Help! There’s a snake in my boot!

Help! There’s a snake in my boot, actually it was in the closet but it could’ve been in my boot as some point. The cover photo for this post was taken just last month. My 14-year-old had said he spotted a snake in the heat vent. Many people would think that he was just imagining things. But I know that this could have been a real possibility. So I prepared myself with a pair of kitchen tongs and my brother helped me to close off all the heat vents.

Last month appeared to be a false alarm. No snake ever emerged from the heat vents or anywhere else in the house that we saw. However we have had some not so false alarms in the past year.

The picture below is a snake that we found in our kitchen last November. Yes, those are the kitchen tongs. This was not the only snake we found though.

I was actually pretty calm this time around as this has been the second snake we had found in the house within a few months.

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This is what my bedroom looked like after my daughter had called me last May. She had saw a snake in the playroom. Imagine her surprise when she bent down to pick up the toy snake so she could vacuum and it moved.

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This is another picture of my closet when we were looking for the snake. Needless to say this prompted me to do a major decluttering.

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This is a picture of the play room after the snake was spotted.

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After a second, more thorough, search of the house the snake was eventually found in my closet. If you look closely in the corner there is a tiny hole in the wall and that’s where he was.

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This is the snake that was found in the closet the first time. He was let loose only to be found in the chicken house a couple weeks later.

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Below was the second snake that we found near the house. He was curled up under the hood of my truck. I could not believe my eyes when my son sent me this picture. He had borrowed my truck to jumpstart his early in the morning. I bet he was shocked to find this under the hood.

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After asking Google and many of my Facebook friends no one had a good solution for getting the snake out of my truck. My truck sat in the hot sun for three whole days trying to bake him out. I tried to throw mothballs under the truck and various other suggestions to no avail.

You can see him playing peekaboo in the grill. I was paranoid that the snake would pop out while I was driving down the road or something. That’s when I found out that kitchen tongs work well for grabbing hold of snakes.

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Remember that if you ever happen to find a snake in your house, or your vehicle, just try to stay calm. If you’re unsure of how to remove the snake or if you cannot positively identify the snake then don’t touch it. Call the professionals, if needed.

This was just a quick little post to show you that it that it always pays to be prepared for anything.

Egg carton snow man craft

These are fairly simple to make. They are also very easy for kids of all ages. 

You will need:

  • one egg carton 
  • Glue 
  • pipe cleaners 
  • sequins 
  • sharpies 
  • construction paper 
  • other craft supplies, as desired

Cut each egg carton into four pieces. Turn over add eyes and mouth with marker. Make hats from construction paper. Use pipe cleaners as hanger. Allow kids to decorate with sequins and other supplies as their imagination guides them.

Popsicle snowflake crafts

This is another easy craft for kids of all ages. Adults will need to use the hot glue gun to assemble the basic snowflake and to attach the ribbon but after that let the kids have use own imaginations.


You will need:

  • Popsicle sticks, 3 per snowflake
  • Hot glue gun
  • Ribbon or yarn to make hanger
  • Sequins
  • Glitter
  • Glue
  • Other decorations, as desired


First glue the three popsicle sticks together to form a snowflake.


Next add the ribbon to the back to form a hanger.


Finally, let the kids decorate as desired. Let dry and hang on tree.


How to survive the nasty stomach bugs

Now is the time of year when all the stomach bugs are floating around. When you have a large family like we have it can get very stressful. So how do we handle the stomach bug or nasty bug as my little ones call it? Continue reading “How to survive the nasty stomach bugs”

Ode to a Sandspur

Oh, Sandspur my foe

It’s you I fear

I hate you so

As winter comes near
You started out kind of pretty

Really quite innocent

Almost delicate to see

Until the summer is spent
When you’re green

You’re not so bad

When you’re brown

You’re oh so mean
Not anyone do you spare

From head to toe and in between

From your pain and despair

The likes have never been seen
With your round little sphere

Covered in so many a briar

Can make anyone shed a tear

Worse than old barb wire
So I beg of you please

Have mercy on poor little me

Don’t stick my elbows or knees

Neither my finger or pinky
Please don’t make me cry

Please don’t make bleed

Don’t hurt me by and by

This I beg, this I plead
No hitchhiking on shoes

Or pant legs without a care

Because my patience I might lose

If I step on you unaware
I hate you so
As winter comes near
Oh, Sand spur my foe

It’s you I fear