Shady Willow Lane

"The days are long, but the years are short."

2011-09-20T22:59:00.000-04:00

I stumbled upon a really special website tonight. Click here and watch the 3 minute video:

http://www.theyearsareshort.com/

"The days are long, but the years are short..."

In honor of the little moments that help shape their childhood memories, I'll post a few pictures of my boys, that I took off my cell phone memory card this week...

August 16, 2011 - The day Carter "kinda" learned how to swim

August 10, 2011 - Jackson posing with his very own dessert creation of mango, banana, fresh coconut and strawberry & chocolate syrup

August 18, 2011 - Brady posing with his math equations we'd drawn in the sand

happy fall wreath (and some pinterest love)

2011-09-08T22:02:00.001-04:00

So fall is knocking on my door.
The air is just a smidgen cooler.
Football season is here.
Grass doesn't need to be mowed (as much)!
Bathing suits are being retired till next year.
Baby Hancock (the first grandbaby in the family who will have this last name, grandbaby #14!!!) is due this month.
Windows can be left open at night.
Fall. Is. Coming!!!

So, what better way to celebrate than to add some fall colored accents around your home?!

Just about a month ago, I found pinterest (Here's my "site"). Mercy. Have you seen pinterest!?! If not, you better not. It's just as bad a time-waster as facebook. Not kidding. Pinterest has been both good and bad though... Yes, I've wasted time on this website. BUT, I've also found ways to spend money that I don't have! Jackpot!!!

I kid - I have really and truly found ideas (recipes, kids games, quotes, DIY projects) that have proven to be valuable finds. In fact, these three recipes have been huge hits, and I'm sure to use them again and again:

1. Honey Rolls from thepastryaffair.com

2. Roasted Red Salsa from oneparticularkitchen.com

3. Baked Parmesan Tomatoes from eatingwell.com

Yes. Pinterest and I are besties.

This brings me back to fall. It's almost here, and I could not be more thrilled! Pinterest has excited some pent-up (no pun intended!) creativity in me, and apparently all I needed was a little inspiration. In fact, these are the wreaths that I had in the back of my mind as I went shopping for the right supplies for the one I ended up making...

#1. Love this one. Love the colors. Love the textures. Link to original post here.

#2. And love this one too. Great colors, and I especially love how she made the "x" pattern on top of the first layer of single colored yarn. Link to original post here.

#3. And one more that makes such great use of fall colors. I'll be using this one for inspiration again, as I also bought a grapevine wreath that I'm just itchin' to embellish! Link here.

Finally, here's a little tutorial for the wreath I just made to adorn my recently painted red front door (Color is named "Calico" in the Eddie Bauer line at Lowe's)... SUCH a good red... slightly bricky/brown/coral, but just a tad... not too much. Did I mention it's a great red?

Here are the supplies I used:
One 18" round form from Michael's. ($3.99)
Six fall colored skeins of yarn. (On sale, I paid $2.50 each at Michael's)
Six small sheets of felt, about the size of standard copy paper, but not exactly. (Sale price, $0.29 each at Michael's)
Hot glue, which I already had.
Masking tape, which I'll likely remove and hot glue those spots.
Grand total for $ is about $21.00, $15 of which was for yarn, but I'm not even kidding when I tell you that those skeins look untouched. I could make a flippin afghan out of what's left! ~~And I just might! Did I just say that?~~
I started by carelessly measuring (meaning, not exact...) about 3 lengths that my arms could stretch of all six colors of yarn, at the same time. I then kept them bundled and together, and started wrapping around the form. Sometimes I would twist a little, and sometimes not. I was going for a "free" look to the application, not too "stiff" or "perfect." As that length of yarn was done, I'd just start again with the same technique, until finally, after about 6 or 8 go's at it, the form was totally covered. These pics are of somewhere along that step:

Then, to embellish, I used felt flowers and various yarn "fixins." Here is a great tutorial on the felt flowers (click here).

As for the yarn, to be totally honest, I just played with it. One fixin is just a large bunch of yarn (cut to about 9") tied in a loose knot. Three knots are placed side by side on my wreath, but that's just what happened today - No set "recipe" here, friends. Another yarn-y accent that I really like is the one that looks like a yarn doughnut (that has a gold felt flower placed in the center). I think that technique repeated several times on one wreath would look great. I'm going to have to make a video of me making that, because there's really no easy way to explain it. Another little "moment" on the wreath is a twisted mess of yarn, that just melted all onto itself. SUCH an easy technique. Takes 10 seconds.

I'm thrilled with how this little lady turned out. She makes me happy and makes me want to do more, just to hang inside and around my life. Maybe one for the van, one for the aerobics room at Granite Falls where I spend a few hours each week, one for being my computer monitor, cause I'd surely get a good taste of it there. ;)

Finally, a few more detailed shots, and a finished work. That's all, folks.

Friends

2011-08-01T00:40:00.000-04:00

I was taking a moment's notice today at a particular friendship I have. She's a gal I've known for about as long as we've lived in Rolesville, and come to find out, we have quite a bit in common. Apart from how we look (She: Native American, pitch black hair, paired with beautiful blue eyes; I: quintessential Scandinavian), we've found over the years, time and time again, that we are SO alike!

For example...

Easy one first, we act a lot alike. Hope she wouldn't mind me saying this but, we both sometimes act like we're a few fries short of a happy meal! haha! We forget things, we need reminders, we have rather peculiar memorization methods, the whole shebang. Just plain foolish, I suppose...

She and I noticed about 3 years ago that we wear the same exact watch; and agree that the battery is incapable of staying charged as long as it ought to...

We both wear (of ALL the perfumes sold in department stores and discount stores in this day and age) Jessica McClintock. I know that I started wearing it around spring '95ish, and I'm pretty sure she too has been wearing it for many years...

There have to be a dozen more ways, but finally, just last week, we discovered our LOVE for an unusual menu item. By menu, I mean, a fine cuisine prepared only in home kitchens, no restaurant would dare serve this, at least I think that's the case... IRISH POTATO SANDWICHES!!!!! For those of you reading this who don't know what they are, they are simply potato slices, cut about 1/4" thick, fried in a frying pan, rested on a few layers of paper towels to absorb at least a little of that extra oil, then drenched with salt (YUMM!!!!). Finally, they're served on loaf bread with your choice of condiment. She likes it with ketchup, and I like it with mustard, but who cares!?! We agree that it was a favorite growing up, and that we should prepare it more now that we could sway another rising generation of it's fried-up-sodium-packed goodness...

I am thankful for friends... I have so many good ones who really "take care" of me...
~Friends who, at the drop of a hat, would help me or my family with *anything*...
~Friends who teach me about life, parenting, cooking, domestic goddess~ness, good health (or the lack thereof), and catching whatever curve ball life throws at you...
~Friends who I can complain to about anything, and they'll tell me they understand...
~Friends who I love to gossip with (but very, very sparingly! haha!)...
~Friends who make me laugh...
~Friends who listen to my occasional cries... (Somehow, they're very few and far between because I've grown more bratty and cynical than I'd like to admit. I should talk to one or many of these friends about how to get those cries out more often! They can feel so good!)
~Friends who make me a better me.

Thank you, friends. You're awesome. And, you know who you are. Love ya, mean it.

Episode 4 of "Lines from the Hymnal"

2011-07-12T21:47:00.000-04:00

This morning, while getting ready for the day, I had a certain primary song on my mind, "Faith." The very last line of the song is "Faith is strengthened; I feel it grow whenever I obey." It made me think of a book by Spencer W. Kimball, "Faith Precedes the Miracle."

So, it dawned on me, a certain order of things, in a "if/then" sort of way:

In other words, Obedience ---> (yields) Miracles! Awesome! I like miracles. I even LOVE miracles. Heck, I'd pay for a miracle. Miracles. Rock.

Then, after going a step or two further with my thoughts, I realized that I had put together enough supporting "evidence" for a family home evening lesson, a talk in church, or even just a testimony. Finally, and with a little more delay than I'm comfortable admitting, I thought - "This could be shared with my Young Women! YES! If only I had a lesson to teach on Obedience, wouldn't that be GREAT!?!?!"

I had no sooner thought that thought when it dawned on me that it was probably my turn to teach this coming Sunday. Looked online, found my teaching schedule. Yep, it's my turn. Lesson #25, it says. Found the online manual for my lessons. Here's the link. Young Women's Lesson Manual

That is all.

Episode 3 of "Lines from the Hymnal"

2011-06-16T11:36:00.001-04:00

Episode 1, found here.
And Eposide 2, found here.

Last night, while driving home from Young Women's, I was listening to one of my favorite cds Take Time to be Holy, which is a collection of instrumental hymns by Lyle Hadlock. I was reminded of how much love the song, "There is Sunshine in my Soul Today." Not only that, but I was also reminded of a story I heard years ago about this particular song. Now is when I copy/paste.

Hymns Facilitate the Bearing of Testimony
(Full text available by clicking here. By Merrill J. Bateman)

This story concerns a young girl, the fourth child in a family of six children. Her name is Heather. Three of the children, including Heather, suffered from a rare disease called glutaric acidemia. In each case, the onset of the disease occurred during the first year of life when an enzyme attacked the brain, causing paralysis. The disease results in acid forming in the muscles similar to that which occurs following a period of intense physical activity. The problem faced by the children was that the acid never leaves and causes great pain. Cindy, the first child with the disease, died at the age of 23. She was one of the oldest living persons known with the disease. At death she weighed about 40 pounds.

Soon after Heather’s birth, the parents realized that she would be physically handicapped and that her spirit would be housed in a body with great restrictions. As she grew, she was confined to a wheelchair, was unable to speak, and could send messages only with her eyes. A direct gaze and a smile meant yes. A blink meant no. Despite the handicaps, one could feel her vibrant spirit.

As Heather progressed, it became obvious to her parents that she was extraordinarily bright. She would play guessing games with the family using her limited means to communicate. When she was old enough, the parents enrolled Heather in a special school to see if she could learn to speak. The teacher was a gifted therapist. One morning as Heather and the teacher visited about the prior weekend, the teacher learned that Heather had attended Primary. The teacher then sang for Heather “When He Comes Again.”

The expression on Heather’s face revealed the delight within her. When the teacher asked Heather if she had a favorite song, the young girl’s wide eyes and engaging smile left little doubt. But what was the song? Through a series of questions, the teacher learned that Heather’s song was one she had heard in Primary. She wasn’t sure which songbook it was in, but it was about Jesus. The teacher sang all the songs she could think of, but to no avail. However, Heather was not about to quit; she wanted to share her favorite song. At the end of the day, the two were still searching. The teacher agreed to bring her songbooks to school the next day.

On the following morning, Heather and her teacher continued the quest. From the first hymn to the last, the little girl blinked her eyes, indicating no. They were still unsuccessful. Finally, the teacher told Heather that her mother would have to help her find the song and then they would sing it.

The next day Heather arrived with the green Church hymnal tucked in her chair, but there was no marker. So they began with the first hymn. The teacher would sing the first part of each song, and Heather would give her answer. After the first 100 hymns, there were 100 no’s. After 200 hymns there had been 200 no’s. Finally, the teacher began to sing, “There is sunshine in my soul today.” Heather’s body jumped, and a big smile crossed her face. Her eyes gazed directly into the teacher’s, indicating success after three days of searching. Both teacher and student rejoiced.

As the teacher sang the first verse and began the chorus, Heather mustered all her strength and joined in with a few sounds. After finishing the first verse and chorus, the teacher asked if she wanted to hear the rest of the verses, and Heather’s eyes opened wide with a firm yes. The teacher began to sing:

There is music in my soul today,
A carol to my King,
And Jesus listening can hear
The songs I cannot sing.

Heather’s reaction to these lines was so strong that the teacher stopped. As the reality and significance of the words pressed on the teacher’s mind, she asked: “Heather, is that what you like about the song? Is that what you want me to know? Does Jesus listen? Does He hear the songs you cannot sing?”

The direct, penetrating gaze indicated yes.

Feeling guided by the Spirit, the teacher asked, “Heather, does Jesus talk to you in your mind and in your heart?”

Again, the child’s look was penetrating.

The teacher then asked, “Heather, what does He say?”

The teacher’s heart pounded as she saw the clear look in Heather’s eyes as the little girl awaited the questions that would allow her to share her insights.

“Does Jesus say, ‘Heather, I love you’?”

Heather’s radiant eyes widened, and she smiled.

After a pause, the teacher asked next, “Does He say, ‘Heather, you’re special’?”

The answer again was yes.

Finally the teacher asked, “Does He say, ‘Heather, be patient; I have great things in store for you’?”

Heather summoned all her strength, and her head became erect and her eyes penetrated the teacher’s soul. She knew she was loved, she was special, and she needed only to be patient.

Two years later, Heather died because of the ravages of the disease. Her younger brother Mark also suffers from the disease but not to the extent of his older sisters. He can talk, although it is not easy. As the parents discussed Heather’s passing and the funeral that would take place, Mark exclaimed, “No go Heather’s funeral!” Heather was his best friend. As the parents tried to explain death to him, he would not be consoled. He was crushed and did not want to attend the service. For two days he could not be persuaded.

On the morning of the funeral, the father went to Mark’s room to get him up. As he entered the room, Mark was sitting up in bed with a big smile on his face. His first words were, “Dad, go Heather’s funeral!”

The father responded, “Mark, what has changed your mind?”

“Dad, had dream.”

“What did you dream about, Mark?”

“Dad, dreamed about Heather.”

“Mark, what was Heather doing?”

“Oh, Dad, Heather running and jumping and singing, ‘There is sunshine in my soul today.’ Dad, go Heather’s funeral.”

May we rejoice in the power of sacred hymns to lift our souls and to bear testimony. Truly “the song of the righteous is a prayer unto [God], and it shall be answered with a blessing upon [our] heads” (D&C 25:12).

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

Complete Text: "There is Sunshine in my Soul Today"

(verse 1) There is sunshine in my soul today,
     More glorious and bright
            Than glows in any earthly sky,
     For Jesus is my light.

(chorus) O there's sunshine, blessed sunshine,
    While the peaceful, happy moments roll;
           When Jesus shows His smiling face
                   There is sunshine in my soul.

(verse 2) There is music in my soul today,
   A carol to my King;
            And Jesus, listening, can hear
                   The song I cannot sing.

(verse 3) There is springtime in my soul today,
      For when the Lord is near
             The dove of peace sings in my heart,
                    The flowers of grace appear.

(verse 4) There is gladness in my soul today,
      And hope, and praise, and love,
             For blessings which He gives me now,
                    For joys laid up above.

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Here are a few links to see/hear more of this gem of a hymn.

Upbeat version from "Singles Ward" Soundtrack: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ll2JTYiPKo

Organ solo, old man hands, precious <3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8O5nTxRIUU&feature=related

General Conference (Relief Society Women's Session) 2009: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGzPiWEdbeA

Sheet music from LDS Hymnal: http://lds.org/churchmusic/detailmusicPlayer/index.html?searchlanguage=1&searchcollection=1&searchseqstart=227&searchsubseqstart=%20&searchseqend=227&searchsubseqend=ZZZ

Female solo, a capella: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umGNGxMprqs&NR=1

My favorite version of all though, is the $0.99 audio file found here... You may also want to check out track 2 - Beautiful compilation of "Come Ye Disconsolate" and "Sheep May Safely Graze" : http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/take-time-to-be-holy/id341205385

Tell it like it is, young one.

2011-06-03T10:08:00.000-04:00

I'm reminded of a few days ago when Rodney and I were expressing our dissatisfaction with one another about Jackson's recent rotten attitude with his brothers. Carter interjected, "Jackson's a TURD!"

Truer words have no almost-4-year-old ever said.

Carter is only TWO SLEEPS away from his much anticipated birthday. We have this vinyl calendar and drawing page on our kitchen wall. Only last month, we saw the number for Brady's countdown grow smaller and smaller ever day. It was such a thrill, it was no question that we should do the same thing for Carter's birthday! Here he is fixing the countdown today!

Our conversations about this these last few days have been so... so... adorable! With the thrill in his eyes of Christmas morning, he says, "Today it says THREEEEEEE, then tomorrow it's gonna say TWOOOOOOO, then after that, it's gonna say OOOONE, then after that, it's gonna say ZERO, and that's gonna be the BEST DAY EVER!!!!"

I should probably go plan something.

Pen Pals!

2011-05-17T18:24:00.000-04:00

My school aged kids have written letters to pen pals in Pellworm, Germany, thanks to my 4th grade teacher, Ms. Susanne Guthrie. She's over there right now, and has invited those she knows to send messages to her email, and she'll taking the letters to the kids at school tomorrow! How fun is that!?!

Dear Pen Pal,

My name is Jackson Steelman. I am 7 years old. I will be 8 on September 25th. I am in the second grade at Sanford Creek Elementary School in Rolesville, North Carolina, USA. I am the oldest kid in my family, and have two younger brothers, named Brady and Carter. My mom's name is Leah, and my dad's name is Rodney. Mom stays home with us during the day, and cooks and cleans. She was born and raised at Harkers Island, which is probably a lot like your hometown. My dad goes to work 5 days a week in an office where he is an analyst. I'm not really sure what that means! haha!

I have light brown hair and brown eyes. Right now, I am wearing braces on my teeth, and hope they will be removed by this summer! I like to fix my hair in a mohawk for fun. My favorite food is anything Asian, like shrimp and lo mein noodles. I like to play with legos. I love to play basketball with my dad. In our back yard, we have a trampoline, swings, and a playset in the woods. We play out there a lot, especially in the spring, summer and fall. We had a lot of snow this past winter! It has just gotten warm enough here to go to the pool. Our family will probably go this weekend!

Please tell me a little about yourself, and your hometown. Do you have a big family? Do you like any sports? Do you play legos? What is your favorite food?

Your friend,
Jackson

(I'm in the middle in the picture)

Dear Pen Pal,

My name is Brady Steelman. I am 5 years old. I will be 6 in 6 days - May 23rd. I am in Kindergarten at Sanford Creek Elementary School in Rolesville, North Carolina, USA. I am the second of three boys in my family. My older brother is named Jackson and my younger brother is named Carter. My mom's name is Leah, and my dad's name is Rodney. Mom stays home with us during the day, and cooks and cleans. She was born and raised at Harkers Island, which is probably a lot like your hometown. My dad goes to work 5 days a week in an office where he is an analyst. I'm not really sure what that means! haha!

