Missing a Day or Two

One Two Three - GO! We will be driving back the WHOLE way tomorrow. No stopping overnight, no sitting still while eating, and the rest of the insanity. 2 kids, 1 dog, 1 dad driving and 1 insane mother.

For those blogs I love to read, but haven't had a chance to post anything (and for those I have gotten to but don't stay more than 30 seconds):

Happy New Year!

Gotta run, both kids are up and driving me crazy! Time to start packing, finding all the toys, and and and... oops, guess I ought to feed them breakfast first and get them dressed. GRIN. The packing can wait until later... since we aren't leaving until morning.

The Youngest of the Family

We had 4 out of the 5 youngest in the family here yesterday. My two boys (ages 1 and 2) and my niece’s two children (ages 8 months - the boy, and 5 years - the girl).

Her son is extremely tall for his age. My boys are at the upper end of the spectrum and her son must be off the charts. Here is a picture of my #2 Son with her son. (click pictures to enlarge them)



And then my #1 Son had to draw while her girl was writing and drawing.



I must say, both of my boys slept pretty well last night. Though #2 Son was AGAIN up at 5:30am. Ugh.

When It’s Cold

You have to bundle those kids up in something warm. Here they are playing out in Mamaw’s yard. Click images to enlarge.



Here is #1 Son with gloves on that are just a little too big (they are my sister’s gloves).



And we couldn’t get #2 Son to stand still for this photo. I still wanted to put this out. Family and friends that could not make it to the funeral for my Dad, here is his new headstone. I think my Mom and Sister did a great job for Christmas.

Chicken Pie

From Edna. I have never made this, but have certainly eaten it and loved it. I thought it would be something nice and easy for after the holidays.

1 small frying chicken, cooked, deboned and cut up
2 cups chicken broth
1 can cream of celery soup
Salt and pepper to taste
1 stick butter melted
1 cup of self rising flour
¾ cup milk

Put chicken in 9x13 pan. Pour broth over chicken, salt & pepper, spread soup over chicken evenly. Add flour and milk to butter, and spread over chicken mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until brown.

Humor for Dreaded Wednesdays

Not the normal dreaded wednesday, but being the 3rd day in a row that one of my children woke me up at 4am (and stayed up)... I'm tired and some humor will help. Hope to do some blog surfing tonight, if I can stay awake. GRIN.

Here's the humor:

Finally, No more Geico commercials (click to enlarge)



HA HA...let's see the
little s--t sell insurance now!!

Not Much Blogging Next Few Days

I’ll be logging on, but I’ll be trying to download upgrades for my Mom’s PC. Since this dial-up is not the best, I’ll forgo surfing the blogs and updating my blog so we can get what we need for Mom before we leave. As I type this, the download page from ASUS still has not loaded. Sigh. It’s going to be a LONG couple of days getting this info.

BTW, I forgot to mention, the first night we were here, my Mom asked if setting the temp for the heater at 60 for the night would be warm enough. 60!!! OMG. And the answer is – I froze my toes. Man oh Man is that cold.

So, to help me remember why we are here and let everyone else enjoy some of the fun… here are a couple of pictures of my boys! Click to Enlarge.

Here is my boys (including my dog), and my niece’s boy. BTW, my niece’s boy would not leave my dog alone. He loved him.

You Know You Have Acclimated to South Florida When

1. You go to North Florida, it is 28 degrees outside and you can’t believe you are still in Florida.
2. You turn on the cold water while in North Florida and almost freeze your fingers off.
3. You get cold feet and can’t get them warm.
4. BEFORE putting on a jacket, you put on more than one layer of clothing.
5. You turn on the hot water and freezing cold water comes out!

Hard to believe I lived in North Florida 16 years! Also hard to believe I use to think phone modems were great. After having DSL at home, this connection is SLOW. Going to post this and go play with my kids. Hope everyone is enjoying themselves!

How to Decorate A Christmas Tree

While at Mamaw’s house, we let the boys decorate their own Christmas tree. #2 Son didn’t do much but run off with the ornaments, #1 Son on the other hand, had some fun. We took some pictures. I love how #1 Son tried to put all the ornaments together in one spot. I kept turning the tree. My Husband and I would make suggestions on putting it on other branches. Sometimes it worked. GRIN. Click to enlarge the pictures.







Thanks to ImageShack for Free Image Hosting

Carnival of Recipes 19 is UP!

Hard to get posts out with 14.4k link... but well worth putting this out so you can check out the recipes! Click HERE.

Thank you Trudy at Food Basics!

Vacation Time

Take a deep breath. Now breathe out slowly. I am NOT out of my mind. What am I talking about? I’m getting ready to make a 700 mile trip with a 1 year old, a 2 year old and a 140 pound dog in a mini-van.

My blogging will be a little slow over the next week. I only have 14.4k dial-up at my Mom’s house. UGH. I will do my best to keep you informed of the insanity of the trip, the fun of opening presents, putting back up the fence at mom's house, and and and...

Who knows, I might hit up Bou to post some pictures for me during the week, since she’ll have a better connection than I will. GRIN. That does require me to actually make it out of the house – which may not happen if it really is going to be in the teens at night and 30s during the day!

Ok, off to finish packing and enjoy the insanity of trying to get all of this stuff into this little tiny van.

Humor for Dreaded Wednesday

Giftwrapping Tips for Men

This is the time of year when we think back to the very first Christmas, when the Three Wise Men; Gaspar, Balthazar and Herb, went to see the baby Jesus and, according to the Book of Matthew, "presented unto Him gifts; gold, frankincense, and myrrh."

These are simple words, but if we analyze them carefully, we discover an important, yet often overlooked, theological fact: There is no mention of wrapping paper.

If there had been wrapping paper, Matthew would have said so: "And lo, the gifts were inside 600 square cubits of paper. And the paper was festooned with pictures of Frosty the Snowman. And Joseph was going to throweth it away, but Mary saideth unto him, she saideth, 'Holdeth it! That is nice paper! Saveth it for next year!' And Joseph did rolleth his eyeballs. “

But these words do not appear in the Bible, which means that the very first Christmas gifts were NOT wrapped. This is because the people giving those gifts had two important characteristics: 1. They were wise. 2. They were men.

Men are not big gift wrappers. Men do not understand the point of putting paper on a gift just so somebody else can tear it off. This is not just my opinion: This is a scientific fact based on a statistical survey of two guys I know.

One is Rob, who said the only time he ever wraps a gift is "if it's such a poor gift that I don't want to be there when the person opens it."

The other is Gene, who told me he does wrap gifts, but as a matter of principle never takes more than 15 seconds per gift. "No one ever had to wonder which presents daddy wrapped at Christmas," Gene said. "They were the ones that looked like enormous spitballs."

I also wrap gifts, but because of some defect in my motor skills, I can never completely wrap them. I can take a gift the size of a deck of cards and put it the exact center of a piece of wrapping paper the size of a regulation volleyball court, but when I am done folding and taping, you can still see a sector of the gift peeking out. (Sometimes I camouflage this sector with a marking pen.)

If I had been an ancient Egyptian in the field of mummies, the lower half of the Pharaoh's body would be covered only by Scotch tape.

On the other hand, if you give my wife a 12-inch square of wrapping paper, she can wrap a C-130 cargo plane. My wife, like many women, actually likes wrapping things. If she gives you a gift that requires batteries, she wraps the batteries separately, which to me is very close to being a symptom of mental illness. If it were possible, my wife would wrap each individual volt.

My point is that gift-wrapping is one of those skills like having babies that come more naturally to women than to men. That is why today I am presenting:

GIFT-WRAPPING TIPS FOR MEN:

* Whenever possible, buy gifts that are already wrapped. If, when the recipient opens the gift, neither one of you recognizes it, you can claim that it's myrrh.

* The editors of Woman's Day magazine recently ran an item on how to make your own wrapping paper by printing a design on it with an apple sliced in half horizontally and dipped in a mixture of food coloring and liquid starch. They must be smoking crack.

* If you're giving a hard-to-wrap gift, skip the wrapping paper! Just put it inside a bag and stick one of those little adhesive bows on it. This creates a festive visual effect that is sure to delight the lucky recipient on Christmas morning:

YOUR WIFE: Why is there a Hefty trash bag under the tree?

YOU: It's a gift! See? It has a bow!

YOUR WIFE (peering into the trash bag): It's a leaf blower.

YOU: Gas-powered! Five horsepower!

YOUR WIFE: I want a divorce.

YOU: I also got you some myrrh.

In conclusion, remember that the important thing is not what you give, or how you wrap it. The important thing, during this very special time of year, is that you save the receipt.

--Male Author Unknown (more likely, not among the living any longer)

I Can Count To Three!

