Adult Deprived

What is This?!

2010-06-14T23:13:00.000-07:00

**crawling in with my tail between my legs like a dog who finally responds after you have been calling for 15 minutes (or in my case, 8 months)**

Hi.

So, just where have I been? In a word...

Seriously. I really only have time for one addiction and the instant gratification of FB is overwhelmingly powerful. AND THEY HAVE GAMES!

For a long time I was caught under the sea in FishWorld but now I have surfaced on a deserted isle in Island Paradise. *sigh* I know, I'm pitiful.

Really. The login page should just be a giant, flashing warning from the
Surgeon General.

WARNING

Using this site may cause extreme emotional connections which are not easily broken. User may become dependent on the opinions of people whom they have never met. Those who use this site may experience a withdrawal from other more productive activities and/or websites. Also, one may develop an overwhelming urge to create for oneself a cyber life involving crops, cafes, fish, barns, pets, tikis, cities, plantations or mob connections which have no real bearing on ones real existence whatsoever.

** turning away my face in shame **

:-/

Facebook also has live chat! Its like talking on the phone but you are typing... You know about this right?! I can hold a conversation with someone with out them hearing my kids screaming in the background. AMAZING!!!

I am not dissin' the F to the B... it has its purpose in the grand scheme of cyber things. However, it is time consuming and, at least for me, has become a great diversion away from the only journal I have been successful at keeping up for more than a week. And, since I have been gone from the blogosphere for about eight months I will endeavor to spend the next few posts catching up on what I failed to journal about. Hopefully, for your sake, if you choose to partake, I will pull off being mildly entertaining in the process.

Oh, oh, oh... By the way, I would like to give a shout out to those of you who continuously nagged... er... gently questioned when I would return to blogging. Kellie, DaNella, Linda, Andi, Becky, Laura, Tabi and a few others... you know who you are. Thank you for missing me and my humble blog. It is, in essence, my first cyber love/addiction (even before the AI boards). You, gentle readers, were my first emotional connections , and yours were the first opinions I became dependent on. I missed you too.

I'm back :-D

Give Him a Hand

2009-10-01T00:04:00.000-07:00

If your kids are like my kids then they love to paint. Nothing in particular, mind you. The verb paint is used loosely to describe the act of slathering innocent reams of printer paper with as much wet, sloppy color as they can hold.

Yes, I said reams. I have REAMS of painted paper. Piles. Mountains. SO in honor of My Love's birthday I decided to utilize my wealth of water color paintings. We started with making some hand prints...

...and putting them together for a birthday banner.

No birthday is complete without a handmade card. No pun intended :-p

Happy birthday My Love. You are the light of my life. I love you truly, madly, deeply.

So, gentle reader, what do you do with all that excess "artwork" your kids create?

No Flying Allowed and A Random Dozen 3

2009-09-15T00:11:00.000-07:00

My poor Marli learned the hard way that humans... no matter how enthusiastically they flap... are NOT made to fly. Her maiden voyage off the ladder of her brother's loft bed landed in a an itty bitty walking cast. Healing should take about four weeks. Its a tiny little crack on the toe end of her fifth metatarsal... er... the wee littlest piggy. Look at her little bones... they don't even touch yet. Oh they are so cute on the inside as well as the out... sigh.

We ARE fearfully and wonderfully made.

She was so brave too. From the doctor to getting the x-rays to being fitted for the cast she never complained or cried. I think she rather enjoyed all the attentioin and being carried everywhere.

Anyway, because of Marli's adventure I am a little late in putting up my Random Dozen. Once again Linda @ 2nd Cup has given my brain something to chew on...

... here's what it spit out. :-p'

1. Which is worse: a long, boring meeting or standing in a return/exchange line after Christmas?

I can not remember ever being in a long boring meeting... I can, however, remember being in some overly long completely boring collage classes. I must honestly say that in comparison to those classes I actually enjoy standing in the return/exchange line after Christmas.

For one thing, I am the type that has no qualms about striking up conversations with strangers for my own entertainment. That is totally looked down upon during lectures in a classroom. Another thing is that after Christmas EVERYTHING is half off. It's the perfect time to take back that ugly, green, turtle neck sweater, complete with twinkling lights, that my out of state (and mind) great aunt sent me and grab myself some bargains with the store credit.

The only bargain I ever got from those long past, too boring for words classes was an open eyed nap for the price of tuition. :-p

2. Except for maybe Rosie O'Donnell or Ann Coulter, nobody likes confrontation, yet we all have to deal with it. When you feel cornered and defensive, do you "bite back" or become passive aggressive?

I am sooooo passive ... not aggressive at all... just passive. Go ahead, blame it all on me, I'll take the rap if it brings about peace and order.

3. Do you know anything about your genealogical background? (What country, culture, ties to prominent historical figures, or other stuff.)

On my mother's side I am Pennsylvania Dutch of German descent. A quiet people of huntsmen and crafts women.

On my fathers side I get more German and lots of deep, dark Scandinavian. And by deep and dark I am talking Vikings. My paternal relatives grow out their beards, and don their horned helmets to take part in a Scandinavian festival every year. They wear fur and roar and pillage and plunder on a viking ship shaped float. I've seen pictures... its not pretty.

4. What is the quickest way a person can endear him/herself to you?

Babysit for free. :-D

5. Cake, pie, cookies, or ice cream? (Note there is no "all of the above" option. You must choose one. Feel free to elaborate on flavor or memories tied to this dessert.) If you'd like, you can share a recipe, but you certainly don't have to.

I could live off ice cream. Denali's makes some killer flavors like Bear Claw (dark chocolate, fudge and caramel swirls and chocolate covered cashews) and Extreme Moose Tracks (chocolate ice cream, fudge swirls, and dark chocolate filled chocolate cups). Sinfully good.

6. Females: Do you regularly change your handbag to coordinate with your outfit?

This is going to be such a let down to some of you, but I have used only two different purses in the last 12 years. AND they both look pretty much the same. I had a small, tan, knit bag before I had kids, and now I have a large, tan, knit bag that holds all the stuff I carry for the kids.

7. Are you task-oriented or relationship-oriented?

I must be task oriented cuz I'm not sure I know what being relationship oriented means.

8. IHOP, Bob Evans or Cracker Barrel?

I have only been to IHOP... I think I would prefer one of the other two. ;-)

9. Have you ever left a movie in progress in a theater? Why?

Nope. We are pretty careful about what we go to see at the movie theater. And once I've paid ten bucks to watch something I'm. Going. To. Watch. It.

10. What is one area of life in which you would like to develop more discipline or organization?

The kids' schooling. I'm getting there, but I know I'm still lacking in some areas. We flip flop from one subject to another depending on our mood. Sometimes I even let the kids choose which subject they want to do next. Its worked so far though. Kiah is reading everything she can get her hands on and trying to be extra good at math because she is going to be an astronaut... and "they need to be good at numbers ya know".

James is a little more challengling but he does the work I put in front of him... eventually. He wants to be anything that allows him to drive a vehichle with sirens.

Sometimes our sit down school day lasts two hours other days it will drag on forever... Seems to me it should be a little more regular but, then again, LIFE is not regular.

11. Was middle school fun or painful?

I only remember glimpses of middle school but they can all be rated neutral to good. Certainly not painful, so I choose fun.

12. What is your favorite Fall beverage?

Eggnog. It is so yummy. I don't like the fancy homemade stuff. Just give me the artificially flavored, packaged in a cardboard carton, always on sale, eggnog. MMMMmmmmm.

A Random Dozen

2009-09-09T23:50:00.000-07:00

What would I do without my 2nd Cup of Coffee? ;-)

So as not to leave you all wanting more :-p I give you my answers to Linda's awesome new meme.

1. What is something that you have changed your mind about either recently or over a number of years?

Four words...

...The quiver is full.

2. Choose either subject, but does your a) church b) job feel more like a dental chair experience or an easy chair (recliner) experience?

This is going to sound terrible but considering the amount of high pitch whining I hear at church and the fact that I haven't heard a complete sermon in approximately seven years I would have to equate my church experience to a dental chair. Its not the congregants or the pastor whining, lol, its my kids. "I'm hungry, I need to go potty, he keeps touching me, she pulled my dress, are we done, can I go play".... and on and on and ON. I'm not really complaining... just stating the facts my friend, just stating the facts.

Last Sunday I took at least five trips to the bathroom during the one hour sermon, never once relieving myself mind you. I cleaned up a bathroom accident once pre-sermon and once post sermon... one puddly, aaaaaaaaand one not.

Hmmm... seems a good amount of the whining is coming from yours truly... my bad. :-p

Now my job, on the other hand, that's the easy chair. I have a college degree and I make pizzas... see what I'm saying? Its not rocket science. Great peeps, though, and it pays for groceries.

3. Kisses or hugs? I actually typed "huts," which might have been a more interesting question.

I don't mind most hugs, but if you are kissing me you better be my husband or one of my babies. Otherwise you are free to give me as many huts as your little heart desires.

4. What do you think is the biggest threat to families today?

Technology (I say hypocritically). Not stuff like running water and electric lights and the LANDLINE phone. But its getting ridiculous with the bud in one ear and the bluetooth in the other. I'm fine with the radio... anything past that gets a big fat raspberry.

5. A day after you grocery shop, you open a perishable item that is horribly spoiled. Do you take your receipt back to the store to be reimbursed or just throw it away and forget about it?

GASP! WHAT! That's cash in the trash! Having done my time as a grocery store employee I know that any store worth its weight in clippable coupons will gladly do whatever it takes to make their customers happy. I once took back a bad box of Junior Mints (they were hard) and those were just a buck. It was a big box :-O Are junior mints perishable? Apparently so.

6. What personality trait (feel free to address good or bad or both) do you notice yourself adopting from your parents?

From my dad, complacency and a twisted sense of humor. From my mom, the ability to cry at the drop of a hat.

7. How many slices of bread do you leave in the bottom of the bag when you throw it away? Two? Three? Just the heel? None? (I really want to know if you eat the heel.)

!!!???!!!

MORE cash in the trash?

I am a little baffled by this question. Does anyone actually throw away bread? Why? Whats with that? In my household of six we go through about four loaves a week. FOUR BIG FAT LOAVES and I don't buy the cheap spongy stuff either.

When my kids complain of hunger THREE SECONDS AFTER DINNER (C'mon Becky compose yourself)... a slice of bread is one of their options.

French toast once a week, eggs and toast, pb&j every other day, grilled cheeses, cinnamon toast... we eat a lot of bread.

The heels...

I used to be able to trick the kids into eating the heels by turning them inside out on the sandwich... that doesn't work any more. When Marli was a little littler she would eat them during the after dinner feeding frenzy, but she is almost three now and, in her great age and wisdom, has begun to appreciate the finer things in life.

Not wanting to be wasteful I take the heels, bag them up, and keep them in the freezer. When we have collected a loaf or two of heels it is time to visit the ducks... usually on the way to the dump. Its a day out for us. A cheap... er... inexpensive day out. Often times I become faint at the last minute and remain home insisting that the rest of the family goes on with out me (hehhehheh) "The ducks are counting on you" I plead with conviction, and off they go leaving me home ... alone. (Thank you My Love)

The heels... represent freedom. And the ducks will eat anything you throw at them.

8. What mispronunciation or usage error really irritates you?

I can't think of what bothers me but if you are irritated by RANDOMLY capitalized words AND frequently "misused" punctuation!!! Then you ??? probably won't be ONE of my followers, any, time, soon!!!!~

9. In honor of the uniqueness of today's date, what does the numeral 9 mean to you? (Any special life moments attached to the 9th? Are you the 9th kid in your family? Can you count by 9s really fast? etc.)

9... 9th...? Yesterday was the 9th? Really?

10. Does the general color palette in your closet match the colors you chose to decorate your home with?

IF my home were decorated I would totally use the colors from my closet. Navys, burgundys, deep greens, and goldenrod. Then a few surprise splashes of bright color... because it was on sale... and it was the only one in my size.

11. When you're hanging out with friends in the kitchen, do you automatically ask to help, or do you sit there and chat until the host asks if you'd like to help? I'm not implying that the 2nd choice stems from rudeness or laziness, just not a first-response like it is for some people.

I ask if I can help with the hope that they will say, "Oh, no thanks, I got it alllll under control." That way I'm free to chase my kids around their house ensuring that they don't destroy anything.

12. Let's end on a pleasant note: What do you enjoy about September the most?

The promise of Fall. The cooler weather. The shorter days. The rich colors. The warm kitchen where there is always something in the oven.

Go to Linda's @ 2nd Cup of Coffee, grab a mug, link up, and enjoy.

Day Glow Donuts, H1N1, ABCs, and Obama

2009-09-03T23:37:00.000-07:00

Let me just start by saying that I was being sarcastic in my previous post when I asked, "Don't those day glow donuts look gooooood?"

I know its odd to find me being a bit sarcastic (ahem) but its the truth.

As I mentioned to a friend (on her blog) I prefer my food in natural earth tones... like chocolate brown.

Warning:
I actually express a political opinion in this post which is unusual for me. Just wanted to give you a heads up. Please, don't hate me. ;-)

So I was watching the news (which I like to call "Information I Was Better Off NOT Knowing"...see, not a bit of sarcasm here) and it turns out that the high school not even 15 minutes (which I attended back in the day) from my house has about 300 students out sick with H1N1 (swine flu). But, as the news reporter stated, there is no need to panic. SERIOUSLY!!!!! 300 students (70% confirmed by the way) are out with a pandemic flu in my very small emo goth community and I should not PANIC! I guess we wouldn't want healthy students to stay home and cause the school to lose even more money. If they are gonna stay home they would rather they already HAVE the flu! Jeewillikers. Just be sure to wash your hands after you visit my blog. Thats all I'm saying.

The reporter then states that no one has been hospitalized in the area due to this flu. Oh thank you, that is such a comfort. GOLLY! See no reason to take any precautions when 1 out of 6 of high school's students are sick. Excuse me while I lick this door handle because obviously there is no need to panic.

Have I mentioned that I am involved with a high school ministry that is made up of about 50-80 students who attend the infected campus. These kids are not just going from school to home with bags over their heads!

*DEEEEEP breath* Aaaaaaand... moving on.

Did you know that Facebook has memes too? Wow! They are pretty much the same ones that circulate here... go figure. You've seen one questionnaire you've seen them all. This one was called The ABCs Of Me. It is a little self absorbed but when I am old and I am reading this again off of my memory chip implant I know it will make me smile at how self absorbed and NOT sarcastic I was.

A - Age: 33, I think, *doing the math*, Yep 33.

B - Bed size: Most nights, too small.

C - Chore you hate: Are there supposed to be some I like?

D - Dog's name: Flip, aka Flippah dippah dooooo dahhhhh! or Flip The Amazing. Our friends come to visit the dog and say hi to us on their way through.

E - Essential start your day item: More sleep.

F - Favorite color(s): Blues (and chocolate brown).

G - Gold or Silver: Don't wear much jewelry but when I do I prefer silver.

H - Height: 5'2"

I - Instruments you play: Flute, Alto sax... piano, sort of. I need lessons.

J - Job title: Wife, Mom,Teacher, Pizza Whisperer.

K - Kids: No thanks. I already have some.

L - Living arrangements: I live in a house with My Love and our four kids and a menagerie of pets who are family in their own special way. My parents live across the street so imagine the show Everybody Loves Raymond but without the humor, laugh tract or situational comedy.

