Life in the Woods

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T16:14:00.000-06:00

Somebody was very pleased with his Christmas presents today! Our house turned into a race track this morning and our big boy on his big boy bike zoomed around in circles before he had to be dragged away from his new toys to go have Christmas brunch at Nana's and Poppy's house. There was new toys there, too, so it was all right. Christmas mornings get more and more exciting every year! Three-year-olds are so much fun, even if they do close their eyes in Christmas morning pictures. :)

You Know Your Daddy Loves You When...

2010-12-23T14:56:00.000-06:00

He will ride the flying elephants around in dizzying circles in below freezing temperatures!

We had a few Silver Dollar City season passes to use at the Olde Time Christmas celebration in Branson, Mo, and we kept waiting and waiting for there to be a warm weekend, so we could go. There wasn't! Two days before our passes expired we decided to tough it out and go anyway even though the temperatures were only in the thirties. We bundled up as best as we could and stayed mostly warm, but some of the rides were pretty chilly. We had to duck into stores and watch a few shows to thaw out ever so often. The funny thing was, while we were freezing despite our coats, hats, and mittens, we kept seeing crazy people in shorts! They must have been tougher than us or from Alaska. Even though we were a bit cold, we had a lot of fun. Colter loved the rides, all the Christmas lights, and watching the Christmas parade. Fun memories!

Christmas Card Photos

2010-12-20T16:00:00.000-06:00

It's hard to take pictures for a Christmas card when one's subject is a nut! At least these pictures capture a lot of personality. ;)

All Played Out

2010-12-14T14:50:00.000-06:00

My Boy Makes Me Smile When...

2010-11-20T14:31:00.003-06:00

I ask him what he wants for breakfast and he responds, "I want waffles, toast, and cheerios on a big, silver platter."

He plays with his "maggots" (a.k.a. magnets) on the refrigerator.

He makes astute observations like, "God gave me a neck, so I can turn it."

He brings acorns home from a walk to plant "acorn trees."

He refers to screwdrivers as Turner and Felipe (Handy Manny fan).

He asks questions that I really don't know the answer to like, "How do bugs walk on the ceiling?"

He asks for marshmallows and when told he could have some after supper, he then says, "Then I'd like marshmallows for supper and then some more marshmallows."

He comes into our room in the middle of the night and stands there silently staring at me until I open my eyes and invite him to climb in bed with us.

I see him, hear him, hold him, think of him, etc. The boy pretty much always makes me smile!

Greenbean Campfire?

2010-11-16T19:59:00.000-06:00

Similar to my last post, a boy left to his own devices for a bit comes up with some funny ideas! We set up Colter's tent in his room so he could play camping for the 47th time this month. I played for awhile then had to do some chores, and when I checked on my camper, he had built his own "campfire" using cans of green beans for logs! I love this creative boy. Too bad he isn't as willing to eat his green beans as he is to play with them.

Chef Bunny and Boy

2010-11-05T19:53:00.000-05:00

I left Colter playing while I took a shower this morning, and when I returned, this is what I found. An improvised pillow step stool for a stuffed rabbit baking toy pizza and all sorts of plastic snacks ready for a picnic (which aren't really in the picture). I guess I don't have to worry about making lunch today! The boy and his bunny have it covered.

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T19:48:00.002-05:00

Have you ever heard of anyone dressing up as a zebra for Halloween? Not me! This was Colter's idea, and thanks to the wonderful world of Ebay, I was able to pull this off without having to learn how to sew. Whew!

Last year, Colter was a lion, this year a zebra, and he already plans to be a giraffe next year. I guess he has a thing for jungle animals.

Pumpkin Carving

2010-10-28T21:07:00.000-05:00

It's pumpkin carving time! There won't be any regular old jack'o'lanterns at our house. Colter saw some kids carving pumpkins on Nick Jr., and they were making pumpkins featuring cartoon characters, so of course, Colter wanted a character pumpkin! It was a new experience.

This is icky, mom!

Swiper no swiping! I thought our pumpkin was very impressive. We're so talented. :)

One Last Camping Trip

2010-10-17T19:09:00.000-05:00

I've always thought that I would never be able to raise chickens for meat because I would never be able to butcher them. I thought I preferred to leave that messy business up to someone a little less squeamish. I was wrong. After tonight, I'm pretty sure I could totally kill a certain rooster. Pop off it head with a broomstick, chop it off with a butcher knife, twist it off with my bare hands, or any other method of chicken slaughtering, I think I can handle it now.

Ever since Colter got a tent for his birthday, he has been asking and asking to camp in our backyard in it. Well, the tent is pretty small for a 5' 7" woman, and the ground is pretty hard for someone who is accustomed to sleeping on pillow top mattresses, so I came up with the brilliant idea of taking Colter camping in his tent on my parents' trampoline. It was a brilliant idea! Trampolines are pretty comfy and the night was perfect for camping.

However, I didn't think about HIM. This future chicken pot pie and his infernal crowing!

I thought roosters were supposed to crow at sunrise, but I was wrong. This rooster anyway, starts crowing about 2 a.m. and keeps it up until sunrise! He's demented! Here Colter and I are in a tent on a trampoline in my parent's backyard, and this stupid rooster kept crowing and crowing and CROWING! AAAAAHHHHHH! I wanted to kill him.

Between my dad getting home in his noisy truck really late (fall harvest time), the rooster crowing, the cats crawling underneath the trampoline trying to figure out what the crazy people were doing, the hound treeing some animal, my dad getting up really early to head back to the fields, and my sister pulling away at 6 a.m. to go to work, I DIDN'T GET MUCH SLEEP. Needless to say, although Colter slept through everything, we will not be camping on the trampoline again any time soon.

Noisy Rocket the Hound Dog

Springfield Nature Center

2010-10-15T18:52:00.000-05:00

We went for a picnic at the Springfield Nature Center with friends and went for a really long walk (too long for three-year-old boys! ) enjoying more of fall in Missouri. The nature center is a great place to go for some free entertainment and learning experiences.

Then, this evening at home we had this nighttime visitor. I guess the nature center followed us home!

Ugh...Lessons Learned.

2010-10-13T18:48:00.000-05:00

‎Lesson 1. Colter still has a crazy gag reflex.
Lesson 2. When kids throw-up, sometimes they pee. But probably only when they're on your lap.
Lesson 3. Don't make Colter try stuffed pasta shells. :)

Someday I'll figure out what to do with my picky eater, but that day is not today.

Missouri Travels 2010 Part V--Lake of the Ozarks State Park

2010-10-08T18:20:00.000-05:00

Before it gets cold, we were able to squeeze in one last camping trip. Originally, we had a big camping party planned; my mom, brother, sister and her boyfriend, aunt, cousins, my niece and nephews were all supposed to go with us. First, my mom got sick and backed out so that ruled out her, my brother, niece, and nephews. Then, my aunt who must not be able to function without my mother backed out, so there went my aunt and cousins. Fortunately, we could count on my sister and her boyfriend to still go, so since we have a camping-obsessed boy on our hands, we decided to go ahead with our plans. We told Colter we were going, we cleaned up the camper, we packed, and THEN at the last minute my sister backed out too!!!! GRRRRR. That's okay. Who needs a camping party anyway? We had a nice, quiet three-person camping trip and spent some time enjoying the beautiful fall colors WITHOUT my flaky family. So there. :)

COLTER QUOTE OF THE TRIP

Colter to John: "When I was your age, I used to wear a monkey suit and climb in the trees. There was candy in the trees, and I used to pick it."

Fishing from the camper?
Pretty fall leaves!

Handsome Men By a Funky Tree

So many beautiful colors!

Cute Explorer Boy

2010-10-03T17:24:00.000-05:00

Today, my husband, our cute explorer boy, and I went explored the local trail. Colter insisted that I document all the items that we found along the way. I took a ton of pictures of random natural objects! Here's a few.

Yay for family walks!

Growing Pains

2010-10-01T08:55:00.000-05:00

Help! My toys keep disappearing. Mommy says I'm getting too big for some of my toys, and I suspect she's packing them away when I'm not paying attention. I can't help it if I'm growing! I want to keep all of my toys FOREVER! I want to have a room so stuffed full I won't even fit. Mommy's crazy! I'm not too big for this ride-on lion. My legs aren't so long that I can't even ride on it properly.... I'm not going to let her take it! EVER! It's mine!

Terrapin Races!

2010-09-23T08:25:00.000-05:00

At some small town festivals, attendees throw cow chips. At some, people race ostriches. Sometimes, cheese enthusiasts even roll cheese down hills. And at some festivals, kids race terrapins.

The fast-moving reptiles (ha ha) provide some high speed entertainment!

Some citizens aren't sure about this activity at first.

But they usually warm up to the competitors.

And then the excitement gets to their heads and they get a little goofy.

Sometimes, Fudge Pops Are Messy

2010-09-15T22:25:00.001-05:00

Playing Outside with My Boy

2010-09-08T22:18:00.001-05:00

Have I ever mentioned that I love my rock-climbing, bike-riding, super-fun boy? Because I do.

I do, I do! I love this boy!

Candy Land Cake

2010-09-06T22:12:00.000-05:00

We celebrated my nephew Justin's fourth birthday today, and this was his cake. SO cute! And yummy! My sister, the dessert queen, made an edible Candy Land board. I think I'll try to talk her into making Colter's birthday cakes for the rest of his life because I can't compete!

Victory At Last!

2010-08-25T21:46:00.000-05:00

All summer long, the music of the ice cream man has taunted my boy. We hear the ice cream truck's elusive melody every other afternoon, but we always fail in our attempts to be in the right place at the right time. The ice cream man doesn't come down our street, so in order to meet up with him, we have to meet him at the end of the street, but we never seem to hear the music in time. I don't know how many times this summer, Colter has run out the door trying to see the ice cream man that never comes. Today, however, luck was with us. We heard the music in time to race down the street, flag down the ice cream man, and purchase an overpriced sundae cone! It made Colter's day.

Victory is sweet!

Missouri Travels 2010--Part IV Animal Taming at Compton Ridge

2010-08-03T21:18:00.001-05:00

Well, we somehow survived the night in a pop-up camper during a heat wave. The poor pop-up's air conditioner ran all night long, but it survived as well. While waiting for the pool to open at the campground, Compton Ridge in Branson, Missouri, Colter spent some time taming the animals at the playground. He may have a future in the circus, although the gorilla almost got the best of him.

Normally, Compton Ridge is a great place to stay in Branson. It has nice, shady campsites, a couple of pools, a fun playground, and it's close to Silver Dollar City. I just don't really recommend planning a trip when it's over 100 degrees. :) That's the way it worked out for us this time though! It was still fun, but after playing at the playground and swimming in the pool, we headed home to the A.C..

Missouri Travels 2010---Part V Silver Dollar City

2010-08-02T20:46:00.004-05:00

It's hot. Ridiculously hot. I'm talking fry-an-egg-on-the-sidewalk hot. Speaking of eggs, it's so hot that chickens are laying hard-boiled eggs. Really. Sounds like perfect weather to head to Branson, Missouri for Moonlight Madness at Silver Dollar City! Yes, we are crazy. It's practically 152 degrees, so we went to Branson to camp and hang out at an amusement park. Great idea!