Actually, #2 Son can count to three. He decided to show Mom and Dad he could do this at 3:30am this morning. The boy is an imp. He woke up at 3am, I gave him some water and put him back in his crib. He then proceeded to sit up. The deal in our household is that I tell you something and you get to the count of 3 to do it. Depending on what it is, the consequences vary… but after you understand what is being asked, usually it is a slap on the thigh or rear-end.

Here I am trying to get #2 Son to lay down, he sits up. I tell him to lie dawn and start counting to three and by three he usually lays down. After about 30 minutes of up/down up/down; he sits up and I say one. He says one. I say two. He says two. Now I’m starting to laugh. I barely get three out and he says three. Ok, I am cracking up. No way can I punish him while I’m laughing. So I pick him up and hold him. Then I hear my husband say in a very soft voice “one, two, three”.

Somewhere around 5am I finally get him back to sleep. Needless to say, my Husband got up and went to work and I decided to come write an entry for my blog. Oh, did I mention at 5:30am my #1 Son started calling for me? He is back asleep as well. Both should be up in about 20 minutes… life should be entertaining today.

Spicy Chicken

Here is a great recipe from Campbell's "No Time To Cook" recipe book. It was spicy and delicious. Very souplike. Yummy.

Ingredients

2 tbsp butter
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1 ½ inch pieces
1 medium green pepper, chopped (about ¾ cup)
1 medium onion, chopped (about ½ cup)
½ tsp dried oregano leaves, crushed
½ tsp paprika
¼ tsp black pepper
¼ tsp ground red pepper (cayenne)
1 can (about 16 ounces) stewed tomatoes, cut up
1 can (about 10 ounces) Corn
1 cup COOKED rice

Directions

In 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat, in 1 tbsp hot butter, cook half of the chicken until browned, stirring often. Remove; set aside. Repeat with remaining chicken.

Reduce heat to medium. In same skillet, in remaining 1 tbsp hot butter, cook green pepper, onion, dried oregano, paprika, black pepper and red pepper until vegetables are tender-crisp, stirring often.

Stir in tomatoes, corn and rice. Heat to boiling. Return chicken to skillet. Reduce heat to low. Cover; cook 5 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink, stirring occasionally.

Geekiness

Surfing the blogs I like, which I wish I had more time to do, I found THIS QUIZ over at News From The Great Beyond.

I thought I would have been 100% geek, but I had a lucky day and this is what I got:

You are 49% geek

You are a geek liaison, which means you go both ways. You can hang out with normal people or you can hang out with geeks which means you often have geeks as friends and/or have a job where you have to mediate between geeks and normal people. This is an important role and one of which you should be proud. In fact, you can make a good deal of money as a translator. Normal: Tell our geek we need him to work this weekend. You [to Geek]: We need more than that, Scotty. You'll have to stay until you can squeeze more outta them engines! Geek [to You]: I'm givin' her all she's got, Captain, but we need more dilithium crystals! You [to Normal]: He wants to know if he gets overtime.

Take the Polygeek Quiz at Thudfactor.com

Mom’s Been Wigg’n Out

Phew. I found my checkbook. It’s been gone for 5 days. I just went to the bank today to find out what I needed to do about it being lost. When I left the bank and put #2 Son in his car seat… I found my checkbook. Back to the bank to let them know it was found. Big CHEERS.

So, why am I telling you about this? Besides getting it out of my system? Because I have the kind of checks that have a carbon underneath it. By default that is what I get from my Bank. Like most people, I put my account number in the memo field when I pay my bills. If I had lost my checkbook or had it gotten stolen, then whoever found it would know all my account numbers and account names. Power, cable, visa, mortgage and so on. Scary huh? I was really wigg’n out when I thought it was lost. I will no longer allow the carbon copy to have the account number information on it. Luckily I only have a couple of checks left in this book and the next one will DEFINITELY not have the account information on the carbons.

I also can’t believe I’m the only person who did NOT think of this when I got the default checks. For the rest of you out there that have carbons… be aware of what just happened to me. I’ll be putting a piece of something under the memo field when I write checks in the future. Phew… definitely feeling better already.

Socks

Over visiting Not Exactly Rocket Science, I found a link to Blogthings. I just could not resist the “What Crappy Gift Are You?”. So here is what I am:

You Are Socks!

Cozy and warm... but easily lost. You make a good puppet.

What Crappy Gift Are You?

Blogosphere Political Compass

A while back I decided to participate in a survey. The Zoo wanted to graph the approximate political affiliation of bloggers. From all the participants he put it together and now has out a graph. Interesting information. Take a gander at what the graph looks like (liberal vs. conservative; authoritarian vs. libertarian) and see what you think.

Went Out On A Date

For the first time in over a year and half, my Husband and I went out on a date. In order for this to happen, we had to find some sucker, err kind soul to take care of our two boys. And it happened.

I have a picture of this poor wonderful person with the two kids. This is BEFORE we left. You ought to see what everyone looked like when we got home! (click picture to enlarge)

Mommmm, I’m on the Phone!

We went to McDonalds and got a Kid’s meal. In it, came this little arcade like game. BUT, to my 2 year old, it was just like a cell phone. It flips open and beeps. I decided to take his picture while he was using his ‘cell phone’. This is what I got (click picture to enlarge):

Humor for the weekend

It's been a very long week and today is going to be extremely busy. Hence, I have decided to make my post some humor for today, so when I come to go to my bloglist, I see this:

True Bravery

True bravery is arriving home stinking drunk after a very late night out with the boys.....

Then.....being assaulted by your wife with a broom,

And still having the guts to ask:

"Are you cleaning, or were you flying somewhere?"

Military Tribute

My Marine Nephew’s Wife sent me this LINK. If you have a couple of minutes, go and listen/watch. It brought tears and smiles.

Happy Holidays to the men and women who are serving our country.

Carnival of Recipes Number 18 is UP

There are some delicious recipes out for Carnival of Recipes #18. Go see what a great job Sarahk at Mountaineer Musings did for this LIST of recipes. I have already copied a couple over to my harddrive to give them a try in the next week or two.

Cute Pictures

Just a few cute pictures out of the kids.

Monkey See, Monkey Do



You can picture #1 Son saying, “Mommy, I’m tired. Nite, nite time. I don’t want to go to school. See, I’m so tired I’m resting my head on my shoulder.” He does this when he doesn’t want to go to school. He even crawled into bed fully dressed (as you see him) and stayed for 15 minutes to try and convince me he was too tired for school. Gotta love these kids.




And not to leave out #2 Son… Dad took this cute picture of him eating a cracker. I just couldn’t come up with a good title for it.

More Humor for Dreaded Wednesday

I cannot resist this letter. It is WAY too funny for us in South Florida. I got it from the Palm Beach Post's columnist Frank Cerabino. Click HERE to get his complete column.


Dear ______:

Greetings from South Florida, where the (holiday / hurricane) season has really been extraordinary this year.

Like many in the neighborhood, our house has been (decorated / damaged) in so many ways.

As we sit here and look at the tree in our living room, we only wish that (you / FEMA) would be here to see it. A (neighbor / claims adjuster) came by and took a picture of it just the other day.

Let's just say that everything this season has far exceeded our (expectations / deductibles).

Our roof has a big (red Santa / blue tarp) on it, and cars slow to look at the (North / power) pole (display / fragment) in our front lawn.

We get in the mood every night by going outside to (string / round) up another strand of (lights / downed wire).

Remember our big ficus tree? Well, you wouldn't recognize it now, because it's (full of lights / been turned into an 8-foot mountain of mulch).

Our garage is full of (presents / plywood) now, so much so that we keep the car in the driveway. By the way, our car is now (for sale / a convertible) due to (high mileage / the ficus tree).

Some of our neighbors think we went overboard this season. But they ended up in (agreement / a shelter), eventually realizing that they hadn't done enough to prepare.

Just the other night, we were out (caroling / taunting ) in the neighborhood, singing, (Jingle Bells / Shingles Fell) and The Twelve Days of (Christmas / Frances ) in front of some of the houses.

The looks on the faces were priceless. We've come to grow very close to each other during the season.

This is especially true of our next-door-neighbor, who seems so much closer to us now that the (season / fence) is (here / gone). Just the other day, I mentioned to him just how (special / loud) his (friendship / gas generator) was. It ended with us calling (our wives / the cops), and turning our little chat into an impromptu (get-together / domestic disturbance).

That's the way things are here. Very spirited.

So we'd love to have you come see us next year. Come stay with us next (Christmas / September). Before you come, just remember to (give us a call / pack survival gear), and check the (flights / tropics) to see what's (available / incoming).

Humor for Dreaded Wednesday

It was either this or redneck jokes. Long story, but I get a ton of redneck jokes... One day I'll tell it.

Until then... give this a try:

Step 1. Tie balloons to car.

Step 2. Drive like a bat out of hell....

Step 3. Watch people freak out !!!!