M - Mom's name: Why, is someone talkin' smack about her?

N - Nicknames: Boo, Supafreak, My Love, Mommy.

O - Overnight hospital stay other than birth: Yep, appendicitis. Best vacation ever!

P - Pet Peeve: Rude/stupid drivers (myself included :-/ )

Q - Quote from a movie: "Tuh not tuh", Tow Mater. "I write in my journal to keep secrets from my computer", Dwight Shroot. See, how cultured am I? :-p

R - Right or left handed: Right mostly but the left one works too.

S - Siblings: 1 older brother.

T - Time you wake up: I GET up around 7ish... I WAKE up around 11am.

U - Underwear: Under there!

V - Vegetable you dislike: Bell peppers.

W - Workout style: Mothering.

X - X-rays you've had: Hand, teeth, abdomen.

Y - Yesterday's best moment: My Love came home from work early.

Z - Zoo favorite: Any of the animals I don't get to see in the woods around my house on a daily basis. Like hippos. Hippos are cool! I don't see them around here much. And I like the giraffes.

So there you have it. Next time I do this one hopefully the answers will have changed. I don't want to be stuck in a rut.

Hmmmm....

Right now I am wondering how many of you made it through the whole alphabet and are still with me in my random, late night, semi panicked, half asleep, laundry avoiding state?

Now, whats this I hear about Obama sending out a back to school address to students to be shown in the class room? Couldn't it just be aired prime time so students and parents could watch it together? Have any other presidents attempted to do this? Doesn't he know that he would be considered WAY cooler if he just posted it on U toob and it was found by accident?

I'm just sayin'.

I completely support the president's desire to encourage youngsters to do their best and perhaps it should even become a presidential tradition. However, my home school curriculum will not include my children writing letters to themselves on what they can do to help the president or what the president wants them to do. I'm all for respecting the leader of the free world but I will not follow blindly, and prayerfully neither will my children be required too.

Hopefully he will at least remind them to wash their hands.

Hello September,

2009-09-01T22:27:00.000-07:00

Where did you come from? You just popped right up out of nowhere didn't ya. Here I was listening to complaints of a long cold winter, then fanning myself through the lengthy days of Summer... wait!

Where was Spring?

September, you sneaky month you. Where did you hide Spring? Well, you're here now. I guess I have to deal with you. Which means I have to get the kids back into a school friendly schedule of NOT being in their jammies until noon. It means that I have to look at skulls, dead bodies and ISLES of easily consumed candies every time I grocery shop. It means that Autumn is upon us.

I suppose it could also mean that I should get back to blogging more regularly. It doesn't HAVE to mean that but its my blog... so it will.

And since I am a dry well of blog fodder I would like to thank Linda @ 2nd Cup of Coffee for creating a meme for me to do.

Don't those day glow donuts look goooood?

1. When you go to Wowmart, what one thing do you get every single time, besides a funky-wheeled squeaking cart full of frustration?

Honey Nut Cheerios and Spaghettios with "meat"balls.

2. What is something that people are currently "into" that you just don't get or appreciate?

What are people into nowadays anyway?

3. What is something that really hoists your sail that other people might feel "ho-hum" about?

Spending time ALONE! Grocery shopping ALONE! And my favorite... thrift store shopping ALONE. The only other thing I think is better is spending time ALONE with My Love.

...i like to be alone.

LOL at "hoists your sail".

4. Favorite song to sing in the shower or car?

Always by Jewel, and close runner up is Always and Forever by Heatwave.

5. A really great salad must have this ingredient:

Ranch dressing. I know I'm so uncultured :-p

6. Advice in a nutshell to new bloggers (one or two sentences):

If you want to be noticed you have to notice others. Do it for fun and be true to yourself.

7. What was the alternate name that your parents almost named you? Do you wish they had chosen it instead of the one they gave you?

I think I was going to be Steven which, as a girl, would have been a little awkward... I'll stick with Becky.

8. What in your life are you waiting for?

The return of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Everything else pales in comparison.

9. You get a package in the mail. What is it, and who is it from?

Its FREE homeschool curriculum and all the exact stuff I needed/wanted. Its from my fairy homeschool mother.

10. Today--what song represents you?

I... don't ... know... What song do you think of when you think of me?

11. What is one thing that blogging has taught you about yourself?

I am not alone!!! LOL! There are other mommies who come thiiiiiiiis close ( ) to cooking and eating their children on a daily basis.

12. How are you going to (or how did you) choose the clothes you're wearing today? What do they say about you in general or specifically how you're feeling today?

I will and always do wear whatever is clean and comfy... and the clean part is negotiable. As a slightly psychotic Mommy of four kids age seven and under my clothes say... "hmmm, she must be a carzy Mom of four kids seven and under."

Lets not even talk about the hair do.

If you want to answer a Random Dozen then go ahead. Then stop by Linda's to let her know ya did.

Thanks Linda :-D

The Morning After

2009-08-06T22:30:00.000-07:00

So the actual morning after the sleep over was Thursday.

I survived.

I dropped off the last friend around 2pm after Space Chimps, breakfast, beading, snacking, whining, a quick lunch and a stop at the park.

Kiah didn't want it to end. She rode home with her hand pressed longingly against the window fruitlessly grasping at moments passed, blubbering uncontrollably.

It was ... it was... well, it was pitiful. She sees these friends about twice a week so I have a sneaky suspicion that she was not going through friendship withdraws but sugar/sleep withdraws.

She even wandered out of her room after bedtime to tearfully inform me that she misses her friends and can't stop thinking about them.

~sigh~

Oh to be seven.

I can't believe we are into the weekend. At least the beginnings of it. I feel the need for some major thrift store therapy but time on the weekends is divided between ministries, momming, work, and catching up with everything I should have been getting done during the week. Lately any time I get to thrift shop seems to be right before the store closes and I hate rushing my thift store experiences. Its like going in for a full spa treament only to have them send you home without getting your shoes off.

For now I'm going to settle for a dose of Seinfeld and some much needed pillow therapy. I hope to someday have time to catch up on my posts and catch up with you.

Have a blessed weekend.

What Was I Thinking

2009-08-06T01:32:00.000-07:00

It started innocently enough. Kiah wanted to have a slumber party. I knew what to expect but did that stop me? NooooOOOOoooo.

After taking part in a massive kid swap we arrived home around 6:30. Giggling ensued. I prepared dinner while the girls terrorized anything that stood still long enough (ie, Booger, Flip, Mo, etc.). Then we ate... and ate, and ate, and...ATE! After dinner the girls had to earn their Eskimo pies by listening to a Bible story and answering a question correctly. They were all rewarded.

After dinner we decorated some sugar cookies and went for a walk/giggle fest/race that ended in more pet torture. The girls tried to eat the cookies but they only tasted as good as they looked. LOL!!!

Then there were crafts. They painted sun catchers. It was actually quiet for about three minutes before they finished and began revving up on their next sugar rush. I directed their energy around the couch, like any normal mother would, which resulted in a three girl pile-up.

Of course anytime we have kid friends over there are unceasing requests to hold the snakes. Candy is getting ready to shed so Mocha and Red were up. I had to laugh when the one girl who was requesting to hold the snakes the most was actually terrified of them, but only when they moved. At first she put Mocha bravely around her neck but as soon as Mocha turned to crawl back around she recieved her first flying lesson. HA! Not to worry, she was no worse for the wear. LOL! Our snakes have become accustomed to the squeezy hands of youngsters.

By this time the clock was racing toward 10pm so it was time to put the little girls to bed and let the big girls have the night to their 7-9 year old, grown up selves. G'nite Marli and Eden...sweet dreams.

I had been saving the movie Annie for a special occasion. Kiah had never seen it and to my shock neither had any of her friends. They were ENTHRALLED! I chuckled inside thinking about how hard I try to entertain and enlighted and sometimes I just need to regress. Who needs Hannah Montana... we have Annie. One girl did lament the fact that it was "singy dancing" movie but each time a song and dance came up they were glued to the screen.

After Annie was safe and sound with Daddy Warbucks it was time to hit the sack... and by sack I mean tent out in the front yard.

It took a few warnings and I had to threaten a few lives but they finally all quieted down, the giggling ceased and they all feel fast asleep around 12:30 am.

~deep breath~

The morning I'm sure will be filled with more giggling, crafts, sugar, nail polish, videos and cranky girls.

P.S. Please forgive me for being so sporadic in my posting and visiting. I always seem to be out of time or energy. What happened to all those lovely indoor winter days? HA! Hugs to all.

What!?! ABC Wednesday

2009-07-21T23:59:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that its Wednesday already. ABC Wednesday is back to A. I gave up at R during the last round. Let me see if I can come up with something to talk about that begins with the letter A.

...

.....

How about atrophy. My gray matter has become non-functioning and as much as I want it to work for me now, it refuses.

I have scanned countless photos and nothing...

Atrophy of the brain due to lack of use. I guess that is what happens when one functions on a junior high level of intelligence.

lol

Here I Am

2009-07-20T00:47:00.000-07:00

So I decided to post simply so my bloggy friends would no longer envision me lying in a ditch somewhere, leaking bodily fluids into the soil, all the while my lap top lies just out of reach. I strain to reach the "publish post" button but to no avail. The crumpled vehicle has me pinned, my mocha frappaccino is splashed throughout the wrecked interior and the onstar is non-existant.

No, it is far less dramatic. Nothing really, in fact. Just life in general... which does involve a plethora of bodily fluids, but I'm quite sure you don't want to hear about that.

BUT... do you see it?!? I got something bloggy done tonight. My lovely new header. Now I am exahausted so I bid you ado... until my next late night burst of energy.

I know exactly how she felt.

Coming Attractions:

Haircuts
Family Camp
Project 365: A Major Catch Up
The boy's B-day (aka A Trip to the Zoo)

Writer's Workshop

2009-06-24T23:50:00.000-07:00

The Prompts:

1.) Interview a child.

2.) How do you stave off boredom?

3.) Write a poem for the little boy in your life.

4.) Describe a memorable interview or talk about your experience trying to find a job amidst this recession.

5.) Create a Help Wanted Ad.

My Boy James

In any room you are the scene,
loud and proud lover of green,
a t-rex a croc or a bat today,
there is no limit to your boyhood play.

Questions from you unlimited flow,
boggle the mom but you simply must know,
curiosity killed the cat, "Is that true?"
It applies to the whiskered, but of course not to you.

The outdoors are yours you are king of the hill,
Owies and scars on your knees from the thrill,
Frogs, a lizard, a snake and a snail,
are toted along in your play dented pail.

And when the adventure of the day does end,
to the dreamship with a kiss on your cheek I do send,
"Mommy will you lay here and sing to me,
rub my tummy and cuddle for a minute or three?"

Another side to you that is rarely seen,
which comes out at bedtime when you're ready to dream.
Blue shining eyes soften and ready to close,
"I love my mommy." and then off you doze.

And since I forgot to post this ON Father's Day I will do so now. I know some of you have been waiting on pins and needles (don't you know thats dangerous!?!) to see how it came out.

To the other boy in my life
you are the best!
I love you My Love!

A Pinkalicious Day! ~ Wordful Wednesday

2009-06-23T15:49:00.000-07:00

"Mommy, when you are home to work will you bring pinks for making cupcake stuffs. And make sure you bring da cherries for the tops."

How can a mommy resist such a request? Especially when it comes from a freckle faced cutie like this.

Here is the book that started it all.
Written by Victoria Kann and illustrated by Elizabeth Kann.

Pink-aboo!

So for no particular reason at all we set out to make today pinkalicious.

Eden played the part of Pinkerbelle. LOL!

Vanilla icing, vanilla cake, a few drops of red food dye and pink sprinkles... TAH DAH!

Is that Pinkerella?

Today was pool day at a friends house so we took our pinkcakes to share.

"Am I going to really wake up pink Mommy?"
(that is what happens to the main character in the book)

I smirked and answered, "Perhaps, after all, you did eat A LOT of pinkalicious pinkcakes."

Eden, now wide eyed, "Cool."

Well, I thought to myself, it could happen. I DID forget sunblock on their arms. :-/ Please no lectures. I remembered everywhere else and the pool was in the shade :-)

Thus ends this pinkorama.

A Little Posty

2009-06-19T14:56:00.000-07:00

I just found a nice giveaway over here at MY SWEET SAVANNAH with super classy prizes. I'm gonna enter. Yup I is.

Evidently I find myself in an odd mood. I'm tired from work (making pizza is hard, wah) and unmotivated at home. Obviously I am unable to kick start my thought life as well because my blog has been sitting idle for so long that the comments are being moderated. I have it set for posts over five days old just in case someone reads back.

Why would someone read back??? Maybe to find out if I have always been so funny/weird/esoteric/boring/slakerly/smelly/quirky... you may pick your own adjective.

I have thought of a few posts to write but none of them have happened.

Saw UP. Liked it. A lot. Took the kids. They liked it. A lot.

Saw Star Trek. Liked it. No kids. Liked that. A lot. ;-)

Have you tried that whipped cream cheese? Its da bomb! If you like cream cheese you must try it whipped. Its so soft you can dip your crker right in and it won't break. It spreads super nice as well for those of you who would never dip anything into a container meant for public usage.

My kids eat dirt, see, it could be worse.

I get to work tonight and I get paid. Yay! The job is going well even though my very not a teenagers body doth protest. I still haven't memorized all the toppings and probably messed up once too often, but I'm getting there. They actually had to dump a pizza last night because I put the wrong meat on it. Woopsie. My Bad.

I think my brain is emptied for now. Until I hit publish. As it is I have been staring out the window for five minutes trying to think of something else to say.

Pathetic :-p And I mean that in a very self loving affectionate way.

Shhhhhhh.....

2009-06-06T15:27:00.000-07:00

It is so quiet here right now. Here being home. My parents are finally back from a month long road trip and they invited Kiah and James over to play with their new puppy... a miniature dappled dachshund. Her name is Daisy and she is about the size of one of Mo's paws. Mo is their lab mix... he is BIG. Pictures are necessary for full comedic impact of that pair but they will be shown at another time.

Anyway, my other two lovelies are napping. I wore them out at the thrift stores this afternoon. My Love is home but also napping. He has kid duty tonight and so must be fully rested. I am working tonight. 5-10 doing something that will probably make me sore. I did not realize that making pizza was such a workout but I have come home after each shift very sore and exhausted. But being a mom I recover quickly.

Next week end I will be busy busy busy! I work 6-11 thurs, fri, and sat and I'm doing a yard sale. I LOVE having yard sales. Its a great way to get grown ups to come to my house. I usually have water or lemonade available and popsicles or lollipops to give to kids. What doesn't sell will most likely be going to the thrift stores where I can make regular visits to it until someone gives it a home.

I have completely enjoyed doing this last giveaway. Stuff like that is so fun for me. I'm a giver. When I'm out shopping around I see little trinkets (ok sometimes secondhand junk, lol) at thrift stores or garage sales that reminds me of someone, and I want to get it for them. Usually I refrain because, having done so before, I have found that the thought of getting stuff from the thrift store makes some of my pals naseous. I don't get that. I'm all into second hand stuff. I love thrift stores, garage sale, yard sales, *drool* ...

I thought I would do give aways a little more often... smaller ones, using some of the great finds I come upon. After my yard sale I will set aside any of the nicer stuff and do giveaways for it here. Hmmmm... I'm just wondering if it would work. It would sort of be like a thrift store but you don't pay, you just enter a drawing to win my junk. Would any of you be into that? Maybe in a new blog by itself. I'll have to work out the details... Free Stuff Friday is kinda catchy ;-)

I suppose that is enough rambling for one post and I want to hop in the shower before work.