Although it is stinkin' hot, it's hard to pass up an opportunity to take Colter to Silver Dollar City at a discounted price. The Moonlight Madness tickets are only $25 while they are usually over $50, and the park is open until 10pm. The atmosphere at Silver Dollar City is great (the city is stuck in pioneer days), and there are tons of fun things to do, so we did it! Who cares if we melt? We'll spinning around in circles on amusement park rides and beating the heat on the water rides! Yes!

The key to staying cool at Silver Dollar City is staying wet. This boy has it figured out!

Thomas Fans

2010-07-31T17:53:00.001-05:00

What is the common little boy obsession with Thomas the Tank Engine all about? Trains are cool and the toys are fun--I get that---but the Thomas movies are filled with short clips of sometimes plot-less stories and cheap animation. Thomas isn't even all that nice. In quite a few of the episodes, he's an obnoxious little engine! In fact, most of the trains can't get along, they're ruled by a wooden man, and their adventures are limited to an island. How many trains does the Island of Sodar need anyway? It's not even depicted as being very big! I just don't get it, but these Thomas fans apparently do. Maybe someday they'll explain it to me.

Dress-Up

2010-07-28T17:43:00.000-05:00

This cowboy has had a lot of fun dressing up in the outfit he got for his birthday.

He has had a lot of fun dressing up in this outfit as well. I'm not sure what it is though---fairy princess knight, perhaps? Helmet-head wizard? Hmm...

Box Boy

2010-07-26T17:31:00.000-05:00

People always say that there isn't any need to give children toys, just give them a box. People are right! We got a new heating and cooling unit, and Colter has spent a lot of time in his box house. We cut out windows and a door and decorated the inside with crayons. He's filled it with stuffed animals and a toy chair; he's played with it inside and outside and had hours of fun! The only problem is that box boy's box is so big that eventually, we're going to have to throw it away. Maybe he'll sleep in on trash day sometime and the box house can mysteriously disappear. We'll see how that works out. ;)

Missouri Travels 2010--Part IV--St. Louis Zoo

2010-07-06T17:24:00.000-05:00

Happy Fourth of July!

2010-07-05T17:12:00.001-05:00

Colter decided this year that he sort of likes fireworks but only from a distance. We were able to go to a couple of different displays, the first of which was put on by a man who works for a fireworks company. It was an awesome private display in the middle of nowhere with only a few local residents present, so we were able to get really close--in Colter's opinion too close! He did NOT enjoy the fireworks and thought they were way too loud. He spend most of the time cowering underneath a blanket, covering his ears, and begging to get in the truck. Towards the end of the display, he and I ended up hiding behind a house. Poor boy!

His experience at a second display was more successful. We stayed far enough away that while we could see most of the fireworks, we weren't so close they were deafening. That was more Colter's style.

Today, we shot off a few fireworks at Colter's grandparents' house, but he didn't really love the experience. Even snakes intimidated him a bit. I won't have to worry about him shooting bottle rockets at people or holding roman candles in his hands for awhile! :)

Missouri Travel 2010--Part III Meramec River Float Trip

2010-07-01T15:58:00.001-05:00

Hi! I'm Colter and I love floating on the Meramec River despite the confused look on my face. My daddy and mommy are paddling a raft down the river, but I think Daddy is doing most of the paddling. This is so much fun! We have stopped and played in the water, seen lots of animals, and looked at lots of pretty river banks. I highly recommend float trips!

Hello. My name is John. I don't particularly like the water, and I don't particularly have any desire to go on a float trip, but as I love and adore my wife, I'm paddling her six miles down the extremely slow moving Meramec River. It's not so bad. My wife and son are having fun and will be eternally grateful. If only this river had more current and I didn't have to paddle for hours, this could be fun.

Greetings! I'm a pretty little damselfly or dragonfly or some sort of insect who is hitching a ride on a water jug in a slowly moving raft! It's very relaxing except for every once in awhile, the little boy on this raft who is trying to help his mommy paddle whacks her in the head. I hope he doesn't injure her.

Hiya! I'm a teeny tiny toad (or frog) hiding in the rocks along the Meramec River. Can you see me?

Hello! I don't know what I am, but I'm a vicious looking bug, and I want to use my scary pinchers to frighten the man paddling this raft. Maybe I can make him scream and fall overboard. Maybe. But probably not.

2010 Missouri Travels Part II-Meramec Caverns

2010-06-30T22:17:00.001-05:00

When we decided to tour Meramec Caverns, the largest commercial cave in Missouri, I was a little concerned about how Colter would do. I wondered if he would be uneasy about the dark, the bats, or some other mysterious cave creature. Not too worry. Our little boy sometimes sneaks into bed with us in the wee morning hours saying he's scared of his "sunshine" a.k.a. his window, but he will journey into dark holes in the ground without hesitation. Windows are much more frightening than caves after all.

We all loved going through Meramec Caverns. We saw some amazing cave formations and enjoyed hearing historical details about the cave including legends that Jesse James supposedly had a hide-out there. I think Jesse James had a hide-out in every cave in Missouri though, so who knows how much truth there is to those stories. I've been in a few caves throughout the state (Fantastic Caverns, The Mark Twain Cave, Marvel Cave, etc.) and liked this one the best of the ones I've seen.

Colter carried his Handy Manny Flicker flashlight through the cave and lit the way for us. He was enthralled with exploring the cave and wants to check out some more! Maybe he'll be a future spelunker.

Summer 2010 Missouri Travels Part I-Maramec Spring Park

2010-06-30T20:30:00.004-05:00

This summer, instead of taking a long camping trip, we plan on taking a series of smaller trips around Missouri. We thought about taking a longer trip to see the redwood trees in California with my family, but came to our senses and concluded that traveling by car with a three-year-old a distance that would take three whole days was an INSANE idea and decided to keep it local this summer. Plus, we’re probably saving millions of dollars on gasoline. Well, maybe not millions but it has to be close. I can’t even imagine how many times we’d have to fill up the tank to travel to California. :)

Our first destination was Meramec Caverns near Stanton, MO to camp for a few days. On the way there, we stopped at Maramec Spring Park near St. James, MO. I had no idea something so stunning existed only a few hours away from my home. The park is one of four trout parks in Missouri and has beautiful trout-filled pools fed by Maramec Spring. The pristine waters are such a pretty blue very unlike most Missouri streams and rivers. We stopped by the park to picnic and play at a great playground and were glad we did. Some day we’ll have to plan a camping trip there so we can enjoy exploring the park more.

It's Trouble Times Three!

2010-06-26T20:06:00.000-05:00

One goofy kid to chase around isn't enough, so we had Colter's cousins come over for a sleepover! These crazy boys had tons of fun playing at the park, playing in the sprinkler, baking cookies, playing camping, etc. They're busy boys, that's for sure.

I think the boys decided that the best part of the sleepover was camping out in the living room in Colter's new tent. Colter asked for a play tent for his birthday, and I told my mom what he wanted. I was thinking a small pup tent, but no, she got him a two man tent that takes up his entire room! I'm seeing lots of pretend camping trips in our future. The boys had a ball sleeping (and not sleeping) in the super-fun tent.

Rub-a-dub-dub-three-men-in-a-tub! It may be time to consider purchasing a larger pool.

Colter wouldn't ever want his cousins to go home! They're best buds. :)

Happy Birthday!

2010-06-16T19:47:00.000-05:00

My boy is three. THREE. The past three years have flown by and have been filled with much joy. Happy birthday sweet son of mine! God blessed our lives more than we could ever imagine when He gave us you.

Our boy is all grown up and designing his own birthday cakes. This is what Colter decided his birthday cake should look like.

This is what he came up with! A delicious ice cream cake decorated mostly by a three-year-old. Yummy!

River Rats

2010-06-14T18:29:00.002-05:00

Crawdads and crayfish and mudbugs, oh my! Yay for playing in the river!

Confession: I grew up in the country and spent a lot of time playing in creeks, but I have never touched a crawdad. Never ever! Really! Their claws are too scary, and I'm too much of a chicken. I remember my friends grabbing crawdads by the middle and holding them triumphantly up in the air while the crawdad's pinchers desperately tried to snap a finger in two, but I never could bring myself to grab one. Today I decided it was time to conquer my fears. I'm a big girl, right? After all, I'm a thirty-year-old woman. I'm totally capable of facing off with an icky little mudbug and winning. Whatever! Woman vs. Crawdad=Crawdad Victorious! With Colter and friends looking on, I squealed like a little girl when I tried to catch crayfish while playing in the river today. I am not cut out to be a brave crawdad catcher. I'm too wimpy! We used nets and pails instead and caught several crawdads today, I think. It's highly possible we were catching the same one over and over. Whatever the case, it was fun! Playing in a river is a great way to spend a hot, almost-summer day.

Our Victim

Have you ever noticed that if there is a rock or fallen log anywhere in the area, little boys must climb it? It's inevitable.

Crawdaddy-catching fascinated these boys. They were almost as thrilled as their mommies.

Barn Owl Owlets

2010-06-13T21:19:00.002-05:00

A brood of owlets have made themselves at home in my grandparents' machine shed. The owlets are some of the weirdest babies I have ever seen! When my family and I walked into the shed to view the nest, the building was filled with an eerie hissing noise. I actually thought my brother was using some machinery or something, but the echoing hisses were the owlets! To see the birds, we had to climb up a combine and peak into a washtub perched on the rafters (weird place for a washtub) where the mama owl took up residence. As the strange little demon faces peered back at us, the owlets swayed back and forth in some sort of hypnotic dance as they hissed. It was so weird! I'm going to try and get it on video before they leave the nest. Owlets are so cool! Freaky--but cool. :)

Mosquitoes. Ick. Ouch. Grr.

2010-06-10T10:22:00.003-05:00

Ahh…June--the perfect month for taking long, evening walks and enjoying the extra daylight. The foliage is lush and green, flowers are in bloom, it’s not too ridiculously hot yet, and wildlife is running all over the place. I love it. Only one little thing can take a fantastic June evening and make it a frantic run for cover---THOSE FREAKIN’ MOSQUITOES.

Really, God? Did you have really have to invent those whining, vampireish pests? Yes, yes, I realize birds, frogs, lizards, and other animals eat mosquitoes and without the most annoying insect on the planet, the food chain would be ruined, but why not create some other important food chain link for the birds to eat? A little fly that lives off dust, perhaps? Then we wouldn’t have to worry about getting malaria, West Nile virus, or yellow fever PLUS, we wouldn’t have to dust anymore because the dustquitoes would eat it all for us. I think that’s a great plan. What do you think, Lord? Lord?

