Welcome to LOTS OF LITTLES ... a little blog about this and that.

Friday, November 30, 2012

a little sky-gazing

I think this was November 15th ... and it was one of those precious fall days that isn't so winterish yet ... one of those days where you must seize the opportunity for a little sunshine and fresh air ...

the opportunity for gazing up into the sky ...
feeling the breeze tickle your toes ...
and lounging in the grass with a buddy :)

And moi?  Since I was created for a much warmer climate ... I was enjoying the day in my "warmest" Lands' End down parka :)  I probably had my Cuddl Duds on too ...

Thursday, November 29, 2012

a little about Ezzie

Some things about Ezzie {age 3.5} ... just a few, of course.  Almost daily there are things I make a mental note to write down -- but I often find it's already forgotten by the time I'm trying to jot it down ... oldish age, I guess ...

brecks-best (breakfast)
Grampa and Grampa (for gramma and grampa)
wah-grr (water)

very interested in animals ... especially bears ... always pointing to the globe and wanting to know where the bears live ... what they eat ... and if they're "kind-of a little dangerous" (danger-wuss)

likes to cut with scissors

like his sisters ... he loves KTIS and can sing along with many of the songs {albeit it is on far too much for my liking and I sometimes threaten to throw the radio out the window ...}

"Mommy ... what are relatives?"
"Grandmas and Grandpas ... aunts and uncles ... cousins ..."
"Do they have swords?"  Ezzie asked.

"Can you help me with this puzzle, Mama?" asked Foofie.
"I can!" said Ez.
"Isn't he darling, Foof?" I said.
"Just don't let me do it, Foofie!  Just don't let me do it," said Ezzie.
I thought he was possibly experimenting with reverse psychology ...
"Why not?"  I asked.
"'Cause I don't wanna," he declared.

He likes a certain Richard Scarry book about Pig Will and Pig Won't.  I like it too :)  Anyway, Pig Won't is a big stinker and Ez doesn't want to be like Pig Won't.  So ... when we get to the part that says "Pig Won't won't learn to read so he can't read a book" ... Ezzie says, "I can read The Truck Book." :) 

Later in the day when we had told the kids we were going to have a new baby ... Ezzie asked Halo if he was the new baby :)

He saw a truck/vehicle he liked at Kohl's ... and he was telling me about it.  "I like that two-wheeled bobcat from Koh's ... not from Koh's-laks, Mommy {we ate at Kozlaks' recently} ... it's from Koh's."

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

a little vehicle trouble

Jeff's truck died on Sunday morning.  I towed it to the auto body shop {which was rather adventurous}.  Then our minivan got a flat tire.  On Monday, our minivan had a dead battery {my Dad had to come over and give us a jump-start} and Jeff biked to the house {his current project}.

On Monday night, we were discussing whether to put a new engine in it for $4600 or whether to just get a new truck ... which would actually be a new OLD truck {for cheaper than $4600} ...

"Well ..." I began ... "After the house is done and the townhome is fixed up {Lord willing, his spring project} ... what do you see in the near future?  Do you think you'll be building or rehabbing some more ... or taking a break from that for a while and doing something else?"

Jeff didn't answer for several moments.  I think he was about to ask me if he should look in our crystal ball ;) so I beat him to it and said ...

"When you look in the crystal ball ... what do you see???  Do you think you are going to need a work truck after these couple projects are done?   What do you envision six months from now?"

"Farming.  I think I want to buy a farm," he answered.  "I've been doing some research ..."

Who knew?!?!? 

*** This is where I was hoping to end this story and it is such a good place to end.  If I had written this story Monday night, I could have ended here.  But, alas, there is now more to this story of vehicle woesSorry ... ***

So ... yesterday, Tuesday afternoon, Jeff and I and the littlest two went to the "hood" {where all males under thirty are seemingly incapable of properly pulling up their pants} and purchased a $900 POC van from a strange fellow.  I was thinking he might be a scammer ... dishonest ... can't say why exactly.  Probably because he had someone call and inquire about the van during Jeff's two-minute test drive.  Really???  Anyway ... I was telling Jeff I thought he should have looked at a couple other vehicles first ... before deciding on this truck in a mere five minutes.

"Well ... I had to buy something.  Even if we decide to get the truck fixed, I need something now.  I need to haul stuff today.  I can't be immobile for a week while the truck gets fixed.  So ... even though nine hundred dollars is a lot of money ... it isn't a lot in terms of vehicles.  And ... since this van was so cheap ... if I find something better and decide I don't want to use the van anymore, I can just park it."

"So ... what you're saying is ... you want to have one of those yards with six or eight junkers parked all over the grass???" 

He laughed and I didn't.

Then, last night, he said he had a funny feeling about the van after driving it a little yesterday and that he hoped it would start in the morning.

This morning, the van started up and he came and banged on the window ... "It started!"  "Praise the Lord," I called : )  A few minutes later, I happened to glance out the front windows again and he was stalled :/ He'd barely gotten out of our driveway and was completely blocking the street.  Thankfully, a neighbor with an SUV had already maneuvered into an opposite neighbor's driveway and was trying {bumper to bumper} to nudge it back onto our driveway ... this was good news for me ... otherwise Jeff might have had me out there pushing it with my bare hands {which I did on Sunday at the auto body shop when we were trying to get the truck in an actual parking spot} ...

Then, amazingly, the van came to life again and Jeff revved off.  Hopefully he will make it home today!  Otherwise, he'll be calling me for help as I'm his new towing service ...

Oh, I almost forgot, I am already scheduled to tow our dead truck again tonight ... from the body shop to our house.  I wonder how long it will sit in our yard ... maybe 'til we have a farm to park it at ;)