I have brown hair and brown eyes. My favorite food is pancakes with syrup, bananas, strawberries, and whipped cream. I really like dinosaurs and all outdoor creatures, like turtles, frogs, grasshoppers and butterflies. I want to be a paleontologist when I grow up. In our back yard, we have a trampoline, swings, and a playset in the woods. We play out there a lot, especially in the spring, summer and fall. We had a lot of snow this past winter! It has just gotten warm enough here to go to the pool. Our family will probably go this weekend!

Please tell me a little about yourself, and your hometown. Do you have a big family? Do you like outdoor creatures too? What is your favorite food?

Your friend,
Brady

(I'm wearing the red and blue striped tie in the picture)

Being misunderstood

2011-05-17T18:04:00.001-04:00

April 16th is a day most central and eastern North Carolina residents won't soon forget, as it was the day a terrible tornado outbreak passed through a great portion of our state. Fortunately, our home and our family was spared, but in Wake County alone, there were thousands of homes and families affected, and several even lost their lives.

On Rolesville Road, about a mile or two from our home

Also on Rolesville Road. The size of the downed trees is amazing!

Anyone who knows anything about the Mormons knows that we are a serving people. When there is a need, especially a natural disaster, we are notorious for being early on the scene, ready to take part, and even lead, in the relief efforts. Not only that, I feel inclined to tell that it is never on the premise of it being only Mormons that we serve. Quite the contrary. Serving someone in need is serving someone in need. Period. (Read a little about it here, if you'd like.)

On Sunday, April 17th, less than 24 hours after the tornado outbreak in Wake County, the boys and men of our church, county wide, were given instruction of where to be and what to do. They would meet up at the "such-and-such" church on "such-and-such" road, immediately following church. The were to come dressed for the occasion, bringing any and all tools that would be helpful in the cleanup and disaster relief effort. My guess (totally not worth citing as fact!) is that there were easily 200 boys and men who reported then and there, that day alone; two of which were Elder Tolman and Elder Garrard, Mormon missionaries who serve in my local congregation.

Last night, these two fine fellas joined my family over dinner and the subject of that day came up. I asked them, "Tell me about the tornado relief you were able to take part it - How was it?" Much to my surprise they told me that the were turned away by the managing organization at "such and such" church. Mormons weren't allowed.

Now isn't that just something!? Samaritan's Purse, "a nondenominational evangelical Christian organization providing spiritual and physical aid to hurting people around the world" (quoted from their website which I linked to) turns away those who are willing and able to help, on the premise of religious differences.

Quoting from their description on Wikipedia, "The organization’s president is Franklin Graham, son of Christian evangelist Billy Graham. The name of the organization is based on the New Testament Parable of the Good Samaritan, in which Jesus uses a parable to teach people the Great Commandment - how to "love thy neighbor as thyself".

Isn't it ironic that in the story of the Good Samaritan, found in Luke 10:29-37, Jesus teaches about the Samaritan who was helping someone who wasn't of the same faith as he, as the wounded man was a Jew?

Curious for a reason why, the missionaries were told that they had to sign the following faith contract in order to be affiliated with their outreach. The contract is found here. In case it doesn't jump out to you like it does me, bullet point one is the offense of those who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, because we not only revere the Holy Bible to be scripture, but also the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine & Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price, all found in our scripture tote bag or quad.

Said "statement of faith" reads: We believe the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative Word of God. II Timothy 3:15-17.

So, I've been pondering on this conversation since last night, and basically am writing this down for my posterity. It never ceases to amaze me the amount of ridicule Mormons face in our day to day lives. It was so when my great-grandmother Bertha was the first one of her family to unite with the faith, with a backdrop of the Mormon church on Harkers Island being burned by angry mobs. It was so when my mother was chastised by her family choosing to marry my father, a Mormon. It was so when I was young and was misunderstood for not being able to join friends at the beach on Sunday, as we observe it as a day more for worship, and not recreation. And it is so today. It will be for a long time, for generations to come, I'm sure.

I was about to close with the sentence "Being misunderstood sucks," but I won't do that. That would be immature... And tacky. ;)

Sweet times Infinininity

2011-05-13T18:31:00.003-04:00

(That means very, very sweet)

I just wanted to record my favorite Mother's Day gift ever. Rodney really outdid himself with this little number. I am so blessed to have him for eternity. And those three little buggers ain't so bad either. ;)

First is the youtube video 1 of 2 (The first 10:00) and then below it, is video 2 of 2 (The last 4:50).

Hiding in the Book of Matthew

2011-05-13T17:14:00.001-04:00

Heaven knows I love a parable. Recently, I was glancing over Matthew, Chapter 13, wherein lies a number of them, including the wheat and the tares, the grain of mustard seed, the treasure hidden in the field, and the pearl of great price.

Read with me, the final few verses of this chapter:

53 And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed thence.

54 And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?

55 Is not this the carpenter’s son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?

56 And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?

57 And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.

58 And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

(Can you tell I wanted to bring special attention to that final verse? I was going to share my thoughts on this here, but instead, I'll let you ponder on those words, and draw your own conclusions.)

My mossy "S"

2011-05-09T23:55:00.001-04:00

Recently, I stumbled upon a craft online that I really wanted to try. Today, I did just that. Here are the step by step instructions for my mossy "S." All you will need is a piece of foam (mine was $7 at Walmart for a piece that was about 14" x 20" x 2"), real moss (Walmart, $2 per bag, and I used about a bag and a half), knife, hot glue gun & lots of glue. I went through about 12 - 15 mini glue sticks... (Each mini stick is probably the equivalent of about 1/2 of a regular glue stick, so if you have regular sticks, about 7 should be enough.)

1. Start by using a marker or pen to draw your letter or shape. Freehand works. However, if you're a perfectionist (which I am not), you may also like to use a stencil.

2. Cut. You'll want to be outside for this step, for sure. I used a kitchen knife, and just sawed at it, standing at the rail of my back porch. I'd recommend you use some sort of electic kitchen knife though, if you have it. It was tough. Took me about 20 minutes.

Oops! BUT, not to worry, if you do the same thing. Hot glue saved the day.

3. Time to apply the moss! This part was so much fun. I used hot glue, and it worked perfectly. My regret is that I didn't have some sort of "pressing" helper, though... like an old plastic credit card or something - just something that can stand between your fingers and the hot glue. I don't know - that might not be the best example of a "presser" but something kind of like that would help you not end up with burned fingertips. Also, I forgot to take a picture of the back, but there is no moss on the back side.

All done! Total project time was about 90 minutes. I'm too impatient (and excited!) to prepare a better hanging method today... Eventually, I'd very much like to hang it from ribbon. The clear plastic door hanger thingy will have to do for now. :)

Shrimp 'n Grits

2011-04-10T21:51:00.001-04:00

I wanted to try Shrimp 'n Grits tonight and really knew what I wanted it to taste like more than I wanted to go try to find a recipe. :) Welcome to "How to create a recipe to your liking - 101."

Ingredients (Feeds 5-6 adults)
apx. 30 uncooked shrimp
1 lb. neese's sausage (breakfast, ground sausage)
1 small onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/2 tsp fresh minced garlic (i used the kind already prepared in glass jar)
1/2 stick butter
2 cups milk
1 cup water
1/2 cup flour
grits, however you'd typically prepare them for your family (we use quick grits).

Here are some pictures of some of the ingredients that might not be familiar.

ez peel bag of apx. 25-30 worked perfectly

I didn't use hot, but THIS is Neese's Country Sausage

Walmart/ Great Value or Quaker... They taste the same

Found this at Target, in the fridge close to cheeses.

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

Started by adding butter to hot pan, and sauteing the onion, celery, sausage & garlic over medium heat for about 5 minutes.

Then I added the flour. Started with a little dusting, and did it a couple more times. Probably equaled about 1/2 cup. Stir it in till all the contents are coated, and there is no sign of "white" to your flour anymore, only about 1 minute.

Next, add liquid. I did 2 cups of milk, and 1 cup water. After it was brought back up to a low simmer, I added the ravioli (about 1/2 of the 20 oz bag). Also at this point, it's a good time to get your grits going. Our quick grits only take about 10 minutes on the stove top.

Since the ravioli need to be in for about 7 minutes to be fully cooked, I waited till the last second to add the peeled shrimp. Shrimp only needs to be pink to be fully cooked. Don't over-cook your shrimp, y'all.

Don't forget to salt & pepper your bowl to taste. I'll rate it a 8.5/10. Next time, these are the adjustments I'll make. #1. I'll use a full pound of sausage. This time I only used about 1/3 pound. And #2. I'll add some sort of cajun seasoning for kick... Maybe about a teaspoon or two of something like this:

Here's the finished product. The kids all enjoyed it (***Pretty much*** Brady was not a huge fan, but he's been grumpy today, so had it been another day, I think he'd have eaten it up!)

This is about the time that Carter told me "There's a party in my tummy!"

Directions with no pics:
Started by adding butter to hot pan, and sauteing the onion, celery, sausage & garlic over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Then I added the flour. Started with a little dusting, and did it a couple more times. Probably equaled about 1/2 cup. Stir it in till all the contents are coated, and there is no sign of "white" to your flour anymore, only about 1 minute. Next, add liquid. I did 2 cups of milk, and 1 cup water. After it was brought back up to a low simmer, I added the ravioli (about 1/2 of the 20 oz bag). Also at this point, it's a good time to get your grits going. Our quick grits only take about 10 minutes on the stove top. Since the ravioli need to be in for about 7 minutes to be fully cooked, I waited till the last second to add the peeled shrimp. Shrimp only needs to be pink to be fully cooked. Don't over-cook your shrimp, y'all. And finally, Don't forget to salt & pepper your bowl to taste. I'll rate it a 8.5/10. Next time, these are the adjustments I'll make. #1. I'll use a full pound of sausage. This time I only used about 1/3 pound. And #2. I'll add some sort of cajun seasoning for kick... Maybe about a teaspoon or two of something like Emeril's "Essence."

I did not know that.

2011-04-08T15:40:00.000-04:00

So. I've been on this Earth for all of 11,278 days.
I'm married to a man who has been around for 11,849 days.
I've been learning as a mom for 2,752 days (not including the approximate 250 days in utero).
My mom and dad together have seen the sun rise and fall 42,525 times.

All in all, days and days and years and years of experience give us much... but far from **ALL** the information that could contribute to a perfectly well lived, well loved life. Naturally, there are those times of learning when you say to yourself, "How did I make it this long without knowing THAT!?!?!"

Today friends, it happened. I found something that I didn't even know I had been missing. And when I googled it, amazon showed me that it comes in a 24-pack case. Oh amazon. Why must you be so... so... perfect?!

Tally your birth date (or any ol' date) here. It's fun stuff!
timeanddate.com

April 1st (Fool's Day) 2011

2011-04-01T17:55:00.001-04:00

Bless Brady's heart. I don't plan on fooling him again anytime soon...


Notice Jackson in the back seat, trying to cover his ears with a toboggan.

Who'd have thought a joke about heading to the doctor's office for flu-shots (right out of early release school) would have set him up for such a fit?! I had planned on pranking him and Jackson with that plan, and then the reveal would only be about 3 miles down the road, where we'd arrive at **CLAY FUSION** for a little pottery glazin'!


Picture from their website - clayfusion.com

The plan was to pull up (at Clay Fusion) and tell them "APRIL FOOL'S!" But, as anyone could probably guess, I couldn't let Brady continue with his fit (whose volume deserves a blog post all its own!), so I quickly appeased him with the good news, only about 1/10th mile down the road. Man, you should have seen it! EPIC!!!

We did make it there, safe and sound. Carter was spending a little while at Kaitlin & Olivia's house (Thanks again, Linz!), so it was a great little date for mommy & big boys. Jackson picked out a sports car, and Brady picked out a (*SURPRISE*) creature. :) Here are are few pictures of all the fun we had. The colors will fire much darker than they look now (the pink will end up red, etc.).We'll pick up the finished product next Friday afternoon. Can't wait to see how they turn out.

A matter of perspective

2011-03-29T15:13:00.002-04:00

Today, I took out my disposable eye contacts and put on my glasses, to give my eyes a breath of fresh air. Carter naturally wanted to try them on. It didn't take him long to look down and the floor and say, "Woah, that's far away!"

I'm coming back days later to edit.

On a grander scale, I see that this little scenario is an allegory for life. Isn't it true that the truth of what's going on around us seems skewed and off if we are not looking at it through the right lenses (or perspective)? Just the other day, I shared a link on facebook. It was to an article on Oprah's website called "How to be an Optimist." Here is is... Go take a look at it and then come back.

How to be an Optimist

I don't know if he was being sarcastic or honest, but one friend's reply to this post was, "It's easy to be an optomist when you have Oprah-money."

Now I don't need to go any further, do I?

Jackson so sad

2011-03-25T10:23:00.000-04:00

It started yesterday at 1:30 when I got a phone call from the school principal, Dr. Council. She said Jackson was in the office not feeling well. He had complained of a tummy ache, and they had taken his temperature, which was fine. I said I'd be right there.

When I got there, I frankly was not up for the struggle that is convincing Jackson to stick it out and stay for the remaining two hours of the day. So, we swiftly signed out, and headed upstairs to his classroom to gather up his things. On the way, he mentioned that he had a substitute teacher. I think I asked him, "Do you like her?" or something like that, and I ***thought*** I heard him say, "She's fine."

Then, when we got to his classroom, the rest of the class was away (maybe art or PE? I don't know...), but the substitute teacher was there. Sitting in the dark at the teacher's desk, eating her lunch. She seemed rather... not nice. I stood at the door with Carter, and waited for Jackson, as he entered the room, grabbed his things, and headed back out. I would have expected that she would have acknowledged him, possibly saying something like, "Sorry you're not feeling well. Hope you feel better soon." or even "Goodbye." Not a word. The only words spoken were by me when we got there. I think I said (with a smile! big surprise!!!), "Jackson's not feeling well, so I'm checking him out early." No reply. Maybe just a shrug.

Turns out, she's going to be subbing again today (Friday).

So, all afternoon, he put on a good front; Possibly feeling bad, but I'm actually not sure. He did go without food from breakfast all the way to supper time, when he ate a half a bowl of chicken noodle soup. He's hard to read, and can tend to be a *decent* little liar when he wants to be. At bedtime, I told him that he would be going to school tomorrow, and that I knew that a good night's sleep was just what he needed. Then he spilled it...

He said that she was mean (and that he had never said "she's fine" but rather, "she's mean"). A whole host of other words that very closely relate to "mean" were rattled off: unfriendly, awful, disagreeable, etc. I basically gave him a little talk about how "that's life" and there will be mean people you encounter from time to time. I also told him to feel sorry for her, because she's got to live with herself all day, every day! ;)

So, this morning the dilemma remained. He felt like pouting his way out of it was going to work, but unfortunately, it did not. He did try awfully hard though, making sure I knew that she was, in fact, the "MEANEST person he'd EVER EVER met." Truly it doesn't surprise me. I read her as truly "the meanest person Jackson has ever met." Totally fair. Bless his heart.

Days like today, I wish I could allow him to take the easy route, and steer clear of any confrontation or less-than-enjoyable encounters. This *is* my first born son, forever my baby, we're talking about! Hopefully, while he's at school, he'll follow what I encouraged, and kill her with kindness. (And not make her mad!)

The Sun

2011-03-24T14:36:00.000-04:00

Isn't it something how even a 3 week old yellow squash plant knows how to find the sun? It knows the source of its strength, and where it can look for nourishment and life.

I know that there's another Son; one that also gives strength, nourishment, and life. Even Everlasting Life. If you see me "bending," know I'm doing my best to bend toward Him.

Episode 2 of "Lines from the Hymnal"

2011-03-06T22:05:00.001-05:00

If you missed Episode 1, just click here.

"Oh, how praying rests the weary. Prayer will change the night to day."

OOOOOORRRRR. Prayer can make you even wearier! Oh, I kid... kind of.
I don't really know why I'm typing this out, except for recording the memory. It really wasn't so bad...

On Wednesdays, I am rather busy. "Typical" busy till 3:45, but at that point, when I pick up the boys from school, the (figurative) motor stars revving up, prepping for a race. There's:

*getting dinner going soon after walking back in the door.
*settling the drama that HAS to happen when my 3 ~~monsters~~ angels are reunited for the first time since 8:50am. the "he hit me!" "you started it!" drama. joy.
*homework. bloody homework.
*teaching 3 piano lessons from 4:30-6:00.
*eating a quick bite between 6:15 & 6:30
*heading out the door at 6:30 for my church calling as a mentor/leader for the young women at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
*getting home around 8:45-9pm.

And this past Wednesday was no exception. THAT was when I prayed. I generally pray daily - and many times. We pray over our meals, and always at bedtime, too. But on this day, I was prompted to do so, right in the middle of the day. 1:30 pm, to be exact. I just felt an urge, you could say. As I started to pray, what I experienced was a specific instruction about what to pray for. It was "for strength to get through the rest of the day." So, I did. I prayed for exactly that; "strength to get through the rest of the day."

Then, more words and promptings came into my mind. The prayer took a turn to Rodney's welfare. I prayed that he would be safe as he traveled home from work that day. For a moment after uttering that prayer (in my mind), I waited for what else I should say or do. Immediately, I had the impression that I should ask Rodney to stay at work "five minutes late." My innate reaction was to wonder, mid-prayer, if I was just imagining things. Doubt crept in for a moment, and I literally tried to talk myself out of believing that it was indeed a whispering from the still, small voice. Then, just as the still, small voice does, He assured me that I should do it. So I did. The email was sent at 1:41pm. He received it quickly, replied, and lovingly accepted the instruction I gave him to please stay five minutes late. I spent the following little while rather worried. I actually felt like crying, but tears never flowed. I felt a little bit of anxiety, but much moreso, I felt comfort and peace. I love that word.

So, this is when I'm supposed to tell of the extraordinary thing that happened on the way home; of the wreck that he passed that he SURELY would have been a part of, had I not listened and followed. But, there is no such tale to tell. I am thankful for that.

I have pondered on the happenings of Wednesday quite a bit since. This is what I've come up with. PRAYER and promptings from the Holy Ghost are like a radio signal between Heaven and Earth. If the radio (my soul, my mind, my heart, my ability to receive the radio waves) is not in tune with the message, then what good is the radio? or the signal that is trying to reach it? I believe that in the ever-present static of life, we must stop what we're doing and tune. in. our. antennas. and. listen. In this case, I know that my Heavenly Father was aware of me. Likewise, I was aware of Him. I am his daughter, He, my father. He loves me, and wants to take care of me. He prompted me this day to feel of His presence. I have proven myself - I WILL stop and tune in. If I don't, there's one person to blame for the resulting lack of inspiration and insight. Myself. And "Myself" doesn't do well with blame. She doesn't wanna touch it with a mile-long pole.

