Ants

This morning I cleaned out my closet and cleaned out some of the kids play room.  Currently Jacob is sleeping and the rest of the house is calling me and just waiting and wanting to be cleaned.  

However I would much rather sit and talk/write about ants.  (What's new?  I can always find some distraction to get out of doing dishes or mopping floors.  LOL)

Ants are very interesting little insects.  I never thought much of them until I moved into my current home.  In October we will have lived here for 5 years.  Emma was just two and David wasn't even walking yet.  That seems like such a long time ago, time flies!!

Oh yes, I was talking about ants.  When we first moved in I remember thinking that there are a lot of ants in the yard.  Our yard was nothing but dirt eucalyptus and mesquite trees, thorns, nails and ANTS!!  

Funny that ya'll would mention that our yard is kid friendly... we have come a long way.  Side note, I used to sweep the top dirt away just to get rid of the thorns.  It worked!!

We had a very big surprise the end of July and into August.  Our house was under ATTACK!! We had ants coming into our kitchen, one of the kids bedrooms, and the master room closet.

I would wake up in the morning and find ants all over the kitchen floor.  I would sweep them up very carefully and throw them outside, in hopes that they wouldn't get on me or on the kids.  I tried using things like.

• Red Pepper, the sent of red pepper supposedly is the sent of the black ants enemy... the red ant.  The black ants that wanted to live with me didn't mind the red pepper.
• I then heard that if you draw a line with chalk that the ants will not pass it.  Ya, right!!  My black ants didn't care about that either!
• Oh, another thing that I tried was corn meal.  Now, if the corn meal does not get wet before the ant consumes it then the corn meal will swell in the ants tummy and the ant will get a bad tummy ache and die, explode... not sure.  That worked for a little while.  But I have very smart ants.
• I had a pile of red ants in the front yard and you see I learned that black and red ants don't get along.  So I got a shovel and took a pile of red ants to mingle with my black ants in the back yard.  Very entertaining.  However it didn't get rid of them.  For some reason the red ants moved on though.  Hmm?
• Someone told me that ants WILL move if they get too big for their residence.  So I thought, I will feed them, ya know beef them up.  That was a funny idea.
• I also tried vinegar, supposedly they don't like to go where vinegar has been because the vinegar is such a strong sent they lose there way and can't smell the trail that they leave. Poor things. lol

Did you know you can never get rid of ants, ever?  This is true.  Sure you can kill the colony, but a new queen will move in and wham you get more ants.  Not only do I know this from 

experience, but I read it in a book too.

You see when one buys a house you don't have anyone but yourself to turn to for answers. Sure, if you have plenty of money then you could hire an exterminator and let him worry about it. But at that time in our lives our little princess Abby was born and with new babies, you have lots of doctors appointments and copays that add up way too quick.  So back then it was a money issue and now it is a I am gonna get you ants one way or another.

So, back to August 2005.  Abby and I had been home from the hospital for just a few days after she was born.  My Mom was with us.  We woke up one morning and there were hundreds, hundreds, hundreds of ants all over my kitchen counters and floor.  My mother was in shock. She said that we need to get an exterminator out immediately.  My older brother had a friend that was an exterminator.  The friend came out, sprayed the house and they yard.  This kept the ants out.

The following year same thing happened, end of July and into August.  Our house was under attack.  I called the exterminator friend.  He never called back.  I called and called and called. That is when I realized I was on my own.  Sure I could have called another company, but then they make you sign a contract to have them come back every month... no thank you!

So I go to the local Home Depot and buy Home Defense.  That is some really good stuff.  It kept the ants out of the house.  And if I sprayed the ant hill it made them move to another spot.  ha ha!

So, I am still battling the ants.  It is currently attack season.  Only this time, last night we got little black ants, not the normal medium ants.  I ran out of Home Defense and I just don't want to go out in the heat to get more at this time.  So I cleaned the kitchen really good last night and wiped the counter and window seal with vinegar water.  They haven't come back... yet.

Out by the garden I have been using jars filled with sugar and yeast.  They can't resist the sugar and the yeast has the same effect that the corn meal has.  This sugar and yeast just makes the ants move about a foot away from the jar, or some move closer.  Strange.

If you are still reading I will tell you some interesting things about ants.  My Mom was telling me that in South Africa people go on vacation during the season that the ants "attack" or invade homes.  They say that the ants do a great job of spring cleaning.  I guess the ants are much larger there then they are here at my house.

In a book about ants I read that if you mark on your calender when the ants attack you can almost pin point the day that they will try to invade your home.  I think this is very true.