Click photo to enlarge it.

Chicken Quesadillas

Carnival of Recipes time again. It is being hosted by SarahK at Mountaineer Musings.

Chicken Quesadillas

Got this from my Friend MA. It's even easier if you make extra chicken and freeze it for the next time you make these.

Ingredients

A pack of flour tortillas (find in refrigerator section… near dough boy)
Shredded cheddar cheese
Shredded Monterey jack cheese
Chicken breast (about a pound)
Green chili peppers (optional)
Butter
Salsa (your choice)

Directions:

Dice chicken into small pieces and cook in frying pan with a little oil and spices (garlic powder and soy sauce work well).
Preheat oven to 375
Lay out the tortillas (you’ll need 2 per quesadilla)
Spread a little melted butter on the bottom of the tortillas
Divvy up the chicken pieces on the tortillas
Put shredded cheddar on each
Put shredded Monterey jack on each
Put some green chilis on each (if you like chilis)
Put the top tortilla on each
Spread a little melted butter on top of each tortilla
Back for about 10 minutes
Cut into quarters
Top with salsa

Good served with rice (Lipton Spanish Rice mix is real easy…)

Engineer or Artist?

The question is an interesting one for my #1 Son. Here are a couple of pictures where he lined up his cars. He does this all the time. But I found out the ‘Little People’ cars, he lined up with his Dad in the room and was very particular about this. Dad was not allowed to put the people in the cars and they could only go in certain cars. I looked, he got them where they ‘belong’ by the ‘Little People’ standard. With one exception and that is the bulldozer. It did not come with a person and he had an extra person that came with the zoo. So that person got put into the bulldozer. A side note: I saw him line up 23 of his cars the other day, side by side. Why? I have no idea, but I was told “No Mamma” when I tried to move one. Too Funny.





But…

He loves to paint. He will do this every day, every hour if I would let him. So here are a couple of pictures of him painting. I think I have close to 15 pieces of paper with odd color combinations on them from coloring or painting that I’ve kept. I’m thinking he might be one of those abstract artists.





So Engineer or Artist? Maybe a creative engineer?

How the Voting Went

Bad Example: 8th out of 15, 3.4% of the vote (out of 7654 votes)
Physics Geek: 7th out of 15, 3.1% of the vote (out of 4725 votes)
Ogre’s Politics & Views: 11th out of 15, 2.9% of the vote (out of 3972 votes)
Boudicca’s Voice: 5th out of 14, 6.8% of the vote (out of 2842 votes)
Mellow Drama: 7th out of 15, 4.7% of the vote (out of 2106 votes)
Prochein Amy: 10th out of 15, 3.1% of the vote (out of 2257 votes)
Instapundit: 3rd out of 15, 14.1% of the vote (out of 66281 votes)
IMAO: 2nd out of 15, 23.5% of the vote (out of 31858 votes)
Iowa Geek: 10th out of 15, 1.0% of the vote (out of 19909 votes)

Good going everyone! {Pat myself on the back - all the ones I voted for stayed off the bottom!!! GRIN}

Scratchy Fluffyfart

Sigh. I do not know who I should curse more. Bou at Boudicca’s Voice or Beth at She Who Will Be Obeyed. Bou found it at Beth’s and I found it at Bou’s. Found what? A site to get your Squirrel Name. Click HERE to go get yours.

Yep, VW BUG gets the name Scratchy Fluffyfart. My real name gets me Dave O’Nutty. So what squirrel name do you get?

Something lite

The US Forest Service & Sierra Club Alternative


There is no arguing with cowboy logic.

A few years ago, the Sierra Club and the U.S. Forest Service were
presenting an alternative to Wyoming ranchers for controlling the
coyote population. It seems that after years of the ranchers using
the tried and true methods of shooting and/or trapping the predator,
the tree-huggers had a "more humane" solution. What they proposed was
for the animals to be captured alive, the males castrated and let
loose again, and the population would be controlled. This was
proposed to the Wyoming Wool and Sheep Grower's Association by the
Sierra Club and the USFS All of the ranchers pondered this amazing
idea for a couple of minutes.

Finally, an old boy in the back stood up, tipped his hat back and
said," Son, I don't think you understand the problem. Those coyotes
ain't screwin' our sheep - they're eatin' 'em."

Thoughts from Random Fate

Over at Random Fate there is a good entry on Social Security and saving for the future. Here is just a teaser to get you over and read it:

To retire at a reasonable age with roughly 80% of your average lifetime income in equivalent spending power, saving at a rate of around 10% of your income, you need…

This is heavy thinking material, but well worth the effort to go through it.

One Happy Dog Speaks

Grandpappy Harvey from Bad Example is over guest blogging at IMAO. If you have never been there, you ought to check it out. His entry on You Might Be An IMAO Fan If... is funny. You might need to peruse the rest of the blog to get some of the stuff... but well worth it.

48 degrees in South Florida

It is actually cold in West Palm Beach this morning. 7:30am and this is what weather.com has to say:

Train Story 2

Those boys are something else. They know at times there is a camera in my hands. I tried to get a picture of Godzilla taking over the train set. Every time he saw me lift the camera, he sat down in front of the little track I gave him. Sneaky little bugger. The best I could do was this picture:

Christmas shopping at Home Depot

We went shopping at Home Depot last night. I wanted to get some Gerber Daisies to put out in front of our house and a gift for a neighbor.

Some background info on my neighbor: She keeps the kids busy while I’m mowing the lawn, occasionally she has gone to the Doctor’s office with me, and has helped me out on Dreaded Wednesdays. She is a wonderful gardener. She likes to have trees that bear fruit. She also has just about every fruit tree you can grow in South Florida. I noticed the other day it didn’t look like she had any Tangerine trees. Now I could have been wrong… she has mango, honeybells, oranges, grapefruit, and a variety of others I don’t know the name of… but I didn’t see Tangerine. So we got her a Tangerine tree from the boys. Yipeee… her Tangerine tree had died when we got flooded by the hurricane, so she needed one.

The best part was #1 Son taking his red wagon and hauling the tree all the way down to her house. I couldn’t believe he did it himself. He did NOT want Mommy’s help. This tree was about 3 feet tall and in a 5 gallon container. Certainly not a light load. It is about 200 feet down the road to get to her drive way (we live in the country). And he yelled for her until she came around the side of her house and told her it was her tree. I was so proud of that boy. He even whispered “Merry Christmas” to her.

Now back to those Daises. Next time, I’m checking the price on those things before I buy them. They were with other flowers that were a WHOLE lot cheaper. They cost me $3.50 each. Luckily I had only bought 4… but still. That is outrageous. Particularly when the chances are they aren’t going to last but a month at the most. GRIN.

What You Do In Florida On A Weekend

When it is 80 degrees outside, you go to Busch Wildlife center with your kids. #2 Son slept through the whole thing. On the other hand, #1 Son had a great time. (Yaa, I’m a little slow on getting the pics out… but I got them out now!)

Here is #1 Son looking at some crocodiles. Yep, not alligators but crocodiles.



And here he is talking to the Otters. They came up to the corner because they thought the feed truck was coming for them. It had stopped just in front of us.

Carnival of Pajamas

It is the last Pajama Party over at Bad Example. So I decided it I would dress up for this one. If I had unlimited money, I would be going to the gym, getting into shape, just so I could buy this $6000 dress. It is a Bob Mackie dress that is well worth the money if you have it. And I would wear it for the last Pajama party!

Carnival of Recipes Number 17 is UP

Please go check out these wonderful recipes at Random Thoughts from Marybeth. She did a great job in a short period of time. Thanks Marybeth!!!

The Climb

It amazes me how my sons can climb. I’m on the phone with Bou ranting about insurance and hearing about Fiona (the hamster), when I see #2 Son heading for the ‘fort’ and starting to climb the slide. While distracted with that, I turn to make sure #1 Son is ok. He was very quiet. And much to my surprise he is on the hood of my car. I go back to him and get him off the hood of my car. Then head over to #2 Son and get him out of the fort. Yep, he made it up the slide. I turn around just in time to see #1 Son on the ROOF of my car. Sigh. I give. I get him off the roof, get the other one out of the fort and get off the phone. Why? Because I have to figure out how to distract my two boys into doing something else.

#2 Son is not ready to be in the fort. Trust me on that one. I have seen him fall head first down the slide with me beside him to catch him. I certainly don’t want him in it without me next to him. #1 Son. I don’t want him on the roof of my car for multiple reasons.

Today is another day. Wonder what they will get into today.

Zanzibar Chicken

Time for Carnival of Recipes. Here is my entry for this week:

Zanzibar Chicken from 365 Ways To Cook Chicken.

