Monday, June 1, 2009

guest blogger

I am sharing the screen today with a guest blogger, who did an especially good job on a writing assignment. She is very special to me, someone whom I love very much. That special someone is my daughter, Emily. Please make her feel welcome.






I want my family to go to Niagara Falls because I think that it would be a great family experience and a great bonding time for the whole family. I want to know what Niagara Falls looks like. I already have it pictured in my mind. I think that Niagara Falls looks like... a piece of nature that has been specially picked out by God for people to see His fingerprints.

Why Niagara Falls? Because it would be wonderful to learn the history about it and to see the beauties that God created for us to see. Another reason is that I want to know about the world and special places that God has built for us. Also I am curious about what is behind Niagara Falls. I don't know why. I just am.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

somewhat wordless wednesday

Something is wrong in each picture.



Can you figure out what?!



I'll give you a little hint: It's nap time.











Thursday, May 14, 2009

hurry up friday... i'm dangling by a thread

So it's Thursday night, and in case you haven't noticed, it's been one long week. And frankly, I am rather excited about the prospects of tomorrow being Friday. I don't really know what difference it makes, as my days are frequently quite similar and tend to meld one right into the other. But somehow knowing that the weekend is near brings a sense of relief, and I can feel the tension begin to evaporate from my shoulders. Weird.




Anyway, back to this week.




When I gave birth to "Baby No-Mo" two years ago, I envisioned his arrival as the proverbial icing. A perfectly delicious way to end this "season" of our lives. I mean, look at him. YUMMY!







He was the sweetest baby ever... you know, just sort of glad to be here, along for the ride at times, docile and happy-go-lucky.







His entrance into our family life was a seamless transition. He loved his siblings, and they loved him.









He was truly a joy to be around.










THEN HE TURNED 2!









He can now frequently be found (read: constantly) doing something he is not supposed to be doing.




For example:




Drinking the bath water. Gross. Just gross.






Foraging in the yard. I have no idea what is in his mouth. I pray it is not poisonous but that it tastes bad. That will be his only deterrent.






Drawing on himself with markers. Apparently it's way more fun than paper.







Climbing into and upon everything that is stationary.







Do you notice who is in the background watching this take place? Oh yeah. But he is not always the ringleader, we have found. And this particular episode has forced me to lock the bathroom doors to keep him out. If you need to potty at my house, you better plan ahead. We have to find the key.




But alas, this week, the littles discovered yet another new and creative way to send their already near the edge mother one slippery step closer to her inevitable destination. Let me explain.




The big kids and I were finishing lunch and a video, and the mini-marauders asked to wash their hands and faces. Somewhat skeptical but not wishing to clean mystery stains off the couch, I allowed them access to the bathroom sink nearest the den so I could keep an eye on them. They appeared to be doing a good job and no one was actually IN the sink so I allowed a longer than normal hand-washing session to occur.



It's all a blur how it happened really. You see, as I cleared the lunch mess and quickly straightened the kitchen, I no longer heard water running and assumed they were all done and had come back to the den to finish watching the video before nap time.




Heh.




A few moments passed and I realized they were not in fact where I thought they were and that the bathroom door was closed. That, my friends, is never a good sign.




They had closed the bathroom door leading to the den, only to exit through the other door into their sister's room. When we opened the door, this is what we found.












Oh yes. That is an entire container of powder that was on top of the changing table behind two brand new packs of diapers. IT WAS NOT EVEN VISIBLE!!!!!




Me: (breathe) 1-2-3-4... (breathe) WHAT... (breathe *cough* *cough*) ARE YOU DOING?!



W: Makin' snow angels. 'Wijah' wanted to.



E: unintelligible gibberish... SNOW... jabber jabber... WYATT!



Me: ...




After a little reluctant help from the big kids, we got the littles showered, dressed and down for a nap with little to no complaint (probably because they saw my eye twitching and didn't want to press their luck) and most of the mess dusted, swept, swiffered and mopped up.



I then flopped onto the couch for a moment of solitude I like to call "sit and stare" while I contemplated the meaning of life and the uselessness of powder. Emily's room still smells "powder fresh" which in case you don't know is highly overrated.