Something else that I think is very interesting.  I was at my Moms in Prescott.  We were on the patio.  I put my feet up on the bar under the table because I noticed the ants... I didn't want to get bit.  But I noticed that my Mom kept her feet on the ground.  Hmm I thought, that is interesting.  The ants aren't getting on her.  So I put my feet down.  The ants stayed away from my.  Now, my ants, those horrible things.  If you are six inches away from the entrance to their home they will run to get on your feet and bite profusely.  I ask  what is wrong with my ants??

We have recently been told of a product that works wonderfully.  But, we have to wait till the monsoon season is over.

But, till then I know where each colony is and most of the kids do too.  Jacob wears boots so he is usually safe!    

Now that my discussion of ants is over, I wonder how much time I have to clean the house before Jacob wakes.  It was nice to get this frustration off my chest.  -Ma

June 13, 2009

I know these photos are not perfectly taken, but hey... it's okay, I am just looking at her cuteness!!

I love her smile in this one.  We were just having fun, while Pa was cutting down the cacti.  

Emma is such a tenderhearted girl.  Quick to help, and quick to smile.

By this time she was tired of me saying chin up, lip out (she likes to suck on her bottom lip), where is that smile??

However she is very patient with me and finds a way to pass the time when I am trying to figure out the camera.  

She plays with the green beans.

-Ma

Oh, What do you do in the Summertime?

June 13, 2009

For us, we tend to get away from a "good" bedtime.  We don't have a routine at all!  We go a little crazy.  But we find time to have fun too.

The kids got to swim.

Jacob is fully dressed because he is afraid of getting wet!  If he gets a splash of water on him he will 'scream like a little girl' until the water is off.

We also got to eat lunch outside.  The ever so famous spiral mac and cheese and apple slices.

We love these summer days!

Less then two weeks till school starts.  Don't know if I am ready to send two off to school yet. My house will feel so empty.  -Ma

Dried Baby

June 12, 2009

Jacob thinks the dryer is great!!  As soon as I pull the clothes out of the dryer, he thinks he needs to jump in.  Then he laughs and laughs!!

That is, he laughs until I walk away.  Then he realizes that he can't get out without Ma's help!!

Funny boy! -Ma

Removing Cactus

June 13, 2009

Once upon a time, about 3 years ago the MONSOONS came through our neighborhood.  It knocked over our 40 foot eucalyptus tree, luckily the tree fell on the other 40 foot eucalyptus tree.  Now I hope I am not telling a lie, I think they were about 40 feet.  I will have to check.

Okay, anyways.  The tree fell over and we had to get a chain saw.  We went to Home Depot, they were closed because the storm took their electricity.  We then went to Sears, they were out of chain saws'.  We went to Lowes and they were out of them too.  All of the stores were closed after that so we had to wait till morning in hopes that the other tree did not give out and fall on the neighbors house.

The next morning we got "the" chain saw.  Pa was like a little boy getting his first bike.  

He has a power tool!!

And he couldn't be more proud.

He loves his chain saw!

When it comes time to use it one can see the excitement radiate from him.  We never use this cactus.  We gave transplants to those who wanted some, so now it is time to say good bye.

Pa, got to use his toy!

And boy did he have fun!

Clean up was tough, but he was a good sport.

Ah, now we just have three stumps to get out.  We have found that spraying high pressure water around the stump it will come out with a little wiggling.

-Ma

Ouch!

June 11, 2009

As sad as it is boys will get hurt.

Jacob is our little helper.  If we are working on ANYTHING, he is there with us.

When this happened he was helping me clean out our tent trailer, we were getting it ready to sell.  I had a piece of metal on the floor.  I had that sweet voice from inside tell me that someone could get hurt on that sharp metal and that I should move it.  So, I spoke back, in my head and said, "I will just put this away and then I will get the metal."

I turned around to put away that "something else" and I heard screaming.  Jacob fell on the metal item.  Hardly any blood, but he had this deep gash on his leg.

Quickly we went inside to clean it and put a bandage on.

I put a butterfly band aid on because it was a wide cut and it looked like if I didn't get it to hold together he would end up with a yucky scar.

Looking at in now over a month later, I am so glad I did.  He has a scar but it is thin compared to what it could have been.

Just a side note.  After putting on the butterfly band aide I put on a larger band aid to keep him from taking the "important" band aid off.

In this photo he was so excited that I was taking his picture.

He would point to his cut and say "ouch", really slow.

We went to the library to wait in line for the free culture pass.

