Thursday is Random Day

It's time for a good old melting pot of topics dontcha think? It's the soup of blogging, throw in a bunch of miscellaneous ingredients and call it a post.

How about in list form, that's even better! And slightly more organized.

• Today is rainy and windy and blah. I have a whole lot of things I should be doing but I'm finding myself sitting at the keyboard with a big mug of coffee, putting off my to-do list. Next up? Put on socks. My toes are cold. I'm ambitious, I know.
• I made Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip muffins for breakfast and they are fantastic. If you use mini muffin tins, they are just the right size to eat more and not feel quite as guilty.
• Tyler got glasses. When he put them on for the first time he said "WOW! Everything is really clear!" Poor kid. Couldn't see much and didn't know it.
  
• This post really spoke to me. I think if we all extended each other a little more grace, the mommy wars would be history. And go cheer Jenni on, she is one day from holding her sweet, sweet baby!
• Toby is crawling. If that's what you want to call it. Picture this. Little baby bum planted firmly on the floor, one leg indian style, the other knee upright with that foot flat on the floor. Mr. Boot Scoot'n Booty then uses said foot to scoot himself around where ever he wants to go. I wish you could see it in person, it's hilarious. Forget about wearing out the knees of his pants, he going to wear out the tushie!

Ok, that's all. And how about a picture of my new haircut? This is me in my element, completely multitasking. Talking on the phone and taking a picture. Next week I get color. YAY!

Signs Of Spring

I feel like the groundhog not only saw his shadow but also the shadow of all of his sisters, brothers, cousins, and close friends. Spring is taking a long time to show up around here. Every few days we get a glimpse of what is to come but then we are teased with threats of snow flurries and wind that chills to the bone. There are a couple signs of spring that are unmistakable and tell of the impending change in the weather, despite the temperature outside.

I present exhibit A:

Little peep toe wedges that are so adorable they are practically edible. Add in a glimpse of painted toddler toenails and it's enough to send me into a diabetic coma. As much as I love shoes for myself, I love shoes for my girls EVEN MORE. I know. It's mind blowing, really.


Exhibit B:

My Mom's bathroom. If you should ever happen to drop by my parents house say, mid March to early April, and you have "gotta go" you might think you walked into the wrong room. You would be met with all the signs of a green house. Mom starts seeds for her fantastic flower gardens and grows them in the sunniest room in their house. Right to the left of the toilet. I love it. It's refreshing. And surprisingly cheerful for a bathroom.



If only a peek out the window would reveal as much green and less brown. But it's coming. I know it is.

Another few weeks and the brown will become this.

YAY!

April Fool's Day , Three Days Later

Last April Fool's Day I got them good. I made cupcakes for supper. The cupcakes were actually meatloaf with colored mashed potatoes for frosting. If that isn't disappointing, I don't know what is. The kids thought it was hilarious and the bar was set high. What in the world was I going to do this year? I guess I could have served real cupcakes for supper with the kids suspecting that they were made of meat and then Surprise! they are real cupcakes.

So I put together a mystery dinner. I made up a menu for the children to order their three courses from. It was a simple meal: grilled cheese, tomato soup, crackers, carrot sticks, ranch dressing, jello, and milk. I made the jello ahead of time and poured it into drinking glasses complete with a straw and then put it in the fridge to get jiggly. Oh, and there were cupcakes too. Real ones.

So basically, the kids filled out the menu and placed their orders. Only the food choices were all disguised with a different name. "Messy", "Hot Moon", "Jiggly", "Slurpey", etc. The silverware and napkin were included on the list. Once their orders were placed, Nate and I slipped behind the sheet we had hung across one side of the kitchen and began our mischievous plan. A plan that did not involve the clothes hanger in the middle of the floor. What in the world??!!

We taped up all of their orders.

And tried to keep it all straight.