Ingredients:
3 pounds chicken thighs and/or drumsticks
2 tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp freshly ground pepper
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed through a press
¾ cup orange juice
3 tblp raisins
1/3 cup slivered almonds

Directions:
1. Season chicken with cinnamon, cloves, salt, and pepper: in a large frying pan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken, in batches if necessary, and cook, turning until browned, about 10 minutes. Remove and set aside.
2. Add onion to pan. Cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute longer.
3. Return chicken to pan. Add orange juice and raisins. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes, until chicken is tender. Garnish with almonds.

What I really did: used 2 chicken breast halves, pounded thin. Left out the ground cloves and almonds. Used Manderin orange juice (I had to squeeze from pieces – we buy it in cans for the kids) and only had 1/3 cup. Added water to make it a ½ cup total juice. Put in a dash of lemon juice.

Turned out really tasty. I imagine the real recipe is even better.

Humor for Dreaded Wednesdays

Remember this at Christmas time

According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, while both male and female reindeer grow antlers in the summer each year, male reindeer drop their antlers at the beginning of winter, usually late November to mid-December.

Female reindeer retain their antlers till after they give birth in the spring.

Therefore, according to EVERY historical rendition depicting Santa's reindeer, EVERY single one of them, from Rudolph to Blitzen, had to be a girl.

ONLY women would be able to drag a fat-ass man in a red velvet suit all around the world in one night and not get lost.

What Never to do in the Bathroom

Never Ever turn your head away from the son that is on the toilet. #2 Son let out a yelp, I turned my head to see what he had done, suddenly I feel a warm wetness go down my leg. We have a special toilet seat with a guard. Something like:




My #1 Son had discovered that if you lift your pe-nis, it sprays which ever way you aim it. You can miss that wonderful guard on that toilet seat and get Mom’s leg. Now the question is… will he try it again? Is it time for me to get a stool for him to stand on? AAAAAGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH.

BTW, #2 Son had closed the door on his fingers. Not hard, but enough to make him yelp. Did not even get a red mark on the fingers. Little turkey! I wonder if they are starting to work together to get Mom?

More humor for Dreaded Wednesdays

My twisted, odd sense of humor has come into play. I seldom let it out on the blog, but I just cannot resist this one. I was over at Whimsy Capricious and saw this entry of “New Blogger Seeks Silly People for Blatant Wind-Up”. Following the link she left, I went and read this entry on “Women In The West Are A Disgrace”. I’m not sure if I laughed more at what he wrote or the comments. From the comments at Whimsy Capricious, That1Guy from Drunken Wisdom wrote:

“I was reading that, just smiling to myself, but when I read; "I am the greatest man since Jesus Christ, how the devil will a few peasants not agreeing with me strike a blow against my ego?", I about blew beer all over my monitor! That was just too funny!

He's like a blogging troll! And to think that some idiots took this seriously?!”

Again, this is my twisted, odd sense of humor that finds that particular entry on Women in the West extremely funny. Go on… go take a peak and see what silly thing this man wrote up that caused such an uproar. Happy Wednesday!

Slay or is it sleigh?

I’ll never think of Jingle Bells the same way again. My Husband and his humor got me. He told me that Jingle Bells was a song for murders. It talked about slaying. “What fun it is to ride and sing a ‘slaying’ song tonight”. In my 40 years I have NEVER thought of it in those terms. Now I’ll never get it out of my head!

And trust me there are a few other songs he ‘butchered’ for me as well. I decided to be kind to you and only ruin Jingle Bells for you and not any of the others. ;-)

Just before posting this I remembered something from my teenage years…

Jingle Bells
Batman Smells
Robin laid an egg…

That’s all I remember. And I believe that must be almost as bad as the ‘slaying’ of Jingle Bells. I love the Holiday Season!

Cold

1. Marked by deficient heat
2. Lacking emotion
3. Designating a tone or color
4. What children catch to keep their parents from getting any sleep.

Yep, Saturday night #2 Son got a runny nose. He couldn’t sleep and was up from about 11:30pm on. I mean I was up from 11:30pm Saturday until 8:30pm Sunday. My Husband actually let me lay down to take a nap Sunday afternoon but couldn’t keep #1 Son quiet. Such is life.

Since I mentioned #1 Son, I should also mention my sons like to do what the other one does. I now include colds in this category. #1 Son came down with the cold last night. Runny nose. No fever. No funny colors in the mucus. Just can’t breath. Just like #2 Son. Sigh.

The only thing I do know for sure: Mom’s aren’t allowed to get sick.

More later.

Godzilla Strikes

We pulled out the train set and set it up yesterday. #1 Son loves to play trains. He has two engines and will work both controls. Sometimes to the detriment of the trains. But that is the least of the problems.

We have tracks over hills and bridges. We have a tree and a house. We also have … Godzilla! Who is usually called #2 Son. Yep, #2 Son turns into Godzilla when the train tracks come out. Picture this one year old boy with a very determined look in his eyes. You can hear this conversation going on in his head:

"I must step on the track, I must walk through the bridge. I must get to a train and push it over.

Oh wait, I must sit on the track and pick up the tree. What hit me in the butt? Neato, a train. Let me get that and hold it."

Sigh. It certainly keeps me busy trying to keep Godzilla off the track, keep the track together and let #1 Son do his own crashing of the trains. Mainly the crashing is due to #1 Son stopping one train to add another train car to it and forgetting to stop the second train.

Life is good.

Webblog Voting Time! Have some Fun

I am going to promote some of my favorite blogs… take the time to click the links below and go vote!

Bad Example – vote at Best of the Top 100 - 250

Ogre's View - vote at Best of the Top 500 - 1000

Boudicca’s Voice – vote at Best of the Top 1000 - 1750

Mellow Drama – vote at Best of the Top 2500 - 3500

Prochein Amy - vote at Best of the Top 3500 - 5000

Iowa Geek - vote at New Blog

IMAO - vote at Best Humor Blog

Instapundit - vote at Best Overall Blog

Food!!!

The Carnival of Recipes 16 is up and running at Fresh as a Daisy. Thanks Angela. So many of them sound delicious. Go take a peak at the link above and enjoy some great food for the holidays.

Chicken Sandwiches (humor)

Some humor to get you started for the weekend.

A little boy and a little girl attended the same school and became
friends. Every day they would sit together to eat their lunch. They discovered that they both brought chicken sandwiches every day! This went on all through the fourth and fifth grades, until one day he noticed that her sandwich wasn't a chicken sandwich. He said, "Hey, how come you're not eating chicken, don't you like it anymore?"

She said "I love it but I have to stop eating it."

"Why?" he asked.

She pointed to her lap and said "Cause I'm starting to grow little
feathers down there!"

"Let me see" he said.

"Okay" and she pulled up her skirt.

He looked and said,"That's right. You are! Better not eat any more
chicken."

He kept eating his chicken sandwiches until one day he brought peanut butter. He said to the little girl, "I have to stop eating chicken sandwiches, too. I'm starting to get feathers down there too!"

She asked if she could look, so he pulled down his pants for her.

She said "Oh, my God, it's too late for you! You've already got the neck and gizzards."

Sugar, Pharaoh, Grease

What do these words have in common? Ants. That is the name I have heard those little ants called. I seem to get them in my house occasionally. When it rains a lot (inches) or when the temp drops below 70, they seem to invade my house.

I saw one this morning (yep, the temp at night is getting below 70!). It was crawling across my screen. It is an odd feeling to see out of the corner of your eyes this little object moving down the side of your screen. Then when you focus on it, it moves horizontally across the screen. In fact there is one crawling around on my screen as I type this. Time to get rid of the little buggers. My Husband introduced me to this poison you put out in little drops. They eat the drops, and no more little ants crawling around.

Spraying for them doesn’t work. I have no clue where those little buggers hide, but I have never gotten spray to work. Bombing the house to get rid of them only works if you bomb the attic too. They are great at moving and hiding.

Hmmmm. Now where did I put that stuff? Wonder if it expires?

Ingle Bells Now

Seems my #1 Son has discovered the song of Jingle Bells. He sings it something like this:

Ingle Bells
Ingle Bells
Ingle Bells NOW!

Repeat (louder). Repeat (louder). Repeat (at top of lungs)

Start over.

It certainly is entertaining. Well, it was until his brother was asleep and he decided to the do the part at the top of his lungs in his brother’s face. Sigh. I just can’t be two places at once. As hard as I try, it just doesn’t work and I’m just not quite that fast on my feet. Some how #2 Son did NOT like being woke up with someone screaming in his face. Can’t imagine why (Sarcasm here), since it was a Christmas song.