OH, I suppose everything has a purpose, so mosquitoes must be important. God knows what he’s doing after all, even if I, a lowly human don’t understand why things like mosquitoes and spandex must plague the Earth. I do know; however, that it’s probably all Adam and Eve’s fault because everything that just sucks (literally, in the case of the mosquito) pretty much is their fault. Romans 5:12 says, “Therefore, just as sin entered the world though one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned,” so basically because Adam and Eve were the first sinners and like all of us, couldn’t always resist Satan’s manipulations, things like death and mosquitoes entered the world. This article says that, “In the beginning, the Lord did not intend for any of us who have been made in his image to be hurt by his animal creatures, but this is the price we pay for not following the Creator’s instructions. Every mosquito bite ought to be a reminder to obey God.” Sigh. At least some good could come of an itchy, annoying mosquito bite. I wonder what mosquitoes were like before Eve ate the forbidden fruit? Did they whisper classical music instead of buzz annoyingly in man’s ears? Did they share butterfly-type-kisses instead of disease? Hmm… I wonder…

P.S. Don't forget to enter the Country Bob's give-away!

Boy Discovers Milk Bubbles

2010-06-09T09:44:00.002-05:00

Whispering----Don't forget to enter my Country Bob's giveaway!

Visit here, here, here, or here for more Wordless Wednesday!

Country Bob's Recipe and Give-Away!

2010-06-08T08:23:00.003-05:00

Almost two years ago, I won a Country Bob's cookbook on this lady's website, and since then, I've come to the conclusion that I could drink Country's Bob's All Purpose Sauce by the bottle. Well, probably not by the bottle, but it's really delicious. It's my favorite steak sauce probably because it's sweeter than most; I love to dip fries in it, and it's yummy in so many recipes. Several weeks ago, someone from Country Bob's asked me to write a post about their sauce in exchange for a couple of bottles, and I agreed because I honestly love this stuff.

Country Bob's has been around since the eighties, but if you haven't ever tried it, follow this link, and sign up for a coupon for a free bottle. It's definitely worth trying! Also, there are a lot of great recipes on their site to try. Here's an easy summertime grilling recipe that I like.

Country Bob's Grilled Chicken-in-a-Pocket (serves 4)

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 cup Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce

4 large mushrooms, thinly sliced

1/2 small onion, thinly sliced

1 small zucchini, thinly sliced

Put each chicken breast on a 12x12 square of foil. Top each chicken breast with 1/4 of the other ingredients. Fold the edges of the foil together and seal into a packet. Grill for 20-30 minutes or until the chicken and vegetables are cooked through, turned the packets occasionally.

If you, like me, already love this sauce, or if you would like to try it, the people from Country Bob's have generously offered to send two of my readers two bottles of Country Bob's! Leave a comment with contact info. by Friday, June 11, to enter!

ALSO, I discovered a ton of recipes here, for a blog carnival called "Tasty Tuesday." Go and check it out! At this site, there are a lot more give-aways!

Summer, Summer, Summer Time

2010-06-07T10:11:00.005-05:00

Don't let this somewhat hesitant demeanor fool you. The boy is a fish-wanna-be.

My big, gonna-be-three-in-nine-days, boy has almost no fear of the water. He runs full-speed into water up to his neck, totally oblivious of that fact that he can't swim. On this particular beach trip, our first trip of the summer, I didn't plan on swimming because I thought the lake would be too cold. I had no idea that my son was Mr. Fearless Fish Man, and that I would have to be in the water with him to keep him from trying to swim across the lake. I ended up in the water up to my waist, fully clothed, but thankfully, the water was warm.

We had signed Colter up for swimming lessons this summer before we knew how comfortable he would be in the water this year. I was kind of concerned that I would end up with a panicked boy clinging to my neck when we venture into the city pool for the first lesson next week, but I don't think I have anything to worry about.

After swimming and a beach picnic, we went to the local marina with some friends for some cheap entertainment--fish feeding! As I was grabbing some stuff out of the car, Colter walked with his friend, Riley. When I looked ahead, this is what I saw--Colter with an older woman. I wonder who made the first move?

These carp were practically jumping up on the docks to get our fifty cent bag of fish food. I considered reaching down to grab one, but I was too chicken.

We love SUMMER!

Seventeen Uses for a Sarong

2010-06-03T23:50:00.000-05:00

Sarong - a loose garment made of a long strip of cloth wrapped around the body that is worn by men and women chiefly of the Malay Archipelago and the Pacific islands (Thank you Webster)

Last Saturday, my friend Gina and I purged our unwanted items and had a yard sale. We had episodes of craziness when professional yard salers were throwing our junk and offers at us left and right, intentionally trying to fluster us so they could walk away with some steals to probably resell in their flea markets, but we also had times with no customers. Yard sale customers seem to come in flocks, and when it was just Gina and me, our entertainment was a pink sarong Gina bought on her honeymoon in Cancan that has been unused for seven years. I guess after seven years, honeymoon souvenirs lose their sentiment.

I never realized what a versatile article of clothing a sarong is, but in the moments of garage sale goofiness that kept us from passing out from boredom while waiting for somebody to come buy all our stuff, Gina and I came up with a lot of different uses for sarongs. When we were customerless, we came up with some sort of purpose for the sarong, I would model it and attempt to take my own picture or have Gina take it, and then quickly sit down as if I were a completely normal person and not an insane, sleep deprived, sarong model whenever a new customer showed up. I'm sure my neighbors were amused.

Here's some of what we came up with.

A sarong can be a skirt, a blanket, a hijab, a headband, a halter dress, a ponytail holder, or a sleeveless dress.

OR a bra, the hunk of material that flies in the wind when models pose as demonstrated by model Gina, a scarf, a shawl, a turban, a beauty pageant sash, a mini-skirt, chaps, and an ankle bracelet. The naked boy running through the yard has nothing to do with a sarong. I just needed a picture for that spot, and he could have used a sarong to wear since he evidently has no clothes. No clue who he is by the way. I certainly wouldn't let my son run around in the yard without his clothing.

Now, instead of trying to sell your souvenir sarong at a yard sale, you can use my ideas to actually use it! Gina must not have been impressed with them though because when nobody bought her sarong, she gave it to me. YES! Now I can sell all my other clothes because my new pink sarong can serve as ANY article of clothing!

Garage Sale Goofiness--Explanation to Follow in a Not-So-Wordless Post Later Today

2010-06-02T09:36:00.003-05:00

For more Wordless Wednesday, go here, here, here, or even here.

A Simple Gift Idea for Mr. Practical

2010-06-01T22:20:00.004-05:00

My dad, Mr. Practical, is hard to buy for. He always acts like presents are a waste of money, and he seems to appreciate useful gifts more than frivolous ones, so as a going away present/early Father's Day gift, Colter and I personalized what my mom said he needed, a new water jug, and made it more fun! Dad works out in the hot sun all summer, so he goes through a lot of water each day. To ensure that no goofy hired hand (a.k.a. my cousin, Brennan) steals my daddy's water, we used some acrylic paint and sealer to decorate a new Colman water jug with polka dots and Colter's hand prints. The other side of the jug says, "Poppy's H2O", and I had all my siblings sign the bottom. Hopefully, Dad won't be too embarrassed to actually drink out of it.

I think this is a cute Father's Day gift idea! All you need is a new water jug, paint, some spray sealer so the paint hopefully doesn't wash off, Sharpies, and some cute kid hands.

An EVERYTHING Party

2010-05-31T21:58:00.005-05:00

My dad owns a custom harvesting business, and every summer he travels with his business associate, a.k.a. his brother, all over the Midwest cutting wheat. Since he is gone much of the summer, he misses out on several different celebrations including Father's Day, my brother Sawyer's birthday, Colter's birthday, and 4th of July. This year we got smart and combined a Memorial Day barbecue with all the parties Dad will miss when he's gone. We had a Memorial Day/Father's Day, Colter and Sawyer's birthday/4th of July party---an EVERYTHING party! In case you couldn't tell, we're totally into excess.

I was in charge of desserts, so I made an early birthday cake for Sawyer's and Colter's June birthdays. I should have put a times 5 by the three to show that Sawyer's going to be 15, but he's an old dude now, so he didn't mention the three. I made a yummy flag Jello poke cake for 4th of July.Even at a barbecue, my card fanatic family works in some pitch. They're so dedicated to pitch, they'll even play outside. John likes to play as my dad's partner because they usually win, but John's going to be out a partner for a few months. :( Colter had lots of people to play with! Look at all those BOYS!

The older boys took the little boys swimming in a frigid pool.Colter was too wimpy (or SMART) to stay in the icy water long, so he hung out on the ladder and whacked people with a pool noodle.

To end the evening, we shot off fireworks for 4th of July!

It was apparent that Daddy and my uncle Ron always miss the 4th of July as we were shooting off fireworks. Someone handed Ron a fairly powerful firework that should be set on the ground and lit, and then it shoots up into the air and explodes, just like a miniature version of what one would see at a fireworks display. Instead of setting the firework on the gound, Ron held it in his hand to light it and threw it down, and it landed on its side shooting flares along the ground! THANKFULLY, it was shooting away from all of us and no one exploded, so it was just hilarious instead of painful. My uncle is 50ish, and he doesn't know how to work firecrackers! We should have had an everything party long before now because he's been missing out.

We had a fun evening but I was oh, so ready to crawl into bed when we got home. Celebrating four events in one is exhausting!

The Most Fun Ever!

2010-05-27T23:00:00.000-05:00

STUFF. Where, oh where, does it all come from? It's amazing how much stuff accumulates over a couple of years. Outgrown or no longer wanted clothes, discarded decor, obsolete electronics, my husband's weird childhood belongings that his mom sneaks into our car when we visit (actually, this has slowed down a bit---keep the rest, Nell!) etc, whatever the stuff is, we attract it. Our house, like most in this gotta-have-it-all, we're-into-excess society, is a stuff magnet, so every few years I try to have a yard sale to purge our house of some of the STUFF. Over the past few days, I've been spring cleaning our home and going through things to find everything we don't need or want any longer. In the process, I've discovered that I really, really love spring cleaning.

Really. I love the emptying out cabinets and arranging everything neatly only for it to be all messy again in two days. I adore cleaning the house from top to bottom: washing the windows, balancing on the step stool to wipe down the dust-covered ceiling fans, and struggling with the blinds in an attempt to remove the layer of dust off each blind. Fun stuff! Really. Using a toothbrush to get the grime that accumulates where the sink meets the counter is the best thing ever! Oh, and the food particles and other mysterious items that find their way underneath the microwave and the stove are awesome! Good times, man. Good times. Really.

Okay, so not really. I'm full of crap. Oh, shoot. I'm not supposed to say that anymore because I don't want my toddler say "Oh, crap" at Sunday school (or anywhere else). I meant to say, "I'm full of...full of...hmmm.... I don't really want him to say any of the possible synonyms, so let's just say, I LIED. Surprise! I don't love spring cleaning or collecting yard sale stuff, but it will be so nice when it's all done! I'll be glad to get rid of the pile of stuff that has taken over our office, and I'll be grateful for any extra cash we might make. I'll also enjoy a sparkly-clean house for as long as it lasts!

Sorry for whining today. I'm tired and grumpy. And grimy.

Ironically, I'm participating in "Friendly Friday" today. Follow the link to visit other bloggers, that are probably more friendly than me!

POOL Time!

2010-05-26T20:40:00.004-05:00

I think it's good that my boy's birthday is coming up soon, 'cuz it looks like we may have outgrown the wade pool.