The jist of it was that what ever you got for the first course, you ate, and then we cleared your dishes and nothing carried over. For example, for the first course one child ended up getting a spoon, a fork, some ranch dressing, and jello. He then had no silverware for the rest of the meal because we took it away with his first course. It was hilarious and I would highly recommend it. Each time we brought a plate out from behind the sheet, we were met with anticipation and a round of laughter. We will be doing this again for sure.

Somehow Jack managed to order a cupcake for round one. Of course he did.

A Pay At The Pump Milestone

Maybe I need to take Nate up on his crazy idea of buying a fleet of mopeds. I can picture it now, the Laundry Pile Family flying down the highway on the way to Sunday morning church as a pack, nine mopeds strong.

With helmets of course.

A Deadly Mistake Averted

I stood in Target, mesmerized by the cuteness of shower curtains. They were on sale! There was a certain one that was calling out to me. It was bright, and fun, and...made out of fabric.

I reached for them, holding one in my arms, longing to put it in my cart. I had been wanting to spice up my bathroom a little bit. And then I remembered.

I have four boys.

Let's all stop for a minute and ponder the gravity of that statement in relationship to all things bathroom.

I suddenly realized the foolish path I was about to embark on. You see, our shower is in very, very close proximity to the toilet. I have found myself using antibacterial wipes to wipe down the plastic shower curtain daily. My sons need a lesson, a lesson in aiming.

And so I put the pretty cloth shower curtain back safely on the shelf.

Can you imagine? *gag*

The Crying. THE CRYING!

I love watching The Biggest Loser.

I am touched when I see a man cry.

But not EVERY SINGLE WEEK!

Tonight I knew I had reached a new insensitive low when Mark was breaking down (again) and they panned back to a far away shot as he stepped off the scale and all I could think about was Allison's shoes. I was begging the tv for a close up of those shoes.

Who's the Biggest Loser? Obviously me.

Pierced

Sisters cheer each other on.

Sisters face the ear piercing gun together.

Funny

When the kids are little they say so many cute things, and you write them all down. Oh how adorable, she called her spaghetti "pahsketty". When they get older, not so much. Every once in awhile though, they pull out a one liner that cracks you up.

Recently our 9 year old was bit on her leg by a dog. After I got her washed up and slathered in antibiotic ointment, we had a discussion about dogs and germs and why they get shots. She was still a little concerned and asked me "Do you think he had his diabetes shots?"

I immediately thought of poor Old Yeller and how he probably wouldn't have had to be put down if only he would have gotten those diabetes shots.

The other night Nate, Tyler, and I were all sitting around doing nothing in particular and a copy of Runner's World was laying on the table. The cover model had a stomach like this. Nate, wanting to give a impromptu lesson on working out, asked Tyler "Do you know how you get a six pack like that?" Tyler, ever quick on his feet, replied "photoshop".

He's not that far from the truth.

Have a great weekend!

Because You Asked

Here is the recipe for the Cotton Candy Cupcakes. It came from the book CUPCAKES! From the Cake Mix Doctor by Anne Byrn. There is some good stuff in there people. We are going to be having cupcakes for every birthday from now until the year 2035.

Cupcakes:

1 package plain white cake mix
1 1/2 cups blueberry yogurt (2 cartons, 6 ounces each)
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 large egg whites
5 to 6 drops blue food coloring

Cotton Candy Buttercream:


3 oz blue cotton candy (1/2 bag; about 4 cups)
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, at room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
3 tablespoons milk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 cupcake cups with paper liners. Set pans aside.

2. Prepare the cupcake batter. Place the cake mix, yogurt, water, oil, egg whites, and food coloring in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping down the sides again if needed. Spoon or scoop 1/4 cup batter into each lined cupcake cup, filling it two thirds of the way full. Place pans in the oven.

3. Bake the cupcakes until they are lightly golden and spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, 17 to 20 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 5 minutes. Remove from pan and place on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes before frosting.