Friday, May 8, 2009

this and that

so this morning i went outside to do this:







and i saw that:







which confirmed this



because its mama might be that:







in which case i'd be this:



woman screaming



and would need to buy that:



WD4 Pictures, Images and Photos



just sayin'.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

cinco de mayo

So we had a little get-together at our house Sunday night. We had planned to invite a few people over and have "Mexican Night." Who doesn't love nachos, right?


Well.


A few people turned into like forty-somethin'. I frankly lost count, and it didn't matter anyway.


Ole!


You know how it goes...


People hear there's a gathering. With food. And they want to come.


Because nothing says "PARTY!" like driving to the "holla" on a stormy night to hang out with the weather magnets themselves.


I snapped a few pictures. And then got distracted.


Wait, what was I saying?


You see?!


I couldn't be everywhere at once so I missed getting pictures of several people like "mama in da pink hat", "the insurance salesman" and our "magical" friend and his wife. Gah! I missed a bunch.


And I couldn't participate in every conversation, but wanting you to feel included and all, I will attempt to recreate what I imagine was happening in the pictures.




"Dude, I drove all the way up here for this? Where's the pinata?"






"I bet we could sneak out before anyone notices. DANG! She saw us!"






I can't be snarky about the chil'rens. Here they are. SOME of them. Just the girls, I see.








"Actually, it's quite complicated, and without knowing the circumference of the moose, I'm reticent to base my decision on the facts I've been given..."






Actual tidbits of conversations heard throughout the night:


You'd be a good breeder.


It took her five minutes to pull over.


Do you want me to bring you my stuff or are you gonna come get it?


Don't shoot each other in the house!


Can we borrow some clean clothes?


Does Jay know the fire marshal up here? You may be beyond capacity.


Did she say there was 'hash' in the brownies?





And my personal favorite:


I thought Mama was gonna get tased!



In spite of the randomness of some of these comments (taken out of context for your reading pleasure), you must know that there was no alcohol (or hash) involved. My friends are just this whacky and fun. And I love 'em for it!

Monday, May 4, 2009

bike: 1 boy: 0

Once again, I am up for the "Mother of the Year Award."


And this time it's just in time for Mother's Day!


Go me!


It happened something like this.



loud thud against the front door


Me: What in the world?


I open the door and see my eldest. Attached to his bike. By his pants.


Eldest: Can you HELP ME?!


Me: ...


Eldest: PLEASE?!


Me: ... bwahahahahaha... hehehehe... hoo... *snort* hahahaha... ahem...


Eldest: ...


Me: Oh. Wait. Would you like a drink?


Eldest: Sure.


pouring drink and dialing husband to ask advice... no answer.


Eldest: MAMA!


Me: Coming!


phone rings...


It's the Senior Pastor!


Pastor Larry asks if everything is OK since I called the office and hung up when the answering machine picked up.


oops


I begin to explain our predicament to him, and he starts to give me advice about how to detach my son from his bike. It involves lifting the bike off of him and turning the pedals... or getting a socket set and loosening something... and then a story about how he once got his bell bottoms caught in his bike chain...


And the whole situation is starting to make me laugh. Hard. As in I can't catch my breath to respond.


And then I have to apologize because I CAN'T. STOP. LAUGHING.


I'm not sure what's funnier. That my kid is attached to his bike. Or that I get a call from my pastor.


Eldest: MAMA!


Me: Oh, yeah, coming.


*snap* *snap* *snap*


Eldest: Are you taking PICTURES?!


Me: Not anymore.











I took all the advice to heart, but in the end, my way just seemed easier.










Once again, I think the award belongs to me.

Saturday, April 25, 2009

It's not easy bein' green...

... or so says Kermit the frog.



Well.



For those of you who might have missed it, Wednesday was Earth Day.



Heh.



Don't get me wrong. I love Earth. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else.



But most of you who know me well know that I am not, nor have I ever been, a proverbial tree hugger. While I agree that we all share the responsibility of being good caretakers of what God has given us (trying to use our resources wisely and without waste), that has been about the extent of my involvement with the whole "green thing."



Until now.



You still will not find me hugging trees. Especially the enormous oaks that surround my house. Mainly because my arms won't reach, and also, I'm afraid of being struck by lightning.