Humor for Dreaded Wednesdays

25 THINGS YOU SHOULD HAVE LEARNED BY MIDDLE AGE:

1. If you're too open-minded, your brains will fall out.
2. Don't worry about what people think; they don't do it very often.
3. Going to church/temple/mosque doesn't make you religious any more
than standing in a garage makes you a car.
4. It ain't the jeans that make your butt look fat.
5. Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.
6. My idea of housework is to sweep the room with a glance.
7. Not one shred of evidence supports the notion that life is serious.
8. It is easier to get forgiveness than permission.
9. For every action, there is an equal and opposite Government program.
10. If you look like your passport picture, you probably need the trip.
11. Bills travel through the mail at twice the speed of checks.
12. A conscience is what hurts when all of your other parts feel so good.
13. Eat well, stay fit, die anyway.
14. Men are from earth. Women are from earth. Deal with it.
15. No man has ever been shot while doing the dishes.
16. A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand.
17. Middle age is when broadness of the mind and narrowness of the
waist change places.
18. Opportunities always look bigger going than coming.
19. Junk is something you've kept for years and throw away three
weeks before you need it.
20. There is always one more imbecile than you counted on.
21. Experience is a wonderful thing. It enables you to recognize a
mistake when you make it again.
22. By the time you can make ends meet, they move the ends.
23. Thou shall not weigh more than thy refrigerator.
24. Someone who thinks logically provides a nice contrast to the real world.
25. If you must choose between two evils, pick the one you've never
tried before.

Bathtime

Thought you might enjoy these pictures of my two taking a bath. Always a good time when in the water. Getting in or getting out is a whole story into itself. Smile!

Getting hair wet!



Splashing in the bath makes me even cuter!



One can’t take a bath without the other wanting to get in as well.

Color Profile

This was fun and it really fit me. I find that to just as entertaining as when they are way off base. Give it a try by clicking here.


Here are my results:

You are a person who approaches their finances aggressively and with purpose. You make sure you have covered every angle by consulting the best professionals, then move in for the attack. (Very True)

Preferring a more casual appearance, you are more comfortable in jeans and a t-shirt than in a suit. You don't like over dressing for any occasion, although you never look scruffy. (hmmm… not sure about the not looking scruffy but the rest is Very True)

You are aggressive in business, but tend to take the backseat when it comes to your personal life. You are more comfortable talking about work than relationships. (Almost… depends on who I’m talking to, though My Husband would say I was aggressive about getting him. GRIN)

You value highly what is important to you. Some people may find your possessions a little out of fashion, but you don't mind as they appeal to your taste. (Very True, particularly the 'out of fashion' GRIN)

A good listener. You are comfortable allowing others to take the spotlight and share their adventures. You are protective about your friendship and ensure the best for your friends. (True!)

You are a no-nonsense, practical person. You make sure that you are there when your friends need you, and like to solve their problems for them. (Definitely)

Slow Cook Pasta Fagioli Soup

Carnival of Recipe time again. Got this recipe from Secrets of Slow Cooking. Would get it going at lunch time and it would be ready at dinner. I used it as a meal by itself with rolls and a salad. Hmmm. Now did I add the salad to this one or the other soup? Either way, my family enjoyed it.

Ingredients:

2 cans (14 ½ ounces each) beef broth
1 can (16 ounces) Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14 ½ ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced
1 tbls olive oil
1 ½ tsp minced garlic
½ tsp dried basil leaves
½ tsp dried oregano leaves
½ cup tubettie, ditilini or small shell pasta, uncooked
½ cup garlic seasoned croutons
½ cup grated Asiago or Romano cheese
3 tbls chopped fresh basil or Italian parsley (optional)

Directions:

1. Combine broth, beans, tomatoes with juice, zucchini, oil, garlic, dried basil, and oregano in slow cooker; mix well. Cover; cook on LOW 3 to 4 hours.
2. Stir in pasta. Cover; continue cooking on LOW 1 hour or until pasta is tender.
3. Serve soup with croutons and cheese. Garnish with fresh basil, if desired.

Liquid Nitrogen and a great site

It’s not very often that I can go ‘surfing’ outside a few sites. But tonight I needed a break and went out wandering around. I found this new blog that is being added to my list:

BrainHop – daily offbeat news stories from around the world

Why? Because I went to the link they had on 1001 things to do with Liquid Nitrogen and just about LMAO. They had some other stuff, but I didn’t have time to really go to far. I will be visiting them again soon!

The Military Christmas message

This is for my nephews. One is in the Marines and the other is in the Navy. I received the following note from the Wife of my Nephew in the Marines:

Christmas will be coming soon and some credit is due to our U.S. service men and women for our being able to celebrate these festivities. Let's try in this small way to pay a tiny bit of what we owe. Make people stop and think of our heroes, living and dead, who sacrificed themselves for us. Please, do your small part to plant this small seed.

The Military Christmas Message:

T'was the night before Christmas. They lived all alone in a one-bedroom house made of plaster and stone. I had come down the chimney with presents to give, and to find out who wanted in this house to live. I looked all about me - a strange sight I did see... no tinsel....no presents...not even a tree.

No stocking by mantle, just boots filled with sand... on the wall hung the pictures of a far distant land. With medals and badges, and awards of all kinds, one sober thought came into my mind...
...because this house was different, it was too dark and too dreary; I'd found the home of a soldier, once I could see clearly. The soldier lie sleeping - silent...alone, curled up on the floor in this one-bedroom home. His face was so gentle - the room ... such disorder! Not at all how I'd pictured a United States soldier.

Was this really the hero of whom I'd just read curled up on a poncho with the floor for his bed? I realized all the families that I saw this night, owed their lives to these soldiers who are willing to fight. And soon, round the world, the children would play, and grownups would celebrate a new, bright Christmas day. They all enjoyed freedom each month of the year... because of each of the soldiers (like the one lying here). And I couldn't help wonder how many others lay alone on a cold Christmas Eve in a land far from home. This very idea brought a tear to my eye... and I dropped to my knees and I started to cry. Then, the soldier awakened and I heard a rough voice, saying, "Santa, don't cry...this life is MY choice; "I fight for freedom, and I don't ask for more - my life is my God, my Country, my Corps." The soldier rolled over and drifted to sleep. I could not control it - I continued to weep. I kept watch for hours......so silent...so still. and the both of us shivered from the long, cold night's chill. I just could not abandon on that long, cold dark night this guardian of honor so willing to fight. Then the soldier rolled over, and, with a voice soft and pure, whispered, "Carry on, Santa -Christmas Day is secure." One look at my watch and I knew he was right. "Merry Christmas, my friend... and to all a good night."

Is it just me?

I seem to be having the worst time with Blogger and Image Shack the last 2 days. I thought posting was going to be slow because I’m busy. It is even slower when I can’t get to anything. Though I did notice Blogger was much better today.

I’ll put more out when I can… I was hoping to put out pictures. We’ll see.

Pajama Party!!!

Thought I would like to try something different for the Pajama party this week. I went to BareNecessities and decided I would like to wear this:

Where Am I? Writing The Christmas Letter

I am trying something again this year. A.Christmas.Letter. I tried in the past to write a Christmas letter and it never worked right. But this year… try try again. Last year I didn’t get cards nor presents out. I’m hoping that since I have all but 10 cards addressed and the start of a Christmas letter… that I will succeed in getting them out this year.

It is taking time away from my blogging to write this letter. I also have discovered that even though I don’t think life is that bad, it is hard to find major things in my life that sound positive to start with for this year. When I wrote the outline… it went something like this:

New Child
Speech Therapy
2 Hurricanes
Dad Died

I’m trying to put a positive twist on most of these items. Funny stories to go with them and the like. It is just that writing it made me stop and realize - I am an optimist. I never realized it. But even with all these things that have happened, I’m happy. I love my kids and husband. I got to see my parents and sisters a bunch this year. My in-laws have been wonderful to me. Now and again I would like to leave and go to some isolated island with chocolate, good books, good food and the ability to sleep for days. GRIN. Overall, when I look at it, life is a positive experience.

So until I get this ‘Christmas Letter’ finished, my blogging entries may be only one or two a day. I’m here. I’ll be blogging and surfing, but just not as much.

Three Molars

I had so many different titles for this – 2:30am to 6am, Sleep Deprivation, and more. But basically I have run into a problem with getting any sleep the last couple of days. My #1 Son has 3 of his 2 year old molars coming in at the same time. I didn’t realize when he said his mouth had an owwwwie, how bad the owwwwie was until yesterday. I finally made him point to exactly where this owwwwie was happening. And I bravely stuck my finger in his mouth. I found 3 of the 4 molars are breaking skin. The one that hurts him the most right now is the one that is about ½ way out. The other two have just broken skin and I’m sure will be next on the list. It seems to be causing him to wake up at night. His sinuses are running and causing pressure on those top molars coming in and the inability to breath. Sigh.

#2 Son isn’t much better. He is waking up twice a night and all I hear is gas, burb, gas, burb. Moan. I think he has another tooth coming in as well.

Sleep… I need some sleep. GRIN. I know, I know, another 2 years and I’ll get more than 3 hours of sleep at night.