OH! To all my giveaway winners I'll be going to the post office Mon or tues to ship your stuff. Thanks again for playing!

Robin, I got your email, we're good to go.

Giveaway Results Watch Me Wednesday Style

2009-06-02T22:41:00.000-07:00

The results are in and...

I love you!

oop...

I mean, I thank you all so much for entertaining and humoring me for the past couple of weeks. I definitely needed the escape from reality today. It was just hectic and I have no one to blame but myself.

I started the day out by forcing the kids to work on a Father's Day project only to realize that Father's Day is still actually over two weeks away.
~sigh~
Wish I had realized that before
I had made them cry.

Then I had snacks to make for a hundred plus highschoolers who go to Campus Life. And, of course, I procrastinated until the last minute on tallying and preparing your comments for the drawing. Shame on me.

Then there was just life in general which today involved convincing a 2yo. to use a potty instead of the floor, an overly loud/whiny five yo. boy who stayed up waaaaaaay to late, a sweet but sneaky pair of blonds who wanted everything I have said no to in the last month, and PMS.

So if you find a bite out of any chocolate that you may have won, now you know why.

Despite all of the above I did get it all done and below you will find a revealing video *snicker*

I do apologize for the length of the video. and if you do not have a fast connection then I suggest you just skip it and scroll down to where I actually typed out all the information you are looking for. My video "clip" turned out to be eight minutes. EIGHT MINUTES!!! Which wouldn't be so bad if I actually had something to say.

I also found out some things about myself from the making and viewing of this results video:

1. I should always, ALWAYS be scripted when on camera. ALWAYS.

2. I'm a bit bizarre. Perhaps that is what draws some of you back... its hard to bear but yet you can't look away. LOL.

3. I lather/rinse/repeat as in overkill. In fact, after My Love helped me film he said, "you're gonna have to change your blog name to Ramblings of a Mom."

Perhaps, but I don't want to be obvious. :-p

4. I like to wear My Love's shirts. I guess I could have changed into some of my own clothes for the sake of appearances but I was keepin' it real ya know... yeah... thats it. At least I had a bra on. I know TMI.

5. I crack myself up.

*whimper*cry*wail*

Apparently we don't own a computer with the capability to upload an 8 minute video :-(

Why didn't I just edit the post so there wasn't all this build up and then a big let down!?!?!?!?!

Because I'm a little lazy like that ;-)

I'll just include a copy of it for you winners... maybe someday I'll get it to post... until then, read on for the winners.

Congratulations to...

Robin @ Be Still and Know - 21st commenter

Skoots1mom @ My Hands His Glory - 100th commenter

DaNella @ Beyond Microbursts - 200th commenter (and for most comments)

Saundra @ Italian Mama Gone Crazy - 1st random drawing winner

You have all won this...

And Danella gets this bonus.

AND

Laura~Peach @ Silence is Broken - 2nd random drawing (must be a nonwinner) winner gets this...

There may be a little something extra thrown in with all those for good measure too.

YAY!

Also, I want to pay it forward to...

Hair Bows & Guitar Picks

Mel @ Voice for Moms

AND

Linda @ 2nd Cup of Coffee

Whew!
Don't be surprised if you don't see me for a few days because I may be passed out on the floor and the kids will be using me as a TV pillow.

I'm just saying ;-)

Now all of you winners need to send me your mailing address so I can get you your prize and pay it forward. My email is...

gbhadley @ yahoo . com

With no spaces of course ;-)

All Good Things...

2009-06-01T00:57:00.000-07:00

... must come to an end.

The giveaway entry period
is officially closed.

Thank you SOOOO much to all my faithful readers and a few new comers for making my dream come true. OK, so it was a small dream, but a dream nonetheless. Not only did you help me reach my goal of 200 comments on one post you surpassed it.

247 comments!!!

You Rock!

I will be officially announcing the winners on Wednesday, June 3rd.

The prizes??????????

I have a small collection of items to sort through and still more shopping to do. If I know you well enough I may pick out something extra special just for you. i hope what I have so far is worth all your effort.

Thanks again :-D

Now off I go to tally comments
and find a hat ;-)

To see my Project 365
scroll down or click
HERE.

Project 365 ~ May 17th - May 30th

2009-05-31T16:12:00.000-07:00

Sunday, May 17th the laundry lines up for washing.

Monday, May 18th the kids play a not so quiet game while Marli naps. SHHHHHHHH!!!

Tuesday, May 19th My Loves put this moth on James while he was taking a mid-day snooze. James woke up and screamed like a girl ROTFLOL! He quickly calmed down and took his new friend outside where it belonged.

Wednesday, May 20th we find the moth has found another friend of its own kind this time.

Thursday, May 21st this green climbing frog finally found a resting place on top of the window trim of my parents house after being manhandled by the kids for a bit. I told them that for my birthday I wanted them to let it go... and they did. :-)

Friday, May 22nd we met some friends by a private lake and while enjoying the sunshine this young buck walked right up to us. It was sort of freaky. I told it to tell his friends to stay out of my yard or else but I'm afraid my warning fell on HUGE def ears.

Saturday, May 23rd the peonies I gave to my dad are blooming. They are giant and beautiful and smell heavenly. They never put on quite a show for me.

Sunday, May 24th Kiah is My Love's date for a friends wedding. I was plain worn out after church and didn't have the wherewithal to help the kids sit quite through a wedding. But Kiah was very excited to see the "princess" wedding and I think her and her dad make a lovely couple.

Monday, May 25th ...aliens :-/

Tuesday, May 26th The kids were watching a bee on one of the flowers but I thought it looked like the flowers were looking at the kids. teehee.

Wednesday, May 27th James catches a baby alligator lizard. At this size they aren't quite as formidable as their adult selves. He gets a thumbs up.

Thursday, May 28th... see Monday.

Friday, May 29th I worked a shift at Round Table and did the grocery shopping after. All I wanted to do when I got home was put my feet up and watch Jay Leno's last show. Headlines and Jaywalking, some of the best bits ever.

Saturday, May 30th I wake to find my white Canterbury bells (?) in full bloom... yes... I see they are not white. I bought them last year when they were two inch starters... now they are four foot purple topped stalks.

Thanks for stopping by. To see other peoples weeks in review visit Sara at Make Music From Your Heart to the Lord.

Roundom Rudeness

2009-05-28T23:52:00.000-07:00

So if you haven't heard yet I just started working at Round Table Pizza. I'm not entirely sure that I am allowed to write about my experiences there but I will anyway because I don't know any better.

Ignorance is bliss. Thats my story and I am stickin' to it.

Anyway, I have only worked three shifts so far the longest of which was 3.5 hours. Tonight I worked my forth shift and instead of make-up (building and baking pizzas) I was trained to be the pizza runner. This is the person who brings the food to the table after going through an elaborate ritual of figuring out which pizza it is, whether it was paid for and where it is really supposed to go.

On a completely different note... Billy Crystal was on Jay Leno tonight. I am getting old. I can tell because every time I see a celebrity I grew up watching I think, "boy they are getting old."

~sigh~

Billy Crystal is one of my favorite actors who is, quite frankly, beginning to look a little pasty. That means I'm not too far behind. I do admire him though for letting it happen and NOT pulling a Kenny Rodgers permanent surprise but in denial lift.

If I close my eyes I can picture in my minds eye that Jay is actually interviewing Mike Wisowsky and all is well.

AnYwAy, I also know I am getting older because the antics of teens, specifically the rude ones, gets on my nerves. I brought a medium twist (six garlic bread twists) to a table of three teens, two girls and a boy. It was accompanied by two little tubs of ranch dressing...standard. The boy asked me for an extra ranch. I knew there was a .25 cent charge for extra tubs but was unsure of how to collect it at that point.

I checked with another employee and went back to the table and said, " I'm sorry, it is my first night serving and I was told that extra ranch is .25 cents would you still like one?"

After looking at me like I had hissing cockroaches climbing out my nose he answers, dripping with sarcastic teenage angst, "NO, reeeaaally, I'll be just fiiiiine, but thanks A LOT for bringing extra plates, yep, thanks."

Completely ignoring his tone I respond cheerfully, "You're welcome, enjoy your meal and have a nice evening." Because that is what I am paid minimum wage to do... ignore the fact that someone in this teens life has neglected to tell him that he is not owed a thing just by being born and that not everything in life is free even if you whine for it. All the while thinking... between the three of you you couldn't scrounge up a lousy .25 cents!?! Really!?! You are copping attitude over a quarter cup of ranch!?!

OOOooo... Prince is on Leno too... I... oh my word, seriously? ... nah... I won't go there.

Don't forget to enter...

There is Still Time

2009-05-28T00:31:00.000-07:00

To enter...

I know it probably getting annoying to hear about AGAIN but there is still time to enter this just for fun, its my birthday, I have reached 200 posts giveaway.

But don't comment here... only comments on the original post will count as an entry. Just click the pic and you're there. May 31st is the last day to enter and you can put in as many entries (comments) as you want.

BTW

I mentioned to My Love that my awesome blogosphere friends had helped me to reach my goal of 200 + comments on one post and he says,

"Really, I guess there's a first time for everything... and a last."

OOOOooooooo... >:-[

OK, so I could never really be mad at My Love, and it was all in fun, but...

And It Was a Good One Too

2009-05-21T23:18:00.000-07:00

Ahhhhhh...

Everyone is in bed...

So You Think You Can Dance is waiting for me on my dvr...

Another slice of cheesecake is calling my name...

My birthday strolls to a close and, yes, it was a good one too.

Huh?

What did I get?

Bird feeders, plants (you think I'm a little obvious about loving gardening and birdwatching), time out with my friends and a quiet celebration with my family... AND CHEESECAKE! Basically everything this Mommy could ever want.

Thank you My Love :-*

And thank you for all your warm wishes :-)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Don't forget to enter
my giveaway!

(How could you really? I am very persistent)

Just click the silly pic and follow the directions.

ABC, Wordful, and Watch Me Wednesday ~ A Triple Threat

2009-05-20T00:03:00.000-07:00

Don't forget to enter
my giveaway!

Just click the silly pic and follow the directions.

Interested in learning more about me?

Well, a girl could hope.

Just read this post before you go.

~~~~~~~~~~

ABC Wednesday

Today is the letter R

R is for Round Table

Yeah, I work there. Today was my first real shift. A grueling two hours... I know! Slave drivers. I made pizzas, for I am... The Pizza Whisperer.