4 Meanwhile, prepare the Cotton Candy Buttercream: Measure out 2 1/2 cups cotton candy and set it aside for the frosting. Measure out 1 to 1 1/2 cups of the cotton candy and set it aside for the garnish. If any cotton candy is left, let the kids eat it while the cupcakes are baking. Ignore that part. Eat it yourself. Place the butter in a large mixing bowl and blend with an electric mixer on low speed until creamy, 30 seconds. Add the 2 1/2 cups cotton candy and blend on low until it is incorporated. The mixture will be blue and grainy. Add the sugar and milk and blend on low until the frosting comes together and is nearly smooth, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. It will still be a little grainy. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and beat the frosting to incorporate air so that it is fluffy.

5. Place a heaping tablespoon of frosting on each cupcake and swirl to spread it out with a short metal spatula or a spoon, taking care to cover the tops completely. Tear the cotton candy reserved for garnish into 24 pieces and press a piece into the top of each cupcake. The cupcakes are ready to serve.


Ok. Here are some notes from me.

1.The frosting was hard to make. The cotton candy didn't act like I thought it should. When I added it to the butter, it balled up into little hard balls and the frosting never got smooth. No one cared though because they enjoyed biting into a blue ball of sugar in the midst of frosting. We are sugar crazy like that.

2. I added some blue food coloring to the frosting as well to make it bluer.

3. When it came time to put the cotton candy on top of each cupcake, I found it difficult to break of pieces without smashing the cotton candy into a wad. Not a job for the kids. It was tricky.

4. Don't put the cotton candy on top until you are ready to serve them. It dissolved into the frosting and after about 15 minutes there was nothing left. Just blue cupcakes.

The notes on the recipe say that you use egg whites only in the cake batter to keep the batter blue. Using the yolks causes the batter to turn slightly green. Which is gross. Also, if you want to use pink cotton candy, use strawberry yogurt and red food coloring.

So there you have it. Happy cupcaking to you. And who needs a birthday for an excuse to make cupcakes? Make them because it's Tuesday.

Hunt

Easter candy. The hottest trend in home decor.

Birthday Season

We are in the heat of our annual March Birthday Extravaganza around these parts. Tuesday was Tyler's birthday.

Trivia Question: What is the difference between 12 year old Tyler and 13 year old Tyler?

Answer: 5 inches. The kid grew 5 inches. Just a minute while I go spend all my money on new pants for Mr. Highwater.



Camryn's birthday is today. She requested Cotton Candy cupcakes. Good choice Cam.

Updates

The birds still have not found my bird feeder.

It's still 120* outside.

On the makeup front, the "home made loose powder" blush is long gone but I recently committed my 2nd makeup pet peeve. I accidentally bought waterproof mascara instead of my regular L'Oreal Voluminous miracle magic eyelash lengthener. Bring on the sob stories. I will weep with you and look fabulous. No raccoon eyes here. Just mascara that never ever comes off. No matter what.

We are no longer watching Nacho in our van. Nate was able to eject the disc using scotch tape and a straw. He's MacGyver's long lost brother NateGyver.

I can't resist quoting Nacho one more time. (those comments were some of my favorites ever, you guys completely cracked me up)

"Earth to Steven. I am a friar."

"Sheer Spring" All over My Carpet

Sometimes you have a nice little road map for the day but then something happens that jerks the wheel out of your hands, hits the gas, and takes you down a completely different road?

I had a list. It was a to do list. One of the things on that list was laundry. (Always) My kids had been complaining..."Mom, I don't have any jeans clean." and "Where are all the socks?" So I got the ball rolling and starting hitting the laundry hard this morning. I threw a particularly large load of jeans in the washing machine and then moved on to shamrock pancake/syrup cleanup upstairs in the kitchen. That's when the party started. A laundry party that I wasn't invited to.

The dryer was a dryin' and the washer was a washin' and the whole place was a rockin'. It seems that the sassy little bottle of liquid fabric softener got a little carried during the spin cycle and she shimmied herself right off the top of the washing machine onto the floor. The lid cracked. A significant amount of "Sheer Spring" oozed all over the concrete and carpet in front of the machines. In that moment my steering wheel was jerked from my hands. I have spent a large portion of my day battling the powers of fabric softener. The carpet smells fantastic. And no static cling!