However, the whole subject got me thinking. I believe that each person can do his part to contribute to a better world.



If you recall, we had several laundry issues when we first moved to the holla, and since Jay did such an amazing job coming up with a solution, he thought he'd continue the process.



It's in that spirit, that we have created "Redneck-O-Nomics."



It will be our means of survival while Washington fritters away our money and our contribution, if you will, to the whole "green thing."



redneck clothes dryer





redneck garden starter




redneck fruit tree




future home of redneck gardens and orchard



sigh



This may prove to be a new way of life for this city girl.



But for now, I'll just sit out on my veranda sipping mint juleps and watch the handsome gardener tend to his duties.





Oh, who am I kidding?



I'm sitting on the back porch with a Diet Coke in one hand, a wiggly toddler on my lap, trying my best to escape into a new novel while waiting for the clothes to dry on the line.



A girl can dream, can't she?



Hey, by the way, anybody know how to can?

Friday, March 20, 2009

TGIF!!!!

Go ahead! Shake it! You know you want to!

Thursday, March 12, 2009

handful of weeds





Four years old, with dirt on my face
I'd been out in the yard pickin dandelions all day
I burst through the front door when I'd gathered enough
To give to my mom, to show her my love
When I held out my hands
She looked down at me, she said
I've never seen flowers as beautiful as these

She's the one who told me about Jesus
She's the one who taught me to sing
She deserves an armful of roses
She's satisfied with a handful of weeds

Now that I'm older and out on my own
I wish I could find more time to make it back home
I could've done better, I know in my heart
Than to scribble a note on a last minute card

And then she calls on the phone and the first thing she says
Is I've read this card over and over again

She's the one who told me about Jesus
She's the one who taught me to sing
She deserves an armful of roses
She's satisfied with a handful of weeds

She's always known what true love means
And I want her to know what she means to me!

She's the one who told me about Jesus
She's the one who taught me to sing
She deserves an armful of roses
She's satisfied with a handful of weeds

She's more than satisfied with a handful of weeds.


Lyrics by: Sheri Easter
....

Monday, March 9, 2009

Random things I heard today...

... and sadly, no, I have not left my house.



When will I ever have to diagram a sentence in real life?




I bet I could write my name on the ceiling.




I DON'T WANNA SIT DOWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!




You're retarded.




Is it summer yet? I don't know the order they go in.




Get your finger out of your nose!




I think I stabbed myself in the butt.




Eliminate WHAT VARIABLE?!




Get your hand out of your pants!




and finally,




I hope they're not a nipple-twisting bunch 'cause I could come home purple.




********************************************




I need to get out.



No, I mean it.



My mental health depends on it.



Tomorrow I will leave the house.



ALONE.



And "get my hair did."



Never before have scissors and foil held my very sanity in their shiny grasp.

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Saturday, February 14, 2009

happy love day

"Happy Vowen-tine, Weese"




A hand-made (though quite abstract) gift for his girl.




My sweet boy is completely enamored with an older woman. He can't wait to see her and talks about her every day. Though theirs was a rocky start, their relationship has grown into something quite special. No longer do they argue over petty things like sharing their possessions but just enjoy each other's company. Each hello and goodbye is marked by hugs and the occasional kiss on the cheek.



Truth be told, this is a match better than we could have ever imagined. His gal comes from a great family - upstanding citizens in the community, leaders in the church and personal friends. And there seems, even at this early stage of the relationship, to be a mutual understanding of how things are going to be.



For example, W couldn't wait to give her a ride in his truck. When she arrived, they greeted each other with an exuberant hug. When he asked if she would like to go for a ride, she promptly jumped into the driver's seat and told him to get in the back. Just sounds like a marriage in the making, doesn't it?



Only time will tell the depth of their commitment, but for now, Jay is almost overcome with the possibility of there being someone in the family to cook from scratch... even if it's inlaws. That alone, in his opinion, is worth seeing this thing through. As for me, I just love her. She's adorable and full of life.



The object of his affection?



Elyse.





Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Friday, January 9, 2009

it does a body good

fresh air is good for the soul...






... and the sanity.