~~~~~~~~~~

Wordful Wednesday

This lovely little Anna's Hummingbird stopped for a rest between being pursued by a persistent male and taking sips from the feeder. Poor girl was plain tuckered out. Not sure if it shows up too well in the photo but her face and beak were covered in pollen.

~~~~~~~~~~

Watch Me Wednesday

Sometimes a girl has just gotta dance... even if it is to a Ponyville merry go round. And Eden... was just being Eden.

Project 365 ~ April 26th - May 16th

2009-05-17T00:40:00.000-07:00

Don't forget to enter
my giveaway!

Just click the silly pic and follow the directions.

Interested in learning more about me?

Well, a girl could hope.

Just read this post before you go.

Project 365 is a great way to keep up with yourself and your bloggy buddies. It is hostessed by Sara at Make music from your heart to the Lord. You can find her and more weeks in review by clicking the Project 365 button.

Wow. I had some catching up to do. I hope you all remember who I am, teehee.

Sunday, April 26th Awanas held a family carnival instead of a store. There were games, candy, cupcakes and more. We had a great time.

Monday, April 27th My Love brings home my birthday/mothers day present. I have wanted a large fountain for a long time and we got this one for only $40 at a yard sale. They were using it as a planter :-/ We bought a pump online... a steal of a deal to fulfill one of this Mommy's dreams.

Flip says, "A fancy new water dish FOR MEEEEE? Fill'er up!" Silly pup.

Tuesday, April 28th I like to call Eden the lizard whisperer. Everyday she catches a new blue belly and names it Love. EVERY time.

I let her keep them over night then she has to let them go. Its always bitter sweet to see Love go but he always has family waiting.

Wednesday, April 29th Ladybugs. We watched them eat aphids, clean up, and even mate. Look out! Its Spring fever in Ladybug Land.

Thursday, April 30th just like Eden with her lizards, James loves his stink beetles (Darkling beetles). They are big but harmless. I was not too thrilled to have it inside but my budding entomologist wanted to be sure I met his new friend.

Friday, May 1st give a girl a tire... she'll make a planter out of it. My tendency to turn anything that doesn't move into a planter drives My Love bonkers. He took this one OK though.

Saturday, May 2nd on our hike the day before to find wild bleeding hearts to fill my new planter we came upon these charming little fellows. The California newt. The thing I like about them are their little hands. So cute! So cartoony. This day we hiked to where we found them and put them back.

Sunday, May 3rd Awanas award night. Here is Eden and James with their teacher, and, below, Kiah with hers. I admire these ladies so much. I could not do what they do with the amount of patience they do it with.

Monday, May 4th Eden was so photogenic after her bath. Those curls and freckles... *sigh*

Tuesday, May 5th Marli helps me bake for Campus Life and reaps the rewards.

Wednesday, May 6th the pump for my fountain arrives in the mail and My Love gets it up and running. I added some pond hyacinth, bullfrog tadpoles and goldfish to the bottom level. I love it! Thank you My Love :-)

Thursday and Friday escaped the camera. :-(
I suspect more aliens :-p

Saturday, May 9th My Love takes James out for a little airsoft (like paintball). I wasn't thrilled but James was in dire need of some MAN time.

Sunday, May 10th Happy Mother's Day! With my love doing all my work for me I relaxed for once. We went to church, had naps (yes, even me), had a picnic, went bike riding, and then out for ice cream. What a great day.

Monday, May 11th the clover begins to bloom and makes for great tree decorations.

Tuesday, May 12th we had an exciting walk. We saw two snakes (a harmless yellow-bellied racer and a teeny tiny red sharp tail). Then Flip caught a HUGE alligator lizard by the tail which it kindly left behind right before it scampered up a tree. James wanted to keep it... um, no.

Wednesday, May 13th I don't remember what I was making for dinner but it sure peaked Flip and Mo's interest. Mo is my parent's dog. They are traveling so we are pupsitting. This dog is equal to two of Flip at 70 pounds, and he is only one year old. :-o But he is a gentle giant and LOVES the kids.

Thursday, May 14th and yet another friend is made.

Friday, May 15th a puppet show awaits courtesy of Kiah.

Saturday, May 16th I'm kidnapped for a girls day out birthday surprise. My friend Melissa came to pick me up... I had no idea she was coming! I had not showered, put a bra on, or brushed my hair, but it didn't take me long to get ready. Another friend, Nadya, was waiting for us at our first destination. Surprise again! We went to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner and the most fabulous birthday dessert. White chocolate rassberry truffle cheesecake. YUM! We all agreed that next time we will skip the meal and just have cheesecake. I had so much fun. I have the best of friends! Thank you soooooooo much!

Thanks for catching up with me. To see more click the Project 365 button at the top.

And don't forget to enter
my giveaway today.

Here It Is! #200 with a GIVEAWAY!

2009-05-15T15:33:00.000-07:00

teehee

Changed my mind again... all the new thoughts are at the bottom.
We are almost there!
GO! GO! GO!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And since I can't find some random pic of the #200 off of the intermajiggernet then you will have to settle for my cheezy homemade graphic.

And if you want to know what 200 calories worth of just about any food looks like then click on the 200 calories worth of smarties pictured below, which looks much more appetizing than 200 calories worth of ketchup. :-D

Here is my idea! I want to do a giveaway to celebrate my 200th post and my birthday on the 21st but I'm not quite sure what I am going to give away.

All you need to do is leave a comment
ON THIS POST
telling me that you are interested in getting whatever the prize turns out to be. Leave as many comments as you want because each one will be counted as an individual entry...

On May 31st I will tally all the entries the old fashioned way and draw the winner at random.

THE ONLY CATCH is that each comment must say something different even if it only contains one word. LOL.

I'll even give you some examples of acceptable comments to leave...

"Becky, you rock!"

"I love your blog!"

"You are sooooooo funny!"

"I laugh every time I come here"

"You are beautiful."

"Hilarious."

"Delightful."

...and so on.
You could even mean it. :-p

AND

I will be adding little notes here on this post each day until the entry period comes to an end (on May 31st) so keep checking back and leaving new comments.

AM I NUTS!!!!!

Well,

you have seen my profile pic right? HA!

BUT WAIT... THERE'S MORE!

Since my birthday is on the 21st of May then the 21st commenter will win a prize!

AND

If I reach 100 comments the 100th commenter will win a prize...

AND

If I reach 200 comments the 200th commenter will also win a prize!

I do not expect that to happen since I average around 12 comments per a post, but wouldn't that totally rock if it DID!!!

200!!!

Can we do it!?!
I want to try don't you?

So tell ALL your friends to come on down and leave a comment right here on this post and they too will be entered in to win
WHO KNOWS WHAT!
LOL!

Lets do this for fun!

Lets do this cuz its my birthday!

Lets do this because, at least for now, it is still a free country.

Lets do this because I am feeling like having a bit of fun and you all are benefiting from that!

YIPPEE SKIPPEE!!!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Added at 1:35am on Saturday, May 16th

So I tell My Love all about my plans for my giveaway and my goal to reach 200 comments and ya know what he says. "200!?! You've never even reached 50!"

:-( Yeah, thanks, I'm aware of that, nice of you to point it out though :-p

Well, how about it my friends and giveaway junkies... are you ready to help me squash the bejeebers out of My Love's doubts? Please feel free to mention my giveaway on your blog... its totally not required and there are no extra entries for doing so, but it may boost my number of comments and then I can rub it in My Love's face... er... I mean show him I can do anything I set my mind to.

BTW I did my grocery shopping tonight and picked up a few surprises for the winners...

teehee.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Added at 4:06 on Sunday, May 17th

WOW!!! Look at you all go! I am already up to 93 comments! SWEET! I never really thought I could get to 200 but now I am thinking HOT DOG I may have a chance. After all, we have until May 31st. Of course if I reach 300 comments then that means another prize for the 300th commenter. I love seeing some of your creative ways to post. You crack me up. HA!

Again, if you want to mention my giveaway on your blog that would be just fine and dandy. I'm not trying to get new followers, I don't want to be queen of blogland, I am just out for a bit o' fun. Just trying to do a bit of paying it forward so to speak. I have been blessed so I want to bless. Put a smile on one or two...or five of your faces ;-) Besides we should get some newbies in here to pull some of the weight of reaching MY goal of getting 200 comments (or more) on one post which has nothing to do with anything really. ;-)

OH! And congrats to Robin at Be Still and Know for being the first prize winner with comment #21.

It can happen to you too. :-D

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Added at 11:24 pm on Monday, May 18th

YEEEEEEEEHHAAAAAAAAAW!!!!!

You did it! You helped me reach 100 comments.

You guys (and by that I mean girls) ROCK!

~AND~

Congrats to Skoots1mom for being commenter #100!!!

Yay for you! :-D

See, you don't have to be one of those crazys who leave 50 one word comments to win ;-)

And I CAN call you crazys because it takes one to know one HA!?!

On to 200!

Can we do it?

Yes we can!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Added at 11:49 pm on Tuesday, May 19th

So I thought I would just clarify a few things for my own sake as well as yours because this post is a crazy read.

1. My birthday has not happened yet. I appreciate all the belated Bday wishes though. The actual day I turn 33 (I know, I'm a baby) is the 21st of May... hence the reason the person who left the 21st comment wins a prize.

2. Only comments on this post count as entries, but you are welcome to post all you want on my other posts ;-)

3. May 31st is the last day to comment. I will do one random drawing of all the entries including previous prize winners. Then I will do another random drawing of those who have not won anything. YAY!

4. I will announce the winners on Wednesday, June 3rd.

5. I may throw a few more prizes out there... because I'm crazy like that :-p

I have been picking out things here and there for prizes. There is some chocolate there are a few garden knick knacks, a useful item or two. Really I won't know exactly what you have won until you win it, LOL. Kind of exciting huh?

I think that is all I had to say... Keep commenting, keep telling your cyber friends to stop by... 200 cometh!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Added at 11:58pm Thursday, May 20th

I don't care what you say... its true... there is no denying it... I'm a dork :-p

Now before you try to disagree let me tell you that I went all day being depressed because there were no new comments on my giveaway postipoo :-(

I was sad and dismayed and feeling a little abandoned.

Pathetic I know, but my life is so small. ;-)

I was even more shocked to log on a few minutes ago only to find the number of comments unchanged from this morning.

Then I went to my dashboard... and... a note was waiting for me...

You have 5 new comments waiting to be moderated.

I forgot that this post is aging (LOL, just like me) and I have comment moderation on for posts over 5 days old (ya know, so I don't miss anything nice you have to say about me).

So thanks for not abandoning me (I'm so fragile *sniff*)... (rolling eyes) and thanks for putting in your two cents toward 200 comments.

Don't let my dorkiness dissuade you from reaching our goal! Comment away and I'll be by to publish them ASAP!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Added at 12:12am on Friday, May 22nd

I had a great birthday... thats it.

OH. FYI... you don't have to scroll over all the comments. Over the first comment there is a little underlined note which reads "Jump to comment form". Click it and ZAPPO there's the little box ;-)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Added at 10:45pm on Saturday, May 23rd

I. Am. Tired. I worked tonight. Not for very long. Three and a half hours. But at the end of the day... even Saturday... it wiped me out. I smell like pizza. You would think that was a good thing. They acted as though I have worked ther for months. I had only actually worked there two hours. I did OK considering I was thrown into the dinner rush on my second day. I'm not complaining, just stating the facts.

Also signed James up for soccer today. He needs to run. and run. and run. The boy has a lot of energy. It needs to be focused.

Kiah and James have both had their training wheels removed from their bikes. They are doing well. Kiah is getting more brave by the day but James is taking to it a little slower than I expected. Now all I have to do is get Marli potty trained and we'll be all ready for family camp in July.

I hope you are having a wonderful weekend. God Bless!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Added at 11:05am on Monday. May 25th

We are almost there and just six days to go. At last check there were 175 comments.

YOU GUYS ROCK!

Happy Memorial Day!

God Bless America!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Added at 12:03am on Tuesday, May 26th

Well, you did it! You helped me reach over

200 comments on one post.

Who was the 200th commenter???

Congratulations DaNella @ Beyond Microbursts!

You earned it! LOL!

So now that we are at 206 comments (and counting) and still have five days to go, I just have one little question...

Who will be commenter 300?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Added at 12:58am on May 29th

Thank you to all my faithful participants. You still have three days to enter... sure hope the prizes I come up with are worth it.

Maybe if we reach 300 I will add a bonus to each prize winners package.

And of course comment 300 will win a prize.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Are you having fun yet?

SICK, AI, and Watch Me Wednesday

2009-05-13T00:03:00.000-07:00

Oh when, When, dear reader did it become acceptable to be blatantly rude!?! I'm not talking about a bad attitude, that is a whole different post, I'm talking about general table manners... EVEN WHEN YOU ARE NOT AT THE TABLE.

So what, you ask, has my undies in a bunch?

Let me start by saying that I put in my time as a grocery store bagger. I enjoyed it, I was GOOD at it. I talked politely to the customer, I made them feel appreciated even if they were just buying a pack of gum. If they were upset (in regards to their shopping experience) I did everything within my power to make it right. I would help them cheerfully to their car and I would certainly have NEVER belched in their ear or hocked a lunger as I retreated back to the store. Which is exactly what the bagger who "helped" me to my car did tonight!

I kid you not. I had only two bags and would have refused help out had he offered but I was INFORMED that he WILL be helping me out tonight.

OOOOOoooookaaaaaay >:-[

So I unlocked the passenger side door I told the bagger to put my two very light bags on the floor of the car. As he leaned over to put them down...

BBBBRRRRAAAAAAAAAP!!!!!!

~nice~

No "excuse me"... no "oops"... no "sorry"... just "have a good one".

Really? Ya think? I suppose I should be thankful that it was from the attic and not the basement. SHEESH! Then...

THEN... to top it all off as he is strutting back to the store he snorts, hacks, then hocks a loogie not ten feet from me.

HELLO!!! Did they teach you that in the baggers class of how NOT to have class!?!

I can appreciate a good bout of well placed bathroom humor just as much as the next person but this was a completely oblivous assalt to my senses.

BAGBOY, I would like to speak to your mother please.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So, do you watch American Idol? If you don't thats ok with me. I am a closet watcher myself... well, sort of, well ok... not at all. This season I have been rooting for Adam from the beginning but I grow weary of THE NOTE which always inevitably includes a closeup of the boys tongue. Enough, right? Sing one song without THE NOTE.

ADAM, please, just one.

That being said I would not be terribly upset if the boy was not in the finale. He will be tremendously successful either way. Not that I will be buying his album. I am a big sissy when it comes to music.

Tonight I was not impressed with Adam nor the presence of THE NOTE in both songs he sang. Can't you sing one song without THE NOTE.

ADAM, please, just one.

Kris was OK tonight. I have never been a fan of his and I find myself being shocked that he made it this far. I did like his first performance of "Appologize" better than his second song... uh... which I was so enthralled by that I can't even remember the title. I even went back and watched it again to see what the judges were raving about. Nothing.

I loved Danny's rendition of "You Are So Beautiful". It is one of my favorite songs anyway and I thought he changed it up just right to showcase his capable pipes. However, I was unimpressed by his first song. I was not familiar with it and could have thought of a hundred songs I would have rather heard him sing, PAULA!

The results will be interesting. I am excited to see who the top two will be. And saddened because this season of AI is nearly over :-( Now what will I do with that extra hour every Tuesday?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Watch Me Wednesday

I am a cat person. I love my kitties. I lay my head on their bellies as they sleep on my bed. The soft purr they emit acts as a much needed tranquilizer. I stroke their back as I walk past them sleeping on the couch. I skritch their ears as they sleep on my face at night. They sleep ... a lot. And yes, I get jealous. So to pay them back for flaunting their life of leisure in my face, I torture them... just a little. I know they love it because they always come back for more.

Happy Wednesday!

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T00:31:00.000-07:00

Dear Mom,
Just in case you happen to check my blog today I want to say Thank You. I appreciate you so much. Your helpful hands, your caring heart, your words of wisdom, your love for your grandkids all make up the gift God gave us in you. I would not be able to do it with out your help and input... at least not mentally stable. You are a solace for this adult deprived mommy. Thank you for being an involved and compitant mother and grandmother. I love you.

That being said...

