coop, fed chickens and collected the eggs

-planted two holly bushes in the front garden and moved some perennial plants there from the side garden

-Sara and I started a vegetable garden out back

-Sara and I also mowed part of the lawn ( but I don’t really consider this work because it is a ride on mower and is really quite fun)

-did the mink rounds 3 times (checking for and replacing any babies that fall out of the nest)(I will also do this once more tonight)

-and in between those things I painted 3 coats on my side door…”vanilla persimmon” or what it really looks like, orange.

Plus all the other million “little” things that we, mothers and wives, do everyday. 

I think I’ll sleep good tonight. Yahoo!

Mullen News

May 2, 2006 10:00 am, one year ago this month, I was given the news that I had breast cancer. Happy “I am alive” Anniversary to me!!

I met with one of my surgeons, Dr. Shih, who put in my portocath.  I am having it removed on June 4.  He asked me if I wanted to be put to sleep or have local freezing…its funny because everyone I tell this to say, oh definitely put to sleep.  But if you tend to get really sick from the drugs you might choose the local which is what I did.  He said they basically freeze the area, he cuts open the same incision, cuts away the scar tissue, pops out the port and sews me up. In and out in an hour verses 4 hours with anethestic.  I hope he gets to let me watch.  Maybe I should bring a mirror.

A totally new subject….

As some of you know we are now raising mink. They stink like nobodys business. Anyway, they are currently whelping aka. giving birth…all 1600 of them.  Since the majority are first time moms if requires checking the litters several times a day for things like tangled umbilical cords, cold babies (we warm them in an incubator and put them back with the moms), sufficient milk production, too large litters (we farm some out), record birthing details on the cards, remove dead babies,etc.   So tonight after the kids were in bed asleep I head down to the barn to do a final check (Randy is working in the yard).  I didn’t realize how late it was but around 10 o’clock at night as I am standing by a cage with 3 babies in my hand the lights go out. It is PITCH BLACK! I forgot the lights are on an automatic timer. There is no moon to guide me or glow from lights, just total darkness. I dump, um whoops, I mean I very gently place the babies in the cage in front of me (and hope the mother doesn’t bite me or escape because I am doing this all by touch since I can’t see) and feel my way along the row of cages to the front of the building, stumble across to the door and let myself out. Then I breath. It is a little disconcerting to be in full light then total darkness without warning.  Next time I am bringing a flashlight along.   

Hello, is anyone out there.

I have been getting alot of grief over my lack of blogging and its starting to getting nasty.  People are starting to blog about my lack of blogging!!!(I won’t mention any names Kim).

Let me explain…Life got busy and I kind of got away from the whole blog thing.  Then once I was away for awhile it was hard to get back into it.  In fact, when I went to type this post I couldn’t remember where to go to start.

I started the blog to let everyone know what was going on in terms of appointments, treatments and results during my journey with cancer.  Then it kind of became a therapuetic tool for me where I could let out what was going on inside me.  I was housebound alot and it was a way for me to communicate especially when it took too much energy to talk on the phone or visit with someone. So when things started to get back to normal I kind of thought that maybe the whole blog thing had served its purpose.  I mean who really wants to hear the boring goings on at the Mullen home?

But I don’t want to offend all of you who travelled this journey with me via my blog.  I really, really appreciated all your comments and encouragement over the past year.  Some people seek counceling or go to support groups…I had my blog and the comments to help me.  So I will try to be a good blogger.  I can’t promise I will blog everyday but I will try to post something every now and then and let you all know how things are going.

I am feeling good now (well except for the whole tamoxifen thing but that is a blog for another day!) and life is returning to normal, meaning I am doing everything and running everywhere and fall into bed exhausted at night.

 Since this whole experience I am feeling this urge to purge (oh, that rhymes!!).  I want to de- clutter…get rid of toys the kids don’t play with,  clothes that don’t fit, just stuff! I only what to be surrounded with things that I really love. You know what I mean, I am holding on to “stuff” because so and so gave it to me or it belonged to someone or it was a wedding gift (almost 17 years ago) or my favorite is, “its still good, there’s nothing wrong with it”.

So since this “stuff” is still good I decided to have a yard sale on Saturday.  Well let me tell you its alot of work but we got rid of a bunch of stuff and made a bunch of money.  So I’m all fired up to have another one.  I’m going into every room and looking around with new eyes…hmmm what could I sell!

Randy and I are playing with the idea of moving and when I look around I don’t see alot that I would want to pack and move to a new house so stuff is starting to come down off the walls!!!  The next fine Saturday we will be setting our tables up again.

This time though I will be watching my helpers more carefully.  I had gotten these colored yard sale stickers with preprinted prices on them…50 cents, 1 and 5 dollars, etc. to make things easier.  I had gotten a few things tagged but  people started coming and I didn’t get everything done.  Andrew and Geoffrey really wanted to help and be involved so they set up the tables, lugged everything out and helped display things. I was so busy I wasn’t really paying attention to exactly what they were doing until a lady came up and asked me to hold two items for her while she ran and got $10.00.  The two items were a large fisher price tool bench with all the tools and a little tykes easel/chaulk board with the two chairs.  The boys had stuck $5.00 stickers on both items!!  Needless to say the lady got a great deal but not as good as the lady who got a Bombay Company mirror and matching shelf for 50 cents.  Needless to say the boys and I had a quick pow wow and they quickly ran around and took off all the stickers they had put on things.  I know they were just trying to help but from now on I will be doing all the pricing!

