Friday Funny

Having a bad day?

Catching Up

So what exactly has been going on at the D house? Well, basically the normal busyness. Meals, laundry, errands, and such. I've been fighting off a headache for over a week now (with ups and downs) so have definitely been a little low on patience with the kiddos. Plus it's actually feeling quite wintery here, so they're tired of being cooped up. Thankfully a friend and I have established a monthly "Mommy morning" tradition - I take her kids for 3-4 hours, and then she returns the favor. The kids were quite happy to have their friends over earlier this week, and I was thrilled to head off on my own this morning. Bliss! I did general running around, and even went to Joann's and picked up a few patterns and some fabric for A... I'm having a really hard time finding things that fit her well (they're too short and/or too tight), and at this stage, I can still make up a sundress for her using less than a yard of fabric, so it's a good value. Now to dust off my machine and get to work :)

We will not be attending Grandma's funeral; it's over 1300 miles away, so driving wasn't an option (although my brother and I did briefly consider it), and even if we were to fly into Minneapolis it's still almost 200 miles away. Mom and Dad left this morning, I believe his siblings are either in transit or heading out tomorrow. Please continue to pray for the family; the service will be held Saturday morning. I know some may think it's a bit odd that I wouldn't attend my grandmother's funeral, but honestly that whole side of the family isn't super close. I've had some very interesting conversations with D about the whole death, heaven, etc. thing. As I was trying to explain to him what had happened, he very solemnly looked at me and said, "Mommy, I'm sorry your Grandma's dead. I hope she comes back to life soon." I clarified that she won't be coming back to live here on earth, but is now in heaven with Jesus. He seemed satisfied with explanation (even saying, "Oh, that sounds nice!!") but not sure how much he really understands. Trying to explain life and death to an almost 5 YO is an interesting proposition!!

Here's a silly picture to share - D had been playing with markers earlier this week, and announced that he wanted "dots" on his arm. I confiscated the markers and sent him to the bathroom to wash up. Let me tell you, those washable blue markers leave behind a funky color that looks like a serious skin condition. I was glad that we weren't going anywhere so I didn't have to assure anyone he wasn't contagious :)

Oh, I also got together with another friend this week for some hang-out time. Our kids had a ball, and my little hoodlums managed to dig out art supplies (paint, thankfully washable) while we were sprucing up her blog a bit. Gotta keep an eye on those crazies every minute I tell ya! Anyway, she had tagged me for a little name game: create a personal acrostic with your middle name. So here goes!

L - Living on the East Coast. Something I said I'd never do. I've also said that I never wanted to go back to Texas... guess what the future may hold?!?

Y - Yahoo! OK, this is a tough letter and I had a hard time coming up with something. But I consider myself to be an enthusiastic person. Plus I'm a Western girl at heart.

N - Nurturing. I treasure my friends and family.

N - Nutty. I love to laugh, and having young kids is a great excuse to be silly. But my mouth does get me in trouble sometimes... Sarcasm is just one of the services I provide!

I'm not going to tag anyone else, but please feel free to play along.

In Memory

I just got word that my Grandmother passed away. They had farmed in Minnesota for many years; my Dad is one of their five children. I have fun memories of visiting the farm in the summertime - exploring the woods, playing in the attic... When they retired, they moved to Missouri.

This picture was taken in June 95, and my grandfather passed away just a few months later. After that, she moved in with my aunt and uncle, and had lived in Alabama for several years.

This picture was taken when we visited in October 03 and she met her newest great grandbaby.

I made this card for her when she turned 90 in '05. I'm not sure when the picture was taken, but isn't it lovely?

She broke her hip a few weeks ago, and after a series of complications she went home to be with her Savior this morning.

Friday Funny

(please be sure to read the post below to see why I chose this cartoon!)

Where has the week gone?

So here's the view out our backdoor this morning - I'm thinkin' it's a good day to make up a big pot of corn chowder and some homemade bread. Mmm Mmm Good!

I know I've been unusually quiet this week. I've actually been trying to spend less time online, as it's a big time sucker for me. We're staying healthy, although our little boy is still coughing occasionally. Made it out to MOPS on Tuesday, which was a welcome break. Also ran some errands - exciting stuff like Target and the grocery store :) Went to the dentist on Wednesday night; I'd scheduled this appointment last year, knowing that I needed to replace at least one of the large fillings that I'd had done in high school with a crown. We upgraded our insurance accordingly. Good thing, because turns out that I need THREE crowns. No root canals, though (phew!!) Man, dental work is expensive. I joke that I have the equivalent of a car in my mouth now - thing is, it's currently a Nissan but rapidly becoming a BMW.