It kills you to see them grow up. But I guess it would kill you quicker if they didn't. ~Barbara Kingsolver, Animal Dreams (this is exactly what I'm thinking when those cute little old ladies in line at the grocery store say,"enjoy it they grow up fast." THERE IS A REASON FOR THAT!)

Insanity is hereditary; you get it from your children. ~Sam Levenson (That and vericose veins, gray hair, and a sore back)

The one thing children wear out faster than shoes is parents. ~John J. Plomp (Usually within one hour of all the kids being awake... I'm ready for bed.)

LOL

Happy Mother's Day!

Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward. Psa 127:3

So after church my schedule is wide open. Which means I will probably have my duff planted in the recliner with my laptop open, trying desperately to catch up on my Project 365.

AND YES... that is exactly what I WANT to be doing.

Then later I have been promised a night off from cooking... which actually happens more often than it should but I'm not one to bring up the obvious. Anyway, my night off will probably involve Subway sandwiches eaten either at home or at a park where the kids can run free and DADDY can chase them whilst I doze under a tree.

What are your plans?

RRRRARAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!

2009-05-06T00:53:00.000-07:00

(If you are here for Wordful Wednesday its toward the bottom... but you are welcome to read the whole post if you want... For Free!)

I am soooooooo frustrated right this second. Here I am watching American Idol on the dvr (which I was totally unmoved by tonight), eating a redvine, relaxing and reading some blogs when my dog runs to the door and grumbles. I let her out and she bolts out the door and across the grass barking vigorously.

This is not unusual since we have a wide variety of night time critters who frequent our property. I walk out onto the patio to breathe in some fresh night air and to make sure the dog is not being eaten when I see it. Or, actually DON'T see it. IT being the fuchsias I just bought for a planter in my yard.

In my best Charlie Brown voice...

AAAAARRRRRGGGGG!

STUPID RATS WITH HOOVES!!!

And in case you don't know what those are, I am referring to DEER.

I LOATHE them!

Please don't tell my kids I said "stupid" they don't need to know Mommy is a hypocrite.

Those nasty deer ATE my beautiful fuchsias that I was going to plant today but didn't get around to. Right off the patio table. They ate them... down to the base... every bloom... GONE.

WWWWWAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

So if you ever visit us here at our Humble Hillside Academy you will know why every flower bed and planter in our yard is covered in chicken wire and the ones that aren't are full of nubs :-(

NOW, watch this... I am going to segue to a completely different subject so smoothly that you'll wonder why I am not an anchor on one of those cheesy local cable news shows.

So, what exactly kept me from planting my precious flowers today? Well, it was the small matter of an interview.

HuH?

Some of you may remember that I was looking for an evening job a while back. I put out about 10-12 applications and had really given up on hearing anything back. My dream job at the Salvation Army just wasn't panning out (they are confused). However, last night I got a call from the manager at Round Table.

Not my dream job but it would be grocery money.

The interview went really well and he said I was exactly what they were looking for.

OooooooKay. :-/

I have to pick up some paperwork on thursday and I'm not sure when my exact start date is but I am hired. Please trust me when I say that despite any outward appearances this decision was bathed in prayer and is an answer to them. Any extra prayers, though, are appreciated. This whole Mommy has a job thing is on a trial basis.

Now on to

Wordful Wednesday.

My boy, James, is such a boy. Dirty, smelly, loud, ACTIVE, always a bug somewhere on his person, picking, scabby, and emitting noises, are some of his more ...ahem... charming qualities. James makes me realize that God only gave me one boy for a reason. Nonetheless, he is my boy, my little man, the man I would marry if I wasn't already married to his dad. (ok that sounds weird here, but when I say it to him he beams). He has a sensitive side. We cuddle at bedtime while I rub his back and sing his song and he is still and quiet. He always wants an extra hug and kiss for later whenever I go out.

*sigh*

He loves his Mommy.

And to him, these flowers are not a menace. They are worth a million bucks because they were picked specially for me. To a boy, a flower is a flower.

Thanks Buddy, you made my day.

Project 365~April 19th-25th

2009-04-26T16:02:00.000-07:00

Today was one of those days. Not in a totally bad way but my rhythm was just off. The kids were antsy at church, the better part of the afternoon was spent in a tearful battle of the wills, little disobediences kept me reeling and questioning my parenting skills... or lack of them, and we finished the night completely over stimulated.

I. am. exhausted.

However, as I write, the kids are in bed, My Love is asleep, the house is clean... enough, and I am sitting right here to rest my aching feet and show you what happened LAST week.

Sunday, April 19th

Marli calls out, "Yook Mommie, Kitties iz besfwend wit me, gittup an takkah pitture." Which translated means, "Look Mommy, the kitty is best friends with me. Take a picture."

So I did.

Monday, April 20th

There is a jump in the temperature so at the very persistant begging from the kids I broke out the kiddie pool, hose and bathing suits. The best thing about it, besides the joyful laughter, was that we were able to skip baths because they became self-cleaning. Now theres a concept!

Look at Marli (the one in turcoise). Ya think that water was a little cold? LOL

Tuesday, April 21st

The weather held out for another day so we brought all the snakes out to catch some rays and stretch their... um... legs? The gray one is Mocha, the red one is... Red, and the red one with white markings is Candy. They DO NOT come when called. :-p

Wednesday, April 22nd

Kiah's ballet teacher is moving. This was her last class :-( We are not yet sure if Kiah will continue with another teacher. I think she is ready to try something else. Maybe piano.

Thursday, April 23rd

I Have no pictures for this day and I can't, for the life of me, remember anything from this day. I'm thinkin' alien abduction...

Friday, April 24th

Kiah's friend Elizabeth came to spend the night. A humming bird followed her in the door. I caught it after it bonked into a window. It was sooooooooo tiny and delicate. It felt like I was holding a rose petal.

After all the kids got a chance to poke... er... pet it I took it outside and as soon as I opened my hand it flew up and away with a loud hum. One of the best moments of my life.

After dinner the girls decorated cupcakes. And decorated and decorated and decorated and decorated. Those poor cupcakes never had a chance.

Saturday, April 25th

The girls had a great time playing dress up and having a princess parade.

Grandpa came over for dinner (floating tacos, mmmmmmm) and cake and presants.

Happy 59th Birthday Dad!

So that was my week. If you want to join in Project 365 hostessed by Sara over at Make Music From Your Heart or you want to read about others' weeks then click on the project button at the top.

God Bless!

Giveaways!

2009-04-21T13:44:00.000-07:00

So in my last post I was so overwhelmed by the excitement of sour cream/ cheddar cheese/ green onion biscuits that I forgot to mention a few giveaways going on.

First of all if you will check out Chunk-a-Monks blog you will find an assortment of some of the cutest handmade goodies around. She can even match your current decore. Now tell me that isn't so COOL! She is giving away a birthday frame in honor of her adorable son's third birthday. Go check it out!

Isn't it so fun you can't stand it!?!

AND

Over at Straight From the Heart she is doing a giveaway for a handmade necklace. You even get to pick which design you would like to win. The necklaces are sold on Etsy and come in tons of different styles and they are CUTE! Perfect for accenting your Spring/Summer wardrobe.

Pretty, isn't it?

This one is my fave!

AND

Keep an eye on Adult Deprived because I am approaching my 200th post and will be doing a giveaway to celebrate the occasion. Fun! Fun! FUN!

AND

I know I am slacking when it comes to my Wednesday Triple Threats. I feel one brewing... be patient. ;-)

Here a Biscuit, There a Biscuit

2009-04-20T23:57:00.000-07:00

You mean to tell me that you way more savvy than me in the kitchen women out there don't have fabulous homemade biscuit recipes of your own!?! So you must beg and plead and threaten me with bodily harm to get my made up by accident recipe for sour cream/cheddar/ green onion drop, because I am to lazy to roll and cut out, biscuits.

Well,
OK then...
here ya go.

First decide that you must do something with that 16 oz tub of sour cream that you forgot to take to church last week.
Buy a packet of green onion dip powder thinking that making the dip will encourage you to eat those baby carrots you bought the week before you were assigned the sour cream.
Mix the dip... eat half... forget about the rest. (This may just be the most important step)
Make a decision to do SOMETHING with that one pound block of sharp cheddar that you now have two of because you bought one on shopping day not realizing there was one already at home hiding in the back of the meat drawer.
Run out of rice and try to think of some other starch to serve for dinner.
Remember the mass amounts of cheese in the fridge and the yummy cheese biscuits you ate at Red Lobster a few weeks ago.
Look up eight different recipes for cheese biscuits and realize that you are missing key ingredients for each.

Do this:

Mix in a large bowl
4 cups flour
2 Tbsp baking POWDER
2 tsp baking SODA
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup + shredded cheddar (+ because remember I had LOTS of cheese)

Now, here the recipe calls for 1/4 cup of thinly sliced green onions and 2 cups of half and half, neither of which I had.

*ding*

That was the sound the light bulb in my head made as it turned on when I remembered the sour cream turned green onion dip hiding in the bottom drawer next to the remainder of the baby carrots. But, is it still good? I opened it. No mold. I sniffed... it smelled... well, like sour cream turned green onion dip. We are all still alive so it must have been OK. lol.

So I added what must have been at least a cup of the dip and used nonfat milk to make the dough moist enough to stick together. Then I dropped it in sloppy handfuls onto a pan. I basted them with a healthy coating of melted BUTTER (um... these are not diet food) and put them in a 375* preheated oven.

18-20 minutes later (or maybe longer cuz I sort of forgot about them, but then remembered them before it was too late) I pulled them out of the oven and they were GOOD! And they were HUGE! The kids had two each and wanted more but I was afraid of tummy problems that may be cause by mass amounts of bread product containing questionable sour cream turned onion dip.

So there you have it.
My recipe for sour cream/ cheddar/ green onion biscuits. Now aren't you sorry you asked.

Project 365 ~ April 12th - 18th

2009-04-19T17:53:00.000-07:00

Yay!

Have you noticed?

Maybe not...
I am almost at 200 posts!
Yippeeeeeeee!

I was thinking that maybe a giveaway is in order. Do you remember the last one? I will have to think of something extra fun for all my lovely blogger friends. I'll take suggestions ;-)

But for now its time for .....

This project is so much fun and great for keeping track of where the time goes. I can't wait until the year is done and I can gather the kids around ye ol' laptop so we can relive each moment.

*GASP*

A New Year's Day tradition has just been born.

LOL

Moving on...

Sunday, April 12th was Easter of course. Our church Crossway Fellowship had a lakeside service and then we had a BYOM buffet. The weather was perfect. A gorgeous day to spend outside in God's creation celebrating the ressurection of my savior.

I had all the girls dressed alike and even James was wearing a suit but, before I could snap a family pic him and My Love ran off to the car to change.

Here he is smiling ear to ear because of the great haul of goodies.

Monday, April 13th I made some cheddar/sour cream/ green onion drop biscuts to go with dinner. There were 24 of them to start. I guess every one liked them.

Tuesday, April 14th I used they eggs the kids had dyed to make egg salad sandwiches for Campus Life. The eggs were still pretty even after they were peeled.

Wednesday, April 15th there was a chill in the air that morning so I turned on the furnace to warm up the house. I'm sure it is much more effective when the kids don't campout on the vents.

James was looking so toasty that Marli had to join him.

Thursday, April 16th I notice that the kitties have actually ventured off of the bed to sit on the windowsill to watch the hummingbirds zip about the feeder. They can drem can't they.

Friday, April 17th we see lizzards everywhere. Eden caught the baby alligator lizzard all by herself. James caught a big, fat, dark blue belly and Kiah found herself a lighter one of the same size. We let them go of course.

Saturday, April 18th My Love had an event to attend at a local park and wanted the whole family to go. I was skeptical due to the fact that it was during naptime but packed everyone up anyway. I was totally unprepared for water play but that is the only thing the kids wanted to do and despite my screaming repeatedly to NOT GET THEIR CLOTHES WET every single one of them ended up soaked. Such is life. :-p I hopped out of the car on the way home to get a pic of the spillway where we spent the majority of our time at that park.

On the way home Eden and Marli drifted off but kiah and James were still raring to go.

Thank you for Visiting my week in review. As I read yours I say a prayer for you and I hope that you do the same for me.

God Bless!

Tagged... Sort Of

2009-04-18T01:45:00.000-07:00

So Beckyjomama at Sweet Abundance was tagged with this meme then decided to pass it on to whoever would have it. Since I have been a dry well of late I decided give it a whirl.

Here we go:

8 Things I am Looking Forward To

Heaven (maybe even before the next mortgage payment is due)
My kids finding something they are passionate about (that doesn't involve cartoon characters)
Spring planting and working out in the yard.
Losing weight (as soon as I start trying).
Family Camp.
My birthday (selfish, I know).
Garage sales... having one and going to them.
The day my kids do their own laundry, make their own lunch, wash their own hair, wipe their own... um... I'm sure you get the picture.

8 Things I Did Yesterday

Read blogs.
Homeschooled the kids.
Went for a walk... aka, newt hunt.
Took a drive just to get out of the house, not necessarily to get out of the car.
Vacuumed.
Watched Sesame Street ( I know you are so jealous of my life).
Watched my birds flit about.
You would think that "did devotion/Bible reading/Bible study/prayer time" would be a given on this list but looking back I don't recall doing my own... just with the kids. Naughty Mommy.

8 Things I wish I could Do

Play the piano.
Dance less like Elaine Benes.
Get paid for writing.
Have more time to write here and in general.
Stay in bed for a week... I'm just tired :-p
Get a job and help out with the bills.
Grow three more inches... heck lets make it four.
Have the house to myself for an entire day *sigh*.

8 Shows I Watch

American Idol
The Office
Americas Next Top Model
Food Network Challenge
Iron Chef
Seinfeld
Any nature/animal documentary.
Whatever is on PBS between 8:00 am and 1:30 pm.

8 People I Tag

Who
Ever
Has
Not
Done
This
Meme
Yet

C'mon, you know you want to.

Project 365~April 5th-11th

2009-04-11T15:25:00.000-07:00

Loved to Death

King of all kings, Lord from on high,
He became common but for to die.
He rode in a king then was sold for slaves cost.
He gave up His glory that I not be lost.
Betrayed, accused, beaten and shamed,
For the sins of man this king would be blamed.
His body was broken His blood was shed,
A crown of scorns placed on his head.
“Forgive them Father they know not what they do.”
He was speaking of me, was He also of you?
For with each sin I pierced His hand.
But before His Father blameless I’ll stand.

Death could not keep Him, he rose from His grave.
As He told His disciples, He came to save.
Now ascended to reign on high,
He is my advocate in the sky.
Also, within me, a still small voice.
Not by my doing, it was His choice.
To save a wretch so wicked and lame,
But now in God’s eyes we are one in the same.

Thank you, my Brother, for enduring that day.
For dying that in my heart you might stay.
Thank you, my Savior, for rising up,
For praying for me and drinking that cup.
Thank you, my friend, for dwelling in me
And causing this one, so blinded, to see.

By Becky(me)

Sunday, April 5th is clash night at Awanas. Kiah and I put together the perfect outfit... very clashy don't ya think?

Monday, April 6th I sent Eden and James out to the yard to burn off some energy which turned into a sword fight over some unclaimed territory.

Tuesday, April 7th there was no Campus Life due to Spring break so I used the spare time to fill my bird feeders. It didn't take long for the goldfinches and siskins to find them. The nuthatches, juncos and chickadees soon joined them. Later this this week I had house finches and even grossbeaks. I can sit and watch my birds for hours. Of course that never happens... its usually two minutes here... thirty seconds there...

Wednesday, April 8th is ballet day. Kiah looks like a little pink Easter egg ready to hatch.

Thursday, April 9th Marli is developing some interesting quirks. One of them is that directly after our daily walk or anytime she has had her shoes on for a bit she has a need to check for foreign objects in between each toe. If you listen closely you can hear her say as she spreads them apart, "nope, nope, ew, nope, ew, nope, nope. nope."

Friday, April 10th Uncle Gary is treated to a home cooked meal and a brownie cake for his birthday. We all gathered around to sing and watch him blow out the candles.

Saturday, April 11th we take the kids to the local miniature golf course which is hosting a free egg hunt. FREE! Even though it was super crowded we all had a blast gathering eggs and playing games.

Marli tries her hand at a bean bag throw and the ring toss.

James and Eden search for the perfect egg. Preferably one stuffed with candy.

Kiah finds a furry friend. She has been wanting her own pet bunny for a couple of years. I set my foot down and told her when she was eight. That will be this December! EEK!

James wants a lizard. Um... Buddy... lets find one a little smaller OK. Seriously, this lizard was as big as my arm but he was very nice, and so handsome.

Before we left the kids wanted to watch the go carts. Poor Marli didn't like it though... see her fingers in her ears? lol.

I hope and pray that all of my bloggy friends
have had a truly blessed