I wanted to take Emma to the zoo because her birthday was coming up.

While waiting in line I talked with a couple mothers who were in front of me, I told them that I really wanted to take my kids to the zoo because it was going to be Emma's birthday.

David was running with the said lady's boys.

When he fell, H A R D.

He has never fallen this hard before.

I ran to the van to get the "doctor kit".

Cleaned him up, put band aids on.  Then I listened to him cry saying that he wants to go home.

I just couldn't take him home we only had 5 more minutes till the library was to open, we were close in line and we were going to get the zoo pass!!

A librarian comes out to tell us not to run anyone over and that we need to be kind... blah blah blah.  Then he gives us some shocking news.  He said that from here on out they will not be putting all of the passes out at one time, they will stagger the times that they put out the passes.

I thought, "great, I should still be able to get the pass and get out of here.

So, the doors are opened and the crowd, now more eager than before makes there way into the library.

The kids and I walk closer and closer to the shelf thingy that they put the passes on, I see the ZOO PASS

I pick up my pace to get to it with a hurt child.

I was almost to the wanted pass when the lady that was in front of me, (the mother of the child that was running with David) is on the other side of the shelf thingy, without showing her face she reaches her hand around the shelf and she grabbed the last ZOO PASS!

The lady stood up, straitened her clothes.  Looks at me like she won the battle and said, "Oh, I don't think they put all the passes out this time.  I think this was the ONLY ZOO PASS."

I look at David and said, "I am so sorry I made you wait here for nothing.  Lets go home."

Not that I was entitled to the pass, but she was not very nice about it.  She looked at me down her nose.

On our way home David said, "Ya know why I fell Mom?"

I said, "No Dave, why did you fall?"

David said, "It was because of that boy, he made me fall, he made me run."

I responded, "And you know what.  His mom took the last zoo ticket too!!"

Hmm.  -Ma

Emma is 7

So it has been about a month, but I am leery of putting exact days of the day on the computer. 

Here is the starting of  a castle cake.  Thanks to,

Betty Crocker

She wanted this cake and nothing else would do.

Lots and lots of fun pink!

The finished product.  With homemade princess hats for the girls.

The boys got store bought foam swards. 

After a while the castle started to lean to one side a bit.

Our kitchen for some reason is the HOTEST room in the whole house.

The poor cake got warm.

Emma was SO excited.

I think that the cake and ice cream are such a big part of a party.

I don't think I need all the "birthday gifts".  Just make the day a happy day and celebrate with friends, family and cake with ice cream.

Our beautiful 7 year old!

-Ma

Tender Moment

Pa is in the Elders Quorum Presidency at church.  So he has a meeting each week.  It just so happened that tonight was one of those meetings.  He got dressed in a white shirt and tie and went out the door.  

Tender hearted and no nap today Jacob was right behind his Pa.

So, I opened the locked door for the little guy and let him say his sad goodbyes.

As Pa drove off Jacob had alligator tears streaming down his little face and arms reaching out in hopes that his Pa would come back.

When Jacob realized his Pa was going to be gone for some time he thought he would try something else. 

He wanted his shirt off.  We removed it.

Then he asked me to follow him to his room.  He pointed at his Sunday shirt.

I really thought he was pointing to something else so I held him up and asked what he wanted.

He really wanted his Sunday shirt on and he shed more tears when I told him that he wasn't going to be wearing that shirt tonight.

He has now come to grips with staying home, but I think it is bedtime.  -Ma

Sunflowers

Once Upon a Time...

We planted some sunflower seeds hoping we would get 8 to 10 foot sunflowers. The excitement was there, but something was lacking.  Water or fertilizer or maybe the soil was just wrong?

However it turned out pretty.  It was fun to look at.  Love the yellow!  The stem however was the size of a pencil.  Poor flower.  But still beautiful.

Some of the sunflowers were meant to be small bushy ones and oh did they look glorious right in front of the corn.

I will let you know, something else really liked them too.  Oh, are they hard to see in the above photo?

How about now?  Can you see one munching and one flying?

I bet you can see the little beauty now?

Ya, I think he is smiling here.

And going in for a big bite!  Yummy!!

My poor flowers were once so beautiful!  But now, well you can see what those wild parrots have done!

Oh well they sure are fun to watch.  Last year our flowers grew about 5 1/2 to 6 foot tall.  The parrots and the ants ate them.  Last year it was really fun to watch the parrots eat the seeds because the chickens would wait under the flower and eat what ever the parrots would drop. Fun times!!  -Ma