Hammock Hogs

2010-05-25T22:05:00.006-05:00

I didn't get a turn on the hammock,

but that's all right.

Someday, I'll have my own hammock to lounge on

and trees big enough to hold it up.

I'll spend summer afternoons reading under the trees

and spend summer nights gazing up at the stars.

I would covet my mom's hammock,

but it's probably broken now.

After her grand kids spent Saturday afternoon

in an epic stay-on-the-hammock battle.

Silly grand kids, hammocks are for ME.

My Boy's First Self-Inflicted Hair Cut

2010-05-24T14:55:00.001-05:00

Well, it's happened. Despite my attempts to keep scissors out of reach of little hands, Colter administered his own hair cut. Admittedly, his hair was getting very shaggy and he had told me that his hair kept poking his eyes, but two-year-olds should not cut their own hair, even if they are almost three! One morning last week, I told Colter that we would make an appointment to get his hair cut that afternoon. He must have misunderstood me and thought I meant that he had an appointment to hide in the bathroom with a pair of nail scissors and cut his own hair. I'll be more clear next time.

My boy has gotten sneaky and has started shutting himself in rooms whenever he's doing something he's not supposed to. He will shut a door and sit in front of it so that I have to struggle to get him out of the way and open the door. He also looks for opportunities when I'm not paying 100% attention to get into mischief. When he cut his hair, I was on the phone with my friend Rachel and had spent the first ten minutes of our conversation following Colter around and keeping him out of things or offering distractions, when he slipped away for a minute. As I roamed the house trying to find him, I noticed the bathroom door was shut and knew something was up. Sure enough, he was sitting in front of the door, blocking my way, and cutting his hair with a pair of nail scissors! Ack. Thankfully, I caught him before too much damage was done. He mainly cut hair that needed to be cut off anyway, so it wasn't a big deal, but when I caught him and firmly said, "Colter, you should NOT cut your own hair," he cried and cried and cried. And cried. Poor boy! He obviously knew he had done something wrong, but we'll see if he remembers. I was really tempted to take a picture of his choppy hair, but I didn't want to encourage him and give the message that self-administered hair cuts were cute, even if it really was!

Don't you love the camo?

He can see! No more eye pokage. :)

Review--The Jesus Series

2010-05-23T17:15:00.000-05:00

I received a free DVD from Thomas Nelson publishing in exchange for writing a review for Booksneeze.com. The review follows.

I watched The Jesus Series : Life and Miracles Read and Share Bible with my almost three-year-old son, and neither of us were very impressed. The half-hour DVD portrays Jesus’ ministry along the shores of Lake Galilee and the villages near Nazareth and shows the calling of the disciples, the feeding of 5,000, miracles, and the Lord’s Supper.

It’s always good to expose children to Bible stories and familiarize young children to Jesus’ life and ministry, so I do appreciate the DVD’s topic, but it could have been much better. I felt like important details were left out, and the first parts of the DVD, the calling of the disciples and when Jesus begin his public ministry by reading the Messianic prophecy at the Nazareth synagogue , were confusing and would have benefited by more voice-over explanation. Really, the DVD wasn’t very lively; it didn’t have much music, for example, and could have been more exciting to hold children’s interest better. This isn’t really a big deal, but I find it irritating Jesus is continually portrayed as Caucasian, when he probably wasn’t. The artists could have at least given him darker hair.

As this DVD wasn’t meant for me and is directed towards children, the real test is one my son thought of it. Although it did not keep his full attention, and he normally is very good about sitting through stories and 30 minute shows, he says he liked it and that he wants to watch it again sometime. Also, he asked several questions throughout the show, and anything that gets a kid talking about Jesus, is good!

Graduation Season

2010-05-22T21:51:00.003-05:00

I know, I know, you feel like this...because you didn't hear from me yesterday. I'm truly sorry, but I've been horribly busy. I achieved my blog-30-days-in-a-row goal (32!), so it will be okay.

Yesterday was super busy. I got up early to drive an hour to this goofy kid's kindergarten graduation. Congratulations, sweet nephew of mine! Then I ran some errands, helped my mom with some lawn work, spent another hour in the car, made THREE batches of homemade ice cream, whipped up a batch of cookies, baked a strawberry pie, thoroughly cleaned my disaster house well enough to show to potential buyers, went grocery shopping, searched the town for a new outfit, returned overdue library books and paid my fine, painted my toenails, watched Up with John, and basically ran around like a crazy woman all day long. I confess, I used the T.V. as a babysitter. Don't tell anyone.

The cooking part of my day was for this goofy girl's graduation party! My little sister is all grown up and graduating from college! Congratulations, Courtney!!!

I ended up making all the ice cream for her party because ice cream makers are apparently easily broken. The ice cream making was going to be divided up between three people, but of three ice cream makers in the family, two of them were broken. That seems weird. Do ice cream makers break a lot? Anyway, I took the only working one and made three batches of SCRUMPTIOUS ~~homemade~~ JENELLEmade ice cream. My mom thought I volunteered because I am her most sweet and helpful daughter, but really I volunteered because I thought there would be leftovers for my robe and ice cream diet plan. Alas, because I am an ice cream genius and a superb chef (or possibly because of the heat and humidity) there was very little left for me to pig out on. The greedy graduation party guests gobbled it all up. SAD.

As far as I know, I don't have a graduation to attend tomorrow, but I'm too tired to remember.

Hand Print Chicken

2010-05-20T10:10:00.003-05:00

A Chicken Book and a Chicken Craft--Bawk, Bawk.

I LOVE books that make my boy laugh out loud. We recently discovered a book at the library called Big Chickens Fly the Coop by Leslie Helakoski, a sequel to a book we already have and love, Big Chickens. Every time we read these goofy stories, Colter cracks up. I LOVE IT! Due to the apparent monsoon season we appear to be imprisoned in, we've been looking for a lot of inside activities, and we decided to make this chicken to go with the books we've been reading A LOT lately--like 11 times everyday. We're bookworms at our house. Squirmy ones.
It's cute how this paper plate chicken uses Colter's hand prints to make the wings and the chickens comb, or hat, according to my two-year-old. It's also cute how my boy decided that his chicken should have orange wings instead of white ones. He's creative like that.

For this project, all you need is some scissors, glue, construction paper, a paper plate, googly eyes (or draw your own), and a some cute kid hands to trace! Colter and I just free-handed our chicken feet and stuff, but there are some templates and better directions if you need them at this site.

On an unrelated note, the pictures I posted yesterday were taken on a trip to Arches National Park in Utah last spring. Kel is a genius and guessed it right! Or she's been there. :) Everyone should visit Arches at least once; it's a surreal place. We went at the end of March, and it was a little chilly but still a great time to visit. Go in spring or fall, so you can enjoy the awesome wonders without suffocating!

Wordless Where In the World Wednesday---Guess Where!

2010-05-19T13:35:00.005-05:00

For more Wordless Wednesday, go here, here, here, and just for kicks, here.

The Contents of My Purse AND a Winner!

2010-05-18T22:08:00.003-05:00

Life has been....chaotic. I'm running, running, running and don't know where I'm going! In fact, I've been running around so much that I haven't had time for any real running (as alluded to on my previous post). I owe myself a multitude of work-out sessions, I'm way behind on several projects, my house is a disaster, and I swear I met myself on the road when I was out running errands. Weird. Despite the busyness, I managed to clean out my mess of a purse. Here's what was inside. If I were mugged, what would the thief think of me as they explored the contents of my purse? Obviously, the Hot Wheels car, the wipes, the bubbles, and the sunscreen all proof of mommyness. But a pack of yeast? Mysterious. Maybe a purse snatcher would think I was a Wal Mart-sticker-stealing, baker with a bubble fetish and dry lips (as indicated by the three tubes of lip balm) who never throws away a receipt.

Here's what I wanted in my purse. I feel so much lighter I might as well check the make-up exercise sessions off my list. Yay!

On another note, I have a winner for the book give-away. My assistant, the adorably mischievous, Colter, drew out a number for me, and he choose number four. Congratulations, Gina! I hope The Heart Mender is good reading material for your cruise!

A Weight Loss Story

2010-05-17T21:36:00.003-05:00

Once upon a time there was a woman who wanted to lose 20 pounds in 2 weeks. She wanted to lose said 20 pounds while eating ice cream and lounging in her fuzzy pink robe, but the woman was told that her dreams were idiotic and that she needed to count calories, quit considering dessert the most important food group, and begin an exercise regime that involved sweat. The woman did not think diet and exercise sounded very awesome. She did not want to eat vegetables unless they were chocolate-covered, and she did not want to exercise unless she could do it while she was sleeping. The woman brainstormed some ideas on how to lose 20 pounds fast and came up with:

1. Liposuction
2. Wrap herself in saran wrap to sweat the weight off
3. Spend a few weeks shipwrecked with only water to drink
4. Develop a severe case of stomach flu with a touch of diarrhea
5. Swim across the Atlantic
6. Become a drug addict
7. Chop off her arms

The woman did not think those ideas were very ideal, so instead, she decided to lounge in her fuzzy, pink robe, eat ice cream, and pretend the unwanted 20 pounds disappeared overnight. She was an imaginative woman, so that worked just fine, and she lived happily ever after.

THE END

Keep Swimming!

2010-05-16T22:38:00.002-05:00

It's 10:39, and I haven't written a post yet! Oops! In order to keep my daily blogging steak going, here's a quick, cute poem the pastor shared at church this morning.

TWO FROGS

Two frogs fell into a deep cream bowl,
One was an optimistic soul;
But the other took the gloomy view,
"I shall drown," he cried, "and so will you."

So with a last despairing cry,
He closed his eyes and said, "Good-bye."
But the other frog, with a merry grin
Said, "I can't get out, but I won't give in!

I'll swim around till my strength is spent.
For having tried, I'll die content."
Bravely he swam until it would seem
His struggles began to churn the cream.

On the top of the butter at last he stopped
And out of the bowl he happily hopped.
What is the moral? It's easily found.
If you can't get out -- keep swimming around!

Author Unknown

AND a verse he used in the sermon that makes me happy.

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he'll never leave you or forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:6

Good night!

Adventures at Our House

2010-05-15T08:51:00.001-05:00

This week, I caught my boy...

emptying out the linen cabinets... eating a yellow crayon...
fast asleep in front of the door in his room, blocking the door so it was a real challenge to get into his room to put him in his bed without waking him up...
and piling all the stuff that he wanted to pack for a trip to Grandad and Grandma's in front of the front door.

This is just a glimpse of the crazy fun times at our house if the boy is unattended for over two seconds. Have a nice day.

Rain, Rain, Go Away

2010-05-14T20:40:00.002-05:00

Dear God,

Thank you for the rain that You provide us. Thank you for the water for the plants and the water we have to drink. Thank you for cloudy days that teach us to appreciate the sunny days more. We really are so grateful for all the water You provide us, but Lord, when you get a chance, could you send the sunshine back for awhile? That would be awesome.

Amen.