Resurrection Day!

He has risen INDEED!

Project 365 ~ March 22nd - April 4th

2009-04-05T15:01:00.000-07:00

Wow, where have I been? I just can't seem to get back into the blog thing... I want to. I almost need to just so I can keep track of myself. ;-)

Well, I did manage to scrape together my pics for this weeks and last weeks Project 365, albeit a day or so late. At least we aren't being graded. Yikes!

Sunday, March 22nd occasionally the cats get to looking too comfortable, which makes me loathe them. I know they do it on purpose... they wait till I am at my breaking point with the kids to look the most serene... then to top it off they give a nice stretch, let out a little squeak, change positions and fall right back to sleep. Naughty, boastful, felines. As my revenge I snap photos of them while they are sleeping until the noise of the camera or the flash wakes them up.

If that doesn't work I give them a good poke.
Then I usually get a glare like this...

Monday, March 23rd some flowers wait inside my bathroom for the threat of freezing overnight temps to pass.

Tuesday, March 24th James insists that he take his bike on our walk despite my best efforts to convince him otherwise. Those training wheels just aren't made for gravel roads.

Wednesday, March 25th Its barely halfway through the day when the counter is covered with bandaid wrappers. A true sign that warmer weather is here to stay is the constant scrapes upon small knees and elbows.

Thursday, March 26th Eden enjoys part of her lunch in true kid style. Come on, is there anyone out there who hasn't done this as a kid at least once? I still do, but its not as fun cuz my fingers are too big now and the olives split. Oh, to be a kid again.

Friday, March 27th one must always be cautious when telling a four year old to pick out their own outfit for the day. Here we see Eden sporting a leopard print bathing suit, a purple pair of corduroy overalls, and a mesh cover up for lounging by the pool. If we didn't have to go anywhere and it was a little warmer then I would have let her stay that way.

Saturday, March 28th must have been a good day since there were big smiles all around.

Sunday, March 29th my plants emerge from the bathroom to find sunshine and a place to call home.

Monday, March 30th we plant our own strawberry patch. Each Monday the kids must observe the plants and draw a picture of what they find.

Tuesday, March 31st was a super busy day. I finished making the snacks for Campus Life and organized the last minute touches for the Easter egg hunt. I stuffed almost 250 eggs! By the end of the day I was exhausted. After I got home at the end of the evening I found this on our bed...

POKE!
hehhehheh...

Wednesday, April 1st we don't do April Fools Day. I just never got into it and haven't taught my kids about it...yet. What we did do since Kiah and James were with us for the Campus Life egg hunt I had them do one for Eden and Marli. They were very good egg hiders and egg finders.

Thursday, April 2nd when Marli falls too far behind on our walks I turn around and yell, "ON YOUR MARKS, GET SET, GO!" Then she runs as fast as she can to catch up. She actually goes pretty fast for a two year old... see the wind in her hair. :-D

Friday, April 3rd I planted some oriental poppies and despite my best protective efforts every bud is plucked by the kiddles before I could threaten their very lives if they touched them.

*sigh*

I'm sure more are on the way.

Saturday, April 4th is our 11th wedding anniversary. We went to see Coroline which was very dark, and not at all what I expected. Then we went to Red Lobster for a truely wonderful dinner. Our last stop was at IKEA which left both of us underwhelmed. The prices were great and the designs were nice but it just wasn't our style.

But before we left for our date I had to get it my fix of Insaniqurium. What is that you ask? Its a computer game that crept over here from my mother's house. You must protect your guppies from aliens as you advance through increasingly challenging levels... um... its sort of addicting... er... like ... uh... blogging.

OK, So Maybe...

2009-04-03T01:24:00.000-07:00

...just maybe, I meant I was taking a two week blogcation. The first week went by so fast I honestly didn't know the next had started. I did get a few things done but not as much as I had wished. I DID get to bed at a decent hour one or two of those nights (this one is NOT one of them).

Last night Kiah woke me at 1+ or - AM to tell me she "hiccuped"* all over Marli's bed.

*In our house hiccup = puke

I walk into the girls room to find Marli in an utter state of panic yelling, "yook Yook Mommy yucky, YOOK!!!!" I grabbed her comforter and threw it in the tub to be delt with later. Then I wiped up all the remaining chunks with the lysol wipes and got Marli calmed down.

How did Kiah's hiccup end up on Marli's bed, you ask? Kiah sleeps on the top bunk... nuff said?

So Kiah was put on quarantine (spent the day in my room watching PBS and coloring) and I am praying that we don't get woken... waked... woked??? up the next three nights with the same, lovely situation.

Aren't you glad I'm back? :-p

What else has been happening the last week and a half?

I had a girls day out and spent it shopping... but not necessarily buying. I did pick up a copy of Bolt as an Easter gift for the kids and I went to Kohl's for the first time and was blown away by their styles in housewares and their prices. I mean blown away in a good sense. I lost myself in the clearance racks. We even found a new kids oriented thrift store. That alone made the trip worth it. ;-)

The rest of the trip and $ was spent on grocery stuff. No big whoop but the fellowship was good.

Some cleaning and laundry and carpet cleaning and organizing and, of course, schooling went on as well but looking around there is very little evidence of any of the afore mentioned activities.

This week started out with my preparation for the annual Campus Life Easter Egg Hunt. I stuffed about 250 little plastic eggs with candy and pennies. The pennies all had a letter or number on them which represented a prize or a verse to be read about the Easter story. Its great fun for all.

We also got some planting done. I put in my daisies and allysum (sp?) and we started our own little strawberry patch. There will be pictures on Sunday when I post two weeks worth of Project 365.

Looking forward, Saturday April 4th is my and My Love's 11th anniversary. Eleven wonderful years and we are still loving all over each other and growing in the Lord together each day. We have conned... er... asked my parents to watching the kids for the day so we can get out and actually have a conversation. I think we may go see Coroline (finally), visit Ikea, eat at Red Lobster, and just hang out at WOWmart (thanks Linda). Maybe I'll give you a run down after the fact, but for now...

Happy Friday!

Project 365~March 15-21

2009-03-22T01:33:00.000-07:00

Ahhhh, my bloggy buddies. After tonight I will be taking a break. Not a long one, but just enough to catch up on the laundry, actually write a few letters, and finish a few projects around the house. I will return on Sunday the 29th with project 365 until then I won't be visiting, commenting, reading or writing blog style.

I will be checking my email so if you have a prayer request or need to contact me you can do so that way. Have a wonderful, blessed week.

Sunday, March 15th "its not a mess, Mommy, its our nestesses." Uh-huh.

Monday, March 16th James decides to take his soccer ball on a walk... maybe he should have carried it down the big hill... RUN BOY!

Tuesday, March 17th click the shamrocks to see what we did on St. Patty's Day.

Wednesday, March 18th Grandma brings over a new puppy computer game. There is no such thing as one at a time in this house.

Thursday, March 19th on laundry day all the clean socks go into a box to be sorted whenever I get to them, which often means half dumping the box to find a pair that match. Booger takes the opportunity to find a pair of forty winks.

Friday, March 20th I catch this scene while watching the kids through a window. That is a tire at the top of the slide. Can you see what they have set up? That poor bicycle is in for it. At least there isn't a kid on it.

Saturday, March 21st My Love takes the kids to the park so I can get some cleaning done but the vacuum just isn't working right. I check the brush end and the canister end but all seems clear... until I try to use the hose. I notice a stretched out area but can't get the bulge to budge. I snip then *GASP*. Who knows how long that has been building up... after I got it all out I thought it looked kind of like a Klingon pet of some sort... or perhaps a delicacy :-p I taped the hose up and the vacuum works like a charm.

See you next Sunday!

ABC, Wordful, and Watch Me Wednesday ~ A Triple Threat

2009-03-18T00:03:00.000-07:00

ABC Wednesday

Today is the letter I

I is for the Ides of March
and all things Irish

Like shamrocks.

James rolled the dough...

Eden cut the cookies...

Kiah decorated them...

And Marli ate them.

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Wordful Wednesday

Anytime I am in the kitchen all the kids want to help. Usually I can find something for them to do... other times its much more effective to shoo them all out so I can just get us all fed and get on with our day. Today it seemed that James was the only one interested in turning our egg salad green. Especially after I reassured him that it would taste exactly the same as the "yellow stuff". Of course lunch was followed by a reading of Green Eggs and Ham. Thank you Dr. Seuss.

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Watch Me Wednesday

HURRY!
Someone invent a way to bottle this...

...the energy that is.

This is a clip of James and Cooper from their visit in January doing what little boys do best. Where do they get all that energy?

They suck it out of their Mommies. LOL!

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Happy Wednesday!

2nd Time Around Tuesday

2009-03-16T23:08:00.000-07:00

No, I haven't heard from the Salvation Army yet. I'll give it one more day then I will call to see what is going on with my application.

Becky factoid: Its time you knew. I'm addicted to thrift stores. Well, to be honest, its not just thrift stores... its garage sales, flea markets, any place I can find something I never even knew I couldn't live without for under a quarter. I usually don't spend much... a trinket here, a flower pot there. Even all the kids' Christmas presents last year were second hand.

Hmmmm... is that sad?

Anyway, since about 90% of everything we own was given to us or from a thrift store I have decided to participate in ...

One of my favorite local events is the Higgins Diggins Flea Market. The Lions Club gathers the smelliest vendors from around the county, puts them all in a big dusty field in the midst of Summer, and supplies a few port-o-pottys. It is a lot of junk but the hunt is part of the fun.

Last year, when I had just about had it with the dust and the scorching sun I spotted it. A 20x24 framed scientific drawing of a dragon fly with roses.

Becky factoid: I have a mild dragonfly fetish. I say mild because they are here and there in my decor but not everywhere.

I walked over to the framed art work and as casually as possible, asked the price... $20. I thought it was worth it but I can get extremely whishy washy about stuff like this. I looked at it... wondered around her booth, looked at it again, then smiled at the current owner, thanked her and began to leave.

"I'll take fifteen on that picture." She called out. *GASP* I was too obvious! I turned back, "I'll think about it." I smiled. FIFTEEN! I really like it... but I don't NEED it... fifteen... golly....

Becky factoid: It takes me forever to make a decision to spend anything over a dollar at secondhand venues.

I went down the next isle pondering, whishing and washing, until I finally decided what to do. I went back to the booth with the picture and said, "I'll take it for ten." Please keep in mind that most of the vendors had started packing up, the end was near. "OK." said the former owner.

YIPPEE!!!

I paid the lady, grabbed the picture and ran to my car before I changed my mind again. Now it lives with me on the wall of our great room.

OK... so the room is not that great... but the picture is. :-)

My Dragonfly print isn't the only thing having its second go around. Lovely Karyn from Musings From Me has tagged me with this award...

I've seen it before but I'm all into being awarded... and its ovewhelmingly wonderful to be recognized for anything other than changing a doody diaper in 30 seconds flat.

Thank you Karyn :-D

Along with this award I am to share 7 things I love. I like how Karyn started hers...

Besides my Lord, My Love and My kids 7 things I love are:

Peace and quiet or just the sound of the rain hitting the roof.
Bird watching, feeding birds on my property.
Kitties.
Cold pizza and icecream (no walnuts or pecans, puh-leeze).
Crafting, making stuff with my hands, producing something I can be proud of.
Sleeping waaaaaaaaaay in.
The coast.

Now I am supposed to tag seven others... if you haven't done this one yet I tag YOU! Don't forget your reward. Anyone who comes by here over and over again deserves it.

Blue Monday

2009-03-16T01:33:00.000-07:00

Yay for Monday!

Blue Monday, anyway.

Ever since Kiah got her hair cut I have been wanting to get a flat iron. They are sort of pricey... at least for one that doesn't look like its going to fall apart. For what I wanted it would have been around $20 bucks. That may not seem like an overwhelming amount but lets just keep in mind that this is anything but a necessity.

On my shopping trip on Friday I was perusing the treasure filled isles of The Goodwill when I saw this...

I had never thought once to check thrift stores for this item and guess what... it was only $3!

AND ITS BLUE!

WOOOOO-HOOOOOO!

I am so easily amused. :-p

I just love how it takes the frizz out of my hair. This pic was taken after my naturally, very wavy hair had been exposed to rainy wet weather frequently throughout the day...

Not to shabby huh? Not one frizzle.
I love it.

So I say, YAY for Monday... BLUE Monday that is.

To get more of the blues click the blue jay button.

Project 365~March 8-14

2009-03-14T15:27:00.000-07:00

So Saturday I marched right into that Salvation Army, walked right up to the lady I knew I needed to speak to and said, "Who do I talk to about the help wanted sign in the window."

She smirked, "Me."

She then directed me to the back to get an application. I filled it out and handed it to her 10 minutes later. "Wow," she said with eyebrows raised. We discussed a few details then she told me she was going to fax it to headquarters with a personal recommendation. Then I said, "Wow." I guess it pays to shop Salvation Army...frequently ;-)

Now, about those ads. I'm not sure I will keep them around. If I had 500 followers it might pay off but I just checked and after two weeks I have made a whopping $0.87. Yeah, nice, I know. The kicker is you don't get paid anything until your account reaches $100. Thats a lot of clicks. If you feel inclined, click away, but not yet...

...its time for...

Sunday, March 8th home again with the girlies, Eden and Marli. They weren't as sick as last week, actually Marli was fine but Eden had a slight fever. We played ponies, playdoh, and started decorating for Easter.

Monday, March 9th the date of the famous phone book incident.

Tuesday, March 10th Kiah goes to Campus Life almost every week to spend time with one of her best friends, Haley.

Wednesday, March 11th we spend part of the day at the park with one of James' friends from church. We had lunch, played at the playground and fed some ducks...fun,fun,fun.

Thursday, March 12th I was plain worn out and trying to catch up on school stuff after our day at the park with kids who are still adjusting to the time change. My Love definately knows how to take the edge off Mommy.

Friday, March 13th I didn't take one pic, but you can read all about what I did here.

Saturday, March 14th after applying for a job, running errands, visiting a sick friend, and a trip to the library, all with Kiah and James in tow, I am ready for some peace and quiet. Coloring is quiet...lets color and color. Kiah loves to color.

Go click on the Project 365 button up at the top to see more weeks in review.

My Friday

2009-03-14T02:04:00.000-07:00

Friday is a sacred day to this Mommy. Not only does it symbolize the start of a weekend, meaning there will be an extra adult around during the next few days, but it also symbolizes a taste of freedom.

Friday is shopping day.

Many women I know loathe the grocery shopping. I just can't understand that. It satisfies the deepest desire in me to go forth and gather goods to distribute among the masses.

Masses = my four bottomless pits, My Love, and a ravenous horde at Campus Life.

Now if I had to shop with all four kids in tow surely I would have some empathy for those who dislike this chore. However, I be spoilt. My Love makes sure that Mommy gets out to squeeze peaches and ponder choice cuts of meat all on her lonesome. It is my one reprieve. My me time. I look forward to doing exactly what I want to do without having to constantly count heads or keep my ducks in a row. I have no desire to share this time chatting with my girlfriends or meeting someone for dinner... its my time... just for me.

Is it terrible for me to protect this time with my very life? Are there some of you out there who are thinking "why on Earth would she ever want to leave her children behind?" Perhaps some of you do not understand my desire for solitude... and you know what? That is OK. I don't need you to understand it in order to enjoy it immensely.

Usually I start out by hitting the thrift stores. I don't always find something but its the search that relaxes me. I peruse the books for texts that may come in handy for school and I even have accumulated quite a collection of works that will last me through most of my retirement years... when I will actually have time to read them.

Occasionally I find a real treasure amongst the junk of others. I buy it with excitement in knowing that it did not cost me the MSRP of $14.99 but instead a mere fifty cents. HA!

After the thrift store hours have passed I move on to the drug and discount stores where the real work of shopping for six on a tight budget begins. I also get around to any other miscellaneous businesses where I have errands to run. Last on my list of stops is the grocery store. I walk up and down every isle even if I know I don't need anything in it. I'm just lookin'. This is me time...I'll do what I want.

This Fridays adventures in solitude included dropping off applications to various businesses. I did that first then paid homage to the Salvation Army. Do you know what was on their window?

HELP WANTED

I sort of wanted to inquire... me working at a thrift store would be like a dream come true...

DON'T ROLL YOUR EYES!

...but I lost my train of thought somewhere between a pile of books and a stack of board games and forgot to get an application. I had thought about it before, working there, but the hours didn't seem to fit my schedule.