Two Times in One Day

Take a deep breath. Now let it out. I actually went out, not once, but TWICE on black Friday. I left the house. That is a first in at least 15 years. What is really scary is the fact that it wasn’t that bad.

First trip. Get the kids up, fed, dressed and head out the door a little early to meet Bou for breakfast. I get there 10 minutes early. Looks good. Lots of parking spots left. Bou calls and says she is bringing her 3 sons. Ahhh, now the entertainment factor has increased. Within that 10 minutes, at least 20 cars arrive and out of the 20 cars, at least 15 of the cars’ occupants go into our Breakfast Restaurant. Oops, now I’m getting worried. Luckily the restaurant had opened the back part of the sitting area and had extra staff. We got seated. Normally an outing like this takes about 45 minutes. Which is just perfect for my young children. Bou’s kids behave great no matter how much time has passed, as we have done this before and I have some background on this. But this time, with all the people, we were there about an hour and 20 minutes. That last 20 minutes was very hard on #1 Son. He wanted to get out and play or do ANYTHING but sit still. Even with Bou’s kids coloring with him and making him laugh… he just wanted down. We survived it. He even went P in the restaurant’s bathroom. That’s a first. Some other time I’ll tell you about a couple of those experiences. Phew. The morning went by and I survived being out on Black Friday.

Second trip. Dad gets home and says something about some specials for the kids Christmas presents. I take a look. Yep, not only is something we want on sale, there is a coupon for another $5 off. Sigh. I do NOT want to go out. But I take a deep breath and tell my Husband, “Let’s Go”. We pack up the kids and head off to the Toy Store and Sears. We go right by the Breakfast Restaurant to get there. #1 Son starts noticing as we get close and says “Bouie, Bouie, Bouie” at the top of his lungs. Dad is cracking up and I’m trying to convince him that we are going to the store, not to see “Bouie”. What really surprised me was it was not that bad. Honestly. There were no lines in either store. Both stores had what we wanted, except for the Toy Store being out of the Hotwheel cars that were on sale.

This does not mean I am going to do this again. For me, this Black Friday was, in fact, not that bad. Phew.

Carnival of the Recipes is UP!!!!

This week's hostess is Mary Beth of Random Thoughts from Mary Beth. There are so many great recipes. Including some on what to do with those leftovers. Which, peak down a ways and change Chicken Tetrazzini to Turkey Tetrazzini - Ta Da - another way to get rid of some of that Turkey. Enjoy!

What Number Are You?

Every once in a while I go take one of the ‘tests’ they put out for people to try. Usually I don’t post them. But this one was too funny. Thanks to Josh at Hello Infidels.

You Are the Investigator

5 You're independent - and a logical analytical thinker. You love learning and ideas... and know things no one else does. Bored by small talk, you refuse to participate in boring conversations. You are open minded. A visionary. You understand the world and may change it.

What number are you?

There’s a Fly in My Soup

Or more like… there’s a flying bug in my noodles. If the kids don’t do something to drive me crazy, the bugs do it for them. I decided to make spaghetti for lunch. Nothing unusual about that. It was when I picked up the wooden spoon to stir the noodles that I saw the bug fall from the spoon into my noodles. Now what would you do in this situation? The noodles are a minute away from being done. You only have a limited amount of time to eat, particularly if you want to eat something hot. I decided that boiling water would sterilize everything enough and fished the bug out. It was just a little bigger than a gnat, definitely smaller than a fly. Probably a fruit fly.

Of course my Husband saw all of this and just laughed. I don’t remember all the comments he made (probably because I have selective amnesia when it comes to me doing stupid things).

I probably shouldn’t admit to this… as no one will want to eat at my house anymore. Normally I would have thrown it out and started again. Well, given it to the dog. I hate to waste food and he loves noodles. But honestly, I didn’t know what the right answer was and I was HUNGRY. Amazing what you will do when you are hungry and have a very limited time to eat. Naturally, I am expecting everyone to be appalled and no one to admit that they would have done the same. GRIN.

Ahhh. What will happen next in this crazy household?

Ruth's Chicken Tetrazzini

Time for the Carnival of Recipes. Send your recipe to recipe.carnival@gmail.com to be added. Whether you send one or not, be sure to check it out and enjoy the wonderful recipes. This is my addition this week:

Ruth’s Chicken Tetrazzini from Southern Heritage Cookbook

Ingredients:

½ cup & 2 tbls butter or margarine
½ cup flour (Wondra flour works well here)
1 cup hot milk
1 cup hot chicken broth
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1/8 tsp nutmeg
¼ cup dry sherry
¾ cup heavy cream
1 pound thin spaghetti
½ pound mushrooms, sliced (or 2 cans, 4 oz each, mushrooms drained)
2 to 3 cups diced cooked chicken
½ cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Directions:

Heat ½ cup butter and stir in flour. Combine milk and chicken broth and stir into flour mixture. Cook, stirring, until sauce is smooth and thickened. Blend in next 4 ingredients. Stir in cream and remove from heat. Cook and drain spaghetti. Saute mushrooms in 2 tablespoons butter 5 minutes. Mix half the sauce with spaghetti and mushrooms. Place in buttered shallow baking dish. Make well in center of spaghetti mixture. Mix remaining sauce with chicken and place in well. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake in hot oven (400 degrees) 20 minutes. Serves 6 to 8

Notes:
The sauce can be made and frozen for later use. I usually double the recipe for the sauce so I can freeze some for the next time.

Pajama Party!!!

Actually it's a 'make up what you wish you were wearing while blogging' party. And for this week, I want to wear something that will protect me through the shopping season. So I found this interesting number to post out there. Go check out the rest of the pictures at Grandpappy's Bad Example blog on Sunday.

This is not necessarily work safe, so click here to see it. PS This is NOT me, I just like the outfit.

Twas the night before Thanksgiving

For all of you that are cooking for Thanksgiving!

Twas the night before Thanksgiving and all through the kitchen;
I was cooking and baking and moanin' and b.tchin'.
I've been here for hours, I can't stop to rest,
This place is a disaster, just look at this mess!
Tomorrow I've got thirty people to feed,
They expect all the trimmings...who cares what I need!
My feet are both blistered, I've got cramps in my legs,
The dog just knocked over a bowl full of eggs.
There's a knock at the door and the telephone's ringing;
Frosting drips on the counter as the microwave's dinging.
Two pies in the oven, dessert's almost done;
My cookbook is soiled with butter and crumbs.
I've had all I can stand, I can't take anymore;
Then walks in my husband, spilling rum on the floor.
He heaves and he wobbles, his balance unsteady;
Then grins as he chuckles "The eggnog is ready!"
He looks all around and with total regret,
Says "What's takin' so long? Aren't you through in here yet??"
As quick as a flash I reach for a knife;
He loses an earlobe; I wanted his life!
He flees from the room in terror and pain,
and screams "MY GOD WOMAN,YOU'RE GOING INSANE!!"
Now what was I doing, and what is that smell?
Oh, spit, it's the pies!! They're burned all to hell!!
I hate to admit when I make a mistake,
But I put them on BROIL instead of on BAKE.
Lord, don't get me wrong, I love holidays;
They just leave me exhausted, all shaky and dazed.
But I promise you one thing, If I live 'til next year,
You won't find me pulling my hair out in here.
I'll hire a maid, a cook, and a waiter;
And if that doesn't work, I'LL HIRE A CATERER!
Author Unknown

Thanksgiving Fun

Tink sent me this and I just had to share it. Something to make you smile before Thanksgiving starts!

Different thoughts

I was going through the blogsphere and saw many interesting entries. I’m not quite back up to speed (something about 2 hours sleep, 11 hour car drive, 18 hours awake, all in one day...) and thought I would link you over to these entries instead of writing any more of my own today. Starting with the sad and ending with the happy.

I have a nephew in the Marines and right now he is in Fallujah. He just made the effort yesterday morning to call my Mom (his grandmother) to give her sympathy about the lost of Dad. Then I read this entry from Random Fate. It made me cry.

Ok… I have 2 children and I KNOW who the father is – without a shadow of a doubt. But this threw me for a loop. I had to read it twice to make sure I wasn’t imagining it. It’s this entry about which twin fathered the child over at Not Exactly Rocket Science.

Being I have in-laws, friends and relatives farther north than south Florida… I just loved this entry about our weather from Lee Ann’s View.

And when I need a chuckle I can always find one at Madfish Willie’s Cyber Saloon.

Ok, there is a lot more good info out there… I’m just running out of time if I want to post and do the other 100 things that need to be done today… starting with sending Hubby note on what to buy at Grocery store and ending with doing laundry. Ugh.

He Can Read!