An Accumulation of Dandelion Photos

2010-05-13T08:03:00.001-05:00

Fluffy golden polka-dotsplague greens lawns everywhere.Come on. Are these puffy yellow miracles really your enemy?Do you really want to drown this in Round Up?Or this?Do you remember the dandelions of your youth? Your dandelion wishes?Dandelions aren't so bad. Especially when one uses Photoshop filters to make them look cool.

Check out the book giveaway on Tuesday's post!

Wordless Wednesday--An Unguarded Camera+My Freaky Sister=Image Download Surprises

2010-05-12T06:55:00.005-05:00

Book Review and Give-Away!

2010-05-11T11:23:00.004-05:00

I have a present for you! Well, maybe you. I have a present for YOU if you leave a comment and that random generator thingy happens to pick YOUR number.

I recently received two copies of an Andy Andrews novel, one for me and one to give away, in exchange for writing a review. The review follows; if this sounds like a book you’re interested in, leave a comment and next Tuesday, I’ll select a lucky winner!

Andy Andrews, author of New York Times bestsellers The Noticer and The Traveler’s Gift is known for his historical accuracy intertwined in his fiction, and I learned some interesting details about World War II while reading The Heart Mender. The plot centers on a German soldier who washes ashore along the Alabama coastline and the woman who finds him. Yes, I said ALABAMA. Apparently, I slept during this part of history class, but during WWII, “more than 1300 navy men, 201 Coast Guard personnel, and exactly 5,682 merchant marines lost their lives due to U-boat attacks in American waters [Andrews’s emphasis]! (20). Whoa! I had totally forgotten that significant detail in our country’s history if I ever knew it, so I found the setting of The Heart Mender very intriguing. Andrews has a unique narrative style in which he weaves his own experiences in with the characters which works well with his historical fiction.

The Heart Mender is a quick, interesting read, but it does have a fairly predictable storyline. Helen Mason, a bitter young widow whose soldier husband was killed by the Nazis, is resentful and alone when she finds an injured German U-boat officer, Josef Landermann, washed ashore along the northern gulf coast. Despite her hatred of Nazis, Helen must help the wounded Josef. Through Helen’s and Josef’s stories, The Heart Mender offers a message of forgiveness and the healing that follows.

Regardless of the predictable plot, I recommend this story as an excellent “treadmill read.” It won’t win any Pulitzers, but because of the fascinating historical details and great message, The Heart Mender is definitely worth reading.

Leave a comment if you'd like to win a copy of this book (hard-bound, $18.99 value)! Make sure to leave an email address if you don't have a blog, so I can contact you if you win. Contest ends May 18.

Poky Little Puppy Coloring Page Puzzle

2010-05-10T14:06:00.009-05:00

We checked out The Poky Little Puppy from the library last week, and so far, John or I have read the story to Colter 36.5 times. Admittedly, I totally just made up that number, but my point is, he adores the poky puppy and the puppy's adventures. Because books are the bomb and some of our most favorite things, we like to incorporate the stories we read into our daily activities. Colter loves it when we read a book and then have some sort of story-related project.

After we read The Poky Little Puppy this morning, I found a coloring page on the Little Golden Books webpage and printed off three copies: one for Colter, one for me (sort of), and one for a coloring page puzzle. We started off our project by coloring together at the coffee table. In our pjs. At 11:00 in the morning. It made us happy.

Some people whine about how coloring pages stifle creativity, but I think that's nonsense as long as kids are exposed to blank pages sometimes, too. This looks like a pretty creative and colorful puppy to me even if it is on a coloring page.

While Colter was working on his puppy page, I colored part of one and then cut out some of the pieces. Ten seemed like a good number.

I then armed Colter with a glue stick and had him match the pieces to the third coloring sheet that we hadn't used yet. He matched up the pieces and glued them on.

He goes a little crazy with the glue sometimes. Ta da! A coloring page puzzle!

This site has a lot of cool poky little puppy ideas. We plan on making some strawberry shortcake tonight like the puppies have at the end of the story. YUM.

A Quick Note to Make You Smile

2010-05-09T22:02:00.005-05:00

Today, as John was filling up our lawnmower with gasoline, our boy wanted to know what he was doing. John explained that the lawnmower needed gas to work just like our cars need gas to work. Colter went on his merry way, and a bit later, John noticed him unscrewing the gas cap on his toy Radio Flyer car and putting GRASS into the hole. When asked what he was doing, Colter said, "I'm filling my car with grass to make it go!"

Here's Colter with his car in October 2008.

I hope you all had a great Mother's Day!

Confessions of a Tacky Mailbox Owner

2010-05-08T11:38:00.005-05:00

I confess. The ridiculous concrete dog mailbox shown on yesterday's Mailbox personalities post is mine! I have an ugly mailbox, and I'm obviously too lazy to do anything about it!

I'm going to go green and recycle an old post to discuss this blight on my otherwise happy life. It's Saturday, and I'm too lazy (as previously mentioned) to write a new post. Have a great weekend!

We are cat people stuck in a dog neighborhood. I swear; EVERYONE in our neighborhood has a dog, or multiple dogs, as demonstrated by the howling that precedes the sounds of sirens and the constant barrage of barking that ensues if we dare play in our backyard. While growing up in the country, I didn’t mind dogs, I actually liked them, but I fear town living has forever damaged my relationship with dogs. They drive me crazy (for proof, read this)!

It’s only fitting, that as the only family on our street without a dog or two, we are the only people with a concrete dog perched on our mailbox. Yes, that’s right; a statue of a bird dog with a DEAD PHEASANT in its mouth greets our visitors. Isn’t that lovely? We welcome people to our house with death. Mwah Haa Haa Haa (that’s supposed to be an evil laugh).

The man that lived in our house before us obviously was a dog person. The shed in our backyard was used as a dog house for the man’s bird dog. A whole shed! The man put a window air conditioner in the shed and a glass door, so the dog could sit in the cool air conditioning and look outside! A glass door in a shed! I guess his wife was a cat person because one would think he would just let the dog in the house instead of going to the trouble to put a cooling system into a shed. The woman wouldn’t let her husband’s dog in the house, but she didn’t mind having the dog immortalized on the mailbox. At some point, the couple put the statue of a hunting dog on the brick mailbox, and then they moved and left the mailbox for the next owners to enjoy (us).

When we bought our house over ~~five years ago~~ six years ago, I thought we would get rid of the dog. After buying a house though, trivial purchases like new mailboxes seemed unnecessary, and the dog statue actually proved to be a little handy when visitors are trying to find our house. I mean, who else has a concrete dog in front of their house? Some of the little kids on our street really like the dog, too. Now though, the dog’s paint is chipping off, and it’s starting to get more and more unrecognizable as a dog all the time. It’s starting to look pretty tacky. :) This spring, we have to either paint the dumb dog or get a new mailbox! Preferably, one without a dog statue.

I find it amusing that as the only people without dogs on our street, we’re the only ones that appear oddly infatuated with canines. We don’t even own a dog! We’re cat people! Aren’t life’s little ironies grand?

Mailbox Personalities

2010-05-07T00:07:00.001-05:00

Have you ever heard the saying, "You can judge the owners of a house by their mailbox?" No? For example...

This mailbox screams hippie. Its owners throw out conventional standards and reject society's customs. The use of blue and flowers indicates that this mailbox belongs to creative, free thinkers who don't care what others think. They are also probably Democrats.

The owners of this dignified mailbox value tradition. They have a meticulously clean house and strive to always appear that they have life under control. The husband and wife have separate bedrooms.As apparent by this bird-poop-covered mailbox, a man is the owner of this house. A stubborn, somewhat conceited man who has a thing for marigolds. He refuses to do what everybody else does and doesn't care if all the other mailboxes on the street are on a pole. He takes pride in the fact that HE was smart enough to put his on a wheel.
The owners of this mailbox like to shoot things. They're Republican.

A former playground bully owns this unique mailbox. He/she likes to intimidate others as indicated by the treacherous looking hooks hanging from either end of the box. Each day, the mail person has to stick his or her hands into a gaping mouth. The owner of this mailbox would like to lure the neighbors into thinking that he/she just likes to fish, but really, he/she is hiding a secret ambition to be the neighborhood crime lord.
This chipped concrete dog mailbox is owned by a procrastinator. As indicated by the chipped paint and lack of care, the owners obviously, don't like the concrete statue and meant to get rid of it years ago. A symbol of ignored requests, this mailbox is the laughingstock of the neighborhood. Inside the house, frustration mounts. A woman with a sledgehammer calculates Rover's demise...

Can you guess which one is mine?

A Bit Domineering, Perhaps?

2010-05-06T21:21:00.003-05:00

My two-year-old is turning into a fashion control freak. He's been very enthralled with my hair his whole life (he used to hold onto my hair while he nursed or while being rocked to sleep, and I've always said my hair is his security blanket), but over the past few months, he has taken to telling me how to wear it. Some days he insists on a ponytail, other days he wants me to wear my hair down. A couple days ago, I parted my hair in the middle instead of on the side like usual, and the little goofball freaked out. It seems odd that that a almost-three-year-old boy cares about his mommy's hair, but whatever.

Lately, his concern for my appearance has moved to other areas. He's decided that I must wear a bracelet anytime we go to the church for any reason, and he likes to pick out which one. He also loves picking out my earrings for me. Last week, I put on what I thought was a cute top, and as soon as he saw me, he said, "MOMMY, I don't like that shirt!" Today, I had on a pair of gray flip flops, and he said, "NO, Mommy, you need to wear the pink ones!" So even though, there was absolutely no pink in my ensemble, I wore the pink flip flops; it was easier than arguing with the shoe Nazi. When this boy grows up, he is either going to have a career in fashion, or be a very controlling husband.

P.S. Those of you who know about my mission to blog every day for thirty days didn't think I was going to make it, did you? I've still got three hours to spare. :)

Wordless Wednesday---Boundless Energy

2010-05-05T15:02:00.002-05:00

Post-It Note Tuesday

2010-05-04T00:01:00.002-05:00

Rotton Teeth Vs. Cancer....Which Would You Choose?

2010-05-03T15:16:00.003-05:00

To fluoride or not to fluoride? That is the question being debated by our community and local officials at a town meeting coming up. Many cities in the United States add fluoride to the water supply in an attempt to improve dental health even though critics of the practice claim it is unsafe. I don't know much about fluoride, but I know that a lot of people don't like the fact that it is added to the water supply. In an attempt to become a more informed citizen and able to voice my opinion, I've spent a few minutes researching the pros and cons of a fluoridated water supply. I've discovered some awesome stuff. Really awesome. NOT.

I realize that anyone can post anything on the Internet and claim it's true. This blog is a perfect example. For instance, I could say I'm an fungi expert and that it is a proven scientific fact that if one finds a moral mushroom growing underneath a walnut tree, eats it while walking backwards and humming "Surfin' USA", and then carves the name of a sworn enemy on the bark of the walnut tree, that person's cellulite will vanish overnight, and some crazy person searching Google for a cure for cellulite would try it. Wow, that was random. So, anyway, the Internet information about fluoride may or may not be true, but there's some crazy stuff out there.