When I got home I told My Love about the sign at the Salvation Army. He seemed to think that if I could land a late afternoon/evening position 2-3 days a week that we could make it work.

I was like...

I'm going in to get that job tomorrow (Saturday). Please pray with me that the position/hours will match what I have available. The Salvation Army really is one place I wouldn't mind working. I'm not looking to get rich, just pay for some ballet lessons and maybe some soccer for the boy. It's better than all the grease pits I applied at today... just no one else is hiring.

Speaking of which (getting rich), if you haven't noticed already, I have placed some of those nifty ads onto my bloggypoo. Right now they are in my sidebar but they may move later on. If you have the time I would really appreciate a hearty 'click' on the ol' ad there. I'm not sure how it will pan out but ya never know.

Thanks for hearing me out.

God Bless!

ABC, Wordful, and Watch Me Wednesday ~ A Triple Threat

2009-03-10T21:33:00.000-07:00

ABC Wednesday

Today is the letter H

H is for Hamantaschen

One of the staff of Campus Life called me this morning and made a request for this cookie. It is eaten during the Jewish holiday of Purim which celebrates the story of Ester. I found a recipe online which in retrospect I don't think is as traditional as the one printed on the back side of the label from the poppy seed filling. The dough was good but if I ever make them again I will just use jam, fruit or chocolate.

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Wordful Wednesday

How do you empty a mud puddle?

First jump up...

...then...

SPLASH DOWN!

It is near impossible to keep these kiddles of mine out of the puddles. We go on a nature walk everyday, weather permitting, and I can't wait until the puddles are nothing more than than dusty divots in the road. As I've said before, the puddles are fun for the first week, after that... Grrrrr.

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Watch Me Wednesday

This video just cracks me up. It was just one of those crazy late night moments. James was still up and Daddy just happened to mention that he learned how to tear a phone book in half.

"Nuh-uh." I replied intelligently.
"Yuh-huh." he replied, equally as savvy.

But what got My Love to his feet was the fact that his own boy didn't believe it. I always keep extra phonebooks around for just such an occasion.

We are just crazy like that... yes, thats me singing the dramatic sountrack. :-p

My appologies ;-)

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Happy Wednesday!

Blue Monday and Check This Out!

2009-03-08T23:47:00.000-07:00

For my Blue Monday scroll on down but you might want to check this out first ---

Karen Deborah over at
Fresh Fixins
is doing a giveaway.

All she wants you to do is leave a comment and then tell as many as you can about it.

AND YOU WILL WANT TO

because the more peeps we can get to comment the bigger the prize will be.

What is the prize???

Only Karen knows but I am betting it will be GOOD whatever it turns out to be. Its all for fun and that is what we are all here for, right?

And Karen Deborah is so much fun! I love her honest and to the point posting style and her zany way of celebrating the coming of Spring and PEACHES.

lol

So go check out her blog and leave her some comment love and be entered into a super fun surprise giveaway!

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Blue Monday

My Blue eyed boy in all shades of blue...

...even though his favorite color is green. SHH! Don't tell the hostess, but DO go get the blues by clicking the birdy button.

Project 365~March 1-7

2009-03-08T00:00:00.000-08:00

MARCH!

WHAT!?!

Did you Spring forward?

Sunday, March 1st I skipped church to care for my two sickies. Eden had a head cold and Marli had a fever but if you know anything about 2 and 4 year olds its that even when they are sick they never stop. The video lasted all of 20 minutes before they were ready for something else. Playdoh, anyone?

Monday, March 2nd everyone was feeling a little better and good thing because Eden and Marli had an appointment with the pediatrician for well checks and vaccinations. They are both fine and growing normally and the maladies were determined to be viral. Poor Eden had four shots and a finger poke and did not even cry. Did you hear what I said? she is 4 years old, got stabbed FIVE times and DID NOT CRY.

She is more brave than I.

When we got home they wanted to play "dockter" to use all the skills they learned at their checkup.

Tuesday, March 3rd after a long day of baking for Campus Life, going to Campus Life, and running errands afterwards I finally sat down around 11:30pm only to realize that I had not yet taken a picture for the day. I looked around for evidence of any activities during the day but nothing caught my eye. Then I noticed that one of my socks was inside-out... all day... and I didn't even realize it. Its the one on the left.

Wednesday, March 4th was also a busy day with school and ballet. At the end of it Flip had the right idea.

Thursday, March 5th Aunt Dawn came to visit. She spoiled my kids with toys and hugs but thats what aunties from Missouri are for :-D One of the toys was those expanding rubberish thingies that start out tiny and grow bigger over night. Its akin to watching grass grow but the kids were so excited to find their stuff had "magically growed".

Friday, March 6th we are watching Mo for the day. My parents dog is as tall as Marli and weighs over 70 pounds and he is not even a year old yet. He is a gentle giant though and so mellow for a pup. He loves the kids and since we see him every day he is quite comfy here. Cuteness factor: Mo's toes :-)

Saturday, March 7th the week just flew by! And although we did go to the park today I had neglected to bring my camera. So you get a picture of one of Eden's charms. Everyday when Daddy gets home from work she asks, "did you have any mail for me?" She collects junk mail, receipts, coupons and used up gift cards and stores them away in an envelope for us to find later... in the "mailbox"

So that is how we jumped into March.

Enthralling,

I know.

;-)

Click on the button to see more greats weeks worth of photos or join in the fun yourself.

ABC, Wordful, and Watch Me Wednesday ~ A Triple Threat ~ N'Stuff

2009-03-03T23:59:00.000-08:00

Would it be weird for me to go to the movies by myself to see Coraline? I think it looks good and I want to see it. We just don't have the time or $ to make a date of it unless we wait until April (our next scheduled date night), but by then it probably won't be in theaters anymore.

My poor Jamesy wamesy. He is afraid of the rain. Not being in it but hearing it from his room at night. He doesn't want to be in there alone but when we let one of the girls sleep in there they end up giggling about parts all night. Finally I just let him leave his main light on and I told him that when he falls asleep to turn it off. I'm not sure how he works that out but he gets that light out every night.

Have you seen this new series of Jack-in-the-Box commercials. Jack is brought into an ER with X's for eyes and a dent in his head, then..... he flatlines. I guess now he is in a coma...

*GASP* NNNOOOOOOOOooooooo!!!

Is anyone else worried!?!

No, I didn't think so.

Who thinks of this stuff?

AND, why didn't I think of it first.

*sigh*

Couldn't I have been the inventor of something like those little plastic tabs that keep bread bags closed?

Why didn't I think of the post-it note?

What was I doing when .com was invented???

All this lamenting because I need to pick up a little something at night and in this economy I can't be picky... Who am I kidding... I don't even have the mad SKILLS to pick and choose. I rock at customer service but I need something at night so I can continue to homeschool. I know, I'm nuts but it's important to us. I haven't hit the gas station/minimarts yet... we'll see if I can get in at Jack's place first. That is, if he makes it :-/

My preference is Longs or Safeway so pray with me to that end.

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ABC Wednesday.

Today is the letter G.

G is for Gorgeous George.

Thats right, he is My Love. The light of my life. The one who puts up with my antics, mood swings, manic states and irrational fits of laughter. He is sweet, sensitive, supportive, spiritual... oops, maybe I should use adjectives that start with G... He is gweet, gensitive, gupportive, giritual, good to me in every way... My Love, My George.

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Wordful Wednesday

This is the storybook Kiah made for Grandma for her birthday. She came up with the idea and made it all by herself.

I love it, and Grandma loves it. It has potential.

Not the typical Wordful Wednesday, but its MY blog, LOL!

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Watch Me Wednesday

Here is a video of Grandma and Kiah reading the book together.

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Happy Wednesday!

Blue Monday

2009-03-02T00:26:00.000-08:00

Since blue is my favorite color I thought it would be fun to do...

This is Flip.

This is Flip's one blue eye.

To visit the hostess of Blue Monday, Smiling Sally, and see more blue click the button above.

Happy Blue Monday!

Project 365~Feb 22-28

2009-02-26T23:12:00.000-08:00

Wow Another month gone by... I'm glad I have pics to document it all or I might not believe it. I love this project. I have already gone back a couple of times to see where all the time has gone. Its not too late to join either. Just click on the Project 365 button to visit the hostess. It really is worth the effort.

Sunday, February 22nd Kiah practices her verses for Awanas. Memorization is not her forte unless it involves all the words to a certain mermaid movie. It is much easier now that she can read. We go over the verses two or three times together then she is off on her own with her little lips moving without sound... its so cute.

Monday, February 23rd Mommy is never in the kitchen alone. I gave up some precious storage space long ago knowing that it would be worth it for the little ones to have something else to play with beside hot pots and things that could poke their eyes out.

Tuesday, February 24th everyone was sitting and studying so nicely I just had to take a picture. After all, this doesn't happen everyday ya' know ;-)

Wednesday, February 25th...

CAUTION:

Walks with Grandpa
may cause flights of fancy
and fits of laughter.

Thursday, February 26th the kids were bouncing off the walls (and I use that term literally) so as soon as the clouds parted I took them on a long walk. They. ran. the. entire. way. Stopping only to check out really important things like every puddle we passed.

Friday, February 27th the kids beg to paint stuff. I dislike painting with the kids. I find it stressful and I'm not sure why. No, I know why... Its because I'm a control freak... I confess. Despite that fact I do cave once in a while. Kiah is responsible for the ladybug family and James painted a rock car and a small pumpkin which is one of three left over from our October decorations. I don't think he meant to but my little man made a heart... awwwwww.

Saturday, February 28th its wet and sunny outside a perfect day to babysit a burnpile... and all the kids so that Mommy can get the Christmas Tree taken down and stored away. I know, I know, I am so ashamed. :-p

Now, on to March!

Pay it Foreward and Then Some

2009-02-26T10:54:00.000-08:00

Look what Tabi is doing!

The rules are simple:

The first 3 people to post a comment on this entry will receive a gift from me sometime during the year. When and what are a surprise to the winners!

Then, post about this on your blog & come back and leave your comment telling me you are Paying It Forward as well.

Only the first 3 comments that leave a comment and post this one their blog gets the prize.

This looks like fun. And who doesn't like to receive something for free?

ABC, Wordful, and Watch Me Wednesday ~ A Triple Threat

2009-02-24T21:33:00.000-08:00

ABC Wednesday

Today is the letter F

F is for ...

Frightening Fish cracker Fiasco

I have used this pic before on my other blog but thought it was, um... unique enough for a turn here. my little Marli went through a phase where she did not enjoy the PB&J. I think the mutilation of the offending food was her way of rebelling.

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Wordful Wednesday

Remember that serene snow pictures you all loved last week...

... a few days later, it looked like this. The nice thing about California winters (at least where we live) is that one day it will be dumping snow six inches an hour and the next it will be clear and sunny. In the picture above, James is being a good boy and helping Grandpa shovel his driveway while Flip supervises. A day or so later it rained for two days and one would never have known that it snowed at all. You've gotta love California.

Since our regular walk was a muddy, mucky, mess we stuck to the pavement of our private road where the kids had fun searching out road rainbows.

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Watch Me Wednesday

Marli learns to dunk her cookie...
and other cutenesses.

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Happy Wednesday!

Project 365~Feb 15-21

2009-02-21T23:31:00.000-08:00

Sunday, February 15th at my wits end from telling Kiah 1oo,ooo times to keep her thumbs out of her mouth I finally resorted to digging out a mis-matched pair of mittens, cutting the fingers off and forcing her to wear them. Worked for the first couple of days... but they got rather grotesque and had to be tossed. The girl is seven... any ideas?

Monday, February 16th Cats do funny things. Booger(left) and Daphne are sisters and I know all too well how sisters do not always get along. Once or twice a week they have a face off. This time it was ovr who was going to get the prime napping spot next to the books. I snapped a pic because I thought they looked like live book ends. LOL.

Tuesday, February 17th I attempted to take snacks to Campus Life, but the weather had other ideas. I got about a quarter of the way there I knew that if I didn't turn around at that point I may not be able to get home.

Wednesday, February 18th Despite the snow the day before, by midday our skylight framed a glimmer of hope... a peephole into Spring.

Thursday, February 19th after Kiah's haircut we picked up some snakechow. The kids love to hold the mice but I make them sit in the bathtub so there is no chance of escape. There were six mice all together and they seemed to be overly attracted to Eden's feet.

Friday, February 20th A good friend called to see if I wanted to go to the park. OH YEAH, BABY!!! The kids had barely been outside all week. It was just what they, and I, needed.

Saturday, February 21st I took my mom to help her pick out a new laptop and we went to see Confessions of a Shopaholic. Then we shopped around but really didn't find much. the day wore me out and by the end of the evening all I wanted to do was sit with Boogs and watch Iron Chef while finishing this post. Battle Basil... nice. ;-)

A Hair Raising Adventure

2009-02-19T23:19:00.001-08:00

My dear Kiah was in desperate need of some follicular restructuring, aka, a haircut. Fortunately for us we have a friend in the business who happens to be in love with our children. We sent James off for some male bonding with Grandpa and made it a girls day out. YIPPEE!!!

Here are the before shots of my oldest's perpetual bedhead syndrome.

During the process...

Sisters look on anxiously...

Goodbye Goldilocks...

Now for the style...
Will it look good? Will she like it?

Oh, YES!

At first, when she saw how much was dropping to the floor, I think Kiah became a little apprehensive. I, being the good Mommy that I am, quickly picked up on that and whispered in her ear, "Wow, Kiah, its going to look so much better. You already look more like a princess. You look older too. I'll bet everyone will think you're ten."

Kiah beamed. She is seven.

All the ladies in the salon Oohed and Aahed over what a beautiful young lady she was and how her new do looked so sophisticated and grown up.

Kiah beamed brighter. She was Queen for a day.

To continue our girls day out I let Kiah pick the place for lunch. Guess where we went? McDonalds. I personally don't eat McD's food but I did have a bad tasting iced coffee.

I kept telling Kiah that I just couldn't stop looking at her and taking her picture.

"Why, Mommy?" she asked.

"Because you just grew up a little bit, and you're beautiful," I replied.

She smiled and took a big bite of chicken nugget.

After lunch, we headed to the pet store to look at the birds and the bunnies and pick up some snake chow. Then on the way home we swung by My Love's work place to show Daddy the new do "before it gets messed up." LOL.

Kiah twirled and swished and ate up the moment Daddy had to fuss over her grown up hair. I know she will never forget this day.

Once we got home I took the opportunity to snap a few more pics.

Every time someone mentioned Kiah's new hair she would toss her head or sweep her bangs to the side... it was adorable...

*sigh*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Later that evening Marli decided that Kiah shouldn't be the only one to get all the attention.

I know she got the scissors off the table while the other kids were doing crafts but I'm not sure exactly when it happened.

But, I fixed it.
Say 'hello' to
baby Audrey Hepburn.
:-p

Here she is imitating Mommy's expression when I noticed what she had done.

MARLI JUNE!!!!!

Writer's Workshop~Off Course

2009-02-18T22:27:00.001-08:00

Hostessed by MamaKat

The Prompts:

1.) If you were starring on American Idol TONIGHT and HAD to sing, what song would you choose and why.

2.) Take a picture of yourself right this minute without primping and explain to us why it is you have not washed your hair today.

3.) I just asked Pat to help me with a writing prompt so here's his: "What do you think about the NBA All Star game"...blech.

4.) What's your number one pet peeve? Develop a punishment for anyone caught in the act.

5.) Write about something mean you did to a sibling growing up.

This week I'm going to start with #5

Ahem...

5.) I was the youngest of two children. My older brother, by three years, was a BIG. FAT. JERK! Now, I realize that is not a very Christian thing to say about your only sibling, but please understand that, when I say big fat jerk, I am being nice. Growing up it was sort of a Cain and Able situation. He worked hard at being bad and hated me for being good. I couldn't help it, I was born a kiss up. I'm a people pleaser and I like to be good. In turn I was mentally and physically tortured (pushing, poking, and arm punching, not beatings, although, I vaguely remember being pinned down and spit on or slapped on the forehead a few times) by my troubled bro and my parents remained blissfully unaware for the most part... because if he got in trouble ... I paid for it.