Prayer WILL change the night to day. And even give you a mighty dose of strength when needed.

For more from this gem of a hymn, visit here.

I am...

2011-02-26T23:25:00.001-05:00

I am: up too late again.
I know: more today than I did yesterday.
I have: this problem with Oreos.
I hate: close mindedness.
I miss: the island.
I feel: content.
I hear: alto.
I think: green is pretty awesome.
I smell: like yummy Herbal Essences shampoo.
I love: my family.
I try: to keep in touch.
I might: make a roast for supper tomorrow night.
I wonder: OFTEN about what kind of men my little boys will be when they grow up.
I do not: like scary movies.
I care: about what people think if me "way yonder" (hear that, Aly?) more than I ought to.
I always: try to see the good in a situation or a person.
I never: have liked olives.
I would never: bungee jump.
I listen: to the still, small voice.
I am scared: of dying young.
I need: a housecleaner lady that comes about every other day. THAT would be awesome.
I can: type really fast. And with accuracy. :)
I wish: that there was such a thing as a Hancock compound... Kinda like the Kennedy's have.
I find: 75 degree weather absolutely, positively perfect.
I forget: a lot. Makes me wanna cry when I think about it.
I treasure: family photos.
I believe: Rodney. He's just right for me like that. <3
I sing: less than I used to, but man, don't I love it.
I write: at night.
I lose: 2 more pounds, and I've reached my goal! Thank you myfitnesspal.com!
I win: at having the most lovely little family in the whole wide world.
I am happy about: just about everything. Seriously.

Love One Another

2011-02-25T16:51:00.000-05:00

"Love is the only force that can erase the differences between people." Gordon B. Hinckley

On a car ride today, the boys and I passed a school bus. Jackson, with an unusual amount of tenderness in his voice, informed us that it was a bus for special kids. Thus began our conversation.

What ensued was only about 3 more minutes of dialogue among the 4 of us, but memorable and sweet, nonetheless. I talked with the kids about special kids... And about all kids. We talked together about how God loves all His children. We talked about how no one is perfect. We talked about what makes us all different, AND wonderful, all at the same time. I love those teaching moments. I know that God impresses upon my mind and my heart the right things to say, as a mother. I feel so blessed to know that the Holy Ghost is a part of my life, and the lives of my sweet little boys.

Please take a couple minutes to watch this lovely little video titled, "Love One Another."

As I have loved you, Love one another.
This new commandment, Love one another.
By this shall men know ye are my disciples -
If ye have love, one to another.

Music to "Love One Another"

Old note uncovered

2011-02-17T22:32:00.000-05:00

I sat in the waiting room of the orthodontist's office today, while Jackson had his poor little mouth worked on. Sitting next to me on the table was a magazine I've never seen or heard of before. It's called "MORE: For Women of Style & Substance." December 2010 edition. I peeked inside, expecting to find, oh, I don't know what, but ended up thoroughly enjoying the few minutes that followed. The most memorable article inside was that of letters between two pen-pals in the 1950's. One was Julia Child, as she studied culinary arts in and around Paris, France; The other, the wife of a publisher (I think it was) in the United States, who, while helping out her husband in sending a return correspondence to Julia, struck up a friendship that ultimately lasted a lifetime! I didn't get to finish all the letters, but during the 10-15 minutes that I sat there and read, my mind kept thinking, "Oh, I love this concept! I should hunt for more noteworthy pen-pal correspondences, cause this is good stuff... Letters. Yes. That's where it's AT!"

THEN, wouldn't you know... By accident, I found this "letter" tonight... An old text document (from October '09), filing words once put to paper by my dad... and sent to Rodney... I just don't want them to be forgotten. Love you Pa. Love you Rodney. You both make my blue eyes blue. Truly.

Rodney,

Best regards to the birthday boy!

Please know how happy and glad I am that you and Leah found each other, of the boys you have given me, and of the great friend and resource you are to me. I often boast to my friends that one of the b...est things my girls have done for me is having given me 4 more sons, and none did a better job than Leah. In fact, I sometimes worry that I rely on you too much as my personal tech-resource on retainer, but it is a risk I am willing to take.

Your dad must have been a special father, since they say that sons usually imitate their own father when it becomes there turn. I don't think I have ever known a more caring and benevolent daddy than what I see in you every time I am around you.

Thanks again for all the happiness you have brought into my life, and especially for how happy you have made my daughter. As you can appreciate even more than when you first were married, her happiness remains the most important thing in my life --- no kidding!

Happy birthday, and get yourself a pepsi (or bottled water) on the way home. I'll pay for it when I see you again,

Pa


November 21, 2010 ... Ma & Pa after Stake Conference

Family Man

On the heels of a few long, yet beautiful days...

2011-02-03T22:41:00.001-05:00

So the (older) boys are tracked out of school right now. Today marks the 1/2 way point. If I seem anxious for their return (to school) in a week and a half, please forgive me. ;) Aside from normal housewife and motherly obligations, I regularly teach 18 lovely young people how to play piano, and even more, develop an appreciation for music. 18 students who I genuinely love. 18 students who require a litle (yet, a lot) of my time and energy weekly, most of which is just after Rodney walks in the door at 5:30 pm. I say this not to have a pity party, but just to document for the future me (who I hope will enjoy reading this journal way down the road) how I spend much time, in this particular season of my life. It a good thing - wonderful, even.

Tonight, I have found myself looking around old General Conference addresses on lds.org Because of my relatively new calling in the Young Women's Organization, I love to look at talks that center on topics that would uplift the girls who I now associate with regularly. No doubt, it's good for my soul, and it is my hope that some of the light and knowledge I gain by studying will rub off on them... My favorite tonight has been this one by James E. Faust. I just want to remember this little excerpt, and figured that a post here in my "journal" will be remembered well into the future.

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

There is a story of a young piano student. His mother, wishing to encourage him, bought tickets for a performance of the great Polish pianist, Perewski. The night of the concert arrived and the mother and son found their seats near the front of the concert hall. While the mother visited with friends, the boy slipped quietly away.

Suddenly, it was time for the performance to begin and a single spotlight cut through the darkness of the concert hall to illuminate the grand piano on stage. Only then did the audience notice the little boy on the bench, innocently picking out ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.'

His mother gasped, but before she could move, Paderewski appeared on stage and quickly moved to the keyboard. He whispered to the boy, ‘Don’t quit. Keep playing.’ And then, leaning over, the master reached down with his left hand and began filling in the bass part. Soon his right arm reached around the other side, encircling the child, to add a running obbligato. Together, the old master and the young novice held the crowd mesmerized.

In our lives, unpolished though we may be, it is the Master who surrounds us and whispers in our ear, time and time again, ‘Don’t quit. Keep playing.’ And as we do, He augments and supplements until a work of amazing beauty is created. He is right there with all of us, telling us over and over, ‘Keep playing.’

Lines from the Hymnal

2011-01-26T09:40:00.001-05:00

Episode 1 of "Lines from the Hymnal"

"The errand of angels is given to women."

Humbling, is it not?

For more from this gem of a hymn, visit here.

Carter Man is funny

2011-01-04T15:05:00.000-05:00

Carter, Age 3.5, December 25, 2010

So just now, Carter brought me something he assembled upstairs. It was made of plastic sliced bread, plastic sliced tomato, and plastic bologna. He said, "Mommy, I made you a swan-wish!"
Best. Mis-pronunciation. Ever.

Yesterday, he peered into the pantry, wishing for something he saw... Said to me, "Mommy, I want a strong drink!" Turns out, he was eying Rodney's "muscle milk."
Best. Almost-right. Words. Ever.

Today, I picked him up from preschool, and asked him what he learned about. His answer, "We talked about snow-mans."
Best. Insult-to-the-english-language. Ever.

That's All. :)

Thy will be done...On Earth as it is in Heaven

2010-11-29T21:55:00.000-05:00

Tonight I watched a youtube video of Andre Bocelli singing "The Lord's Prayer" with The Mormon Tabernacle Choir. You can watch it here and now, if you'd like!

I will start by saying that it wasn't until I was about 9 or 10 that I even learned the words of The Lord's Prayer, found in the New Testament (Matthew 6: 9-13). Oddly enough, my friends and I would recit it while standing in the dughout of the Harkers Island Elementary School ballfield, of all places! We'd recite it before most every game I participated in, while in my youth. I'm no expert now on all things related to this passage of scripture, I admit... But I will say - I don't think I understood, or had a respect for, most of the words then, quite like I do today.

Might I take just a moment to express my thoughts on one small part of this text, tonight. As you can probably guess by the title of this post, I have chosen the words "Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven." I am particularly moved by these words tonight, as something happened only days ago that caused me to be even prouder than before of my intimate relationship with my Heavenly Father. In short, I was judged. Judged as both a Mormon, and as a Christian. You see, I feel quite strongly that what motivates me to be the best Mormon I can be, and what motivates you to be the best Catholic or Methodist you can be is exactly the same thing - Faith. Faith that what you've chosen to believe in IS the truth. I make no apologies in admitting that I wish I could share my strong testimony and convictions with anyone with ears to hear! I wish that God would place directly in my path - SOMEONE (or even better - MANY someones!) who is ready to listen to what I have to say about God's Plan of Happiness! I feel that way because IT. IS. THE. REASON. I. AM. HAPPY! It is the reason that I delight in being a wife and mother, and why I know that everything I do here on this Earth is to PREPARE me for a great reward - Eternal Life. And by Eternal Life, I mean a lot more than just "living forever!" I mean living with God as my Father, Jesus as my elder brother and friend, and my Earthly family as my Eternal Family! Yes - that's what I mean. No apologies.

The incident was brief, and to the other person, probably fairly inconsequential. I was having a conversation with this person about our congregation (known as a "ward"), and how the ward boundaries have recently changed. This means that a map of the greater Raleigh area, which had been cut into oddly shaped pieces to define a sort of district, had lines erased and redrawn, so as to accomodate a new "ward." The reply from my friend was, "You mean they TELL you where you are to go to CHURCH!?" "Yes," I said. "I am happy to do it, too - because I know that the leaders who have made such plans have done so, BECAUSE of their duty to God, to do as He would have them do. I have FAITH in the organization that is our Church. Yes." But here's what I didn't say...

I believe - that in the year 1820, with a backdrop of great religious excitement in upstate New York, Joseph Smith prayed to know which church to join. That he was visited by God and Jesus Christ in a grove of trees and was told to join none of them...

I believe that in due time, he would restore the true church as a Prophet of God. Fast forward 80 years... I know that when the Mormon Missionaries healed my great-grandmother Bertha, it was through the power of the priesthood of God, which had been restored through Joseph Smith, and then had been passed on through other worthy men, through the laying on of hands.

I know that in last 180 years, a "Marvellous work and a wonder," as spoken by the Old Testament Prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 29:14, has come forth, and is sweeping the whole Earth... And with one solitary goal in mind - to DO on Earth - as it is DONE in Heaven. My brothers were once those missionaries knocking on doors, and I know that one day, so will be my 3 sons. No apologies.

Think of those who have died - whose bodies have expired, and whose spirits have moved on to another place. Those people are not vanished into a twilight of eternal nothingness! It is my belief that the veil between this life and the next is a great deal thinner than most of us realize!!! And those spirits are in fact STILL with us - urging us onward to always do what is right, so that we may be reunited one day.

I say all this because - when I sustain my local church leaders as men of God, I do not do so lightly. Oh, I really hate this word, just because the connotation is SO extremely offensive - but I am NOT BRAINWASHED into following people who have an ulterior motive. My Bishop, my Stake President, my Prophet - they are men of God - who serve Him - and who wish for nothing less than the salvation of souls. They do not seek for pride, riches, glory, or any other worldly fame or acknowledgment. Salvation of souls, friends.

"Thy will be done" ... In other words, "God's wishes for us"... I hope and pray that my example of a Mormon and as a Christian is forever firm and immovable, and that no one can ever say that I acted in a way that would cause my Savior any shame for my being His sister, and His servant. I wish to do God's will, and if that makes you laugh at me, then so be it. No apologies.

~ THANK (to the) FUL ~

2010-11-16T01:10:00.003-05:00

so thanksgiving is only days away. this makes me happy.

i'm up way too late - caffeine to blame, i do believe.

aaaand - i apologize to anyone who is disturbed by the all-lower-case typing that i usually do when i'm feeling lazy.

this thanksgiving will be a "first," in two ways actually; the first time i'm not at harkers island on thanksgiving day... AND the first time i'll be preparing a thanksgiving dinner as the "hostess with the mostest." that's right - ma & pa & at least a couple others (hopefully) will be coming up to rolesville on wednesday, and dine with the steelman family on thanksgiving day! i'm jealous of me right now. honestly.

so, aside from the excitement that comes along with such a not-*really*-that-big-a-deal-but-still-rather-monumentous occasion, i wanted to give a little thanks...

i'm thankful for my loving husband & my 3 absolutely-positively perfect children...

i'm thankful for my near-perfect parents, my wonderful siblings, my darling nieces, & my future-missionary nephews...

i'm thankful for my kind and loving grandparents, and the role that they played in the earlier years of my life...

i'm thankful for my siblings' dear husbands and wives...

i'm thankful for my my aunts, my uncles, & my cousins...

i'm thankful for good friends and neighbors, who treat me like family...

i'm thankful for my good health, and a body that does what i need it to do; arms that can pick up my boys to cuddle, hands that can prepare yummy dinners and apply bandages to skint up knees, eyes that can see, and more importantly- appreciate the beauties of the earth, legs that can get me where i need to be, whether it be in the other room, or on the other side of town...

i'm thankful for my imperfections, and the knowledge that we are given weaknesses, as a means for us to become humble, and rely on Jesus Christ... Ether, Chapter 12, Verse 27, From The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ

i'm thankful for my daily bread, and for having never known hunger, not even for a minute...

i'm thankful for my home, which keeps my family safe from the ills of the world...

i'm thankful for the world wide web, and i'm not even kidding...

i'm thankful for music, which excites me right down to the core in ways that i could only wish it would do for everyone on the face of the earth...

i'm thankful for God's beatiful creation - from the sweet{a}pricot tree all the way to the friendly {z}ebra, and everything in between...

i'm thankful to be born and raised a mormon, and the peace that it brings into my life, especially the knowledge that families can be together forever...

i'm thankful to be an american, and for those who, past and present, have fought for and preserved my freedom...

i'm thankful for laughter, and how my children, especially, work it out of me each and every day...

i'm thankful for for a steady income, and the blessing that is ours for rodney to have a job that he loves, and for me to have the part time work i do as a piano teacher, that i also enjoy...

i'm thankful for a heart that i can be proud of... if i ever grow cold and cynical, somebody just shoot me...

i'm thankful for the nice little getaway that rodney & i just experienced in cancun, mexico for 8 days, and how we were able to share some really special days together, especially at isla mujeres and at xcaret - memories that will last the rest of our lives...

i'm thankful for so many other blessings that are too many to add to this list...
lastly, i'm thankful for this video...

The countdown is ON!

2010-10-11T15:44:00.000-04:00

No kidding. My boys have a Christmas-like anticipation in their bones for Halloween this year! Jackson keeps asking when we are going to decorate our house scary like a few of the other neighbors. He's even made it clear that "fall" decorations are not what he's talking about. Pumpkins, even jack-o-lanters are for sissies. The scarier and creepier, the better!

So today, I decided I was up for the challenge and bought a couple of neat things at Target and Walmart. I hope they're happy when we pull back in the driveway in a few minutes, after school. Frankly there's no point in posting this, except to have the memory years down the road, of how my three boys have me wrapped around their little fingers. That's all. :)

This big blue guy is on our porch now...


...hanging on a lot of this...

...along with a couple of these littler guys...


and the two center headstones seen here...

Not quite this... But as good as it's going to get this year. ;)

Happy October, y'all!

General Conference

2010-10-03T11:50:00.000-04:00

And by General, I mean Awesome.
And by Conference, I mean even Awesomer.

Each April and October, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints from all over the world stop in our tracks for a very special weekend of uplifting messages from our church leaders. You see, we believe that the heavens are indeed open; that there is a prophet on the Earth today, just as in the days of Noah or Moses. That man today, October 3rd, 2010, is President Thomas S. Monson.

I shook his hand once, President Monson. It was a little while before he became the President of the church back in February of 2008. It was when the family took a trip out to Salt Lake City, Utah back in 1998, I believe it was. We were in the main church office building, touring around like star-struck North Carolinians, and standing at an elevator, when out he walked. At the time, he was the First Counselor in the First Presidency, and was most certainly the greatest Mormon "celebrity" that I'd ever gotten that close to. Maybe if anyone in my family digs up a picture from that day, they'll post it. Ahem, Pa. :)

So this weekend, we listen to a Prophet's voice. We sustain him as the one person on the earth who is literally the mouthpiece of God. We ponder on the things that we need to do to be a more successful family unit.

We follow his charge to be better children of God. We grow in love for our fellow man. We declare, through our works, that we believe. We sing hymns that direct our hearts to our Savior, Jesus Christ. We join with over 13 million from all over the world who also love this gospel.

I am thankful to live in a land that is free to worship how I see fit, and in a time that allows me to do so. I am thankful for the Mormon Pioneers who paved a way for me. I am thankful for my Mormon heritage; that my great-grandmother Bertha invited the missionaries into her home, where she was immediately healed of her infirmities, through faith in their priesthood. I am enormously thankful for parents who raised our family, holding tight to gospel principles, and never waivering in their willingness to serve in the Lord's kingdom upon the earth. I am thankful for temples that dot the earth, especially for one in the Raleigh area. In that temple, I married my sweetheart for all eternity. I believe with everything I am, that we are entitled to such a blessing, if we but live in a manner to be worthy of His reward - Eternal Families. I'll do my part - and I know that Heavenly Father will look out for me in all I do. I ask for His blessings to be over my family each and every day - that we will be protected from the storms of life, and that I will continue to walk faithfully in His footsteps.

Mama, Pa, Mike & Shiann @ General Conference 10/2/2010

In October, 2009, I heard a conference address that I don't think I'll ever forget. If you'd like to give it a listen, or a read, you can click here. The speaker was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Elder David A. Bednar. In this talk, "More Diligent and Concerned at Home," I felt inspired to be a better wife and mother. I still read it on occasion when I need a little more "power" on that front. Fortunately, there are another thousand and one talks that I can study to help me when the cares of life seem too heavy of a load. Today, I know that I will be edified as a daughter of God. I am so very, very thankful. You have no idea...

