While stealing thirty seconds to finish a "project", I thought all was well in Axel's make-shift "sink car wash" this morning.  He LOVES washing his toys in the bathroom sink, and although it leaves an afternoon of mopping, it's usually worth it!  

Since I know my boy well, and am fully aware that he will not go potty without an announcement, a mysterious FLUSH alerted me to trouble at the car wash!  Tentatively I opened the door (as only a boy mother knows how) and was greeted "hey mom," from a kid covered to his elbows in wet toilet paper.  The sculpture on the toilet seat turned my instant rage into sudden fits of laughter.  hmmmm...what to think about that?!

Soooo gross, in a dry-heaves kind of way...but that didn't stop me from saving it for Jahred to enjoy.  I also made it clear that he would be cleaning that up.

Maybe the kid needs a pottery wheel?

The floods already having claimed one victim right here on HWY 169, the Minnesota river is also claiming playgrounds, roads and homes.  Makes you wonder...should I be building an ark?  Also...should MN Dept of Transportation stop building highways next to rivers?

An accepted purchase agreement means just one thing...time to sweet-talk the moving crew!

Jahred and I have been very blessed with a full team of movers who with little complaining have carried our things all over Minnesota.  We have yet another favor to ask!

For one of our first moves, we bought 40 large rubber tubs from a big-box store in hopes of using them again and again.  They have been a life saver...although with the addition of a dog and a child, 40 no longer does the trick.

A few bins have been added throughout the years, but as I'll be hanging my moving shoes up for a while, it's time to hit the local grocer for some complimentary cardboard.

I scored these just today...Apple boxes!

Whew...provided there are no delays, these babies will be unpacked May 5th, in a home thats new...at least to us!

Well, the offer is in, and the ball is in the hands of Mr. "606 Scenic Drive."

Trying to be vague on the details until all is final, we are really getting close to our new beginning in greater Minnesota.  Jahred is one-and-a-half weeks away from his debut as an RN with the Surgical Services Unit at Saint Cloud Hospital.  A large hospital with over 4300 employees, they offer outstanding benefits and seem to be such a friendly place to work (the gift shop is outstanding)!

Last week, Jahred, Axel and I spent a day in the area looking for what Axel calls a "garage house."  We trudged through 15 houses; enough is enough.  Today, while Jahred met with hospital administrators, I looked at our favorite house "one more time."

I am really feeling the "house number five" confidence as I now realize, it isn't our "dream home" I'm in search of; it's simply a place to store the things we gather while living our "dream life."

When we moved into our rental nearly one year ago, I discovered quickly that I had very few requests of our next home.  I need: four exterior walls of my own, a thermostat that we can control, toilets that flush more than one-out-of-five flushes, and a place for my boys to play.  The house we offered on today has those things and more.

I completely forgot to take pictures.  Here are a few defining characteristics...promises of photos to follow:
 - fenced, large yard
 - four bedrooms (one large enough for a king size bed...finally)
 - two bathrooms (one for boys and one for girls...haha, I'm the only girl)
 - two stall garage, with shop, that may be large enough for the bike Axel is coveting out of the Target catalog
 - a raised garden box in the back yard
 - a piano wall
 - plenty of boredom busters (wallpaper stripping)

So, the offer is in and hopefully we'll get the all clear soon.  I'm trying to be emotionally detached until we hear from the owner...emotional detachment has never been one of my strong points.

This little peanut was given to me (I'm afraid upon my seemingly desperate request) from a dear Mankato friend.  Plants seem to be the one possession not on the purging block lately.  Because I'm not quite ready to reveal where we'll be headed (for fear of jinxing it), I spend this post fully realizing what I will be leaving behind.

The last decade of my life, amounting to more than 1/3 of my total life, has been spent right here in Southern Minnesota.  If you are a follower of my blog you'll recall the love/hate relationship I have with this geographical region; I'm sure not unlike many of you, feeling trapped in the wrong city at the wrong time.  Is it always right before you leave that you realize you were in the exact right city during the exact right times?

With a few tears, I realize that it is here, where I became a wife, a mother and an ever-grateful pet owner.  In these county lines we've received priceless education that will carry us for careers and promotions to come.  Perhaps most importantly it was Saint Peter and then Mankato that introduced me to college friends who have watched my metamorphosis without judgement, and life friends that I never thought I could meet.