Later!!

Ahh...

Last night was a little strange - hubby fell asleep after dinner, and the kids went to bed early, too. Our son is fighting off a cold - slight fever and a nasty sounding cough. Man, I was really hoping for a few weeks of health around here. The house was really quiet, and I managed to do some serious sorting in my craft space. Felt good!

We didn't really do much for Valentine's Day, but hubby and I will hopefully be going out on Monday evening (yet another reason I'm hoping the kids are healthy). I did make a batch of cookies for my valentine; he's crazy for coconut, so I whipped these up and added some pecans (he likes nuts - he married me, right?) Even made the coconut red in honor of love day. (You can easily color flaked coconut: just toss it into a ziploc bag with a few drops of food coloring and shake away).

In other exciting news, we've scored yet more exciting goodies from other people's trash! I'd noticed that a house down the street had put out a Little Tikes table/2 chairs by their garage earlier in the week. I was keeping an eye out for it, just hoping they'd be putting it out on the curb. Well... turns out they not only put THAT out, but also this great princess tent. There was a bit of sludge on one side from where it had been leaning in the dirt, but it was in really good condition. A quick wipe down, and the kiddos were soon hiding out.

We actually have a relatively quiet weekend ahead of us, too. Some plans were cancelled, so we've found ourselves with some unexpected time. Woo-Hoo!! Will probably just putter around the house - hubby wants to fix the drippy kitchen faucet, and I'd like to do a bit of deep cleaning here and there. We'll probably watch Daytona tomorrow afternoon, although we haven't really been following NASCAR all that closely the past few years. Way too much drama and politics lately and not enough good racing. I know they've promised to change some things, so we'll see. Anyway, I'm off and running! Hopefully you all are having enjoyable weekends, too.

Friday Funny

A small piece of sodium which lived in a test tube fell in love with a Bunsen burner.
"Oh Bunsen, my flame. I melt whenever I see you . . .", the sodium pined.
"It's just a phase you're going through", replied the Bunsen burner

Math is like love; a simple idea, but it can get complicated

Happy Valentine's Day

We're kicking off our day with frozen waffles, loving heated by Mom :)

"Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up." I Cor 8:1b

Money-saving hints

We're all looking for ways to get more out of our money, right? I thought this article had some good tips. I'm definitely going to be trying out the laundry detergent idea (#8). Still refuse to hang out my clothes (I just hate they way they smell - it was fine in MT and TX, but eastern PA has some sort of funk) Two other simple ideas:
* Use the library! Obviously a great source for books, but ours also has CDs, movies, and even video games.
* Invest in a water filter. The faucet-mount ones are cheaper than purchasing bottled water, but the filters are expensive (and we went through them pretty fast). Love, LOVE our undersink filter. (After some research, we bought one from Crystal Quest)

Post-Bath Cuteness

Planning to cut our son's hair later this week - but I wanted to capture some of the longish cuteness in the meantime. So the kiddos had to deal with mamarazzi after their bath this morning. (Our daughter was mid-laugh in the first pic - she actually looks kinda freaky, but still cute!!)

It's a loud world!

My ears are working again - I can literally hear the angels singing :)

And the whole issue was just ear wax. Ewwww. (Which might actually be quasi-related to getting my thyroid working normally. I've noticed that my skin and hair have been much oilier since I started the medication. And evidently now my ears have decided to go into high production).

Anyway, I'm happy to report that it was taken care of with one visit to the doctor. Not particularly pleasant, but the results made it worthwhile.

Oh, and here's a funny picture for you. Would YOU buy this candy?!? Um, no thanks!

Winter Happenings

We've definitely been spoiled so far this year with warmer-than-normal temps. We broke 70 last week for goodness sake! But our thermometer is currently reading 17. Brrrr!! Our son announced that he wanted to go outside and play. I was all for it - let him run off some energy! Well, I got him bundled up and sent him on his way... he came back in approximately 3 1/2 minutes later and announced that he was done. And that he needed hot cocoa to warm up. Classic.

This is a scene from yesterday afternoon. We had two plum trees in our backyard that weren't giving us good fruit anymore (it would all drop before it ripened), plus one of them had been struck by lightning so the trunk was beginning to split. We planned to take them down in the fall, but one thing after another altered that plan. Well, yesterday was the day! The backyard really looks different now. Next step in the overhaul process is to put up a new shed (over in the corner rather than smack dab in the middle of the yard) and then do some re-landscaping. I'd really like to get some different varieties of hydrangeas, as well as misc "green stuff" for filler. I foresee plant research in my future.