Just "wrong"

2010-09-15T19:59:00.007-04:00

#1. Jackson has learned a new word; a word that I suspect I learned when I was about 14! *Cannibalism* HAHA!

see 30-second clip of Johnny Depp in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory": Link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkxp-KYBEO4

#2. Brady has come home from school today with some news; news that this mama is rather ill about... He is being bullied by a classmate and his posse. There are three boys, apparently, and each of them like to call him "Ro-Baby." Also, he has some skint up knees from where the head bully pushed him down on the play ground today.

#3. If I were in the mood to enforce gospel principles, I'd make sure Brady knows that two wrongs don't make a right, and that he needs to kill the bullies with kindness. BUT, I'm not.

In my mind, I'm goin' to...

2010-09-13T18:09:00.000-04:00

East Carolina.
Football Season makes me homesick for my second home.

Old Food meets Prophetic Vision :)

2010-09-07T08:51:00.000-04:00

Last week, the impending doom of Hurricane Earl (or, not so much, thank goodness!) caused me to study out or family's 72 hour kits. I recalled that ~~about 5 years ago~~ not too long ago, ~~my mama~~ I worked tirelessly to prepare one for each member of our family. It was a well thought out, thorough, tasty supply of food and just-in-case essentials (like flashlights, tarps, washcloths, matches, hammer, a little cash). Should we find ourselves quickly escaping harms way, with no certainties of a place to stay, even a safe hotel room, it would be just what the doctor ordered. Picture Hurricane Katrina-like worst-case-scenario. A family's got needs - but most of all, food and water to throw in the back of a car in an especially urgent evacuation.

Anyway, I found our stash in the garage just where I knew it would be. I had to start by dusting off each of the 4 containers (2 are dedicated to bottled water only, while the other 2 were: "Leah & Brady's box" and "Rodney & Jackson's box). There was no Carter man at the time. That's kinda sad to think about, isn't it?! After getting the large plastic boxes clean enough to bring into the house, I did so, and began to unpack the forgotten, edible and expired treasures. Examples of tasty favorites are:

*instant oatmeal packets
*individually packaged snacks like chex mix or graham cracker stick
*even dog food (God bless Saydee Doo)
*beef jerkey
*peanut butter
*marshmallows!

So, days went by, and I naturally did nothing else with the stash except leave it right where it was initially unearthed. ~~It's actually still there. Gonna tackle that little problem sometime in the next couple of days. At least that's what I keep telling Rodney~~ From time to time, the boys have gone and glanced at the piles, and wish I would let them eat it, but time after time, I've have to remind them that unfortunately, the food had expired.

Well, in the last two days, Carter has eyed the delectible pile. He not only eyes it, but grabs what looks good to him. When he approaches me with any packet of "old" food, he asks me if he can eat it with this question, "Mom - can I eat this food, or is it inspired?"

And did you know that September is "National Preparedness Month!?" For more fabulous resources on Emergency Preparedness, look no further, I gotcha covered:

American Red Cross "Prepare Your Home and Family"

Ready.gov

72hourplan.com

ProvidentLiving.org

And a little something truly "inspired."

Yardwork in September

2010-09-05T17:02:00.000-04:00

So, I'm rather sore today. Yesterday was yard day. As in - we-haven't-lifted-a-finger-out-here-for-about-16-months-so-let's-get-it-lookin'-good -again-day. Who knew that pickin' some weeds, trimmin' a few bushes (all flowering bushes - that's September for ya), and spreading 5 cubic yards of triple-shredded hardwood much could be so taxing?! (Translation: FIVE trips to the mulch yard, FIVE times Rodney UN-loaded the mulch onto the driveway to add to growing pile, and FIVE THOUSAND (ish?!) wheelbarrows full spread ever so carefully around our front and side yards... Just sayin.')

Before and after pics are always nice, yes?

8-26-10 Mulch was practically dead. No better way to describe it.


8-26-10 Flowers in full bloom, but unfortunately on their last leg.

And the AFTER PIX! (*WHY WHY WHY did I forget to get a "During" shot? Not gonna lie - Mr. Steelman doing yardwork has always made my heart go pitter patter.)

9-4-10 New Mulch!!!


Just for reference - 5 cubic yards (in one heap) are about the size of a 2000 Toyota Tacoma. In case you were ... wondering. ;)

Poor Lantana - I bet they feel like they've been neutered.


Hard to tell from this picture, but the bush pictured here at the base of one of our crape myrtles is a loropetalum. I'm so proud that we've finally planted a few of those that lived - I've tried and tried, and finally succeeded!


Not my pic - but the variety of Lorotetalum I believe I have - It's called "Razzleberry!" How cool is that?! Makes me think of the a certain feel good song from the movie Pete's Dragon. Oh, why not? Here's the link below:

Brazzle Dazzle Day

Last pic. Thanks for stoppin' by. Come back soon. :)

In the kitchen

2010-09-01T21:26:00.000-04:00

So this week, we've tried two new recipes, and will definitely be doing both again soon! The first is has a little too much *kick* for the average child, to be honest, but Rodney & I really enjoyed it!

The first was a Mexican rice bowl, topped with black beans, and grilled chicken.

Rodney's Mexican Rice Bowl

(Makes 4-6 adult portions)

***INGREDIENTS***

~1 pouch of McCormick Grill Mates "Mojito Lime" Marinade

(It was either this flavor, or maybe the "Baja Citrus" ... Oh, gosh, now I think it could have been "Southwest." I have no idea, now.)

~water and vinegar to mix with marinade, as instructed on the pouch

~1 can Bush's Grillin' Beans - "Black Bean Fiesta" flavor. Oh, these are so good....

~2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips before marinading

~Cooked rice - enough to serve your family, prepared as usual (but not for long)

~1 Package of refrigerated "Wholly Guacamole" (that's the brand) guacamole

***INSTRUCTIONS***

1. Marinade chicken for a few hours

2. Prepare rice as you typically do, but just before serving, mix in some guacamole. For us, I started with about 1.5 cups of dry rice, 1.5 cups of water, and when it was done, added about the same amount (little over 1 cup) of guac.

3. Grill chicken strips.

4. Heat baked beans on the stovetop, or in the microwave.

5. Ready to serve - It can be served either by letting each of the three (chicken, rice, beans) stand alone on a plate, or like we did - We started with a nice helping of rice in a bowl, then topped with the black beans and chicken. :) Very, very yummy!

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

Leah's Spaghetti Bake (makes 8 adult portions)

Not my picture, but still very accurate. :)

***INGREDIENTS***

1.5 lb spaghetti

3 eggs

8 oz. cottage cheese (1 cup)

12 oz. shredded mozarella cheese (1.5 cup)

8 oz. grated parmesan cheese (1 cup)

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 10 oz. jar spaghetti sauce (reserving about 1/4 jar as a topping, before baking)

2 medium green peppers

1 large onion

5 cloves garlic

Final topping - An additional 2 cups any shredded cheese (I used mozarella)

***INSTRUCTIONS***

1. Prepare spaghetti noodles as usual.

2. In 13x9 glass dish, mix all ingredients, except for 1/4 jar of spaghetti sauce, and the final 2 cups of shredded cheese.

3. When noodles have been strained and rinsed, combine them with the mixture that is already in the baking dish. Press into pan, to prepare for final toppings.

4. Optional step: Finely chop 1 medium onion, 2 medium green peppers, and saute (along with minced garlic) in 1 TBS. vegetable oil for about 5 minutes. Spread over spaghetti mixture.

5. Spread remaining sauce over spaghetti. Cover with aluminum foil.

6. Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes. Remove from oven.

7. Top with remaining 2 cups shredded cheese, and bake an additional 10 minutes, uncovered, or until cheese is melted.

8. Let cool for about 10 minutes, and serve.

~~harkers island sunset~~

2010-08-16T22:26:00.001-04:00

Very Chocolate Cherry Optimism

2010-07-24T22:19:00.000-04:00

Sir Optimist

Before I go on with this post - let me take a second to acknowledge and thank my mom and dad for producing this lovely little girl in the blue sweater over to the left.

<------------

The reason I say this is, because of them, Rodney & I have been lucky enough to produce *this* undeniably gorgeous little mini-me. Scary, even!!! bahahah!

------------->

Yesterday, while Jackson and Brady were off increasing in knowledge in late July, (thank you year round schools!) Carter and I enjoyed a most delicious mid-morning snack - ice cream cones! If it weren't for some friends bringing this flavor to my house and leaving it, I would never have thought to try it, but I'm glad they did. My waistline now has a new nemesis; It is called Very Chocolate Cherry Overload. mmmmmm. *looky here, only if you are up for the temptation* Weird how overnight I go from not liking cherries to freely indulging in them even when I'm not hungry.

But, rather than continue a random rave review on a newly-discovered flavor of ice cream, I come to tell a tale of a little sweetums. His name is Carter "Optimist" Steelman.

Sir Optimist likes this flavor too - can't you tell by the beaming smile?! He began by sitting at his seat, holding his freshly prepared cone, waiting patiently for me to also fix one for myself (*winkage goes here*). Then when I sat down next to him with mine, Sir Optimist exclaimed joyfully, "I'm beating you, I'm beating you!" And indeed he was. I congratulated him on being such a super-duper-ice cream-eating-machine! More smiles followed. So did more licking and munching on both of our parts.

When I was nearly done with mine, only about 1 inch of cone left, (while almost all of his remained) his song's message changed, but not the excitement with which it was delivered. This time, Sir Optimist observed another truth of the matter. This time, he managed to remain the winner, even when he was clearly NOT beating me. The reasoning skills of a 16 year old girl, that child! This time, he cheered proudly, "Mine's bigger than yours!! Mine's bigger than yours!!!"

I think I'll keep him.

New pics

2010-07-06T23:25:00.000-04:00

BE

2010-06-17T14:02:00.008-04:00

President Gordon B. Hinckley's 6 Be's Talk from 2000, which I still LOVE

I do believe my recent cross country road trip deserves a post of its own. So, know that's coming next. Like next month, cause there's much to tell. I'm honest like that.

Instead, I'm here to recount an experience I had in the Atlanta airport...

The setting: Tuesday, June 15, 2010. 9:00 pm. DELAYED/CANCELED CITY! Bad weather. Anxious workers and travelers. I had actually been scheduled to leave Denver for Raleigh the day before, but that flight, too, was canceled. I'm already delayed over 3 hours, as my flight OUT of Atlanta should have left at 6:11 pm, but bad weather had kept us from landing on time, so we detoured south to Macon, where we got some fuel, and sat on a tarmac for about 2 hours.

I had a dead cell phone (DOH!), so upon arriving at my gate, my eyes were peeled for a charging station/counter. Immediate, among the chaos and clutter, one jumped out at me. All the seats at the bar built for 5 were obviously taken, but I did spot one outlet - which was on an end, and that was fine, for I could place my phone right at the end of the bar, and actually just camp out with my bags on the floor. All was well.

It didn't take much time to for a conversation to start with the gentleman at the end of that bar. He was closely studying his own phone and laptop, and I was practically sitting underneath him, so as to not take up too much space down an isle of seats. We quickly gathered from one another that we did have a final destination in common. RDU. But that's about where the "in common" ends.

I never got his name - so let's call him John. John was a 30-something year old businessman. He shared with me that his employer is a DNA testing company (Labcorp)... In fact - it is the company that has done extensive DNA testing in Eldorado, Texas at the Yearning for Zion Polygamist Compound (Need a memory jogger - Spring 2008 - Warren Jeffs - 400 kids removed from their home). Anyway - that's his business. He even tried to sell me on it very quickly in the conversation. I told him that I was one of six kids, and he quickly insinuated that I could have DNA testing done on myself and my siblings to make sure we were all "really" full siblings. HAH! Oh, he had no idea... HAH! Oh yeah, THAT'S EXACTLY how religion was brought up. I had almost forgotten! I told him that I came from a very religious family, and I didn't see it necessary to take him up on that offer. Naturally, he asked, "What religion?" and I naturally replied, "I'm a Mormon."

John immediately had a smirk look on his face. He not only wanted to laugh out loud (and did) - but additionally - he continued to make sure I knew that HE knew so much more about Mormonism than I did. Oh my.

Early on, I asked John what it was that he did know about Mormons. His first response was, "You are polygamists." Fortunately (for me, but not so much for him), I had plenty of reason and facts to share with him why he was wrong. Most importantly, that Mormons have not practiced polygamy since the late 1800's, and our religion does not allow it. If he hears of an LDS church which does practice polygamy (namely the FLDS Church - or Fundamentalist LDS, or the RLDS Church - Reorganized LDS) then that is a sect which branched off from the church in its infancy. Let me now just say that this conversation is not a "fun" one to have. I really love to talk about my church, and the "Good News" of the Gospel. BUT, when topics which can be somewhat argumentative come up, I generally just wish they would be over already. I'm happy to share what I know to be true, but when the person on the other end of the line insists they know better than I do, the anti-confrontational person that I am gets more than a little uneasy. Thankfully - the conversation that continued with John was less "confrontational" than it was "informative and friendly." But, there is no doubt in my mind - John thought Leah was one big dummy.

Jokes were John's forte. At least HE thought so. His favorites were the ol' "What did Brigham Young say about women?" and more than a few insinuations that I was brainwashed, and even "glazed over", just like the leaders of my church like.

I don't know much, but what I knew at the time that our conversation was coming to an end was, I was glad I had had this very conversation with John. I was glad that for that hour or so, I had gotten to hopefully dispel any inaccurate notions that he had regarding the religion of Mormonism, which is obviously dear to me. Just in time, we said our goodbyes, as I quickly grabbed a bite to eat before finally boarding the plane at around 11:15.

When it was time to board, sections 1-5 were called first. My section was 7. I stood in line and said a last goodbye to my new "friend," and told him to have a great time in Ireland, which he had told me he was leaving for the very next day. We compared tickets as we knew we needed to check for sections, and his was 6. Section 6 was called.

Just then, I heard someone say my name from behind. It was a familiar face. The face of a middle aged man who had been sitting just beside John all along. He knew my name, since it had briefly come up earlier, as I sometimes foolishly refer to myself in 3rd person - oh well. I turned to him, and he approached me with his arm outstretched to shake my hand. His eyes were a little apologetic, and for a split second, I thought, "What in the world is he about to reveal to me?" He spoke. "Leah. I'm a Bishop in Florida. You. Were. Brilliant." Then, he smiled from ear to ear. I nearly cried with relief, for some reason - and exclaimed a time or two, "Are you SERIOUS?!"

Now, only God knows why he never spoke up. If I had to guess, he was just being cautious. From where he sat - what if he had spoken up earlier, and "helped me out?" What if Leah then started being a lunatic, an ugly impression of what Mormonism is, and then his name/face/reputation were tarnished. I don't have any idea if that is the reason, but in general, I think that he thought it was the right thing to do. Looking back - I think that "I" think it was the right thing to do too. Don't ask me why. It's just one of those things.

I was happy. I was very tired, but happy. Happy that the "judge" in this small window of time saw me for who I really am. I gladly shared what "good news" I could with John, and to be honest, quite possibly with at least another 10 people within listening range. I come away from this reminded that we never know who is watching us. Whether we're standing for what is right, or even standing for what is not, there are eyes on us. Be it here on Earth or otherwise, someone is always watching. :) So be good. You'll be glad you did.

The car ride...

2010-05-31T22:02:00.003-04:00

There are many reasons to dread a 3 hour car ride with your kids...

But even more reasons to love it..

What they say, for instance...

1.
Leah: Guys, look out the window. Do you see how the flags are flying? What's different about them?
Jackson (Eeyore hum-drum tone of voice): They're not up hight, because somebody died.
Leah: Yes, that's right. Who died?
Carter: JESUS!

2.
The boys were watching "The Empire Strikes Back." A conversation stroke up between Rodney, Jackson & Brady about just exactly how big the Millenium Falcon is (Hans Solo's spaceship, for lack of a more Star-Wars junkie explanation).

Rodney: It's probably about as tall as our house.
Brady (excited, 'cause he had THE right answer): It's *PROBABLY* about as tall as *TWO* of our houses!
Jackson (Eeyore hum-drum tone of voice, again): Brady, that's just not reasonable.

3.
Carter's excitement over the "Fantastic 4" movie. Lots of "It's FING" and "He got 'em!"

4.
Leah: Look boys! We're driving into our neighborhood!
Jackson: Yeah, we've probably only got ONE MILE left!
Brady: No, I think we've got TWO MILES left!
Jackson: Brady! You always have to double everything! (See post #2 above)
Leah: Oh yeah, Jackson? Well, do you think Brady knows what double 25 is?
Jackson (interjecting in a know-it-all-way): Easy! That's 50.
Leah: How about double 50?
Jackson (interjecting again): ONE HUNDRED!
Rodney: Brady - Do you know what 100 plus 100 is?
Brady: Eight thousand, Eight hundred and eighty five, thousand.

An old video

2010-05-02T22:16:00.004-04:00

And by old, I mean, it is from April, 2006. :)
Jackson, Brady & Carter sure enjoyed watching it. I hope you will too...

Jackson, age 2 1/2... Brady, age 11 months

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Not quite tomorrow

2010-04-27T23:25:00.007-04:00

Tonight, Carter was my only child. He fell asleep laying next to me. His little almost-3-year-old hand gripped my neck. His larger-than-life eyelashes could have hit me on the nose. His 3T little boy body was dressed in a pair of blue Mickey Mouse jammies he got for Christmas. His golden locks smelled like Johnson's Bath Wash. He won't be able to recount this, as he was asleep, but just before I got up, I kissed him square on the lips, then the cheek that's losing more baby fat every day, and then right under his right ear. For the understatement of the year, I loved every second.

As I breathe up moments such as this, I can't help but realize that "today" is my (our) only "today." No matter how sweet "tomorrow" may reveal itself to be, it simply can not take the place of "today."

So, I decided to take a few picture of him, in all his toddler glory. Can you tell his turning three in about six weeks is turning into a hard pill to swallow?

Oh, almost forgot one of the best parts, it was on Harkers Island.

Taste the Rainbow

2010-04-07T13:51:00.002-04:00

There will SURELY come a day when my little family will not be so completely and utterly reliant on bright, colorful, plastic.

...Today is not that day.

Boo - Hoo

2010-03-24T23:08:00.011-04:00

As in "Brady Boo-Hoo."

To anyone who hasn't ever quite understood why we call him "Brady Boo-Hoo" and/or "Brady Boo," I'll tell you, it was Aunty Aly's fault. She gave him that name when he was only weeks old... Not for the "boo-hoo'ing" that he always did (which he did not - he was such a pleasant and sweet baby!), but after Cindy Loo Hoo, from "The Grinch!" Isn't it something how some nicknames just stick?! I love it, though. Brady is even known to answer to the simple "Boo!" Good times.