Because I never count my chickens before they hatch, I am now counting my blessings, that have hatched and never fled my nest.  To dear friends and places...what if I never would have met you?

Today could be the first day of a beautiful Minnesota spring.  +40 degrees makes this (formerly) Southern Minnesota girl real happy.  Axel and I shared the most lovely picnic under a blanket on our balcony for supper.  I'm not sure if he was ecstatic because his mom finally did something cool by him (it's been a long stressful winter), or if there's something Minnesota sun holds over Florida sunshine.

One of the biggest things I'll have to move this time around is my heart.  Good friends and times are hard to come by.  Despite pressure from the oil industry, my car will certainly have many "friend miles" in the future.  That's alright by me.  As for the plant?  She'll make the move.  Hopefully when restored to a radiant version of herself, I'll convince the original owner to come up for a visit to claim her.

So I've got a weed to pick with a local florist.  Last Valentine's day, Jahred surprised me with flowers...truly a surprise (applause here).  Although I'm not the typical "flowers and chocolate" gal, I'm also not the "drab apartment for a year" kind of gal.  He really had few options this year; the flowers were a welcome edition.  So I took their picture.

As the week passed, so did many of the blooms.  I weened them down until only a sprig of green and two Calla Lilly remained.  When we left two weeks ago for Florida, they still looked lively so I left them where they stood.  

Walking in the door Tuesday night, I was shocked to see that my flowers were still living?!  I had expected Jahred to dispose of their rotting selves at least a week ago.  So, yesterday I continued to enjoy them when a sneaky though came to mind...what if these aren't REAL?  Asking Jahred for his opinion, he removed one Lilly from the water filled vase and twisted the stem into a perfect corkscrew...and it stayed.  OMG, they're FAKE!

Ok, maybe it's just me...in the dark about mixing live and artificial flowers in arrangements?  Needless to say, they're still pretty and remain right were they were...hmmmmm....makes you think.

I write today in the usual post-vacation state of mind "did that vacation really happen?"  "Did I ever really leave?"  

Yes, fly away we did, to Florida for 2 weeks and it was fabulous.  I had two requests before I left...
1. That Jahred would find a dreamy job.
2. For the mounds of Minnesota snow to be a distant memory.
...stay tuned to the end of this post to find out which request my personal genie granted.

If you haven't recently travelled with a "barely-3-year-old", you might be curious to know whats important for two weeks at "Nana's Floridian Paradise".  Here's a pic of what Axel packed in his suitcase (actually was my suitcase when I was a little girl).  Tucked in the upper flap are not one, but two Super Capes (never know when you'll need a spare).  A sack of cars sits below a bedtime friend, and of course you need a good beverage (sipped, of course, from your favorite mug/tippy cup).

*Not Pictured:  Axel added his police badge, procured from a State Patrolman at Kwik Trip a few weeks ago, at 5:30am the morning of our departure.  

**Lesson:  In case the authority of your Super Cape (and backup Super Cape) is questioned, it's best to have your law enforcement identification along as well.

"Where are we going?"

First (and frequent) stop the POOL!

Perhaps our best vacation moments were spent right here...New Smyrna Beach.  Heaven must exist somewhere between children and the ocean, the combination is truly breathtaking. 

We managed to catch (literally almost colliding to get this picture...which isn't zoomed by the way) Tyler in a triathlon in Clermont, FL.

Here is Axel's interpretation of a "Pencil Dive".  To all you diving enthusiasts...focusing on "pencils" with little splash...maybe you could send a pointer for him.

Making two stops to our favorite flea market this year, Axel fell in LOVE.  My moral compass was spinning wildly when I imagined the breeding conditions of these dogs...but the wonderful thing about children is...they see, they love, and their hearts aren't yet bitter enough to ask questions.

It was a beautiful trip.  Nana, you made it happen.

As promised, I would reveal the answer to my genie riddle.  While I was away, as midwesterners know, the snow kept right on coming.  However...I was not going to be totally shut out on wishes...Jahred accepted an AMAZING job, right exactly were he was meant to find one.

More details on the job and another impending move to come.

Happy spring break to all to are "va- and stay-cationing".