Well, not really. But it sure does seem like it. I got a book from the library called “One Bear, One Dog”. The first page shows a picture of a bear and says “One Bear”. The next page shows the bear and a dog and says “One Dog”. And so on for about 9 pages. At the very end there is a reflective page and it says “And ME!”. #1 Son is pretty good at knowing the animals except for the beetle and bee. He wants to say Bug. {snicker snicker}. But he will ‘read’ me the book. I’m so proud of the little guy.

Mamaw feeds the Imp

One of the advantages of being at my Mom’s house is getting some help feeding the boys. This little imp was being a trouble maker. Look at that face… even if he did hit the spoon, spit it out or the other items he was doing… you just couldn’t help but grin.

VW is back

We made it back. I want to say Thank You to all that took the time to comment or send emails. Even if you didn't know what to say. It is appreciated. At a later date I will give some info on the funeral. Some of it was humorous. Fits my family perfectly. The burial was respectful and just as a military funeral should be. Planes flying overhead, gunshots, and the Taps. It still tightens my chest and makes my eyes tear up.

I cannot say Thank you enough for the support I have had from my family, friends and all the friends I have made through my blog. Soon, I will be back to telling tall tales of my children.

Update

VW and her crew made it up to Pensacola without event. Her newest theory is that the quality of sleep you receive with 2 small children is directly proportionate to the size and quality of the hotel room in which you are staying. I guess that her husband could stand in the bathroom and touch all four walls without moving and the room itself was not much better. Sleep deprivation... all around.

The wake was last night and the funeral is happening as I write this. She said the wake was lovely and when I asked if she saw a lot of people she replied, "I forgot how many people Daddy knew! People were everywhere!" It warmed her heart to know people cared about her father enough to come to his wake.

This is why I continue to tell people, you must attend wakes and funerals. It is part of the healing process for everyone. It is forever burned into the memories of the family, how many people thought enough to come by and express their condolences. When my mother in law passed unexpectedly, I was more overwhelmed with the expression of sympathy from those around me... than I can probably ever convey.

And that is what is happening for VW and her family right now. Their friends are gathering around, they are remembering what a wonderful man her father was, and they are comforting one another.

You Say Spaghetti Dinner, I Say Finger Painting!

OK, I don't know what y'all see when you see this, but I see... happiness is a boy who can play in squishy stuff. And... I see potential surgeon... I don't know, something about all that red!

Blogging for VW

I will be blogging for VW over the next few days as she is away at the funeral. She left me some lighthearted things to post as well as pix of the boys.

If you are a close family friend of VWs and need information with regard to places to donate in lieu of flowers or you need funeral information, and you are not able to reach the family, please e-mail me at boudicah (at) hotmail (dot) com. (replace the data in the parenthesis with the signs... it's to keep the spambots away) She left me with all pertinent information and told me to disperse it as needed.

-Bou.

Few words about VW's dad

Bill put this in a comment and I thought it deserved to be an entry in my Blog. VW

Just a few words about VW's dad. Like Tom I am retired Air Force and a long time friend of VW's dad and mom. Tom and I have known each other since about 1953 when we were both stationed in Puerto Rico. His sickness is heartbreaking to me since I lost my wife last month due to cancer. My wife and I were married on Guam in 1972 and Tom and Sylvia stood up for us at a last minute wedding (details of which I will not go into at this time). Also VW was the young girl that managed to find us a chaplain at the last minute to marry us. Tom is like a brother to me and has always been a good and faithful friend. I will miss him. Bill Barrett

Update on PaPaw

VW's father passed away this morning. They were able to keep him out of pain and he was surrounded by family.

The family is making funeral plans as we speak. My thoughts and prayers are with them during this time of grieving.

Do Not Stand at my Grave and Weep

Do not stand at my grave and weep

I am not there. I do not sleep.

I am a thousands winds that blow.

I am the diamond glints on snow.

I am the sunlight on ripened grain.

I am the gentle autumn rain.

When you awaken in the morning's hush,

I am the swift uplifting rush

Of quiet birds in circled flight.

I am the soft stars that shine at night.

Do not stand at my grave and cry.

I am not there. I did not die.

mary elizabeth frye - 1932

Breakfast with Bou

Today I actually remember to bring the camera – AND use it. They say a picture is worth a thousand words… so here is 3 thousand words worth.

Banana Bread

Carnival of Recipes is being hosted by Boudicca at Boudicca’s Voice. This is an easy recipe that even the kids can help out with. Gets rid of those last 2 old bananas and tastes good too!

Ingredients:

2 ripe bananas (mashed)
2 eggs
½ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup and 1 tblsp buttermilk
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
½ tsp salt
1 ½ cups sugar
1 ¾ cups unsifted flour
(optional – 1 cup chop nuts)

Directions:

Grease and flour 9x5 pan. Mix all ingredients well and bake until top is golden brown and starting to split slightly. 375 degrees for about 1 hour 20 minutes (may take longer).

Update

It's me, Bou. VW has asked me to post for her tonight. If you read the previous post, you will understand why.

Her father was sent home this afternoon so he could live his last hours and days in his own home around family. He is not lucid at this point. Hospice is sending a full time nurse starting tonight or tomorrow morning and doing what Hospice does best, they will keep him out of pain while offering support to the family.

VW also asked me to please thank everyone for their comments, thoughts and prayers. She greatly appreciates all of it.

I wish I could put into words what a wonderful man her Dad is. Gentle and sweet, he always brings warmth and laughter with him. I am praying tonight that he does not suffer and that VW and her family continue to be comforted by all of our prayers and positive thoughts.

What a Day

Yesterday was a very difficult day. I cannot express enough thanks to Bou for being there to listen and offering to post for me. Luckily I had already written up some stuff and put it out. The other entries… well at least it gave me a break. Today on the other hand. Well, we’ll see how I do.

Yesterday was my Mom’s Birthday.

Yesterday morning (5am or so) my dad was in the hospital on life support.

Around 11am, my Mom decided to take him off life support per the fact they had both decided many years ago to have living wills and such. Yes, she was the one who allowed them to put him on life support and now she had to make the decision to take him off. He was going in and out of consciousness, blood pressure was up and down and so on.

He lived. This is wonderful. But from the time I got the call at 6am until around 2pm a lot of stuff happened. At 2pm they thought him well enough to make arrangements to move him out of ICU and to another floor. At 6pm I got the call that he was moved and the room number. Now these times I am quoting are approximate until I called him. I know I called him at 7:08pm. He had just finished eating (which means the tube was out of his throat!!) but he still had difficulty talking. He did say Good Night to me and I will hold that memory dear.

I need to thank my friends and my Husband for being so supportive. They listened to me say I hope he is not in pain and dies quickly … to the realization it is my Mom’s birthday and vehemently praying he not die that day. Off the point, while writing this today, I keep thinking “How typically female – can’t make up her mind”. And all other sort of odd thoughts keep popping in and out of my mind which I won’t put in writing for fear of being put in the ‘funny house’. So I won't be blogging much today. My mind is not quite 'with it'.

The greatest point of this whole entry is that he is not in pain and he is alive. And to...

Thank you everyone for being there for me.

Organized?

My life since I have had children is complete Chaos. I use to have a clean house and was working on one bedroom at a time to make it into something. The guest room had a start at being tropical (fish, sea scenes, ect). Then children came into my life and I am happy if I get anything more than dishes and laundry done.

I saw an entry over at Angela’s Fresh as a Daisy and made some smartarse comment. She very nicely sent me a link to a website called FlyLady.net (Sigh - I'm a smartarse and she is nice in return - what is this world coming to? Thanks Angela for being so nice!).

I am hoping it will be the kick in the rear-end that gets me going again. And I noticed today she is working on her kids toys. I give her the best of luck. I dread trying to get my kids toys organized. I was happy when I got a 3 drawer plastic unit to put all the toy cars in. (Like they stay – NOT).

Ahhh. Christmas is coming and more toys to add to the Chaos. Life is going to be very interesting as my house busts from all the stacks of paper and toys. GRIN.

Auburn Won!

Despite the fact that I watched the game they won… again! It seems that I can no longer be associated with their losing games. Phew. My Husband graduated from Auburn and for a couple of years, when ever I watched a game with him, they lost. It was unbelievable. But that streak seems to have stopped. Yesterday was the 2nd game I watched were they won. I can breath again… I can also watch football with My Husband again. GRIN.

Humor I gotta post

Oldie but goodie... and somehow I can picture my sons P'ing on the fence (#8).

Will Rogers, who died in a plane crash with Wylie Post in 1935, was probably the greatest political sage this country has ever known. Enjoy the following:

1. Never slap a man who's chewing tobacco.

2. Never kick a cow chip on a hot day.

3. There are 2 theories to arguing with a woman...neither works.

4. Never miss a good chance to shut up.

5. Always drink upstream from the herd.

6. If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.

7. The quickest way to double your money is to fold it and put it back in your pocket.

8. There are three kinds of men: The ones that learn by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence and find out for themselves.

9. Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.

10. If you're riding' ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure it's still there.

11. Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier'n puttin' it back.

12. After eating an entire bull, a mountain lion felt so good he started roaring. He kept it up until a hunter came along and shot him. The moral:
When you're full of bull, keep your mouth shut.

2 Hour Nap

I got a nap! I got a nap! I have not had more than 2 continuous hours sleep a night for almost 2 weeks. It is amazing how you can still function with no sleep. But by this weekend, I was pretty much a total wreck. Saturday morning, My Husband offered to let me go back to bed for a little while. I took it! I feel so much better now. Though trying to post with a squirming 1 year old in my arms is difficult. EEEWwwwwwww he f.rted. Now I know why he was fussy and wanted to be held.

Slapdash thoughts

Needed to go to Walmart today to pick up some of those Feel & Learn diapers. They are the only place that seems to carry them around here. It surprised me that they really appear to work for my #1 Son. Since he has been wearing them, during the day he usually asks at least once to go to the bathroom. Night time is a whole different story about how to delay going to sleep. Back to the story, off I go to Walmart with both boys in tow. #2 Son proceeds to fall asleep. Sigh. Therefore when I get there, I put #1 Son in a basket and sleeping #2 Son in an umbrella stroller. This does not work well. I had random strangers asking if they could help me. I bit the bullet (due to my arm hurting) and picked up the stroller and proceeded to see if it will fit into the cart. Yipeee… It worked AND #2 Son stayed asleep. I got some of the strangest looks while in Walmart but I was able to get those diapers.

Today I asked my #1 Son if he wanted to have a bologna sandwich. He is starting to repeat words, and not necessarily what you just said. He asks for things and tries to talk to you. So after asking if he wanted the sandwich, he looked at me and said “Blow me”. I stopped dead in my tracks. I tried again. I asked him “What do you want?” He replied with “Blow me sanmich”. Phew. He was trying to say he did want a bologna sandwich. But it is amazing in those few seconds what goes through your mind. I’m thinking – what did he watch on tv? Did he hear it somewhere while we were out? Naturally, I’m happy he is trying to speak. I’ll just have to be more aware of those words that may sound like something else. GRIN.

CancerForums.net

I found this site while trying to come up with some answers on my Dad’s cancer in his bones. They did a great job in answering my questions. Hence, I’m passing on this website to others. It may not be as good for you as it was for me… but it has good information and they try to help you. If you know someone with cancer or just have questions about cancer, give this site a try.

http://cancerforums.net

Good Food

The Carnival of Recipes XIII is out for all to enjoy.

There is Cajun Chicken Drumsticks, Cranberry Sauce with Zing, Oatmeal Cookies and so much more. Nope, didn't link them here... go check out ALL the recipes at Carnival of Recipes XIII at The Common Virture.

The Easy Way Out

Talk about making my life easy today. Bou over at Boudicca’s Voice wrote up about our breakfast together yesterday. She had it right on the button. So I’m going to just give you a link over to her entry here. Enjoy!

1 2 5 6 9 10

Does this have something to do with HeLa cells? Nope. Possibly a pseudorandom number sequence? Nope. Give up? Yep! Good, because the real reason for those numbers is that is how my #1 Son counts right now. This morning, My Husband was playing with #1 Son and listening to him count. Being a Male and having to fix things, he tried to get our #1 Son to count correctly. Also being male, #1 Son said “No No Dada it 1 2 5 6 9 10”. I thought I was going to laugh out loud. But then they both repeated the process, this time #1 Son being very emphatic and saying “No No… DaaaaDaaaa it 1 2 5 6 9 10”.

Being the ever so playful Husband, he turns to me and says something like I really should teach our son to count correctly and proceeds to count to 10 for me. I was laughing or I would have heard it better. Ohhhhh. Living in a houseful of male beings certainly brings in unexpected entertainment.

Humor for Dreaded Wednesdays

A wife was making a breakfast of fried eggs for her husband.

Suddenly her husband burst into the kitchen yelling "Careful .. CAREFUL! Put in some more butter! Oh my GOD! You're cooking too many at once. TOO MANY! Turn them! TURN THEM NOW! We need more butter. Oh my GOD! WHERE are we going to get MORE BUTTER?

They're going to STICK! Careful ... CAREFUL! I said be CAREFUL! You NEVER listen to me when you're cooking! Never! Turn them! Hurry up! Are you CRAZY? Have you LOST your mind? Don't forget to salt them. You know you always forget to salt them. Use the salt. USE THE SALT! THE SALT!"

The wife stared at him. "What the hell is wrong with you? You think I don't know how to fry a couple of eggs?

The husband calmly replied, "I wanted to show you what it feels like when I'm driving."

Beef and Mozzarella Bake

Time for the Carnival of Recipes again. Erudite Michael of the Common Virtue will be hosting the recipes this week. Get your recipe in by Midnight Nov 11, 2004. Send them to recipe.carnival(at)gmail(dot)com. Where (at) = @ and (dot) = .

This is from the Campbell’s No Time To Cook Recipe book. I found it to be good for a quick and easy meal. It says the prep time is 10 minutes and cooking time is 35 minutes. It took me about that long but not necessarily in that division of time.

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef
1 tsp dried basil leaves, crushed
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp garlic powder or 1 clove garlic minced
1 can Campbell’s condensed Italian Tomato Soup
1 can Campbell’s condensed Cream of Mushroom soup
1 ¼ cups water
1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese ( 6 oz)
4 cups cooked medium shell macaroni (about 3 cups dry)

Directions

In 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat, cook beef, basil, black pepper and garlic until browned. Stirring to separate meat. Spoon off fat.

Stir in soups, water and 1 cup mozzarella cheese; add macaroni. In 2-quart oblong baking dish, spoon in mixture. Sprinkle with remaining ½ cup mozzarella cheese. Bake at 400 degrees F for 25 minutes or until hot and bubbling.

Monkey See Monkey Do

Or more like younger brother sees what older brother does and repeats. My #1 Son has a tendency to twirl his hair when he is tired or nervous… this morning I saw #2 Son watching #1 Son and then #2 Son grabbed his own hair and pulled it. At least #2 Son has not figured out how to twirl it yet.

Yesterday during Speech Therapy for #1 Son, #1 Son was saying the word ‘blue’. No, it doesn’t sound like blue but close. Suddenly #2 Son is saying it as well. And it sounded just like how #1 Son says it.

#1 Son goes to play with his enormous number of hot wheel cars, and right behind him goes #2 Son to try it as well. Though #2 Son has not figured out how to put them on the track yet. He is getting close.

And during our walking of the #1 DogSon yesterday I had the biggest laugh. #1 Son was making ‘raspberry’ noises (aka fart noises) and shaking his head. Every time he did this #2 Son roared with laughter. They kept this up for over 5 minutes. I had tears in my eyes I was laughing so hard at the two of them.

Wonder what today will bring?

What Happened Over the Weekend?

It was a pleasant trip up to Pensacola. We stopped in a hotel overnight (see this post) and continued the next morning. We arrived by 1pm. The boys had both napped in the car and woke up as we arrived. Made it a little hard on them, but they were rested and they had fun once they really woke up.

I forgot to bring back pictures of the house before the cleanup. Oh my. It is just so hard to believe. And there is still so much to do. I have to brag about My Husband. My Husband was wonderful. He spent 2 days doing yard work to get their backyard looking decent. I have no idea how much time and money was spent to get it to the point it was at when we arrived but there was still so much to do. As it is, there is still more to do… fences to put up, borders to put it back up, and more.

The kids did their usually funny stuff. Tink, my oldest sister, was with #1 Son out in the backyard looking at Mamaw’s stuff. They had some cement animal that my #1 Son was pointing out to Tink… pointing out the Butt. Repeatedly. She was laughing so hard when she came back up, that all I could understand her to say was he was talking about the Big Butt.

#2 Son gave Tink a bunch of kisses. For those without a 1 year old around… it is like getting a wet sloppy kiss from a dog. At least from my 1 year old… open mouth, drool and sometimes a little tongue. Ugh. But Tink took it in stride and let him do it.

Shorty, my middle sister, (who I have decided to use her old nickname – mind you she is only 1 inch shorter than I am) played ball with #1 Son. I was worried. She was sitting in the grass and threw him the ball. He proceeded to get it and walk about 2 feet away from her and throw it back. Luckily she is well coordinated and caught it before it hit her in the face. They continued to play like this for a while. It was interesting to try and get #1 Son to back up. I would ask him to back up and he would take 3 steps back. Then when it was time to throw it, he would walk 3 steps forward. That’s my boy. Grin.

Ok, this is long enough. I have more to tell about Mamaw and Papa and the trip from the darker regions back home.