Random Thoughts….

I have titled this blog random thoughts because I got nothing….no great blog ideas, no funny little stories, nothing really interesting to tell….well I did organize my recipe binders today.  I had one gigantic binder with everything in it and several recipe binders from the Teal House. I had to sort through everything when I wanted the perfect recipe, so I combined everything and sorted them into separate binders: cookies and squares, pies and cakes, meals, appetizers and soups. Yup, that was exciting but it is one more thing I can check off my project list.

I also sent out some cards.  Did you ever have someone on your mind or know someone who is going through something and think, “I should send them a little note or card” and then never do it.  I am the poster child for that scenario.  I have really good intentions but….oh, I could think of a hundred excuses but NO MORE. I know what it felt like to get a card when you really needed it and I want to pass that along to someone else.  So I sat down and wrote out notes and cards to several someones and mailed them off.

So….we had 1200 mink delivered on Saturday. In case you can’t picture it, that’s alot of mink.  So the kids and I helped fill the food canisters and get the cages ready.  Then when they arrived I helped unload some of them. Phew, they stink. So the new barn is full…2100 mink!

Sara told me when she is five and a boy she can go on the bus to school. No matter how much I try to tell her she will always be a girl, she insists she has to be a boy to go to school. Good luck with that one honey!

I stumbled upon a blogsite today about a couple, who except for food and household expenses, is not going to spend any money for a year. No new clothes, purses, gifts, etc.   So far this year they have saved close to $4,000 (they don’t have any kids and both work).  Wow!

Well, that’s enough rambling for tonight.

Homemakers ABC Survey

I love these survey things, they always make me stop and think. 

Aprons – Y/N? Yes, I have a bunch.  I mostly use them when I bake but sometimes when I am making something really messy for supper I’ll use one. I have a little one for Sara and she calls it her napkin.

Baking – Favorite thing to bake? I love to make pies.  Any and all kinds. I have hundreds of pie recipes.

Clothesline – Y/N? No, I don’t have one (that is why you see sheets or quilts hanging on my verandah when you drive by).  I would LOVE to have one but because the driveway goes around the house we can’t.

Donuts – Ever made them? When I was first married and trying to impress my new husband…he wasn’t impressed…they were yucky.

 Everyday – One homemaking thing you do everyday? Make the bed as soon as I step out of it.

Freezer – Do you have a separate deep freezer? Yes, two.  One for people food and one for dead mink.

Garbage Disposal – Y/N?Other than our dog no, but I would love to have one. My friend, Annette in Pennsylvania, has one and I love to use it.

 Handbook – Y/N? I guess I am spiritual like Charmin because the first thing I thought of was my bible (teehee).

Ironing?- I think it is a waste to iron things and then hang them in a closet, so we keep the ironing board set up in the spare room and iron as we need things (that’s my story and I’m sticking to it!!).

Junk Drawer – Where is it? I have one in the kitchen but somehow they tend to multiply and occassionally I have to cut them back.

Kitchen – Design and decorating? shaker style cherry cabinets and yellow mustard walls. Homey and country.

Love – What is your favorite part of homemaking? I love tearing a room apart, giving it a good clean and then rearranging the furniture back in differently. I hardly ever put it back the way it was.

Mop – Y/N? Like Kim says, I only mop when you start sticking to the floor. Just kidding! There is nothing like a freshly scrubbed floor. Too bad it wouldn’t stay that way longer.

Nylons – I wear them but I don’t enjoy it!

Oven – Do you use the window or open it to check? I open the door so I can get a really good look.

Pizza – What do you put on yours? We love pizza in our house but everyone has their own little pizza because we all like something different. Me personally….I LOVE pepperoni but because of dietary changes that is now a no-no, so hamburger or chicken, pineapple, green olives, spinach, feta and mozza. Yum!

Quiet – What do you do during the day when you get a quiet moment? Check my email and blog, read, scrapbook or nap. That all sounds so wonderful!

Recipe card box – Y/N? No, I have several binders with plastic sleeves to slide recipes into.

Style of house – 100 year old Victorian 2 story with turret.

Tablecloths and napkins – Y/N? Usually placemats and paper napkins for everyday and cloth for special occassions.

Under the kitchen sink - Mini green bin and some cleaning supplies.

Vacuum – How many times a week? Usually everyday or every other day….3 kids, 2 cats, 1 dog!!

 How much laundry do you do in a week? More than I should…why do the boys think that if it has been on their bodies more than five minutes it should go in the laundry basket? Probably 5-7 loads.

X’s – Do you keep a list of things to do and cross them off?  I can’t live without lists, I love them. From grocery lists,  things to do, projects, calls to make, thank you notes to do, pages to scrap, it goes on and on.

Yard – Who does what? Since we have a ride on we fight over who mows the grass. I usually look after the gardens and flowers.

ZZZ’s – What is your last homemaking task for the day?A quick tidy, check the kitchen and pull the blankets back over the kids.

That was fun.  Okay Cheryl…tag your it.