So what else have I been up to lately? Well, our church is in the midst of a capital campaign and I'm helping with the communications side. Our theme is "Find us Faithful" and let me tell you, it's been a humbling experience. It's definitely forcing me to take a hard look at myself, and just how faithful I'm being with the gifts I've been given. I've had fun working on the pieces, but there have also been plenty of arrrrrrgh moments. Nothing like frustration to drive you back to your knees.

And how 'bout my ears? They actually seem just a bit better today, but we'll see what the doctor says this evening. I'm really hoping that it's something that can be resolved quickly (and inexpensively). It's been nice not hearing all the kids' bickering, but I'm really looking forward to being able to have normal conversations again. On a funny note, these past few weeks have made me aware of just how much I talk. Pretty hard to insert your two cents when you're not exactly sure what the other person said. On an even funnier note, one of the songs we sang yesterday morning was "Let My Words Be Few." I'm learning, I'm learning.

And lastly, I thought I'd share the lego lineup. This is the piano, which has magically been transformed into the Lego holding area. This is where our son carefully places his half-finished spaceships/houses/boats and then very solemnly tells me I can't move them. It's really quite funny - but I've gotta say that his building skills are really improving. Maybe he can finance our retirement with his architectural career :)

Time for Tea

We have a ladies tea at church this afternoon. "Simplici-Tea" to be exact - our speaker will share our ideas on simplying our lives and focusing on God. Sounds like a winner to me!

True confession time: this is the first time I've ever made tea sandwiches. My idea of party fare is generally more along the lines of filling the crock pot with meatballs and piling rolls into a basket. But now I'm forced to be genteel. If nothing else, I get points for presentation, right? Wash the dust off the cake plate, plunk down a few doilies and all is well.

In other news, we're all healthy again. We actually didn't have the bad version of the stomach bug, for which I'm very, VERY grateful. But I have another weird issue. My ears have been "plugged" for about two weeks now. Not quite sure what's going on, but it's incredibly frustrating not to be able to hear. I'd hoped it would clear up on its own, but now will be going to the doc this coming week to see what's up. In the meantime, I'm only catching about 50% of most conversations, which is driving my hubby bonkers and leading to some hilarious (albeit frustrating to both of us) dialogues.

Him: So were the kids good today?
Me: Yeah, it's already at the curb.
Him: What?!? No. THE KIDS.
Me: Oh! I picked up another box the last time I went shopping.

Hmmm... wonder what I'll be learning this afternoon? :)

Friday Funny

Yes, I admit I watch the silly show.
As a student of psychology, I'm fascinated by the group dynamics.
That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.
(Anyone else catch the premiere last night?)

Are you a gift to others?

I was doing a bit of web surfing, and this great article was posted on the MOPS message board. Check it out!

You're A Gift to Others - But Not a Savior

Here we go again

Our daughter started gakking just before midnight. Thankfully it was relatively uneventful, and I just stripped her and the bed. But I'm definitely ready for our entire family to be healthy again.

Feeling Better

Our son is on the mend, but definitely not back to normal yet. He insisted on carrying around his "gak bucket" all day yesterday - not sure where he picked up that phrase, but I think we'll be keeping it :)

There's a MOPS meeting today, but I'm sitting this one out. Rather disappointed, as the ladies will be making paper bag albums (click over to my other blog to check it out - including some fun pics of hubby and me). I have no illusions of being indispensable, but I love seeing how people take the basic idea and put their own spin on it. Oh, well. Instead I'm dealing with the mountains of laundry (clean, but needing to be put away), tentatively planning our next two weeks of meals, and just generally getting caught up. Later!

Ewww

The stomach bug has hit our house. It started with me on Friday, and we had hoped it wouldn't spread to anyone else. I was awoken this morning by our son throwing up. On me. I have now showered, steam cleaned the bed, and done a load of laundry.

I'm definitely in this job for the glamour :)

Friday Funny

Over breakfast one morning, a woman said to her husband, "I'll bet you don't know what day this is."

"Of course I do," he answered as if he was offended, and left for the office.

At 10:00 am, the doorbell rang and when the woman opened the door, she was handed a box of a dozen long stemmed red roses.

At 1:00 pm, a foil-wrapped, two-pound box of her favorite chocolates was delivered.

At 3:00 pm, a boutique delivered a designer dress.

The woman couldn't wait for her husband to come home. "First the flowers, then the chocolates and then the dress!" she exclaimed.

"I've never had a more wonderful Groundhog Day in my life!