Sheer spring? It's a whole lot more lovely outside.

Lucky

Green Shamrock Pancakes

The breakfast of leprechaun children everywhere.

How Did We Get Here Already?

You may have noticed that I don't talk about the older kids as much as the younger ones. For one thing, they aren't up to as many crazy antics. I don't catch Tyler and Noelle sneaking into the sugar bowl anymore. They do take the liberty to make themselves a pot of coffee at 9:30 pm, but that is not endearing and silly as much as it is unwise and annoying. Especially when I am mysteriously out of creamer the next morning. I also don't write a lot about them because I want to protect their privacy. It might be a little bit humiliating to slide into your first period math class knowing that your mother just wrote a big emotional post about you on her blog.

But today I'm going to do it anyway, despite my better judgment.

Last night was the junior high variety show. Singing, dancing, and all sorts of entertainment. Tyler sang in the choir intermittently during this "Totally 80's" themed show. A skit here, a couple songs there, it was practically a Broadway production. The last few weeks, after school practices have come to a head, some lasting until after dinner. I have received many a call hearing "Mom, can you bring me a burger or something." from the other end of the line. I would then don my fast food delivery hat and attend to my son's nutritional needs. This of course meant I had to set foot in the junior high school building. The same building where I attended 7th and 8th grade. The same building where I passed notes between class and where I served my first detention for chewing gum. It even smells the same. Industrial strength cleaners and pubescent body odor. What a combo.

Nate and I whispered and giggled during the whole show, acting like middle schoolers ourselves. "We're Not Gonna Take It!" and "Freeze Frame" brought back all sorts of memories. I sat and watched a stage full of these 12, 13, and 14 year old people. Awkwardness and insecurity oozed from ever corner of the stage. Girls who were beginning to look like little women. A sea of male faces, some looking like little boys while others already had stubble and angular jawbones. Some, you could tell, were endowed with an extra dose of stage presence. Others were mortified that people were actually looking at them. Oh my heart broke for these young teenagers and the emotional and hormonal turmoil that I knew they were going through. At the very same time I was in awe at a glimpse of the adults they would grow to be. Every few moments I got a peek of a stage full of grownups.

It was too much for my little old mind and heart. I slipped back into superficial crowd goer and enjoyed the rest of the performance. But not before saying a prayer for my firstborn son, asking God to guide him through this mine field that is Junior High, and thanking Him for this life entrusted to Nate and I.

What a responsibility.

What an opportunity.

What an amazing young man.

Haircut

Let's play the caption game, shall we?

How to Get Fired As Family Chef

I can feel the tension. A revolt is coming. I sense an uprising in the works. If I serve my family soup one more time, violence is going to erupt at the dinner table.

Remember this? Which resulted in this. Now that was some good times.

What is my problem? When will I learn? My family is not adventurous when it comes to food. Last night I served a culinary delight. I loved it. I don't think anyone else did. "Spicy African Yam Soup" We played a game called "guess the ingredients". I was surprised that they eventually got them all. Even the peanut butter. The looks of disgust on their faces silently screamed, "Soup is no place for peanut butter. It belongs on bread with globs of grape jelly."

Maybe I need to make a mid-March resolution resembling that of Gretchen's. Check out #82 on her list of Things She Will NOT Do In 2008. Only mine would read "serve soup more than three times a month."

Whenever they ask what is for supper, they are crossing their fingers that it will not be broth based. Or involve chili beans and tomato sauce. Or need to be eaten with a spoon. One thing I have found is that there seems to be more grace if there are crackers on the table. Crackers save the day.

Help me break out of my soup rut. Ideas?