Now that we are all grown up he likes to pretend that we are all lovey and bygones are bygones and that we are friends and can have holidays together as a family... and we do but only because I know My Love would skin him alive if he ever tried to pull any of that c.r.a.p. on me now AND I love my nephews and think they need exposure to normalcy AND I do love my brother but I do not like him.

Wow, that didn't really have anything to do with the prompt. LOL, and that is quite possibly the most serious thing I have ever posted...sorry... won't happen again :-p Let me eat a brownie to regain my strength. MMMmmmm... *schmack*smack*...nummy...

Moving on...

4.) Sssoooooooo... things don't really bug me all that much... Oh wait! I hate the feel of toenails on my skin. My Love purposely puts his eagle claws on my legs in bed to gross me out. Yech! Is that a pet peeve? Punishment would have to be declawing. Just keep your toenails to yourself and we can be BFF!

Oh wait! I hope no one was in the process of reading this while I'm editing but I just thought of another one... I can't stand it when beautiful skinny people call themselves ugly and fat...or when someone is completely talented in, lets say, writing but they call them selves an idiot of the written word... or, oh I don't know, any self deprecating behavior... ARG! I just can't stand it! I mean if you are going to cut yourself down to earn a compliment I would rather you just asked me right out, "will you please tell me how beautiful/skinny/talented I am because I am having an insecure moment. I may cut myself down but at least when I do, its true! Punishment... to be locked in a padded room with yourself wearing a t-shirt that reads, "plesa compliment me or I may cry."

Ahhh, I feel better, you?

3.) Seriously skipping... nice try Pat. ;-)

2.) & 1.) Thats right look at me... going against the flow and combining to prompts in order to utterly humiliate myself by showing you my actual audition tape which I sent in to AI.

OK, that was a lie. I am so ashamed. I did the video for a blog carnival but I think if the AI judges could see this they would pull me in as a wild card for sure. And for my first song I would sing it exactly how I rewrote it and I would dedicate it to all the tired moms out there, because I know Simon loves that.

Here are a couple of pics from one of my mini photo sessions today. Yes, I took them just before posting this... no primping I promise...

... just a little posing... but thats normal for me.

Here I am reading one of the bestest, funniest blogs in here-o blogship (see, natural born kiss-up).

And no, I didn't wash my hair today because I took a shower late Tuesday evening and Wednesday morn I opted for an extra 30 minutes of sleep instead of rinse and repeat.

ABC, Wordful, and Watch Me Wednesday ~ A Triple Threat and a Double Feature

2009-02-18T00:03:00.000-08:00

ABC Wednesday

Today is the letter E

E is for Enchantingly Elusive Eden

My lovely third child is my most willing helper, especially when I am making cakes and brownies. I always use my special spoon for batters and Eden helps me stir then claims the spoon as her reward.

When she is not helping me bake, hand out snacks, set the table, or make a list (pretend of course) then she is making little piles of toys or blankets or fish crackers to use some other time. She is a little chipmunk and likes to hide things away for later use. When asked about what she is doing she will simply say, "I will put this away for when I need it, 'K Mommy." Then she smiles and laughs at the confused look on my face and I have no choice but to smile back.

She is one of those kids that has a knack, when she is quiet, to completely disappear off of the mom radar. Often times while playing outside or on a walk I spurt out, "Where's Eden?" Only to hear her giggly reply from right in front of or behind me, "I'm here silly Mommy, you don't see me."

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Wordful Wednesday

Well, you get two pics this week because I couldn't decide which one to post... it was all or nothing I guess, lol.

This is a picture (above) of my mom sanctuary. In case you don't remember it looks like this in the Spring and it is usually alive with birds and squirrels. Nowadays it goes unused by anyone... feathered or not.

The other day it actually stopped snowing for about five minutes. I was suffering from a bit of cabin fever so I decided to take advantage of the nice weather and take Flip for a stroll. She is the little black dot with a tail in between all those snow laden trees.

Now, I realize that some of you would relish such days of languid bliss without the hum of power and the seclusion that comes from the phones being out. No doubt you could wax poetic for hours about the beauty and peace and stillness. However, there is no stillness when you are trapped in a 1500 square foot house with four kids 7 and under and nothing to entertain but the flicker of a candle.

Playing pioneer days grows tiresome, little bodies are not equipped for snow drifts, kiddles are bouncing off the walls, eyes sting from reading aloud, board games have become bored games, stinkiness sets in, and Mommy just longs for Elmo to take over if even just for twenty minutes so I can put my feet up... or even go to the bathroom.

AHHHHHhhhhhhh... I feel better. I just needed to get that off my chest. I really am making the best of it, and I don't mean to whine... ok, yes I do, but I know all of you 'been there done that' mommies are rooting for me. As I write we do have power, water, and phone service so we are golden.

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Watch Me Wednesday

These are a few moments of fun in the snow from last week. The snow is much deeper now.

And, yes, I do live in California! Its not all fun in the sun... I live in the foothills of Northern California at around 3000 feet in elevation. We often get buried when the snow level is much higher though, due to the fact that we are in a saddled between two high mountains. In essence we live in a snow drift. :-p

The kids don't seem to mind though.

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Happy Wednesday!

Project 365~Feb 8-14

2009-02-15T15:41:00.000-08:00

My dear bloggerinas and bloggers, I do apologize for falling of the face of the blogosphere. The weather has been unstable at best and our power has been off and on... but mostly off. It wouldn't be so bad except our phones are down too which means no internet for this poor mommy.

I have finally been able to escape the madness and drive to Safeway to connect with the real world and leave a post. I did have time to play with my pics a little though... at least until the battery died. Let me know what you think.

I am afraid I will not be able to catch up with all of you... not right now any way... because I will have to get home before it begins snowing again and to make dinner. ;-)

But for now, on with the show...

Sunday February 8th My Love is his usual cleaning machine self. During the week I will actually allow dishes to build up in the sink then do them all at once just before My Love gets home. And occasionally I will even let them go until after dinner. *GASP* I know! I'm such a daredevil.

However, on Sundays My Love just can not let one dish sit without stickin' it in the washer. I grab a glass and drink a bit of water, set it down and BAM! ...its gone before it touches my lips again.

Really, trust me on this one, I'm not complaining. I know he does it because he wants the house clean when we get home from church... I think its cute and enduring and his empty counter fetish has been the source of many smirks between us... especially when I am trying to remember where I set my water down!?!

Monday, February 9th James insists on sneaking under the table over and over again during "nap" time. I know he doesn't take naps but I do sometimes just need him to stay in his room for a bit of quiet time so that my eardrums can have a chance to heal. No such luck. And yes James, I can see you very clearly from the recliner... even when my eyes are closed. :-p

Tuesday, February 10th I knew it would a somewhat lazy day. Snow was threatening and the sky was gray. On particularly cold quiet mornings I am usually awakened by a squinty Boogs trying to get under the covers to warm her icy toes before she sleeps the day away.

Oh, to be a cat.

Wednesday, February 11th we were heading out to ballet lessons and were haulted by giant cottonball snowflakes falling from the sky. Flip stepped out to assess the situation and the look on her face was enough to make me decide to stay home. Each white spot on her back is ONE snowflake. They. Were. Huge!

Thursday, February 12th was a busy day. Eden had a dentist appointment that morning and I got to take all the kids since my babysitters (parents) were out of town. That was ... um... fun?... no, interesting. The pediatric dentist we see is fantastic. They have a toy room all set up like the inside of a giant tree with a movie playing in one section and video games in another. Eden was treated like a princess, that's even what they called her. With all the special treatment Eden was getting the other children of mine quickly became jealous, and whiny, and extra specially bitter that they were not queen/king of the dentist office. *sigh*

Then in the afternoon I had my post op check up which was a waste of time but nice anway because I got to sit and read a magazine and get out of the house alone. Very nice.

Did I take any pictures??? No. And I didn't remember until 11:30PM. Eh... nothing to see around these parts at that time of night. But I did find a picture of the appendix... just in case you wanted to ... ya know...know where it is or something.

Friday, February 13th was my mom's birthday. The power was out but we have a generator and were able to cook her a nice dinner of Hawaiian Chicken. Hee hee. The power came on just before we sat down to eat. It stayed on for at least two hours before it went out again. The weird thing is that our neighbor told us that his power was only on for five minutes. We know it was Gods answer to our prayers that kept our power on for so long... Mom hates it when the power is out... HATES it.

Our goal at every gift giving holiday is to try and get my mom to cry... its not that hard, LOL. Once again with the help of homemade gifts from the kids we were successful at getting her to squirt some tears.

My Dad was quite disgusted because we spent less than five bucks and got tears and he had bought Mom a new computer and, "didn't even get a drop!" LMBO!!!

Saturday, February 14th ... Valentine's Day! After a morning of chocolate lips and candy hearts we setted in for yet another day of snow boundedness... is that a word? It is now ;-)

Fortunately, there was a break between storms so all the neighbors brought out their tractors and helped us dig out so we could make a run into town before the next storm. We were up to about two feet already and since my kids are all pretty young we generally keep them indoors when its so cold. Except for James. He NEEDS to get out. So, when I went for a walk over to my parents house I took him along... He doesn't seem to mind the wet and cold as much as the girls.

My Love and I were able to get into town for a nice homey resturant lunch sans kids and then we did the grocery shopping together which we rarely ever do. That was our Valentine's Day. It was very romantic. OH, and My Love gave me a Starbucks card for Vday too. He sure knows his way into his lover's heart. ;-)

My Love just called me on my cell phone and told me the power is out AGAIN! *sigh* I guess it will be another long quiet night. At least all the kids got baths this morning. No power = no water. :-p

God Bless you... and if you think about it pray for my sanity. :-D

Writer's Workshop

2009-02-11T00:07:00.000-08:00

The Prompts:

1.) What was the first CD (or record or cassette) you ever purchased? Write about the way that particular album made you feel then. Write about how it makes you feel now.
writersdigest.com

2.) You were recently laid off. Instead of moping around, you've viewed it as a chance to start fresh. Pick a new career and write about your first day on the job.
writersdigest.com

3.) List your five most recent favorite things.

4.) I'm hungry. Share your very favorite recipe!!

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1.) I don't remember for sure, but I think I used some money I received for my 12th birthday to buy a Weird Al Yankovic cassette. Oh. Yes. I. Did! LOL.

2.) In all honesty I would mope around... if only I could get paid to sulk.

3.) Oooo... this sounds like FUN!

1. My Love. OK, I know he doesn't necessarily qualify as recent but what if I told you that he never ceases to amaze me. He does the dishes, watches the kids, changes diapers, does the baths, works his butt off (six days a week), gives me footrubs (I don't even need to ask), supports my blogging, guides me spiritually, always makes me feel like I am the best wife/mom/woman on the face of the Earth, he makes me laugh and at times wonder what I saw in him in the first place (in a good way ;-} ) I AM spoiled rotten ... I could go on and on... but I digress. My apologies to those of you who hate when wives looooooooove their husbands, LOL. Go ahead... hate me :-p

Just kidding, please don't hate me... I have issues. I'll get a complex and it will be all your fault.

2. Blogging. So my blog has been around for a while but I never really paid much attention to it until recently. Now I actually have people who come back again and again (whu? I'm still scratching my head as to why, but I love it DON"T STOP!) I have gone out and found some blogs to read as well, and I have cyber met some incredible peeps and remain quite entertained/encouraged/shocked/enlightened.

3. Gourmet Divine Raspberry Chocolate Bark.

4. Christmas decorations. I must really, really like them because a lot of them, including our tree, are still up.

*sigh*

5. Our new Goodyear mud and snow tires. Seriously. The ones we had on the minikidhauler before this week were for city dwellers. We are not. I attribute making it home safely through blizzard-like conditions* over white roads to these bad boys. They were so worth the extra $. I didn't slip ONCE! And I was praying the whole time. The last mile of our drive home is up a road that climbs 1000 feet from the main road to our driveway. I made it home... I love my new tires... they are one of my new favorite things.

*so maybe blizzard-like is a little bit of an exaggeration, but it was snowing really hard ;-)

4.) This is one of my faves and it goes great with steamed white rice and broccoli or green beans.

Hawaiian Chicken (maybe even gluten free... let me know)

Heat oven to 375*

Place a dozen rinsed, skinless chicken thighs (I have used boneless and bone-in) in a 13x9 glass casserole dish.

mix (I use a salad dressing shaker):

1/2 c soy sauce

1 small can of pineapple juice

1/2 c brown sugar

tsp. garlic powder

tsp. ground ginger

1/4 c corn starch

Shake it up, Baby, then pour it over the chicken. Cover the dish with foil and put it in the oven. Boneless should be cooked 45 minutes, Bone-in an hour. Halfway through cook time flip the thighs over. When serving dribble some of the sauce over the rice and chicken. YUM!

For more great writing (like that :-p ) click the pic of MamaKat.

Wow, that rhymed!

ABC, Wordful, and Watch Me Wednesday ~ A Triple Threat

2009-02-10T14:32:00.000-08:00

ABC Wednesday

Today is the letter D

D is for a Dozing, Dainty Dog

When Flip was a pup we never let her on the couch, but we have allowed her a few comforts as she gets older. She will be eight this Summer. She is, by far, the best dog My Love or I have ever owned... or been owned by as the case may be.

Her daintiness shows in the way she eats... if you give her a whole hot dog she will eat it one tiny bite at a time... and when she lays down she always crosses her paws. Such a lady that Flip.

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Wordful Wednesday

There are many times when my kids do something that totally impresses me. Not because I didn't think they could, but because I didn't know they could. On Monday we had quite a bit of snow lying around so my lovely daughter Kiah decided to make a snowperson. ( I am not trying to be PC but I dislike the word snowwoman).

I had become wrapped up in conversation with my mom for a while and when I turned my attention back to Kiah she had completed this masterpiece. Everything about her was perfect. She even had bangs, LOL. Her eyes are happy, she is having a good hair day, her buttons are straight, she has a cute, upturned nose. Kiah said it was supposed to be Grandma, but I think it looks much more like me. Good work, Kiah, good work indeed. :-D

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Watch Me Wednesday

In case you missed it I was the fortunate winner of an Ugly Mug Contest. Take a look at the top of my sidebar and you will see the mug that rocked the world of ugly mugs across the nation.

NOT MY FACE!!! :-p The coffee mug, silly goose!

Along with this win came a fabulous prize. A whole package of goodies from the hostess with the mostest, Linda @ 2nd Cup of Coffee.

Um, sorry the video is sideways... you'd think I'd know better by now :-/

Now in case you can't watch the actual opening of the package, below is all that was inside.

YUM! and YUM YUM!! and fun fun fun! Look at the adorable hand towels for Heart Day. Then there is that mug with a challenge to Espresso Myself everyday. A tasty smelling hazelnut candle (how did you know that was my favorite coffee flavor?) and of course, the reason I entered in the first place, the Starbucks gift card, because Starbucks is gooooooood but its even better when its free.

AND OH MY LANTA!!! That gourmet raspberry Chocolate bark is to die for. Seriously, if you are like me and you don't care for plain chocolate but love it in every other form then you must contact Linda and find out how you can get your hands on some of this stuff. You. will. not. be. sorry. It is soooooo good that I refused to share any, not even with My Love, despite his best efforts.

Thank you Linda, for everything!
I Ken Lee you, a latte! ;-)

Kiah Thanks you too. :-)

Snow Day Giveaway

2009-02-10T00:17:00.000-08:00

The giveaway is by SandyToes @ A Shell in Your Pocket. She is going to give away a year subscription to "Family Fun Magazine". Who couldn't use more ideas for family fun, and all you have to do is give her a visit, leave a comment, and mention her giveaway in a post. Simple!

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Sunday night we got snow.

And more snow...

Wishing for Spring.

At least I am sure My Love was while digging out the minikidhauler at 4AM.
Um, Flip, you left your headlights on.
LOL

By morning all the white stuff stacked up to about six inches.
Not much fun for those grown ups who have to go somewhere, but for those of us who stay home it meant...

SNOW DAY!!!

I know they had enough snow for the day because they all came in cryin'.
Nothing a cup of hot cocoa and a nap wouldn't cure.

Talk about family fun!