Brady has started doing the sweetest thing at bed time. He takes a stuffed toy to bed, be it Pablo from the Backyardigans, or a stuffed horsey. Then he, himself, becomes the caregiver extraordinaire. He explains to me how his little friend is sick, how it needs medicine and a warm blanket, and then he holds it close next to him while he drifts off to sleep. Don't quote me on this, but I have a feeling Brady is a little more "in touch" than the average almost-5-year-old boy. Speaking of birthday, I asked him today about how he'd like to celebrate his birthday; As in, what type of party he would like. The only thing I got out of him, for sure, is that he wants a Triceratops Xtractaur. He has most of them already, so only missing a few, he's in "hunter and gatherer" mode! I have a feeling the party will be at Chuck-E-Cheese, though. ;)

Brady helped me plant some seeds earlier this week. Carter and I had shopped together during the morning, and found some neat little organic pots at Lowe's. We even had a go with the Burpee Concentrated Seed Starting Mix, which I had never heard of before. It's this brick of dry soil that you place in a container, just add a gallon of water, and voila - you have yourself a nice ready-ready-to use soil, whose intended use is starting seeds. How about those veggies!?

As for what we planted - here goes ...

Watermelon, Cucumber, Zuchinni, Carrots, Basil, and Pumpkins!
*Already in the ground are Strawberries, Chives, Broccoli, Tomatoes, and one more thing that I can't think of right now! ha!

Brady was such a great helper during this "chore." He carefully placed the soil in each pot, followed by a seed, and finished it with just the right amount of soil on top. He is not afraid of getting his hands dirty. Ask the frog. And the earthworm. And the crickets that we found in the yard on Saturday! :)

Enjoying the harvesting...

"S" is for...

2010-03-19T14:47:00.011-04:00

SQUIRREL. We've been spending quite a bit more time outside lately, thanks to the much awaited return of Spring-like weather!!! Oh, how excited I am to officially welcome Spring back into our lives tomorrow, March 20, 2010, at 1:32 pm! Not only IS it Spring, but mother nature is in complete and utter agreement!!! Friday (today) - Sunny - Highs around 73! Saturday - Sunny - Highs around 78! Sunday - Partly Cloudy - Highs around 75! Can you hear that?! That's the sound of my painfully mild grin widening to a full smile! After such a LONG, COLD, NEVER-ENDING STORY of WINTER, this Spring could not get here soon enough!

Back to the squirrels. Yesterday, Carter and I were walking along a path in the park, when we noticed squirrel after squirrel along the way. I asked him what he thought the squirrels were hungry for... His answer was, "burgers... and m&m's." Today, at a different park, I just had to ask him again, to see if he'd answer it the same way... His answer, "fruit loops."

"S" is also for "sweet tooth." Ya think? I know this much, he got it honest.

Since I have a few extra minutes to journal here before heading out to carpool, I'll take this time to tell a little about the highlights of this week...

Wednesday was the first day of T-ball practice for Jackson and Brady's team. Rodney is their coach this year! In the Rolesville City league, there are 18 teams, with over 200 kids! He's the team's only coach at this point (recruiting in progress), and with 12 kids, aged 4, 5, & 6, (plus Carter) he's got his hands full! Unfortunately, I was tied up during the first practice, teaching piano at home. Fortunately, the next several practices and games are going to be on Monday and Saturday nights, when I can come and help shoulder the load of coaching, and also keep Carter happy...

Thursday, Jackson's 1st Grade class went on a field trip to Durant Nature Park in Raleigh. Brady was at preschool that morning, so Carter and I naturally tagged along. (I had also signed a waiver that I'd be willing to be a chaperone, and since it was a park, I had no hesitations about bringing Carter with me.) It was a beautiful morning, filled with a visually exciting lesson by a park "ranger" (I guess that's her title?), during which she helped the class understand some basic outdoor terms and concepts, like "habitat," "food chain" and "metamorphosis." The kids were then given little nets on sticks to use at the edge of a huge lake, where they could find all kinds of critters and grossey-thingys. Jackson caught two teeny-tiny baby crayfish. Another couple of classmates caught bullfrogs that were still metamorphing (I don't think that's the right word, but if not, it's close). I had never seen such a thing! It was big and fat, almost like a full grown frog, but still had a big ol' tadpole tail! Unbelievable! The only sour point of the morning was when Jackson's teacher apologetically informed me that the Wake County PSS's policy is that siblings are not welcome on field trips. Darn it! We left soon thereafter, me feeling like I will one day get all my ducks in a nice, straight row. Just not this day. "S" is for someday.

Friday (today) was Brady's field trip with his Preschool class from Hope Lutheran Preschool. I fondly remember Jackson taking the same trip to Kazoom two years ago, and with the same teachers, Ms. Lydia and Ms. Judie. I love how they present to their class ideas of exciting activities that I would have otherwise not considered, or even known about. :) Kazoom is a comedy club where puppets are the name of the game, for clean and timeless family entertainment. Brady sat right next to Ms. Judie, in a perfectly "criss-cross-apple-sauce" manner. I think he really likes her... And judging by the way she glanced down at him, at the first mention of dinosaurs, I believe she thinks fondly of him too. His plaid shorts and brown leather flip flops (which didn't get photographed, "s" is for SHOOT!) reminded me of his daddy. "S" is for sweet.

STAKE CONFERENCE - is this weekend. On Saturday night, I'll be going to the Stake Center on Six Forks Road to sing with the Stake Choir, which I absolutely love doing. I just said "Stake" 3 times! Now I'm feeling hungry.

SUNSHINE - where the boys and I will now go eagerly await daddy's return home from work. He just called and said he was leaving a few minutes early. Balls, bikes, and SIDEWALK CHALK ~ HELLO!

Jackson

2010-03-17T16:14:00.009-04:00

Jackson wanted me to share a masterpiece he created today! He did it first on the whiteboard at school, and came home to eagerly recreate it with a pencil and stark white piece of paper.

Let me 'splain. No, let me sum up. According to Jackson...

*pointing to the eyes - "they're different because he's like, crazy..."
*pointing to his forehead - "those are little dots where hair got cut off!"
*pointing to the ears - "the right one has a beetle coming out of it... those are ear rings... the left one has a centipede, and nails."
*pointing to his chin - "a beard."
*pointing to his nose - "it has nose hairs coming out of it."
*pointing to his mouth - "he has buck teeth, and a mole."
*pointing to his cheek - "that's a piece of fabric - to patch the hole."

WOW, right?!

Jackson... Man, he's a cool cat.

catch up time

2009-11-19T00:08:00.002-05:00

it's been far too long since i blogged last... tonight, i'm procrastinating a pretty lengthy to-do list, and thought i'd take a look at an online interview that i answered a few months ago (facebook, of course!)... so, considering it's been so long, and everyone is probably feeling painfully detached from me (ha!), i thought i'd share it here...

BOO!
who!?
What was your favorite high school subject?
art
what is the best part of high school?
musicals
Is your name Kelera?
LOL
Do you spend too much time on facebook?
uh huh.
If you had to make a movie about your life what would it be called?
"how can i keep from singing?"
if you fell off a cliff what would be you last thought?
rodney and my kids...pretty sure about that one...
Describe your evil twin.
she says what she thinks instead of holding it in.
If you could make any junk food super-nutritious, which one would you pick?
oreos
Do you like to go online everyday?
have you met me!?
What is your favorite kind of cheese?
any kind.
What do you want?
more hours in the day
where were you born?
morehead city, nc. but went home to harkers island for the next 17 years.
Last film seen
some kids' flick about a hamster (or guinnea pig?) that saves the day. carter gave me a work out that day.
What was your SAT score?
1170... i think. i'm not really the best at remembering numbers.
What is your ideal pizza?
"garbage." or "trash" like my kids call it.
Look to your left: What do you see?
my bedroom. where i should be sleeping.
Apple juice or orange juice?
oj
Have you ever been anywhere outside of U.S.?
i wish.
Ice Cream or Sherbet?
marble slab. does that answer your quesion?
Two sports I played in middle school?
softball, volleyball
Do you have a college deree? If so what?
not yet.
What musical instrument do you play?
piano, french horn
Favorite NFL team?
Pittsburgh Steelers
Family or friends?
seriously? have you met me?!
Why do you go on facebook?
because i'm an addict, that's why.
Do you drink coffee?
negative
Do you like to bake/cook?
yes
Do you believe in ghosts?
kinda
Winter or summer?
summer
Do you have any piercings/tatoos?
one piercing in each ear. boring always did work for me. :)
What kind of car do you drive?
minivan, baby.
What are your "comfy clothes"?
anything that doesn't require high heels.
if you were one of the seven dwarfs, who would you be?
happy
Do you believe in heaven and hell?
si.
Is this boring?
somewhat.
What colour are your eyes?
Colour? mkay. They're blue. :)
What sort of character would you play in a comic book (hero, humorous sidekick, villian, that abrasive newspaper guy, etc.)
The girl that falls for them all...
Coke or Pepsi?
Coke
If you were on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition; what kind of room would you ask for?
Outdoor living space. 20x20 screened in back porch with a shabby chic theme would be pretty cool. :)
If you were one word, what word would you be?
Simple.
If you could time travel, what would be your first stop?
1986. Summer night. Harkers Island. In grandma's yard. 30+ family members just hanging out .
What is your natural hair color?
dirty blonde
How many people are in your family?
5 in my house now, 8 in my house growing up
Favorite Rapper
2pac - there was this one song i loved of his in highschool... can't think of it right now, though! LOL!
Tom Cruise or Brad Pitt?
brad pitt. tom cruise is crazy
Whats the First Thing You Notice In A Boy/Girl?
well, in new friends/acquaintances - i notice their countenance and general attitude - are they friendly? rude? charming? thoughtful? lazy? obnoxious?
What language would you like to speak fluently?
italian
Desktop or Laptop?
laptop
Whats your favorite sport?
to play: volleyball ...... to watch: football
How many kids (or any at all) would you want to have?
3 is just right for us!
Chocolate or other candy?
all sweets are my friends. 'specially when paired with salty.
Sour or sweet candy?
sweet. seriously can't stand when my jaws lock from sour!
City or the suburbs?
suburbia!
Performing Arts, Fine Arts, or Sports?
multi - already told you that!
Riding horses or riding dolphins?
horses
Do you believe a good life is attainable? or is it something that is out of our control ie subject to luck etc.
attainable
What is your favorite color?
sage green
left handed or right handed?
lefty
Why are you taking this interview?
to procrastinate preparing supper
who do you count on when feeling down
rodney
do you plan in advance
usually
What attracts you most?
smile
Do you feel comfortable showing PDA in pubic?
nope
Do you say "I love you" in the relationship?
you betcha
Aliens have landed and selected you to visit their home planet. Do you go with them?
hizell to the naw. i'm a scaredy cat like that
If you could be successful at any job in the world, what would that job be?
too hard to answer - changes every day - one day it's art & design, the next day it's photography... one day it's music, the next day it's cooking... i'm multifacted
If you could be someone else for a day, who would it be?
Mack Wilberg, the conductor of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir - oh to get in his head!!!
If you have friends coming for supper what would you cook?
steaks, potatoes, greens & watermelon.
What is your favourite word?
fabulous
What makes you cry?
lots of stuff. singing the national anthem. singing "god be with you till we meet again." witnessing reunions. talent. poverty.
What makes you laugh?
not practical jokes. those make me sorry. i really prefer g-rated humor.
If you were an animal in the wild, what would you be?
not really wild like that. seriously - i can't even think of one. a lioness?
If you won the lottery, how would you spend your millions?
1st - buy beach house in carteret county... 2nd - a private jet ... the rest is all trivial
If you could travel back in time, what mistake(s) would you want to correct?
i would have deeper friendships with girlfriends, and not waste my time with boys.
Do you believe that the cup is half empty or half full?
always half full... if i ever turn into a half empty kind of person, somebody slap me!
Who was your hero as a child?
my momma
What do you do for fun?
play the piano, sing, go to the movies, create
Are you an outdoor or an indoor person
that's a hard one - i love the comforts of the indoors, but the freedom of the outdoors (especially with little ones)
If you had only six months to live, what would you do first?
see more, sing more, laugh more, travel more, dance more, hug & kiss more
Where do you see yourself in five years?
on this day (august 5th) in 5 years - how about having a summer vacation with my family - at disney!
What are you most proud of in your life?
oh, where to start!?! .... kidding! definitely my family - close and extended
Do you own any pets, and if so what do you have?
none right now
Do you have any tattoos, and if so what and where?
nope
When do you plan on getting married?
btdt. :) december 16, 2000 to be exact.
Get the number or give the number?
both - what if one of us loses it!?!
How do you feel?
inspired
What size shoes do you wear?
9.5
What size shoes do you wear?
9.5
Water or 100% Juice?
neither. crystal lite.
Would you rather be hot or cold?
hot. any day.
Would you rather lose an arm or a leg?
right arm. need that left one.
Opera, Musical, Concert, Play, Performance, or Other?
Musical
What is your favorite clothing brand?
Whatever's on the sale rack at Target
If you had to pick one car, which would it be?
Jaguar S-Type
What was your last thought?
mommy needs a nap
Juice and crackers or milk and cookies?
milk and cookies (especially oreos)
Favorite fruit?
watermelon, by a mile!
Are you a cat or a dog person?
dog
Are you a cat or a dog person?
dog
Would you rather be blind or deaf?
really hard one... probably deaf
Define yourself in 3 words...
kind, low maintenance
Do you eat cold cereal at night?
abso-freakin-lutely!
What is your favorite TV show?
so you think you can dance (but alias was, back in the day!)
Kill the spider or let it out?
another one that depends - on my mood. :) if i kill it - i absolutey tell it "sorry dude," as i do when i kill any bug.
Do you shower every single day?
i wish.
Walking past a beggar, spare change or ignore?
depends - i probably share with the beggar more times than not
Where do you want to travel next?
besides the trip coming up in sept. to SLC, maybe a cruise!
What would you do if Michael Jackson asked you out
not likely :(
What is your favorite food?
thanksgiving spread - with lots of gravy
Do you read harry potter books?
no - only vampire books
If you could have one super human power what would you choose?
time travel
Have you had a beer in the last week?
no
Vitamin Water or Gatorade?
gatorate
Flip flops or tennis shoes?
flip flops
What do you do on fridays?
nothing exceptional - just look at the clock more
What is your favorite song of all time?
"the first time ever i saw your face" sung by celine dion
Do you like bananas?
yes

Love

2009-09-10T21:12:00.004-04:00

Jackson has started telling me at bedtime, "I love you more." Oh, that's the good stuff... Just tonight, as I was exclaiming, "No WAY," he said, "If I could wrap my arms around the whole Earth, that would be how much I love you... Oh, I mean all the universes stuck together... That's how much!"

DNA

2009-08-26T20:41:00.003-04:00

I'd like to say I could do a "Wordless Wednesday," for once. BUT, there's one minor problem. I wanna talk about this picture. So that, I will.

When I was blessed with one little boy, I thought (but secretly knew otherwise) that there was no way I could love another the way I loved him, my Jackson. To say he rocked my world is the understatement of the century. For reals. He looked like me. He looked like Rodney. His hair was dark. His skin was pale, yet slightly olive. His eyes were darker than both of ours, and I couldn't help but to marvel at how our DNA combined to create the most wonderful little creature this woman could have ever imagined...

Then there were two. Brady's arrival thrilled us just as we'd been thrilled before... He was perfect, TOO! There's never been a skinnier little newborn. His gave new meaning to "chicken legs." His face was an awful lot like Jackson's, as was his coloring. His eyes were deep and dark, and oh, so almond shaped. His widow's peak and head full of black hair made me laugh. He was the perfect baby boy, sleeping many more hours than we'd been used to with our baby number 1. All was right in the world.

Then there were three. I was sure all along that it was another baby boy, long before the 20-wk ultrasound. When my doctor informed us that it was a "he" in there, Jackson excitedly shouted, "I was right!" right there in the exam room. Carter (or God, you choose) likes delivering surprises; first, he decided to meet us a few weeks early, which I am eternally grateful for. Not only that, he came with such a different little "look." Talk about Scandinavian!!!

No doubt, they have their similarities. But their differences are...so obvious. Ya think?

Just some photos and captions

2009-05-27T17:06:00.006-04:00

...that are blorthy enough for me. :)

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

Poor Carter. He looks like such an un-loved, pitiful, messy child sitting there in his Pop's old-timey rockin' chair, holding a guitar, and wearing who-knows-what! So yeah, this picture makes me laugh. And what's even better is - not only was he posed like this on this particular day, but he LOVES to grab the guitar and go sit like this almost every day... while he watches TV, of course. His favorites right now are The Backyardigans, Hi-5, and most recently, any cartoon with a superhero theme. He calls them all "Bat-Mat!"

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

What a sad world this would be (in Brady's eyes) if there were no outdoor creatures. On this particular day, about two weeks ago, he managed to catch at least one frog, at least one lizard, and who knows how many other roley-poleys, and other creepy crawly thingys. If he could, he would not only carry them in his pocket 24/7, but I also heard him tell Jackson yesterday that he had kissed a frog. Maybe he wants to marry it. When I asked him why he did such a thing, his reply was the obvious, "because I wuved it." His eyes said "duh" to me.

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

This picture tells me how Jackson is such a big boy. Doesn't he look old? Down to his picked/bitten fingernails, I know and love every inch of him in a way that only a mommy understands. We were at Rodney's annual work carnival down at the fair grounds, and had taken a quick break from all the outdoor fun to chow down on some catered fried chicken, barbecued ribs, hush puppies, slaw, and baked beans. Not to mention some of the best lemonade I've ever had! Back to Jackson - He lost his second tooth today - 5/27/09 - and get this - it was WHILE he was at school - and EVEN BETTER - it was while he was eating lunch!!! As he shared this great news with me before he even got buckled into his seat, he shared how cool it was that not only his whole class was there, but also A TON more kids. The tooth came home in a cute little tooth-shaped carrying case, and all three boys have been fighting over it non stop since we got home. Ah. Life is good.

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

On May 19th, Brady's preschool class had designated snack time to celebrating Brady's birthday (since it was coming up in a few days, and we were just one day away from being all done with preschool for the summer). I came with Carter to celebrate - we had sugar cookies, oatmeal raisin cookies, and goldfish. You can give me my pat on the back later, saith the mom who got it all at the grocery store just hours earlier. Just before the festivities began, Carter got to enjoy playtime outside with Brady's class. Look how he was obeying the rules of Brady's teacher! Later, inside, he also sat still for prayer time (over the snack food), and held his hand out just like the others when the teacher passed out squirts of hand sanitizer. SO freakin' cute!