Calling All Scientists

This morning I stumbled across an anomaly right there in my own fridge. Explain this: in my fridge was a six pack of Propel, two bottles already gone and consumed. They are all four still harnessed together by the little necky plastic stuff that kills wildlife when it gets caught around their necks. (I still can't throw away that stuff without cutting it. I've got wildlife guilt. If you know what I'm talking about, then you are crazy too.)

Back to the science. Four bottles on the bottom shelf of my fridge. Get this, three liquid, one frozen solid. WHAT IN THE WORLD? My only thought it that I just have an isolated, super cold spot in there. It's the Alaska region of my refrigerator. That's all I can come up with. I fully expect to open the door and see a cluster of miniature penguins huddling in that one area. It could happen.

Ideas? Come on internet. Solve all my science problems.

Before and After

An Open Letter to Our Most Recent Visitor

Dearest Elizabeth,

Is it too much to ask that I address you as Lizzie? (How would that be spelled, with an ie or a y? Lizzie? Lizzy?)

Your visit this past weekend was simply delightful. You are a lovely house guest and my family and I more than enjoyed having you stay with us. The children especially liked having you around. You were never far from them, spending lots of time with the littlest ones. You make them laugh and were so very attentive to them.

We tried to provide you with privacy. It's a small house that we live in and I hope that your quarters weren't too cramped. That is why I left your door open so that you could feel free to wander around the house as you pleased. Not that there are that many places to go. We miss hearing your delicate feet as you walked across our hardwood floors. No one sounds quite like you. It was very thoughtful of you to bring your own towel. Completely unnecessary.

I hope that the meals I provided weren't too simple for your taste. I know you tend to be a bit, how can I saw this politely, picky? You have definite opinions on what you do and do not like. You were very gracious not to complain. That's more than I can say of my own children. I was surprised to find that you enjoyed Cheerios. Although you did tire of them quickly, forgive us, they are eaten in abundance here. Toby didn't mind sharing with you. I hope you didn't feel like a second rate guest when I served you chicken for dinner. I put those cuts aside especially for you because I know in some countries the fat is considered a delicacy.

I do have one small complaint I would like to address. I know it is quite cold outside and that the snow can be chilly. Was it necessary to pee right in the middle of our sidewalk? That might not have been exactly appropriate.

Despite that one embarrassing incident, we would love to have you visit again soon as it fits into your leisurely schedule. Our home is your home.

Kisses.

The Laundypile Family

Happy Feet *edited, now with more photos*

Evan
Skid
Alias
Half Life
Cammie
Xaldin


What do these words have in common?

They are the catchy little names of six of the eight pairs of shoes that I scored at Payless today. The other two pairs don't get fun little names, only boring numbers. Poor things. But don't feel sorry for them, they are anything BUT boring. Well, to tell you the truth, one no-name-but-numbered pair is kind of boring in a kid-sneaker kind of a way. The other pair? Let me tell you about them.

When I first laid eyes on them, I loved them. I tried them on and they were too tight but there wasn't another pair in my size. I was willing to bear the pain. I headed to the register ready to watch blisters grow upon my feet, all for the sake of love. Alas! A heroine employee came to me bearing good news. A pair was found on the highest shelf and they were *gasp* my size. Oh happy day. Want to see them?



I love them so much I might just have to wear them while I do laundry and scrub the toilet. Maybe even while picnicking. The red checks are making me hungry for sandwiches eaten in the outdoors.

Oh, and the best part is that it was buy one get one half off. The most expensive pair was $22 and I still came out with eight pairs for sixty bucks.

Not bad. Not bad at all.

*upon request, here are the kids' shoes. I am waiting anxiously for the day that my girls and I wear the same size.*

Front row, left to right we have Skid, 57362, Cammie, Half Life
Back Row, left to right Evan, Xaldin, Alias

Who names these things? Seriously. It's hard enough to think of original names for seven kids, I can't imagine trying to come up with names for a new batch of shoes every season.

Golden

Either someone has the Midas touch or I need to hide the highlighter pens.