Some of the anti-fluoride info make me want to run out and buy a water filter. On this site, the author claims fluoride can lead to brittle bones, arthritis, increased aluminum in the brain (which has a connection to Alzheimer's, right?), and lower fertility rates. PEACHY. This holistic medicine site states fluoride in water can cause cancer, A.D.D., and increased lead exposure. These are just a few of the supposed drawbacks to putting fluoride in the water supply. SPLENDID.

Before you run out and buy a lifetime supply of bottled water, keep in mind that there are just as many websites that say fluoride in the water is a good thing and that "Safe Water" proponents twist fluoride facts to scare you" (see here). Sites like this one say that fluoride is a safe and effective way to increase dental health and there is not enough research to back up the information provided by the crazy, health-nut, anti-fluoride people. That seems like an odd statement because the websites with tons of information about the negative effects of fluoride sure have a lot of links to research backing up their claims.

There's two sides to every story, and someone will always be able to find some kind of study to back up their claims, so I'm not 100% sure where I stand on this issue. I'm not sure it matters though, because WHY in the world does whoever is in charge of the water supply think they have the right to force fluoride on all of us? Shouldn't we have the right to choose whether or not we're poisoning ourselves and our children if, in fact, we are? Why can't those that want fluoride take some sort of fluoride supplement and those that wish to ingest something that may or may not cause lower IQs, skip it? What do YOU think?

For Your Sunday Evening Amusement

2010-05-02T18:15:00.003-05:00

While looking through some photos, I found this picture

that I took TWO years ago.We thought it would be funny to see if Colter still fits in the flower pot. He does, but oh, how things have changed!

What Is It?

2010-05-01T20:14:00.003-05:00

My parents gave me a Canon PowerShot for Christmas for the times I don't have my larger SLR camera with me. With my cute little point and shoot, I'm always armed and ready to flash my subjects. With the camera, I mean. I only flash people with cameras. Well...usually, that is. ;) Due to my inability to read instruction manuals in a timely manner, I only recently discovered that my new camera has a macro setting. How cool is that? I love macro photography and someday want a macro lens, but my PowerShot will work for now.

To celebrate this discovery, let's have a guess-what-the-macro-shot-is-of contest! Leave a comment and guess what the photographs feature.

1. This one should be easy. 2. Hmm... 3. Even though this is a bit blurry (it's hard to hold still enough), the macro setting really impressed me with this shot.4. This one too. My little camera can really zoom in!

5. Okay, so this one's blurry, but it's kinda cool.

The first person to guess them all wins....the privilege of knowing you're smart! No prize. Sorry. I'm poor. But don't you want to prove to the world (well, the five people that will read this) that you're a genius? :)

ANSWERS: 1. Dandelion 2. Juniper Berries 3. Jeans 4. Concrete Driveway 5. Cat Toy

Rachel's the winner with three correct answers! :) Thanks for playing ladies.

Friends?

2010-04-30T20:52:00.000-05:00

It would be interesting to know what babies and toddlers really think of the kids their parents make them play with. For instance, Colter has spent a lot of time with one of my best friend's sons, Carter. Our boys were born within eleven days of each other and have been hanging out since birth. They've always seen each other at least once a week, usually more, and because of their mommies' friendship, have been forced on each other.

Look, we even made them wear coordinating outfits. Okay, not really. That was just a cute accident.We think the boys like each other; they talk about each other and ask to go play with the other, but do they really? Is the laughter apparent on Colter's face laughter of the joy of playing with a fellow nine-month-old, or was he making fun of Carter's carrot-tinted nose?

A month ago, our two families got together for dinner and the parents attempted to play cards while the kids played. Not long into our game, Colter and Carter came into the room quietly like something was up. Colter fell over holding his head, and instantly Carter started to cry. At first, I thought Carter had been injured, but John quickly pointed out the blood on Colter's forehead. Colter had a cut on his forehead, not a bad cut, but bad enough that the possibility of an E.R. trip to get stitches crossed my mind, but after we cleaned it up, it really wasn't much of a cut. It did swell up later and spread apart, so we put one of those butterfly bandages on it to try to prevent a scar, so it looks worse than it was.

When we asked the boys what had happened, we didn't get a straight answer. Colter wasn't talking and Carter's story didn't necessarily make sense. Probably because he was crying. Carter's brother Evan said he thought Carter hit Colter with a toy, and Colter pushed Carter down, but he didn't act absolutely certain that was what happened (I wasn't totally convinced anyway). Well, as soon as we got in the car, Colter came clean and said, "Carter hit me, Mommy, so I pushed him." I got the story out of him, and apparently, either Colter tried to take Carter's toy, so Carter hit him in the head with it, and then Colter pushed him down. It was so funny that Colter wouldn't tattle on Carter.

The point to this story is that now, there's been a couple things happen that make me wonder what's going through these kids' heads. When we went to play at Carter's house a few days ago, Colter proclaimed, "If Carter hits me, Mommy, I'm going to push him." Yesterday, we met up with several different families at the park, and after playing with a little girl we know, Colter said, "Scarlet is nice; she doesn't hit me." I think Colter may be holding a grudge. Perhaps. Today, I had a substitute teaching job and Colter spent the afternoon with Carter. Colter shut Carter's fingers in a closet door and wouldn't say he was sorry! Is it wrong that all preschooler drama makes me laugh?

Most of the time, the boys have a ton of fun playing together and get along really well. At least I think so...I'm not sure about this look on Colter's face, however.

Maybe we should work on the "A friend loves at all times" Proverb...

I've Eaten Seaweed, and I Liked It.

2010-04-29T20:09:00.005-05:00

My taste buds have branched out. Now that I'm the ripe old age of 29, I decided it was time to be brave and cast off any squeamishness concerning raw fish and try sushi. Actually, I'm not sure if I ate any raw fish or not because in my sushi research on Wikipedia, I found out that not all sushi contains raw fish. Who knew? Last weekend, we went out to eat with my family at a Japanese steakhouse and my aunt and brother both ordered some sushi and offered free samples. That way I got to try some new things without having to pay for a dish of unfamiliar food that there was a good chance I wouldn't like and an excellent chance would make my picky husband gag. Thank you Chance and Robin!

I tried Robin's sushi first and found it less than delicious. To be honest, I didn't actually try everything. I wasn't really clear what was even in it (I think it was crab), and I wasn't anxious to try the unidentifiable green blob and the pile of pink stuff pictured below, so I skipped that part.I did some reading and found out that the green blob was probably a version of Wasabi which is a mixture of horseradish, Chinese mustard, and some green food coloring. It's supposed to be spicy hot, so I'm glad I didn't try it. The pink stuff was ginger, and I'm not sorry I didn't eat that either--not my favorite. This was probably the most traditional of the two types of sushi I tried from what I read. It had a vinegar taste to it, and while I am grateful to my aunt for letting me try it, I'm glad I didn't feel obligated to clean my plate.

On the other hand, my brother's salmon sushi was yummy! After reading about sushi though, I found out why. This sushi is a fraud! It's a Westernized version of sushi that isn't even served in Japan. Sushi in Japan is actually pretty healthy, but his dish has been doctored up with cream cheese, avocado, and I think it had cheddar cheese and bacon on top. No wonder it was good! I loved the fatty-delicious middle of the roll; the nori, a type of algae, a.k.a. seaweed Ick!, didn't kill me; I didn't have much of an opinion about the sticky rice; and the outer layer was tasty. All in all it was pretty good and peaked my interest about the world of sushi. I'll be trying more in the future. Japanese steakhouses are such fun places to eat--good food and entertainment at the same time. I wanted to take a bunch of pictures of our chef cooking right at our table and the big flames of fire shooting up around us, but Colter freaked out! Note to self: next time we go to a Japanese place, find a babysitter, because a stranger cooking at the table and shooting fire all over the place is scary! My poor boy was intimidated by all the noise and spent some time curled up on my lap gripping my hair, a.k.a. his security blanket. We had to go stand a bit away from the table at one point. Needless to say, my Colter-filled arms didn't get to take many pictures. Poor Colter! I could see how the experience could be frightening for a two-year-old, and I think I'll wait a few years before trying it again.

No smiles, tonight. The Japanese man cooking our food (who was really Mexican, but the restaurant owners must have thought we Caucasians are too stupid too notice) was too scary!

P.S. I'm actually thirty. Just thought I'd come clean.

Wordless Wednesday---Marker Pox

2010-04-28T01:41:00.002-05:00

A Life-Time Supply of Pantyhose

2010-04-27T09:00:00.000-05:00

I'm going shoot some honesty out there into the vast world of the web to be posted for all eternity, or at least until aliens invade Earth and destroy the Internet, therefore rendering man helpless and unable to evade alien attacks without the wondrous power of Google, because you know, without Google, mankind would not be able to read the 16, 500, 000 different webpages that refer to "how to kill an alien" (Seriously. There's that many. Google it.). Back to my honesty--I have problems. Big problems. I suppose it could be related to the genetic defect that causes me to play Facebook games instead of write whenever I have a paper due, or the problem could be connected to my tendency to start 33 projects at the same time, so it take years to finish things. Whatever the issue is, I have it.

Recently, I spring cleaned my laundry room and decided it was time to clean out THE HAMPER. You have a HAMPER, right? You know, that jammed packed clothes hamper full of unknown items, hand washables, things that couldn't be washed with the regular laundry, etc.? Maybe I'm the only one... My clothes HAMPER hadn't been touched in several years. The past few times I spring cleaned, I neglected to mess with it. After all, the disaster was hidden inside, and it looked nice and neat; why mess with what works?

When I dumped out the HAMPER to explore its contents, I discovered some mess and some treasure. I found a lovely, flowy pink skirt with silver sequins that I hadn't worn since 2007 that I absolutely love and had forgotten all about, several hand wash sweaters that since fashion has changed are now too short, a silky brown silk blouse that if it wasn't too small would be awesome, some unwanted bathroom rugs, two wrinkly white table clothes, Colter's entire collection of Halloween costumes, a dry-clean only suit that I'm sure I'll never wear again, and these...

Heavens to Betsy. Why do I have 152 nylon knee-high stockings and 23 pairs of pantyhose? OH, brother. Apparently, back in the day when I worked out of the home and wore skirts occasionally, instead of ever washing my hand wash-only foot apparel, I bought new ones. I think I was born to have a maid. Or at least a laundry woman.

After making this discovery, I decided to throw out conventional rules and threw all the pantyhose in the washing machine, and you know what? It all survived! Now, I have a lifetime supply of pantyhose and an empty clothes hamper. Well, except for that dry clean only suit that I threw back in. Shhh...don't tell anyone.

Baby SmackDown

2010-04-26T21:12:00.006-05:00

Are family gatherings at your house this chaotic? When we're all visiting, walking through my parents' living room is like trying to make it through a wrestling ring. It's nuts! Check out a few minutes of the chaos. Notice the amazing six-month-old-baby wrestler who gets in on the action and his sister, the Fantastic Flying Psycho Girl . They'll be appearing on WWE's SmackDown next season.