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

Lastly, I wanna give a shout out to my good friends, Lindsay and Erin - for helping to make my birthday so special. On Friday, they came by with a plate full of my favorite sweet treat in the whole wide world (chocolate crinkle cookies) , a beautiful pair of dangley earrings, a delicious smelling candle, and a sweet card. :) Thanks so much girls! I look like ... you know ... in this picture, but I can attest that I did have a shower that morning, and was still miles away from putting my face on. That just doesn't usually happen before 6:00 pm - and only on days that we leave the house for something other than school and preschool.

The. End.
For. Now.

Brady's Birfday!

2009-05-24T07:49:00.007-04:00

Brady Boo had such a wonderful day! He began by walking out of his room, standing on the top stair, and exclaiming in the sweetest little 4-year-old voice you ever did hear, "It's my Birfday!"

Later during the morning, he periodically reminded Jackson that "you can't be mean to me, I'm the birfday boy!"

As the clock turned 9, 9:15, 9:41, 10:17, etc., he asked if it was 1:00 yet? He'd even return to the front door from time to time just to see if any "birfday friends" were here yet.

The party was all he had hoped for, as far as I could tell. His guests were Jarod R., Connor R., Owen K., Alan S., Danny S., Payson C., Riley C. and Avery C. Good burgers, pasta salad, vanilla wafers were had, and our trusty crystal lite was there to wash it down. There was trampoline jumping, airplane riding, water hose squirting, slipping and a-sliding, and bug finding and vacuuming. My little video camera ran out of battery while he opened his presents, so I didn't catch the blowing out of the candles on video, but thank goodness, Stephanie the prepared was "to the rescue" with hers. Last year, we had a little incident during Brady's birthday song, (only that Jackson blew out his candles for him - seen here), so I was really hoping that this year was without a hitch. I'm so pleased to report that it was just that.

Here are a few pictures from the sweet time that was had by all. :)

Oh Say Can You Say GOOD TV!?!?!

2009-05-17T23:19:00.007-04:00

I'm so excited about all the good (trash?!) TV I'll be wasting my time with this week!

Monday:

The Bachelorette!!!

AND Dancing With the Stars!!!

Tuesday:

More Dancing With the Stars... AND

American IDOL!!!!!!! (Totally deserves all 7 Exclamation Points!)

followed by the new Musical comedy-drama about the misfits who make up a high-school glee club and the teacher who leads them, a one-time glee-club star himself. Created by Ryan Murphy ('Nip/Tuck'). I am really excited about this premiere. :) It's called "GLEE" and it comes on right after Idol on FOX.

Wednesday, more American Idol!!!!!!!

AND THURSDAY!!!! SYTYCD!!!!!!!! oh, I love Cat Deeley!

I guess I'll just come off my high on Friday in time to enjoy a birthday weekend for Brady & me. :) Can't believe it, but it's been 4 years since he was born. And I'll be turning the big 2-9. Seems like just yesterday I was marching down the hall in a mad pout about not being able to drive (even though I was only about 12... or 10. Something like that).

Garden

2009-05-12T14:41:00.008-04:00

What an exciting weekend! Rodney & Granny Carol spent last Thursday & Friday constructing our new 8' x 10' garden while the boys and I finished up our little stay at Harkers Island. So Saturday was an awesome day to go get three truck loads of soil and a bunch of starter plants at Lowes, and look what we have here! Our plants include:

2 tomato
1 cherry tomato
1 red bell pepper
3 green bell pepper
3 banana pepper
2 cantaloupe
3 squash
3 zuchinni
1 arugula (salad green)
4 lima bean (starting with seed, so time will tell)
4 pole bean (seed again)
3 cucumber

and a nice variety of herbs:
1 rosemary
2 basil
2 cilantro
1 oregano
1 sage

I can't wait to see how this summer crop works out! You guys have no idea how excited I am to be able to share this thrill with the boys and with Rodney, and especially share some (a lot) with friends and family. :)

Here are the pictures to document the very young plants... Hopefully the "after" picture in the next few months will be a totally different garden. :) Don't forget to look for our handy little gate that lets us in and out. Precious, I tell ya. :)

Jackson loves me

2009-04-29T14:02:00.002-04:00

This past week, Jackson has developed a fondness for drawing birds. Just this morning, he drew a lovely "pair" of birds - a male and female. I complimented him on the "pretty" one, and told him that because it looked so beautiful, I could tell it was a girl (that, and she was a little bit smaller!). :) He immediately made sure I knew that the male was better looking, and helped clear up that confusion.

This afternoon, he drew a bird that had a talking bubble coming out of its beak - it said, "I *heart* U" (The heard was a drawing). Overjoyed, I thanked him for loving me, and told him how much I love him. As my dad does, I then asked him, "Do you love me a little bit or a whole lot?" He paused, and told me he'd be right back, after he wrote the answer on the piece of paper in his oh-so-big-boy code. If he came back with an "L" written by the bird, it meant he loves me a little bit. If he came back with an "H" written by the bird, it meant he loves me a whole lot. Lucky me, he came back -with an "H."

I Heart Him. With a capital H.

a little collage - my boys

2009-04-28T00:12:00.003-04:00

so i was placing an order for some customers earlier today, and found myself needing to spend a few more dollars to meet the minimum order requirements from the printing company - so i decided to make myself a little something of the boys. it is 12:13 am, so my perception of good/bad is a little off, but i think i'll keep these little stud muffins. ;)

i think it's clickable. ;)

Paleontologists

2009-04-27T10:48:00.007-04:00

This is going to be a "mini post." I think I'll start doing these more often. I have a little experience to share, and only 3 minutes to do it. :)

This morning, while reading a book with the boys called "Tyrannosaurus Rex" by Elaine Landau, Jackson informed me that he wants to be a paleontologist when he grows up! Brady has had this as his plan for a good year or so. Immediately, they both took a moment to share what "job" they'd do. Brady will be the digger, Jackson will be the one who cleans up the fossils in the lab, and mommy will be the map holder. They forgot to give Carter and daddy responsibilities. I'll have to ask them about that, and return and report. :)

Crazy Day

2009-04-15T17:37:00.004-04:00

Riddle me this -

Why has a certain mommy cleaned her bathtub with Mr. Clean and/or Clorox about 5 times in the last month - You surely don't have to think too hard to come up with the right answer. What's that - You guess it's because I am anal retentive about having a clean bathtub - OONK!!! No, No.

It would be because a certain almost-2-year-old has decided it's his favorite place to go "EWW." The "Eww" expression, of course, is what he always exclaims following his natural (or unnatural - you pick) tendancy to go poopy somewhere other than the toilet.

How about his red face from eating strawberries on Jackson's fieldtrip to Vollmer Farm earlier today. I could dedicate a whole post to the earlier half of the day, so I just might do that next time.

On that note - I have to share this forward I got from Pa. I have a feeling there will be more people out there who enjoy it just as much as I did.

Why English Teachers Die Young

Every year, English teachers from across the country can submit their collections of actual analogies and metaphors found in high school essays. These excerpts are published each year to the amusement of teachers across the country.

Here are last year's winners...

1. Her face was a perfect oval, like a circle that had its two sides gently compressed by a Thigh Master.

2. His thoughts tumbled in his head, making and breaking alliances like underpants in a dryer without Cling Free.

3. He spoke with the wisdom that can only come from experience, like a guy who went blind because he looked at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it and now goes around the country speaking at high schools about the dangers of looking at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it.

4. She grew on him like she was a colony of E. Coli and he was room-temperature Canadian beef.

5. She had a deep, throaty, genuine laugh, like that sound a dog makes just before it throws up.

6. Her vocabulary was as bad as, like, whatever.

7. He was as tall as a six-foot, three-inch tree.

8. The revelation that his marriage of 30 years had disintegrated because of his wife's infidelity came as a rude shock, like a surcharge at a formerly surcharge-free ATM machine.

9. The little boat gently drifted across the pond exactly the way a bowling ball wouldn't.

10. McBride fell 12 stories, hitting the pavement like a Hefty bag filled with vegetable soup.

11. From the attic came an unearthly howl. The whole scene had an eerie, surreal quality, like when you're on vacation in another city and Jeopardy comes on at 7:00 p.m. instead of 7:30.

12. Her hair glistened in the rain like a nose hair after a sneeze.

13. The hailstones leaped from the pavement, just like maggots when you fry them in hot grease.

14. Long separated by cruel fate, the star-crossed lovers raced across the grassy field toward each other like two freight trains, one having left Cleveland at 6:36 p.m. traveling at 55 mph, the other from Topeka at 4:19 p.m. at a speed of 35 mph.

15. They lived in a typical suburban neighborhood with picket fences that resembled Nancy Kerrigan's teeth.

16. John and Mary had never met. They were like two hummingbirds who had also never met.

17. He fell for her like his heart was a mob informant and she was the East River.

18. Even in his last years, Granddad had a mind like a steel trap, only one that had been left out so long, it had rusted shut.

19. Shots rang out, as shots are wont to do.

20. The plan was simple, like my brother-in-law Phil. But unlike Phil, this plan just might work.

21. The young fighter had a hungry look, the kind you get from not eating for a while.

22. He was as lame as a duck. Not the metaphorical lame duck, either, but a real duck that was actually lame, maybe from stepping on a land mine or something.

23. The ballerina rose gracefully en pointe and extended one slender leg behind her, like a dog at a fire hydrant.

24. It was an American tradition, like fathers chasing kids around with power tools.

25. He was deeply in love. When she spoke, he thought he heard beeps, as if she were a garbage truck backing up.

1234

2009-03-21T20:46:00.004-04:00

You guys. I am so excited to share this.
I really, really love music.

My favorite "genre," believe it or not, is the sort of Contemporary Christian sound - like - Kenneth Cope, Hilary Weeks, Julie de Azevedo, Michael McLean... (all of these are particularly LDS artist, but that's not really the point)... Could listen to it all day, every day.

After that - I love country (from Carrie Underwood to George Strait - just about any of them!) and adult easy listening (like Chicago, Celine, you get the picture). I'm sounding like such a goob, but I do not care. I am just being honest.

So many of the current hits (on the radio) are so eeh, and really lack that "it factor" that makes it appeal to me. But, every so often I'll find some newer music that will have "it."

Well, my friends - it happened yesterday - and I haven't been able to get this song out of my head! I realize that to have qualified my musical taste at the very beginning of the post as favoring Contemporary Christian music may make you hurry to get away from here - but seriously give it a chance!

Lastly - I must say that I think I have been able to somehow identify what the "it factor" of all of this is, at least in my humble opinion. I think "it" is - the quality of a song to be non-offensive to anyone. My Pa, your boss, my grand daddy, your daughter, my son - Anyone. UN-OFFENSIVE music, people. That's what I'm talking about. Not to mention the lyrics are sweet as pie.

Here. Take a listen. "1234" by Plain White T's. You can thank me later. :)

This one goes out to the 4 "easiest to love" men in my life. Rodney & The 3 Steelboys.

RM dne MOW

2009-03-12T16:50:00.002-04:00

TRANSLATION: "Ronald McDonald" does not equal "Mean Old Woman"

I learned something today. It was taught to me at McDonald's, of all places. Earlier in the day, Brady, Carter & I visited Jackson at school! We met him for lunch at 11:00 and then visited his classroom where I had the great opportunity to read to Jackson's class while Brady & Carter watched and listened too! It was really great.

I then headed back home, where I would shortly be needing to get Carter down for his nap. It was 12:00, and I knew we had a little time to waste before his normal nap time of 1:45 (That's a whole 'nother post - but I do have good reason).

Brady really wanted to do ANYTHING except go home, as he was already pretty upset that we didn't get to stay longer and enjoy the wide variety of toys (especially dinosaurs) that we had to quickly say goodbye to as we left Jackson's cool classroom. In fact, he knew just what would be the best idea of all - the McDonald's play area.

As soon as we got there, I knew the stay would not last long - 15 minutes, max. Our light jackets were just enough to keep us from seriously being knocked over by the gusty winds that swept through town earlier today. It was over 80 degrees yesterday, but that is beside the point. ;) We had already been there for about 10 minutes, and I knew it was going to end soon, thank goodness.

This is where the lesson begins.

A mother who was there with her almost-2 year old decided to help him up the stairs (that were only about 1" too high for him to hike himself) as she could tell he REALLY wanted to go up to the top. He was even already saying "weee" as he pointed to the slide, and the thrill in his eyes spoke volumes. His big brother was also there, and eagerly went up and down, and up and down, thus furthering the excitement of the little one. Only about 5 minutes had passed and her second and final trip to the top had commenced. Her little one was even more eager this time - because he KNEW now just how much fun one more trip down the slide with mommy would be.

THEN, an elderly lady worker from inside stormed outside. She wasted no time rushing to the bottom of the slide, only to shout to the top these words of warning: "Mam! You're too big to be up there!" The mom at the top was amazed! She politely said, "OK, we're leaving in two minutes. Thank you." Of course, she quickly urged her little one to hurry and get in her lap for their last trip down the slide. It was clear to her that the worker and a few of her elderly lady and gentlemen friends inside really got a kick out of what had just taken place. It was even ask if, as if they (yes I said "they," for the other couple had oddly been observing from inside the restaurant for more than the last 5 minutes) took pride in embarrassing the mother who had only ventured to the top for the sole purpose of getting the little one around and about.

The mom was on her way out (of the already opened iron gate that actually helped expedite the exit) when the worker uttered her final words of wisdom. "You don't know how many times I've wanted to to go up there too, just like you!" she said. The mom offered up her best brief explanation of why she did what she did, and said "Well, I do hope you know that I didn't go up there for the thrill." The worker quickly replied "Well - it's just not safe. Especially for him (she pointed to the toddler). If he's not big enough to do it himself, he's not big enough to be up there. We have these rules to protect them."

"Thank You. Have a nice day." were the mom's parting words. She also gave her two little boys an earful about mean old ladies as they were leaving the McDonald's parking lot. How do I know, you ask? Well, I have my reasons. ;)

Lesson learned. Do NOT do something in front of an old person that they, themselves wish they could do, but can not. They might chew your head off.

Steelman - Out.

Oh, I'm such a dork

2009-03-10T23:40:00.002-04:00

I've just spent about 15 minutes playing on this website. I think it is because I have boys. Three of them. They DO monsters, ya know?

Not only is it crazy that I'm spending this kinda time on such a website, at this time of day/night... But even crazier is the fact that I'm really entertaining the idea of buying the darn things. I've created three personalized stuffed animals... Colors, Shapes, even eyes that "fit," and of course, the initial on the tummies! At least I didn't "go there" and pretend that Rodney & I both needed one too!

How about Easter - What could the Easter bunny bring that could be better than a one-of-a-kind stuffed monster?!

I think I'll sleep on it. I'd better. And while I do, maybe I'll think of something good/entertaining/worthwhile/memorable/perfect/telling/oh-so-leah to write in my 100th entry, coming next! Oh, the pressure!

Can you say "Free?"

2009-02-27T23:55:00.003-05:00

I'm copying. No shame.

My friend Natalie posted this great idea on her blog too... And by posting precisely what I'm posting at this very minute, I'm qualifying for something FREE from her, and in return, I promise to give something free to some of my readers!!!

Here are the rules. :)

1- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2- What I create will be just for you.
3- It'll be done this year.
4- You have no clue what it's going to be. It may be a story. It may be poetry or an article on properly cleaning your face before a masque. I may sew or paint something. I may bake you something and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure!
5- I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.

So there you have it. And I say - To the first 5 people who reply here - You too will be the proud owners of something you acquired absolutely F-R-E-E from me! :)

Chop Chop!

****EDIT****
Feb 28... 9:41 am

I forgot to post the catch!!!

The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must repost this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog. Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!

Happy Feet

2009-02-23T12:04:00.004-05:00

Who has happy feet, you're probably wondering.
ME! That's who!

If you had asked me 6 minutes ago if I had found my shoes yet, sadly, the answer would have been no. But something made me pause and look under my BED as I waked in there about 5 minutes ago - and whaddayaknow!! They were there. Actually on tettering on the edge of the line between light and dark, and just SANG to me when I caught the first glimpse. Life. Is. Good.

J. P. S. and the one that got away...

2009-02-21T09:15:00.005-05:00

Let me briefly set you up.
The date was Monday, Feb. 16, 2009.
The time was 8:55 am. Just 10 minutes before getting in the car for school. (First day back from track-out, no less)
The events that had JUST transpired (about 1 minute earlier) were pretty exciting - You see, Jackson had lost his FIRST TOOTH! And this was after about 3-4 weeks of wiggling that little guy whenever the moment struck.

SO, without any further adieu, do take one minute and thirty seconds to "enjoy" our morning hooplah!

New Shoes

2009-02-15T21:04:00.003-05:00

Has anybody seen my new shoes? The super.comfy.furry-on-the-inside.moccasin ones I got at Kohl's about a month ago. Yeah, it was a month ago - cause it was during my right-after-Christmas shopping spree that I should not have been on.

I just finished a sentence with a preposition. It's all going downhill from here, I can feel it.

But yeah, the shoes were last seen about 2 weeks ago - How sad is that - only wore them every other day for a matter of weeks and they've already skedaddled? I should go check in the black hole under my bed. If I find them, you guys will be the first to know. :)

*BTW, there are at least 15 R's in the post. That's as good as the Random TBC (one post back) is going to get. I still can't get over how hard it is to start a sentence with R.

*Another BTW, I took this picture last April. It was the day after I got my new camera, and I was so stoked about the good bokeh that I was using anything and everything as target practice. The dead giveaway is obviously the painted toenails. That only happens once every 12-18 months, and I totally remember this exact color and being madly in love with it.

R is for Random

2009-02-07T08:27:00.005-05:00

My friend Wendi exclaimed "Gimme a C!" earlier this week. I'm joining in on the fun, and after being sent a letter, I now vow to dress up the letter "R" like nobody's business. Not only is the letter "R" going to dominate (I'll try) each point made below, but there will be twenty-five of them (because I'm a multitask-R like that, and I need to answer my facebook tags).

1 ~ Rodney is Running in the kRispy kReme challenge this moRning. Read moRe heRe

2 ~ Racing is soooo not a favoRite past time of mine - but i do Recon i'd Ruv to be theRe to Ritness this Race.

3 ~ R is a haRdeR letteR to staRt worRds with than i thought!