Pray

This year our church is spending the 40 days before Easter in fasting and prayer. It has been amazing and I'm really excited about it. Of course we aren't all fasting for all 40 days. People have chosen to give up specific meals on certain days as they feel led. Other have given up certain foods or activities for the full 40 days. We are all praying.

This has been a timely opportunity to talk to my kids about prayer and to teach them what it is all about. On Shannon's recommendation, we bought The Jesus Storybook Bible as a Christmas gift for one of our kids this year. It is fantastic. I have never read anything like it and it really simplifies the Word of God so that a child can understand the greater picture. At the same time, it is profound and has spoken to my own heart over and over again as I have read it to my kids. I was especially touched by the Lord's prayer. I have said the Lord's prayer countless times and sometimes the words "hallowed" and "trespass" can be hard concepts to grasp. I don't know about you but that's not the kind of vocabulary we use around our house on a daily basis. I struggled with explaining those concepts to my kids in a way they could understand. Then I read it in this bible. I hope it blesses you like it has blessed me.

"You see, God just can't wait to give you all that you need. So you don't need to use long words or special words. You don't have to use a special voice. You just have to talk. So when you pray, pray in your normal voice, just like when you're talking to someone you love very much. Like this...

Hello Daddy!
We want to know you.
And be close to you.
Please show us how.
Make everything in the world right again.
And in our hearts , too.
Do what is best- just like you do in heaven,
And please do it down here, too.
Please give us everything we need today.
Forgive us for doing wrong, for hurting you.
Forgive us just as we forgive other people
when they hurt us.
Rescue us! We need you.
We don't want to keep running away
and hiding from you.
Keep us safe from our enemies.
You're strong, God.
You can do whatever you want.
You are in charge.
Now and forever and for always!
We think you are great!
Amen!
Yes we do!"

Crushed

There are tough questions in life and then there are TOUGH questions. Like:

When am I going to be able to use a blush until it is completely gone without dropping it first and watching it shatter into a million pieces?

Seriously. When?

From Under the Laundry Pile- A Weather Blog

When you don't have anything else to say, blog about the weather. It's a sure fire way to lose readership.

My sister, sister-in-law, Toby and I took a little shopping trip this weekend. We hit Target HARD. It was good times. On the way to the near by town, we passed some mammoth drifts and couldn't resist stopping to take some photos. Midwest life is nothing short of thrilling.



Do Not Enter: You might just drop eight feet into a snow drift never to be seen again.

We had a really fun weekend. All of my siblings were home and we played and played and played in the snow. (I say "we" but I mean "they". I stayed in the house with the baby and a warm cup of coffee)



We have continued in the theme of a-snow-storm-a-week. School has continued to be postponed and delayed and canceled. It's been frustrating and bad for the state of my house. Don't drop by unannounced. I'm just saying. I'm going to need a snow shovel inside to recover from this winter. But COME ON! You can't argue that this isn't just stunning. Storm after storm, it never gets old seeing this beautiful scene out my back door.

It's All Relative

This morning as Nate was about to head out the door he asked me, his own personal weather lady, if it was cold out. I replied sincerely "Nope, it's going to be WARM! It's 20!"

As the door closed behind him I thought to myself, "What am I saying?!"

Independence

My 2 1/2 year old has officially uttered those four words that strike dread into the hearts of mothers everywhere.

"I do it myself."

My productive time has been cut in half. Everything takes twice as long. Opening doors, carrying the diaper bag, taking a bath, all twice as long. And then there is the matter of getting dressed....

Who says you can't wear four skirts at once?

So Hot It's Freezing

I just bought this cute little bird feeder this winter. The birds have yet to discover it. Either that or they are too afraid to come near the window fearing for their very lives because of the crazy chaos they hear inside. No matter the reason, the birds aren't coming but that's ok because this bird feeder that hangs on the outside of my kitchen window has a bonus feature. A thermometer. Now I can know exactly what the temperature is out there.