This brief glimpse into the adventures of my family is normal for us. We're a fun group. Bruised and battered, but fun! :)

How to Get Rid of Onion Smell

2010-04-25T22:04:00.000-05:00

THE GREAT ONION ODOR EXPERIMENT

This evening I made Pioneer Woman's delicious onion strings for a small army, a.k.a. my family, and my hands STINK. Actually, all of me smells oniony; my hair, my shirt, even, and this may be too much information, my bra. I reek of onions, people! For the greater good of all mankind and so my husband will allow me to crawl into bed with him tonight, I am sacrificing the well being of the skin on my hands to determine if any of the make-onion-odor-disappear legends I discovered on Google actually work.

The experiment begins...

First, I tried regular old soap and water. Even though I've washed my hands numerous times since I sliced onions earlier, I'm still very oniony. Soap and water has seemingly no effect on this smell.

One of the tips here is to try toothpaste. Hmm... I squeezed some toothpaste from my handy dandy tube of Colgate on my hands and rubbed it around for a minute or so. They still smelled like an onion. A minty onion, but an onion.

Several sites, including this one said to try rubbing my hands on a stainless steel sink for awhile. That had absolutely no effect except making me feel stupid for rubbing my hands all over the sink for no apparent reason. My hands still smelled of minty onions.

After the stainless steel failure, I tried vinegar. I think I was supposed to wash my hands in vinegar for longer than the 15 seconds I did, but the stench of vinegar was more repulsive than the onion smell, so I rinsed it off. I'd rather smell like a toothpaste covered onion than a jug of vinegar. Ick.

Next, I tried lemon juice. Technically, I should have kept my hands in the lemon juice for three minutes or so, but I have never claimed to be a patient person. Plus, I have a little cut on my hand that kept stinging, so I probably didn't give lemon juice a fair chance either. After I rinsed the lemon juice off my hands, I really thought it worked though. My hands were lemony fresh instead oniony. After I dried my hands though and sniffed them again, the onion odor had returned only not as strong.

I headed back to the bathroom and tried mouthwash this time. It felt nice and cool, but I didn't really notice a change in the smell.

My skin was starting to feel a bit abused, so I decided to try my Mary Kay Satin Hands peach smooth hand scrub next. I rubbed the exfoliating scrub on my hands, enjoyed the peachy aroma, rinsed my hands, gave them a sniff, and guess what! No onion. After a few minutes, the onion smell was still gone from my hands, so the experiment was over. I didn't get to try tomato juice, peanut butter, or a salt scrub, but that's okay. There will be other onions.

AND THE WINNER IS....Mary Kay Satin Hands peach smoothie hand scrub. Or a combination of all the things I tried. I'm not really sure actually; I'm not sure my experiment was all that scientific. All I know is that my hands no longer smell like onions. But my bra still does.

Saturday Night

2010-04-24T23:07:00.004-05:00

My eyes are drooping, and the words in front of me are blurring together. It's not really that late, and I slept in this morning, so I shouldn't be tired, but I'm working on an exam for an online class I'm taking--a class devoted to the study of literary criticism and critical theory. The textbook for the class should be prescribed for people who have insomnia, so needless to say, I'm not having a lot of fun. I'd rather be doing this... Or sleeping. That would be fun too.

Nature Painting

2010-04-23T09:00:00.000-05:00

At some point in life, the desire to sit on the floor and participate in imaginative play for hours disappears. Old people can only play Little People or party with stuffed animals for so long. I'm old now and have toy A.D.D. My job title is mommy; duties include playing with my son, but I only have the patience to play toys for a half hour or so, so we do lots of projects at our house. We "play school" or make crafts--not craps. (INSIDE JOKE--when my niece was little, she always pronounced "crafts" as "craps." She would ask Nana, "Can we make some craps?" I love speech impediments).

I got the idea for our latest project from this site. First we went on a scavenger hunt adventure walk and found a bunch of cool stuff like pine cones, flowers, and sticks. Then we used the found items as paint brushes and made cool designs. Colter thought it was weird to paint with items that weren't paintbrushes, so he had to use a paintbrush too. Look at the cool dandelion prints. I think I'm going to go into business making canvases of dandelion art for people to hang above their couches...Dandelion Divans. Don't steal my idea. And for your viewing pleasure, my kiddo's "cheese" smile--the fake one that gets plastered on his face if I ask him to smile for the camera. OH, how I love this boy!

Things I Want to Remember

2010-04-22T09:00:00.001-05:00

Ten Moments with My Two-Year-Old (In No Particular Order)

1. I told Colter how glad I was that God gave him to me and his Daddy, and Colter proceeded to tell me how I unwrapped him and got him out of a box. He could not be convinced otherwise. :)

2. When daffodils started popping up this spring, I excitedly pointed them out to Colter on our walks. Soon, he started getting all excited about them and pointing them out to me only he calls them "duck-o-dills." Duck-o-dills! Cute!

3. My boy was playing out on the deck, and I could hear him chattering away through the screen door. I opened the door to see what he was saying, and he got an annoyed look on his face and said, "Go back in Mommy. I'm talking to Tangent (the cat)." Well, exxxxcuse me.

4. While on a walk on a wooded trail, we could hear frogs "singing" in the distance. I asked Colter what they were saying and he immediately interpreted the frog-ese as, "The trees are growing! The trees are growing!"

5. Colter was very upset and started crying one morning when I gave him his allergy medicine. I totally didn't get what was wrong until he explained that he already had his energy. Energy? Oh! He thought I was going to make him go back to bed to get more energy. Allergy, energy--I see how it could cause confusion.

6. When putting on some pajamas that Colter got for Christmas, we discussed how they were his "Christmas jammies." Colter informed me that God gave the pjs to Jesus, Jesus gave them to Santa, Santa gave them to Mommy, and Mommy gave them to Colter. What logic!

7. Colter used an air pump from an exercise ball (that he had to figure out how to put together) to shoot crayons, wads of paper, and other objects across the room. He's two, and he's already building rockets. What will this kid do with fireworks someday?

8. I asked Colter to hand me a yardstick, and he said, "This isn't a yard-stick, Mommy. It's a garden-stick."

9. We've been working on potty-training (not going well by the way), and Colter's been very interested in where poop and pee goes. We ran into a friend the other day, and Colter opened up the conversation by telling her that "Poop and pee goes into pipes under the house." Great conversation starter. :)

10. We retired the crib and moved our boy into a twin bed. He's done a great job with it, but since Mommy and Daddy can lie down with him in bed now, he tries to convince us to sleep with him. When John put him to bed the other night, Colter got him to lie down a bit. When John got up, Colter wrapped his arms around his neck and said, "But Daddy I love you! I love you!" Awwww!!!!! It's hard to say no to that!

Wordless Wednesday--A Subtle Hint to a Dearly-loved Husband Who May Be Putting On a Few Pounds...

2010-04-21T00:01:00.001-05:00

Pretty Kitty Paw Prints

2010-04-20T10:15:00.000-05:00

We have lovely cats. Sure, we've had a cat break a fish tank, knock down a box of breakable family heirlooms, knock a step ladder into our car and dent it, infest our house with fleas, make disgusting messes in our garage, etc., etc., etc., but we still love our cats. Yes, they're trouble, perhaps more trouble than they're worth, but still lovable.

Who wouldn't adore this sweet, cuddly, pretty kitty?

Or this one?

Tangent and Sine (there used to be a Co-sine---he had an unfortunate experience with antifreeze that resulted in a premature death) really are sweet cats, and they are so patient with Colter, but they do make messes!

Like this one...

We've had paw prints on our glass door for months. MONTHS, I tell you! I don't know how many times we've had company, and I have neglected to clean the window. I've just left it as a sign for all who enter our home, a big, muddy confession, "YES, I am a slob. A slob with cats." It's time to let go of the paw prints. I attacked them with Windex and paper towels and cleared the window of any evidence of a cat trying to convince its owners to let it in. The cleaning process took all of thirty seconds, so I'm really not sure why I've left the prints on the door for so long. Perhaps out of affection for the cats? Perhaps I'm lazy? Perhaps the two-year-old's fingerprints on the other side of the glass kept me from noticing the muddy paw prints? Whatever the reason the prints that tattooed my glass door for so long are gone now, and the glass is all sparkly clean.

Until the kid on the other side of the glass trying to figure out why his mommy is outside taking a picture of a glass door smears his chubby little fingers all over or starts kissing, licking, or otherwise marring the freshly cleaned glass that is.

Why can't things stay clean? Messes are just too exhausting.

The Great Blogging Challenge

2010-04-19T22:17:00.003-05:00

I miss blogging. I miss putting my randomness out there on a regular basis for people to read or, in the case of my blog at this particular moment, not to read. I started this website in the spring of 2008, blogged consistently for awhile, and loved it! My main goal was to have a sort of diary of my son’s antics but also to have fun. I loved participating in different blogging games like Wordless Wednesday or Favorite Foto Friday and getting to know a few people in the blogosphere. Due to a lack of time and a need for sleep, I stopped blogging regularly. I ended up neglecting my blog for a few months, then going back and backdating posts, so there would be some kind of record of what my family was up to, but stopped reading other blogs and abandoned my minuscule place in the blogging community. I want it back. Blogging keeps me writing and keeps me taking pictures—two of my favorite things! It’s time to revitalize those neglected hobbies of mine.

In order to do so, I’m giving up TV. I don't feel like I've ever watched a ton of television, but I turn it on when I don't need to, like when I'm cleaning, and I know it makes me work slower resulting in wasted time. I don’t mean I’m going to go crazy and take a sledgehammer to our televisions and never watch TV again. That would be a little extreme. Plus, we don’t have a sledgehammer. My intention is to leave the TV off during the course of a normal day. Sure, I’ll occasionally use an episode of Little Bear as a babysitter if I get smelly and need a shower, but I vow to stop turning on Little House on the Prairie reruns as I fold the laundry. It slows me down. It rots my aging brain cells. And I’ve seen all those shows before anyway! I’ll still watch some TV with John in the evenings (although our show, Lost, is ending this season—sad), but no more daytime TV. No more Food Network. No more Dr. Quinn. I’m done! In case you’re thinking yeah, right, Jenelle, don’t make public professions of TV purging unless you’re really going to stick with it, I’ve been practicing leaving the TV off for the past month or so, and it's been going well. It's actually liberating and probably why my blog that was stuck in October for months is finally current.

I will always be pressed for time. There will always be a house to clean, children to entertain, meals to prepare, papers to grade, or classes to take. In fact, I’ve got several projects to finish up in the next few weeks for an online class I’m taking, and I need to dedicate several hours a week to studying foreign language to finish up my graduate degree. I probably should be working on those things instead of writing this, but hey, a girl can’t work all the time. Since I’m always busy and have multiple interests, it’s time to stop wasting time on something that doesn’t really interest me anyway. BYE-BYE TELEVISION. You’re wasting precious moments of my life. Get lost.

SO, now that TV has been banished, I desire to spend some of my found free time doing something I deem more worthy of my leisure time—blogging! Sure, this could be a temporary phase (my phases often are), but I feel like blogging NOW, so I’m gonna! To try to break back into the habit, I declare the next thirty days “Jenelle’s Great Blogging Challenge.” I’m going to attempt to blog every day for the next 30 days. We’ll see how long I last. Ready, Jenelle? Set? GO!