4 ~ Remember when you could sleep in till afteR seven-thiRty!? Even with carteR fast asleep down the hall, here i sit on a satuRday moRning at the computeR and i've been heRe foR a Rile.

5 ~ Rolesville to Wilson - that's the Route i followed on wednesday - to pass jackson and bRady to gRanny caRol, who would then take them with heR back to gReenville for a few days.

6 ~ Raleigh to gReenville - that the Route my maw and paw will follow lateR today to pick up the boys to bRing them down to haRkeRs island where caRteR and i have been since yesteRday at 1:00.

7 ~ Rodney is obviously still in Raleigh (in case you missed number 1).

8 ~ Really good bRats and fRies, mandaRin oRanges, pastaR salad and gRapes - that's what aly seRved us for suppeR last night in her fabuRlous new abode.

9 ~ now is a gRRRReat time to go even moRe Random

10~ because my bRain is failing me miseRably

...to be continued ...

Soapbox time.

2009-01-27T15:01:00.015-05:00

I just got'ta. (And I'm only about a week late, but I don't care. Something happened again this morning, and set me off!)

I'm from the south. And extremely proud of it. (Insert whatever redneck smiley you can think of here. I don't care.)

Since when is North Carolina SUPPPOSED to be hugely prepared for a snowy January? Since when is it CRAZY for our public school systems to call off school a whole day in advance - even when the snow has not yet fallen? Since when did people from all over the northern and particularly colder regions of this great land decide that making a mockery of the place where they choose to live is cool? Responses to the missed school days and missed time at work and even lack of milk in the grocery stores like "This is CRAZY!" or "HILARIOUS!" have me really peeved. THIS IS THE SOUTH!

All done. :)

(*Note - this is not directed at any particular individual - I've heard these comments so much in the last week that I can't even keep up with the offenders anymore.)

Oh, and now that I am done - I'll share some of my favorite pictures (Already posted on FB, but wanted to post them here, more for my posterity - who will remember in this post that sometimes, Leah didn't know how to keep her mouth shut.)

A tale in Rolesville

2009-01-20T15:10:00.002-05:00

The date is January 20, 2009. The TV is not changing from a network station airing live streaming video of the Capital City. Through tears, and a trembling voice, a mother tells her 5 year old son, "Today," she pauses, "is a really... exciting... day."

A few seconds pass, and he replies, "I know!" She momentarily thinks he's realized the weight behind her words. "Today is Tuesday, a school day, and we're home getting to play in the snow!!! I thought we already talked about this."

brrrr

2009-01-17T23:56:00.016-05:00

Brady & I had a really cool outing today with our friends from our neighborhood - the Keslers. :) Owen and Brady are two peas in a pod - 'specially on the little power wheels rig Owen got for Christmas. :)

Here are some pictures from our trip to the Ice Skating Rink in Wake Forest. A FABULOUS time was had by all. :)

~looking on the ice at the fun that would shortly commence:

~ready to get this party started!

~taking a little break after our 15 minute trip around the ice (one revolution)

~"how can i keep from smiling?!"

~whoever said you can't get a workout on ice with your 3 1/2 year old didn't know what he was talking about. ;)

~friends

"somewhere in my memory"

2009-01-16T10:50:00.003-05:00

if i let myself, i could get depressed that christmas is over.

the things i miss can be summed up like this
~the thrill of the season
~the music

the presents and decorations, and even the food are just fluff - kwim?

every morning when jackson wakes up, he turns on the living room tv, and selects something from dvr to watch for a little while while i get some more zzzz's (this morning it was 6:40)... so today, he chose "home alone" and when i did finally get up - i walked out into the living room - and "somewhere in my memory" (the theme song) was on... and i just about welled up with tears!

tell me i'm not the only one! ;)

age, ethnicity, religion, or time of day

2009-01-12T21:37:00.006-05:00

does not change the fact...
~*~*~*~boys will be boys~*~*~*~

This left hand

2009-01-08T20:47:00.004-05:00

of mine... is very, very bad.
Just today, it has been responsible for opening the refrigerator at least 12, maybe 15 times to grab a ~~mouthful~~ taste of land-o-lakes version of reddi whip. in the words of brady (who got this expression from "i do not know where"), "what tha!?!"

Maybe it can be redeemed by the fact that TODAY it has also wiped my dear 19-month-old's stinky bottom about 5 times, driven my eager 5 year old to kindergaten and back, applied shoe after shoe to foot after foot, built blocks, thrown balls with the sweetest 3 1/2 year old ever, emailed friends and family whom I would have otherwise not been in touch with, prepared a divine supper of spaghetti and garlic bread for my favorite 30 year old, and will soon flip through dvr for appx. 2 hours before it holds my head in it's favorite position as I drift into lah-lah land.

It is forgiven. After all, I can't be mad at it, when in fact, it will be the vehicle of the divine whipped goodness ~~in a few minutes~~ tomorrow when I just HAVE to have another taste. Oh, and let's forget about the 5 oreos that it placed in my mouth last night (today too) around 1:30 am when I decided I wasn't up for popcorn.

More updating

2009-01-08T01:17:00.002-05:00

Aside from my new groovy layout (which is still a work in progress, btw), I took a few minutes to update my shutterwhimsy website with some new gallery pics and such. Just sharing here 'cause I'm feeling all accomplished at 1:20 am. I promise to get the Christmas trees off the homepage by Monday. ;)

My stomach is growling. I think I'll go pop some popcorn and watch my dvr'd "The Bachelor."

Lisa Kudrow

2009-01-06T14:08:00.005-05:00

is making me laugh again.
Do check out her online comedy, "Web Therapy," at lstudio.lexus.com.

You'll find some familiar faces, "Best in Show" fans. Such as...

Bob Balaban

Tim Bagley

And the every reigning queen of the dryer side of comedy
Jane Lynch. *LOVE HER!*

You are all smart enough to NOT need me to set you up, so I won't. But I will say that in the clip above (number 7 of 13 episodes, I believe), do note the conversation that ensues at the 2:09 marker when the man asks her, the Psychologist "Where do you come from?" Reminds me of the line from one of Pa's favorite stories to tell, "Now you've stopped preachin' and started meddlin'.

Enjoy.

a resolution of sorts

2009-01-05T21:52:00.000-05:00

i'm going to own my crazy hair.
there. that's it.

today was a good day

2008-12-18T22:46:00.004-05:00

~except for one little thing. a wasted 2 hours. (*who am i kidding - i waste 2 hours in the am and the pm on most days... um. everyday, i mean*)

it started with a bright idea this morning before even getting out of bed. i was determined to make it a fun morning for the middle child and the neglected baby. jackson would be at school, and i would take brady and carter to the mall in durham - about 40 minutes away.

so - jackson was dropped off in all his kindergarten glory, and we returned home just long enough to get b & c into daytime clothes. it took a little wrestling with brady boo, as he is EXTREMELY attached to a certain new pair of jammies that is covered in bugs that he just got from granny carol. here's the best pose i got from him after he ran upstairs, picked out some clothes all by himself, and put on wardrobe change numero uno:

what you can't see is the buzz lightyear logo and neon green stripe down the other leg of the navy blue pants. ANOTHER thing you can't see is the front of the shirt hiked up a little too far up the front of his neck, as only a backwards applied shirt can do.

back to my story. i did get him to change his clothes (a dino t-shirt went well with the buzz pants - cause there was neon green in it, dontcha know?!). we packed our bags for the mall, and were on our way. i even had the forethought to go to our media rack and pull down a few dvds that we hadn't watched in a good 2 months. as much as i love the backyardigans, i can only handle so much. so i picked 2 different baby einsteins and meet the robinsons. LOVE that movie.

we got there fine. we got into the mall fine. this is where the story gets hairy. we even got to the play area ZPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP (think the sound of a record scratching, k?) or what used to be the play area. just. fine.

i wish WiSh WISH i had gotten the memo that the play area at the southpoint mall was going to be under renovations during the month of DECEMBER?!?!?!!!!!!! i did not. i would have loved to complain to someone about how horrible their timing was, but i'm naturally a pretty UN confrontational kinda gal - and who am i kidding - would ANYTHING come of it if i acted like i owned the place and my kids were let down by their untimely decision to makeover my FAVORITE play area in the whole. wide. world?! nope.

we walked around a bit. i EVEN took about 3 minutes of our precious wasted time to venture into SPENCER'S!! on purpose, y'all. no metion of the things i saw while in there that i had no intentions of seeing. that's a whole 'nother post. i had an item in mind for my kids! LOL! not kidding. before you lose your breath, i had only the most g-rated item to buy - glow in the dark stars - and let me just tell you - jackson's feelings on the matter can be summed up with these words... "mom - our house is like a museum!!!" he then went on to explain that we have 2 fish, all kinds of musical instruments and now, best of all, star stickers. a planetarium, even.

so that's the summary of the morning i didn't plan on being so wasted, which after all, was not entirely wasted, and how it actually did not ruin my day.

so without any further adieu, let me outline some of the reasons... today was a good day...

1. i showered. and it was way before we needed to be hunkering down on getting-out-the-house routine stuff.

2. carter seems to be responding to his antibiotic he's been on for 3 days for an ear infection. slept well last night - and has eaten like he ought to today.

3. brady's first outfit really did make me smile. when i asked him if i could take his picture, he said, "yes, take a picture of me sleeping." that's what i got!

4. rodney brought home a lovely gift from a coworker - salted pecans.

5. i washed my favorite white sheets (which normally are only off my bed long enough to get laundered), and have actually already gotten to bathe myself in all their cloroxed AND fabric softened glory.

6. ^that one took place from about 8:30 pm to 10:30 pm tonight. i watched oprah, the rest of my dvr'd lifetime movie about amber frye, AND the white house christmas special, recorded last night on TNT.

7. while executing number 6, i saw "straight no chaser" perform a pretty cool version of "the 12 days of christmas." (mr. linky) and best of all...

8. also on the tnt white house christmas special, casting crowns sang a beautiful arrangement of "i heard the bells on christmas day." this is one of my favorite christmas songs this year - my choir is singing it on the 28th (not this version) - and the resounding message of "peace on earth" gives me chills. here's a youtube video of the song... enjoy. :)

sorry i ended up being so long winded. i sat down with intentions to write for 5 minutes, tops. for some reason, that's increasingly hard to do.

i've almost forgotten

2008-12-11T22:04:00.002-05:00

how to log into my blogspot.

'tis the season to be busy. and sick. and busy.

i'm pleased to report that business is going well... i have had 10 photo sessions over the last 6 weeks or so, and a steady set of 4 piano students each week, whom i just adore, so i will absolutely not complain.

jackson is doing so well at school. he never complains about going (at least 98% of the time), and has a few really good friends - who also love pokemon. good times. he's currently sporting a sweet haircut from the harkers island barber extraordaire, mr. paul wade, and could not be more of a stud muffin. i think he's grown about an inch this week. i feel like he has, anyway. ;)

brady got a haircut today, from mommy. he was a little less than well behaved, and kept saying "i don't like that this is taking so long!" as i gently replied, "but if you'll sit still and stop wiggling, i'll be done in one minute..." that didn't stop the wiggling, as you can imagine. even though he didn't earn a grab from the candy bowl atop the refrigerator (as we always do after a haircut with mommy with good behavior), he's still a big bowl of sugar, himself. after the lights go out, we can generally find brady nestled up in his bed surrounded by no less than 10-15 stuffed animals. some bigger than he is. each night when i do my 11:00ish check, before hitting the pillow myself, i uncover him from the rubble, situate him back on his "real" pillow at the head of the bed, and help the other members of the slumber party find a better resting spot at the foot of the bed, where no one is threatened by loss of oxygen, or even worse, waking up with a crink in the neck!

carter just got a haircut today too. cut most of those sweet little curls right off, but i know they'll grow back. they always do. on his head, at least. have i mentioned how entertained he is by the backyardigans, as of late!? seriously - the boy would watch 15 episodes a day, if i'd let him. mingled with one or two episodes of the wiggles and sesame street (for the love of sir elmo, mind you). i declare, i'd love to be the marketing genius (or at least be in his/her mind for a few moments) who comes up with such characters. aside from his love for all things tv, he's become a big fan of dum-dums lately. i think it started on the way out of our last doctor's appointment. i guess there are worse things than rotten baby teeth! LOL!

well, cyber friends and real life friends and family - i just wanted to post a quick little update to remove the guilt that i've been burdened with for the last couple weeks. HAHA! i have a feeling i'll be back sooner than later with something else not too important to share - but hopefully still worth jotting down for posterity! that's the goal. :)

adios.

isms

2008-11-25T23:35:00.002-05:00

my favorite brady-ism from today...

we were hanging out at the computer together, watching youtube videos of dinosaurs. i clicked on one. he hesitantly spoke these words. "don't do that one. that one makes me pee."

my favorite jackson-ism from these past couple weeks that he's said repeatedly..used most often when he's lit up about wanting me to give him something, be it a new pokemon card, a cup of chocolate milk, or otherwise...

"do you think i can just get it from my head!?"

then he smiles. and hangs his jaw open like he's pleased with himself for making a funny.

it's autumn time!

2008-11-25T22:30:00.013-05:00

Not much is cooler than "AUTUMN TIME!" in my book. Yes I capitalized it on purpose. It was a friendly scream. An enthusiastic scream. An e-scream!

But, there is one thing cooler than "AUTUMN TIME!"

It's Harkers Island during "AUTUMN TIME!" Since I first went away to ECU in the fall of '98 I realized how much I miss "home" during this particular season. As luck would have it, autumn was being ushered in while Jackson had a little track out from Kindergarten. So, the three amigos and I hit the road, and headed down there a while back (I know this should have been posted closer to the end of October, but I say "better late than never" with no hesitations).

I have to share some of my favorite snapshots from the little adventure.

These first couple are of the birds. (Zoom in and look in the right half...) In Ma and Pa's backyard. We watched and watched while they chirped and sang and pecked and chirped. :)

Carter realized this past trip down that he loves bats!

And birds too!

Aly let me tag along and observe one of her little shoots! This link takes you to pics from that particular shoot, even! :) Thanks so much Aly!

Carter playing football

Just like the rest of 'dem BOYS!

Carter in his jammies. I'll go ahead and use "God bless" on him one more time tonight. Seems fitting...

Whoever said that mosquitoes don't attack at the end of October hadn't been to Harkers Island! Zoom in for closeups of the neck and forehead!

Birds of a feather...

And enjoying a feast at the Homestead. What could be better? :)

******************
Oh, and lastly, before I forget,

Just for grins and giggles - do go back up to the football pictures, and pay attention to how often Jake (Red shirt) and Zac (Red shorts) seem to go at it! LOL! They'd pass for brothers, if the tendency to tackle the snot out of the other has anything to do with it!

pictures and pictures and pictures

2008-11-25T21:48:00.008-05:00

Happy Halloween, y'all.

Oh, what's that? It's the end of November? No. It. Is. Not. You're Crazy.

Oh, what's tha? I'm crazy? Seriously? You're going to try to tell me I'm the crazy one when you're the one insisting that Thanksgiving is in two days. LOL!

*rolls eyes*

Whatever.

Here are our family's favorite Halloween pictures!

Brady with the white pumpkin he chose at the 45 second mark.

No changin' his mind. (Kinda like his mommy, ya think?!)

10 minutes later... Then there's this boy. Mr. Perfectionist *slash* "I must study out each and every one, and find the one with the best value, the fewest blemishes, and that sings to me." That's My Jackson!

The pose they gave me when I said to sit in a "catcher's squat behind the pumpkins!"

Then something got there attention... Over there...

Gangsta Brady.

Again.

Jackson is not quite as Gangsta as Brady. More Garilla.

God bless the child... that's got his own... pumpkin.

Carter fiddlin' with the gourds

Brady down with a final Gangsta flash. "L" cause Leah is muy Loco.

Daddy enjoyin' a day off with the best of the best...

The next few pictures are from Rodney's AWESOME work party on Halloween Day! They open their doors to the kiddies and their baggies to trick or treat to their hearts' content. My boys had big bags AND big hearts.

Contentment - check. (***ThAnK yOu GeNwOrTh***)

****~*~*~*~*~*~*~Yoda in the Hizzouse! ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*********

Dude. It's November 3rd!

2008-11-03T22:01:00.009-05:00

Another Rambling Post.
I have an excuse.
I should be doing something else. Important.
Like planning a Relief Society Lesson for tomorrow night's Enrichment Activity! LOL!

So we're going to have a new President in appx. 24 hours. That's cool.

So I just laid next to Rodney for a couple minutes before he drifted off, my hair still damp from the recent shower, and he says to me, "You're humid."

So I had a busy weekend. Photographed 3 families and a birthday/Halloween Par-tay! Fun times! Will hopefully have some new ones posted in my galleries in the next several days. Maybe two weeks. I'll do my best.

So the number in my Google Reader is as high as it's ever been before. This is not a good thing, to those of you not sure how to take that. My reader tells me what blogs have been updated since I last checked in. It is presently reading "53." That's a lot.

So I burned my finger today taking re-heated lima beans and corn out of the microwave for lunch. They were pretty hot, but the liquid surrounding them that I dipped my finger into was even hotter. It throbbed. I ran it under ice-cold water. Dressed it in "Neosporin with pain relief" and a couple of Lightning McQueen band-aids. Tonight it is *almost* all better. Musta been the band-aids.

So I'm stumped. I think I'll direct my last few minutes of lovely procrastination toward my three little buggers.

So Jackson's Pokemon addiction is getting pretty bad. The poor little guy carries his notebook around with him - all the time - everywhere - except the toilet. Well, I take that back. It goes with him there too. And to think it all began with a flippin Kid's Meal toy from Burger King. On another note, let me just add what a sweet/smart/precious/perfect/and still a little greedy my little Jackson has become. Course, he's always been such, but right now - I am really loving having my big 5 year old home for track-out from Kindergarten. When Brady's at preschool in the afternoons, and while Carter is napping, we have our special time, we do. Discussing Pokemon cards and their various powers and point value, of course. There's a fish in that little pink bed pan, by the way. :)

So Brady's hair growing out helps reveal his studly curls. He's going to be a heartbreaker, that Brady Boo. That is, of course, when he's not chasing butterflies. And crickets. And frogs. And praying mantises. And another 15 or so unnamed creatures. I don't mind saying no. Really I don't. But tonight - at about 8:00, when it was pitch black outside, he approaches me and asks if he can go outside and find a frog to show me. I just had to laugh. And he just had to cry. Life as a 3 1/2 year old is harder than you sometimes think, you know. (*Sorry about the curls not being so evident in this picture... But let me just tell you, right after a bath - Mercy.)