Apparently today is a record high.





I don't know why that cracks me up so much, but you know that phrase "when hell freezes over?" According to my birdfeeder, it may actually be possible...

Retro Linky

Whenever a post I read really touches me, I mark the little box (in Bloglines) to "keep it as new". I have quite a few favorites stashed away now. This morning as we woke up to yet another snow day, I was tempted to complain. To shake my fist and yell "WHY?!" and "How am I going to get anything done around here?!" Bible study is canceled and I was really looking forward to going. The weather has thrown off my routine, my house is a mess, and my knee jerk reaction is to whine about it, just like everyone else you run into at the grocery store. What's the easiest topic to broach with casual acquaintances? The nasty weather. Then I remembered a post by Chris at Come To the Table. I went back and read it and it blessed me again. One little line had jumped out at me last May and implanted itself in my mind and heart. A quote from a missionary:

Never allow yourself to complain about anything - not even the weather

You can read it the whole post here.

Now as I look out the window, I will myself to see it for what it is, beautiful, glittery white. The sun is shining. It may be frigid outside but our house is warm, our furnace works, and our pipes aren't frozen. I have an opportunity to spend some (more) time with my kiddos. We aren't guaranteed that tomorrow will come so I'm going to make the most of today. And I am not going to complain about the weather.

Collection

I have a thing for belt buckles. If you would like to read about my belt buckle adventures, you can catch up here. This weekend while doing a little bit of shopping, I came across this beauty.

Nothing says redneck like a belt buckle with a semi truck on it. I am a picture of classy. I added it to my collection that is now three strong. Would you like to see the others? Ok. I'll oblige. (Rednecks never use fancy words like oblige, let me rephrase that) I'll show ya.



I mean COME ON! Ya can't say them ain't purty. When people ask me if I collect anything, like porcelain figurines, or shot glasses from every state, or stamps, now I have an answer. Belt buckles. I collect belt buckles. And I wear them, proudly.

Now I need to start hunting for some boots to match. Yee Haw!

Snow Adventures

This winter's theme seems to be: "How many snow days is too many snow days?" The snow just keeps coming and things just keep getting canceled. This morning at church time it was blizzarding, so here I sit on a Sunday afternoon, still in my pajamas. Which is really, really weird.

Here is how we spent the evening yesterday.




This is how you have to dress if you are going to participate:


Wearing a dead rabbit on your head is a must.
Then, if you are really brave, you can do this:



No one was injured.

If it's going to keep snowing, we are going to keep playing in it. Might as well.

Día de los Enamorados Feliz

(I sure hope that title mean "Happy Valentine's Day". I'm trusting my online translation tool.)


Love.

Love is shiny and new and fun for a little while. Then it is tested by the grindstone of the day after day. Repetitiveness. Daily life. How does love hold up on the boring old weekdays?

My love is being tested these last few weeks. The love that was so fresh and funny at first has become repetitive. It's always around, always there.

No, not Nate.

The movie Nacho Libre is stuck in my van's DVD player.

We have been watching it over, and over, and over, and over. The "Lord's cheeps", the eagle powers, the blue bike cart thingy, none of it has lost it's sparkle. It is standing up to the test. In fact it is growing on me a little more every day. Listening to Nacho while ordering at the fast food drive-thru, while picking the children up from school, and while taking the recycling in only makes those tasks more bearable. My love is spilling over and I want to share some of my favorite quotes with you.

"My life is good! Really good! I get to wake up every morning, at 5AM, and make some soup! It's the best. I love it. I get to lay in a bed, all by myself, all of my life! That's fantastic!"

"Precious Father, why have you given me this desire to wrestle and then made me such a stinky warrior?"

"...they might have the appearance of riches, but beneath the clothes, we find a man... and beneath the man we find... his... nucleus."


Since it's Valentine's Day, I take a love lesson from the man who wears stretchy pants in his room. I'll say goodbye the same way he does when he signs a love letter to a nun. A nun who's favorite color is light tan.