Who Needs a Petting Zoo...

2010-04-18T22:22:00.004-05:00

When you've got Poppy and Nana's farm? It was a lot of fun to watch Colter and his cousins interact with some sweet little bottle calves that reside on my parents' farm. Well, it was mostly fun. Trying to dodge manure and keep Colter from stepping in it wasn't all that enjoyable and cleaning the poo out of the grooves of the bottom of my tennis shoes (that are still in the garage even though we visited the calves two weeks ago) won't be fun either.

Awww! This baby should come home with me and live in my backyard. All the neighbors have dogs. Why shouldn't I have a pet, too? Or maybe this one! So CUTE!Colter wouldn't mind either! He loves the baby calves. The calves look a bit hesitant to come home with us though. They must know that they are destined to become...

SAD (but tasty)! Baby calves make me understand why people become vegetarians. I'll never forget a bottle calf I helped raise, Betsy, when I was a teen-ager. Betsy and her brother, Bobby, were twin Holsteins that were practically family pets. We had a relationship with those cows; we played with them, talked to them, loved them, and we ATE BETSY! If I remember right, Betsy couldn't have babies, so her only purpose on a farm was to become dinner.

When Betsy met her fate, my family had been out of home-grown beef for a few months and had been eating store-bought. Store-bought meat is disgusting compared to the farm fresh stuff. Really gross. After being deprived of good meat for awhile, I remember browning the first pound of Betsyburger thinking there was no way I could eat my pet cow. But then the delicious aroma of home grown beef quickly got the best of me, and I gave in; I ate Betsy. It felt akin to cannibalism, but it was delicious. There. It's out in the open. I ate my pet cow, and I liked it. Poor Betsy.

I'm rethinking the whole bringing-one-of-the-baby-calves-home-for-a-pet idea. I'm not ready to explain to Colter why it's okay to play with his food at the farm but not at the table.

Ignore my cuteness. Think cheeseburger.

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T20:53:00.000-05:00

A little silliness...Too much wind... A LOT of energy...
A smidgen of obstinance... A dash of goofiness...The combination of all of the above results in a not-very-traditional Easter photo but a very realistic and typical glimpse into life with a two-year-old. Enjoy.

So Long Winter

2010-04-03T21:26:00.000-05:00

Ireallylovespring! I did not alter the saturation of this photo at all; the sky was really that blue! SO AWESOME. God really is one talented super-natural being. Thank you, Lord, for your beautiful creations and for spring!!!

A Good Friday Evening

2010-04-02T22:54:00.002-05:00

Go Fly a Kite. Literally.

2010-03-30T22:21:00.001-05:00

Let's go fly a kite (Sounds fun.)

Up to the highest height (If the kite cooperates)

Let's go fly a kite (and doesn't go all kamikaze)

and send it soaring (like a certain psycho fish kite.)

Up through the atmosphere (Our kite didn't go that high.)

Up where the sky is clear (It tried to kill us instead)

Oh, let's go fly a kite (and nose dive on our heads.)

Let's go fly a kite! (It made for an exciting afternoon!)

-from Mary Poppins (and me)

If You Give a Boy a Cookie...

2010-03-28T23:42:00.000-05:00

He will end up with a mustache.

This is some sort of messy-cookie-face-Oreo miracle! Doesn't it look like I drew a mustache on Colter's face with a marker? It's so perfectly formed, but I promise, I did not use a Sharpie on my sweet boy. I gave Colter an Oreo, did a few dishes, turned back to look at him, and suddenly, he had sprouted facial hair! What's in Oreos anyway? Thankfully, it wasn't a goatee, just cookie. On the other hand, I do know a person who shall not be named that finds a lot of hairs on his pillow each morning...too bad that particular person can't just rub Oreos on his soon-to-be-bald head.

EEEWWWW! Mummified Worms

2010-03-27T14:58:00.002-05:00

We decided to open up the sandbox today and were greeted by worm mummies!!!! DISGUSTING! Apparently, over the several months the sandbox was closed, every worm in our yard climbed into Colter's sandbox and dried up in the sand. GROSS! We raked up a lot of worms, but I have a feeling we didn't get them all. I was all for buying new sand, but Colter was all for playing. Oh, well. A little worm guts never hurt anybody. Eww.

One Great Big Bad Biker Man Boy

2010-03-24T21:28:00.000-05:00

So, my boy isn't all that big or bad, but I heard that Toby Keith song with those lyrics earlier today, so it sounded good. To those of you that, like my mom, would rather stick your head in an oven and crank up the gas than listen to country music, don't worry about who he is. You wouldn't like him. Trust me.

I'm a country girl at heart and am getting kinda tired of living in town, but I have to admit there are some advantages. We have a lot of fun at the parks and trails in our town. Partially because it's just hard to learn how to ride a bike on gravel roads and partially because my parents are cruel and like to deprive their children (kidding, Mom, kidding!), I didn't have a bike or learn to ride one until first grade, but Colter will probably be zipping around on a two-wheeler in the next year or two. It's a lot easier to ride a bike on asphalt! At a park near our home with a great walking trail, he drives circles around us on his tricycle. He loves his tricycle!

Whoosh!

Any forestry experts out there? What kind of tree is this? There is a grove of these trees along the trail, and we don't know what they are. They could be my friends, but I need to be introduced.

Look Out, World!

2010-03-14T21:16:00.000-05:00

The prisoner has been released.

Can You Do This?

2010-03-08T21:12:00.000-06:00

Remember that silly children's comeback, "So, so suck your toe all the way to Mexico?" Don't say that to this kid. He takes everything literally.

Croquet, Anyone?

2010-03-07T20:06:00.000-06:00

If croquet ever becomes an Olympic sport, Colter's going to bring home the gold. I have no clue where my boy's obsession with croquet came from, but it's one of his favorite pastimes even though he doesn't play very often. He talks Daddy into it much more than me. Colter loves croquet so much that a badly written croquet song to the tune of "The Beverly Hillbillies" is part of our bedtime ritual. The words vary from night to night, but it consists of our family playing a crazy game or croquet in which balls end up on the roof and in our neighbor's yard. Yes, we are a little bit goofy. Just a little.

Fashionable, Yet Practical

2010-02-28T23:04:00.000-06:00

Did you know that a diaper makes a very good pocket?
It does!

Barbie Boy

2010-02-21T22:44:00.000-06:00

Today we celebrated two birthdays: my grandma's and my niece's.

Happy birthday, Grandma Jean!

Happy birthday, Alexis! After cake, when all the other little boys and Alexis ran off to play cowboys and Indians or army men, Colter stayed behind and played with his cousin's new Barbie!

Colter knows what the fun toys are.

Daddy is so proud. :)

MOM! Please don't announce my secret love of pink, girly Barbies on the Internet for my future classmates to find and torture me with at football practice! Oops. Too late.

Muddy Muddy Mud

2010-02-18T22:25:00.000-06:00

Sometimes, when little boys play at the park, it is absolutely necessary to strip them down before getting in the car to go home. Today was one of those days. Colter went to play with two of his best buds, Cougar and Carter at the muddy park (Colter, Cougar, and Carter are quite a trio--there all within two months of age and equally mischievous). It was a relatively warm day but supposed to get cold again soon, so even though all the melting snow has resulted in a mucky playground, we thought we had better take advantage of the 50 degree day.

Colter and Cougar didn't mind the mud. Carter didn't at first, but after he realized just how muddy mud is, he changed his mind.

Muddy Buddies!

Colter got so muddy, that I had to take his pants and shoes off before we went home. He thought it was hilarious to get to ride home in his diaper. :)

Story Time

2010-02-15T21:59:00.000-06:00

We love story time at the library! Once a week, we go to the library to sing songs, dance, listen to stories, make a craft, and get new books. The program is for kids three and under, and when we first started going to story time in the fall, Colter didn't know what to think. All the other babies and toddlers got up and sang, but Colter sat on my lap. No matter how many times Miss Mallory tried to bribe him to get up and dance, he sat on my lap. When she tried to get him to come closer to the story, he--you guessed it, sat on my lap. He was a lap-loving nonconformist.

As you can see from these pictures though, he finally buckled under the pressure. Now as soon as we walk in the library doors, he sprints to the middle of the story rug and is ready for songs. He follows every motion Miss Mallory does during the songs like a little robot. So much for nonconformity! He now takes dance and motion time very seriously and wouldn't think of staying on my lap. Who needs Mommy, anyway?

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-14T12:48:00.005-06:00

If the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man attacks your city like in Ghostbusters, don't worry, just call Colter. He'll eat him and save the world. This boy is a lover of marshmallows!

Colter's fondness for marshmallows began last summer when he spent a few hours under my sister's supervision. Colter wouldn't eat his lunch, so Aunt Jessica introduced him to MARSHMALLOWS! I didn't know that he had stuffed himself with puffed up corn syrup until later. Colter started requesting marshmallows in the store and suddenly wanted marshmallows mixed up with his animal cracker and Cheerios snacks, and I didn't even know he had ever had marshmallows before. On Halloween, Jessica gave Colter three bags of flavored marshmallows because he had loved them so much ,and I heard the story of his afternoon in marshmallow heaven. If Colter ever has to go to rehab for his marshmallow addiction, it's all Aunt Jessica's fault. Look what she gave him for Valentine's Day.

A giant marshmallow lolly pop! Yum!

Just for fun, here's Colter last Valentine's Day. Sniff, sniff.

Hidden Talents

2010-02-13T22:09:00.000-06:00

My art teacher sister didn't get all the artistic genes. Check out my impressive Play-doh sculptures! I have a gift, and now that I have discovered my hidden abilities, I will set out to share the wonders of my amazing Play Doh sculpting skills with the masses. Perhaps one play-doh pig will change the world.

One Lump or Two?

2010-02-12T21:48:00.000-06:00

Do other little boys have tea parties? If they don't, they should because my little boy thoroughly enjoys them. Nana has rubbed off on Colter (my mom has a thing for tea parties, see this post). I don't know any other two-year-olds that like to drink hot tea for breakfast, but Colter does. He also likes so set up a tea party picnic for his favorite stuffed friends, and they munch on delicious toy fruits and vegetables. I can't get Colter to eat his real veggies, but he's more than happy to eat a plastic ones (for pretend, of course). We've had a tea party everyday this week, and I'm getting kind of tired of plastic potatoes, but if pretend tea parties make Colter happy, I'm happy.Our party was so wild today it wore Colter and the guests out! Notice the basketball. Colter was missing Daddy today, so he insisted on taking a nap with Daddy's basketball. He associates his Daddy with basketball and pizza--I'm glad he chose to take a nap with the basketball.

A Picture for the Girlfriend

2010-02-11T21:36:00.000-06:00

I'm not sure what to say about this group of photos, specifically the third shot. I'll just let the pictures do the talking.

Photograhy By Colter, Inc.

2010-02-07T21:30:00.000-06:00

More snow! John wasn't home to help us with this beast of a snowman, and I hurt my back building it. It wasn't serious, but I did have to relinquish photography duties to my helpful son. He did a great job. I love the angle and love that he sneaked his kitty in the shot.