So Carter and his unwillingness to say much more than "dadda" and "dadda" is just fine. His smile makes up for it. Truly. Doesn't he just look so sweet and inquistive here? :) P.S. to the man upstairs. Just go ahead and let those teeth come in already. Please? :) (He literally has not had a single tooth break through in 8 months. And for the duration of those EIGHT months, he's been doing what? Yup. You guessed it. TEETHING!!!!)

One final picture from this evening. Me thinks me will keep 'em.

Coming up next post - a recap of our little mini vacay at Harkers Island last week and Halloween!!! Now I've said it - I will stick to it. But I can't promise there won't be procrastination involved.

Go Obama.

to my followers...

2008-10-22T22:00:00.007-04:00

You know who you are.
I give you this. it's called the "Gratitude's Glow Fall Bouquet" from ftd.com. Love you. Mean it. (Seriously, like, why does it give me the "captain of the cheerleading squad" kinda butterflies to see my followers number grow? why!?!) on to more important things... Well, not much is more important than my followers, and their recognition for being sooooo cool. Rather, I should say, on to other things...

Speaking of flowers, I pass a certain florist in my wee-little town quite often. It's on Main Street. Can't miss it. Their little billboard outside says "Can't find the words? Flowers will take care of that!" Each time I pass it, I think to myself, "Hmmm. Rodney passes this sign 2 times each and every day" - at least during the business week... And come to think of it - he passes it on Sundays too, because it's on our way to church. Where am I going with this - I don't know. But I bet Rodney could tell you because he obviously has no problem finding words. (*Just fyi, my little schmoopsie-poo. I really could care less if you got me flowers. But if you ever thought about doing it, tell me. It might make me smile!) LOL!

Speaking of "its" (which I used in the last paragraph - I just HAVE to tell you how excited I was to learn something about grammar a couple weeks ago. I pride myself in having pretty mad skills in that department (not an English major or anything like that, I just "like" it, to be quite honest), YET have somehow found it completely and utterly impossible to remember when it is ok to use the apostrophe in its. Like, when to use "it's" and when to use "its." Weh-hea-Hell. I stumbled on a website the other day that somehow finally impressed it upon my brain enough to not forget it. Wait, let me go check and make sure I've not mixed it up in my head again. (pause...) Yep, I had it mixed up again. ANYWAY, let me tell you what it said... And I quote (in case the link for "it" didn't work ...

It's is a contraction for it is or it has.
It's been good to know you. Contraction: it has
It's a bird! It's a plane! Contraction: it is

Its is a possessive pronoun meaning, more or less, of it or belonging to it.
The dodo bird is known for its inability to fly. Possessive pronoun: its inability = the dodo bird's inability

And the tests:
If you can replace it[']s in your sentence with it is or it has, then your word is it's; otherwise, your word is its.
Its is the neuter version of his and her. Try plugging her into your sentence where you think its belongs. If the sentence still works grammatically (if not logically) then your word is indeed its.

To conclude, if you ever see me use "its" and "it's" incorrectly. Just know that it would kill me to know it. So just keep "it" to yourself. Especially you followers. You know who you are.

Ok. Now. I must answer my tags. Oh me. I... Uh... Don't remember who tagged me. Oh, yes! Emily did. I'll do her's first.

#1. I'm really in an oreo phase right now. I kid you not. At least 9 out of the last 10 nights (at least!) I've had a tall glass of milk accompanied by at least 10 oreos just before bed. I'm talking 11:30 before bed. What?! And don't even try to tell me there's any other way to eat an oreo than first dunking it for 5.25 seconds, then eating the first half, then dunking again for 3 seconds and eating the second half. Just don't.

#2. Soap. Betchoo guys didn't know that Rodney & I have only ever bought one specific brand and scent of soap our entire marriage.
Yep. Irish Spring with aloe! "Why" is probably the first question that enters your mind. Well, I will be GLAD to tell you why. It started in 1999, right before we got married. I lived with Joella and James for a semester, and it was the soap they had in their apartment. I really liked it. And decided to keep buying it. I never thought I'd be posting 9 years later that still, I'm using that darn soap. But here I am. Committed. I have no reason to change. There, I said it.

#3. Did you guys know I wear my watch on my right wrist? Cause I'm left handed like that, yo.

#4. Did you know that I am not a fan of people who choose to be down-right hateful. Like the lady I met yesterday. I extended my hand to greet her (as I should - I can't tell the rest of the story, as to "why" but I absolutely needed to introduce myself) and she didn't extend hers. And spoke to me like hired help. Speaking of hired help. Nobody has any right to speak to hired help rudely. Ugh!

#5. I am not a fan of silence. MUST keep my fan on in my bathroom at night to sleep. My mom will confirm that when I'm at her house, and I can hear the clock ticking on the wall, I've been known to rip the batteries right on out. And still place the clock under a pillow in another room. Just in case.

#6. Whew. I'm getting there. My Christmas wish list at this very moment is "a new front door."

#7. My new favorite series this season is My Own Worst Enemy on NBC. Only two episodes have aired so far. I've DVR'd them both, and about to go watch #2 for the firs time. But still, it can be my favorite, can't it?! Oh, here's a little scene. MMM. Very Alias. Good Times.

I did it!!! (Oh, if I didn't answer your tag - please forgive me.
It's not you. It's me.)

Welcome to Holland

2008-10-10T22:52:00.002-04:00

I read this tonight. I had read it before, but tonight it meant more. Even though I don't have a special needs child, this little glimse into the thoughts of a parent who DOES makes me realize that we all have been on a similar plane ride...

"I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......

When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."

"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."

But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.

So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.

It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."

And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.

But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland."

p.s.
I have not forgotten about the tags. They will be my next post. Promise. :)

Announcing

2008-10-01T14:19:00.003-04:00

(edited 10.13.08 - just removing the pics with all my contact info... ya know...)

...No... I'm not pregnant. LOL!
...No... I'm not all of a sudden, a walking encyclopedia.
...No... I'm not about to venture to the beautiful coast of Italy on a 6 days/7 nights cruise - although that MAY happen Springtime, 2010 - right daddy? :)

What I am announcing is...

I'm starting my own businesses. :) Yes, there's an "es" at the end. Plural, y'all. LOL!

The first has been in the making for years. I have always wanted to teach piano lessons out of my home, and for one reason or another, have neglected the calling - and put it on a back burner. Now I've gotten the ball rolling, and have got a whopping 3 students to keep me in check. :) It's going great, and I'm really and truly thrilled that it's finally gotten started - here's my little flyer I put up to start my advertising - and it got me one of the three! :) (The other two had inquired at one time or another at church, as there is rarely a meeting during which I'm not sitting at the piano, at some point. :) I wouldn't have it any other way, though! Truly.)

(picture of music flyer was here!) :)

Then, in addition, I've decided to follow in Aly's footsteps (while wearing her out with ooh-gobs of questions) and start a photography business. I am super excited about this - as I've grown to really love being behind the camera these last 5 years, forever snapping the three beautiful children I've been so bless to call my own. :) If you have a few minutes and would like to check out my website, it can be found here: www.shutterwhimsy.com. If you're wondering why I picked the name - I'll try to explain it... I knew I wanted to have a name that was a little... different. You can't be that surprised. LOL! So - along the way, as I've looked at many other photography websites, I came across one cool business name. Then, I knew I wanted to hopefully evoke a certain something in the name of my business similar to hers. So yeah, she was my inspiration. Rodney & I sat together one night at the computer typing out names in a photoshop creation, and he thought of "shutter" - and I thought of "whimsy" - at almost the same exact moment. And my most recent baby was born. I'll call it a "she." :)

So - as with the School of Music, I decided to print a little flyer to hang at Brady's preschool - just to get the word out. I am happy to report that quite a few pull tabs were torn off (that's a good thing!), and I have two sessions booked for late October and early November. You have no idea how exciting this is - not to mention very, very helpful to our less than overflowing bank account.

(picture of shutter whimsy flyer was here) :)

Also, my business card that should be delivered tomorrow. :)

(picture of shutter whimsy business card was here) :)

Thanks for looking - and do spread the words with your Triangle area friends, if applicable. :) Off to fold clothes. They've been a little neglected lately! LOL!

You have no idea what you are missing...

2008-09-25T20:00:00.011-04:00

Five years today since Jackson rocked my world.
Here's the short and sweet of today...

Jackson woke up sad. Said he didn't like his present. What tha?! Didn't get pictures of that - had too much consoling to do to take pictures. Granny Carol is in town to be the dreamy extra set of hands and extra big heart to take care of little people and big people alike. The boys are really enjoying her chasing them around, and distributing a million tickles and kisses a day. :) Here's little man being a silly monkey this morning before school - notice the new fall shirt (Rock and Roll!) and cute jeans from Granny Carol!

And pointing to his favorite decorated letter on his birthday sign, courtesy of the mama and the daddy. :)

So, after school was let out early today (12:30), we waited for Rodney to get home (2:30), and off we went to return the terrible present and redeem a new one. See the newly acquired Jedi suit at the end of the post... It suits him well, you think? :) (*And how about Brady, the zoomin Bumblebee?! God bless his sweet heart.) Another sweet find at Target this evening was the FIRST pair of roller skates owned by a little Steelboy. I had been thinking (*strongly*) over the past few days how much I would love Jackson to have some, as I clearly remember being about his age, and spending hours each day on mine. Well, as luck would have it, Pa called this afternoon to say he was putting a little check in the mail to grant Jackson any birthday thing he would like, and Jackson agreed tonight that he just HAD to have a pair of skates. I can't wait to see these bad boys in action, accessorized with the best knee pads and elbow pads Target had to offer. Oh, did I mention there was only one pair in the entire store - and yes, they were his size! SCORE!

So we shopped at Target for a bit - And then were off for the dream birthday dinner of nearly every 5 year old in America - CHUCK-E-CHEESE BABY!!! We actually had the most decently behaved children possible. They were so entertained by the show of larger than life animal dudes on the stage, and the blaring tv with bright colors and songs that they hardly knew it took 10-15 minutes for our pizza to arrive after being seated. We chowed down, thoroughly enjoyed the food, then were bound for the promised land o' arcade games! Does it get any better?! As if the push pops weren't enough of a sugar treat in the car, on the way home, we decided to swing thru the trusty McDonald's drivethru a mile from home to get everyone caramel or hot fudge sundaes. I picked the hot fudge. With chopped peanuts. Jackson said to daddy in the back seat, as he was choosing the caramel flavor, "She has no idea what she is missing, does she?"

In case you guys don't get to spend much time with the eldest of my three cuties - I have one thing to say. You have no idea what you are missing. :)

Happy Birthday, my sweetie! Mommy loves you more than breath.

Brady transformed into the vehicle form of Bumblebee: For some reason, I can NOT get this picture to show up with the correct rotation. Dude!

And Carter just looking Cute!

And you wonder why I'm always smiling?!
G'night y'all!

72/100

2008-09-19T21:28:00.002-04:00

Sorry about all the new posts tonight.
At least they're short and sweet. Or Tall, Dark and Handsome. Whatever.

I'm 72/100ths of my way to my 100th post now. Dude. I thought I was so much closer. Again. Whatever.

While I'm rambling - How ABOUT this WEATHER!?!?!?
Tomorrow = Yard Day = Happy Mommy = Happy Family!!!
Who knew?!

Notice Anything Different

2008-09-19T21:07:00.005-04:00

First. My apologies to my better half who just so happens to be playing Dr. Mario in the living room at the moment. He doesn't know I'm up to something. LOL!

Second. I can not tell you how proud I am of him for making the changes he has lately to drop a WHOPPING 35 lbs! In only 4 months, I believe. Of course, he's always been a stud to me, but seriously. The before and after is quite something, is it not?! :)

Third. Way to go, hun. I knew you could do it. If you could only be a good daddy. Kidding. You're the best, I say! The best!

BEFORE:

AND AFTER:

(***note - yes he does play and interact with the other too steelboys. just not in photos. LOL!)

I yearbooked myself, Y'all should too!

2008-09-19T20:25:00.000-04:00

kkkkkkkk PSHHHHH

2008-09-19T20:22:00.004-04:00

kkkkkkkkkk PSHHHHHHH - That's Darth Vader's breathing, of course!

So this old video of Jackson as a 2 year old had Rodney and me just about rolling last night. What's especially funny is not only his 2 year old voice and language - but his body language - Notice how he's totally into the the little magazine with Halloween costumes... THEN... The thought hits him!

"Watch - Dar Ader - Watch - on TV - DAR Ader- Watch - on - Dar Ader!"

One of the clearest memories in my mind of life directly following Brady's birth is how attached Jackson was to his blanket and his "bean bag chair," as mommy's lap was now taken up with a little nursling... So even though you guys can't see the chair - it's there. :)

Enjoy. :)

"the chair"

wistful me

2008-09-08T22:12:00.024-04:00

So.
I don't know where in the world it came from...
But today it hit me...in a split second
I became more apprehensive than ever about...
My three little boys growing up.

Jackson is in kindergarten now. What a big boy. Trading Pokemon cards. The whole she-bang. Each day when he hops in the back seat of the van, I ask him, "How was your day?" And just as a big boy like he is supposed to do, he replies, "I don't know." He will, however, answer when I fish for who he's played with that day. "Connor and Drew." Every day. Tomorrow I go to volunteer for the first time. I can't wait to meet those two little boys. After all, they spend more time on school days with my Jackson than I do!

Brady is back in preschool. 3 afternoons a week. He's not sure yet if he likes it - but I know he has a great time - There's play doh there, isn't there? Today he got on his hands and knees in my bedroom floor. Started doing pushups (as he has seen his daddy do), and asked me if I'd do it too. Bless his heart. He has recently noticed that I love to start sentences with "When I was your age..." and "When you grow up, you'll..." So he spoke those same sentiments to me the other day with these words, "Mommy, when you growed down, did you _________?" I laughed at first. Then I thought - "Don't forget to blog this!"

Carter is not only walking and babbling and smiling more thoughtful smiles these days, but he's losing that baby look - skinnier face by the day - and is always ready and willing to partake of all things outside of our little "box", even where mommy is not. Adventure seeker, he is! He's a handful at church, I declare! Sacrament meeting - pure terror. Afterwards in the hall - just as bad! I better not blink, though. He'll be married next week as fast as he's growing!

I guess I just need to do a little walk down memory lane...

September '03

September '03

October '03

December '03

August '04

April '05

May '05

July '05

July '05

October '05

December '05

May '06

May '06

October '06

December '06

February '07

May '07

June '07

June '07

August '07

September '07

And back to today. One whole year since ^ then. Unbelievable.
I actually welled up in tears, I did.
Brady looked at my kinda puzzled. But never asked why. I'm glad he didn't.
I don't really know how to put into words to a 3 year old how mommy thinks I may have wished away the good ol' days.
I may not remember (as much as I wish I could) a good 95% of the day to day happenings of my little family... Not that I'm THAT senile yet, but just that our ability to remember all the little details that make up each and every day is far from perfect. I'd even venture to say I remember less than 1%. That's worth crying about in and of itself, I declare!

Can I declare just one more thing?
I'm a lucky girl.
That, I am.

"9-1-1 What is your emergency?"

2008-08-28T21:26:00.004-04:00

Tonight, we rode out as a family to check an errand off our list. My phone has died (well, actually the charger, which costs $35 to replace died - when Rodney dropped it in my big cup of Crystal Lite in the van. Because I had no more "juice" in my phone, I guess the statement I made earlier is, in fact, true).

Luckily, there is a SPRINT store in Rolesville, North Carolina. It's right "up the road," in fact. On the main drag through town, even. Well, Rodney knew what phone I wanted to get, so he went inside to do the business, and I sat in the van with the boysies. We (or THEY, while I listened) watched the Backyardigans.

Well, we had been sitting there for only a few minutes when an Ambulance sped by on the highway. Followed closely by a Firetruck. So, I did what any ~~scaredy-cat~~ mother with good forethought would do. I had that little talk with the kids about what to do in case of an emergency when Mommy couldn't get to the phone to call 9-1-1.

I explained that the first thing to do is to press the talk button. We're 20th century like that, with only cordless phones. I say we need one that is NOT cordless, just for emergency preparedness, but I am now digressing. Which I am very good at. Back to 9-1-1. So, Jackson knows he is to pick up the phone, press the talk button and call 9-1-1. I told him the lady on the other end of the line would say something like "9-1-1 What is your emergency?" and then gave examples of scenarios where mommy was "out of commission" and how he was to explain it to the nice lady at the hospital. SO. All was well. (*I'm so sorry this story is taking so long. I just can't skip these details. I just can't!!!!)

Some of the examples of a mommy in distress were "Suppose mommy fell down the stairs and I bonked my head so bad that I fell to sleep and couldn't wake up," and "Suppose mommy got burned on the frying pan, and fell to the floor crying because it hurt so bad!" LOL!

Ok. THEN. Then, I realized another good piece of information to guard them in this sort of dilemma is to go quickly to our neighbor, Ms. Gillian's house to let her know what is wrong. I explained that he is to QUICKLY go to her house, ring the doorbell, and explain "Mommy is hurt! Come quick!" Well, as a followup, I decided to role-play that exact scenario. It went a little something like this.

*Mommy, pretending to be Ms. Gillian: "Hi Jackson, how are you?"

*Jackson, knowing he is supposed to be role playing with a specific reply to say: "Good."

*Mommy, not pretending to be Ms. Gillian anymore: "Jackson! You are supposed to say, 'MOMMY IS HURT! COME QUICK!' Let's try this again."

*Mommy, pretending to be Ms. Gillian: "Hi Jackson, how are you?"

*Jackson: "NOT TOO GOOD. Mommy is hurt! Come quick!"

I'm so glad I've taken the whole night to type out an incident that took all of 4 and a half minutes. If you got here (the end of the post) and the punchline was funny to you - thank you. You are a true friend. If you got here by skimming along, and the punchline doesn't make any sense. I don't care. Go on with your bad self. ;)

22/18

2008-08-26T21:14:00.004-04:00

Dinner - 22 votes (55%)

Supper - 18 votes (45%)

Votes so far: 40

So the majority of you call the 3rd/final meal "Dinner." Huh?!

I kid. I realize that most people do. I guess what I did find out besides having my speculations confirmed is that about 18 people from Carteret County visit my blog. HAHA! :) Love you all the mostest. Those dinner-answerers do NOT know what they're talking about. I'm glad I said it.

BTW. You're probably a little perplexed by why GWB is the picture I chose for this post. It started with a search for the word "huh" on Google images... And then it ended with me laughing quite hysterically at the appropriateness of his expression (as in - it looks just like me right now)... :)