"Hug hug, kiss kiss, hug hug, big kiss, little hug, kiss kiss, little kiss."

Linky

My friend Sara wrote a fabulous post about how we treat our bodies. She challenges me and I love her for it.

Go check it out.

Six Things Meme

I may be the worst meme-er in the whole blogosphere. Wow, what a sentence. Spell checker loves me.

Gretchen and Judy tagged me. I may have been tagged by someone else too, I forget. See? I told you I was bad at memes. I think I may have done this one before. Like a year ago, but I don't remember and I don't feel like archive diving. So if I mention the same quirky things that I did before, forgive me. Can that be one of my quirky things? Too lazy to archive dive?

Here are my real six quirky things.

1. When I put mascara on, I always start with the same eye. Every single time. And I open my mouth, but everyone does that. Same thing goes for blush, tweezing, and eyeshadow. Same side first, my left.
   
2. I usually have at least two beverages going at all times, sometimes more. On my kitchen counter you will most likely find a big, huge, mega convenience store fountain cup full of ice water and a cup of cold coffee. But I'm still working on them so don't dump them out. There may also be a mug of cocoa or a pop if I'm feeling extra indulgent.
3. When I put photos in the album, they have to be in EXACT chronological order. "Close" just isn't good enough. It is vital the next generations know that we built snowmen before we drank hot cocoa. Or that on vacation we stopped for ice cream after we went to the zoo. Crucial.
4. I bite my nails when I watch an intense movie or tv show. If my nails are long, you can be sure that I haven't watched anything even remotely scary recently.
5. This morning I wore my pink Napoleon Dynamite snow boots to the gym with green shorts. (you have to bring your shoes so that you don't get the treadmills all nasty and snowy) It was a hot look. I was tempted to stop for a gallon of milk just so I could show off my style. *pffft*
6. I sleep with multiple pillows. Nate sleeps with one. Sometimes I steal his pillow too. What a wife.

I'm opting out of tagging. Can I do that? I think the whole internet has already done this meme and boy oh boy have there been some fun quirks to read about. If you haven't done it, go ahead! It's good times.

Reactions

Because I'm too lazy to type it out, or even cut and paste, here is the recipe for the soup. Straight off of the Better Homes and Gardens website. I used sirloin steak instead of the turkey.

Because I can.

So here is the report from my not-very-daring family.


Tyler:



Thrilled, as you can see. Offered to eat bread and water instead. Denied.

Noelle:



Out of character, she balked. To her credit, she did come back later and eat it to get dessert. Because we bribe like that.


Camryn:



Mostly she just crinkled her nose at it.


Caedmon:





Gobbled it down like it was his favorite ice cream. Was declared the winner by Mom and Dad and enjoyed a cup of hot cocoa loaded with marshmallows. *Ding*


Jack:

Somehow I didn't get a photo. He ate the meat out of it and called it quits. No surprise there. But then again, he's used to holding out until breakfast. He's got a stomach of steel and the will to go along with it.

Gemma:




It may appear that she is eating it, but notice the empty spoon. Faking eating doesn't cut it.

So basically, I'm the only one who loved it. Nate was "eh". He could have done without the diced tomatoes. He's a tomato hater. It doesn't help that I forgot to stir in the spinach and top it with cheese. Can you believe I forgot the secret weapon? What was I thinking? If only I would have added the cheese, then I'm SURE they would have eaten it. *cough*

Soup. It's What's for Dinner.

This is what is for dinner tonight. I just finished putting it in the crock pot. I wanted to document the last meal I fed my family before they ran away from home.

What you see is:

tomato sauce
diced tomatoes
chicken broth
onion
dried cranberries
jalapeños
garlic
black beans
butternut squash
corn
chili powder

I took the picture and then I added the meat. Because who wants to look at raw meat?

Just before serving you stir in some fresh spinach and then sprinkle it with cheese. I'll let you know how it goes. I'll let you know who survives.