Whisper what you'll bring to me; tell me if you can

Saturday, I took the boys (the little boys, Possum was invited, but politely declined) to see Santa at Mrs. Baird's Bakery. We've never gone there to see Santa before, but I'll never go anywhere else again. The folks at Mrs. Baird's REALLY know how to do it up right.

First, they have a giant tent set up, and inside, it's completely decorated. Santa's workshop displays line the walls, and smells of Cinnamon Toast filled the air.

Here's a picture of Monkey and Mater enjoying their free Cinnamon Toast. I didn't realize at the time, but in ALL of the Toast-eating photos I took, Mater had his eyes closed. I think he was just enjoying that food a little too much!!

Santa was amazing. Once the kids got up to see him, he spoke with them for a minute, posed for a picture, and gave them a package of powdered donuts from his pack.

More than once, I saw him straighten the skirt of a pretty dress as they placed a little girl in his lap, so that she would look just right in her picture. The lines weren't too long, and once we were done, the boys got their toast, and they had coloring pages and a craft activity for the kids to do. (Unfortunately, there were so many kids at the craft table, and I'm not comfortable posting pictures of other people's children.)

The only glitch in the whole day (other than the wind - Thank Heavens that they had it all set up inside the tent), was when we stopped off at PetSmart on our way home, where SANTA was there for pictures with pets. My smart boys, immediately wanted to know how Santa could be at this store, when we had just left the Bakery, and of course, I reminded them how Santa can't be everywhere at once, so he has helpers that work for him, speaking with kids, and taking pictures with pets, etc...

Later that day, while the boys were telling their Grammy all about Santa, she mentioned that SHE used to go see Santa at the Bakery when she was a little girl, so I guess Mrs. Baird's has been bringing in Santa for quite a few years.

I certainly hope they keep it up, I haven't had this great an experience going to see Santa since I was a little girl!!

Strange things are afoot at the Circle K

Or not.
(I just love throwing movie quotes into my everyday conversations.)

Anyway...

Time for another giveaway post.

This one is a big one, and you will be glad you got in on it!!

Head on over to The Lil' Peanut Patch and enter their 12 Days of Christmas at the Patch. THey are having TWELVE (Yes, 12) days of giveaways, and two lucky people will each get to win half of those prizes. Yes, you heard that right. One person will win 6 prizes, and one will win the other six prizes.

One catch - You have to enter ALL the giveaways to be entered, so be sure to get moving over to the The Lil' Peanut Patch to read the rules, enter and win!!

In other news...

There have been lots of goings-on in the Land of Eternal Sunshine lately. I took off all of last week (and most of the weeks prior -heehee) for the Holiday and to rejuvenate my mind (or something), but I will be getting back on the ball very soon. I have awards to mention (and give away), contests that have been won, a very spectacular Secret Santa shimpent arrived, and more!!

Oh - and my nephew, the Tater-Tot (formerly known as N, or Nigel) informed my Sister that he wanted to make Christmas gifts. She's asked for ideas, and I haven't come up with anything age-appropriate yet. Please head on over to her blog and leave some ideas. They will be most appreciated!

I'll leave you with this - A little late for Thanksgiving, but appropriate for the time of year.

Sunday, we were at the airport to pick up Possum from his vacation to his Mom's house. As Monkey, Mater and I were waiting for Budman to go get him, I pointed out a soldier walking through the terminal. Monkey shouted out "Hi Soldier!!" The man smiled and waved at the boys, and we smiled back. Then Monkey shouted "Thank you for all you do for our country!" I got a little teary-eyed... Sometimes my kids really surprise me.

I don't know if the young man heard Monkey's thank you, but I hope so, and I want to say a special thanks to all of our servicemen and women.

FINALLY - The Weekend Update

Just not the one I promised three or four weekends ago.

First things first: (It seems like I say that a lot...) The work drama. My company informed me Tuesday that my position is being eliminated, and my duties are being transferred to our corporate office several states away (Not just me, they're doing the same with all 3 of the positions in our little corner of the department). I will be staying on until Mid-January to assist with the transition, then will be (hopefully) starting another position. I'm not sure yet whether there will be another job for me with this company, or if I will be working elsewhere. (Actually, there's a lot that I'm not sure of at the moment)

This was somewhat of a shock for us, but I'm really OK with it. I've been feeling overwhelmed and a little burned out in this position, so I think a change will do me some good. I also know that God will take care of me.

On to the weekend. Friday, I took off work to accompany Monkey's class on a field trip to Casa Manana Theatre. It was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed it immensely. When I took off to go on Mater's field trip last month, I didn't know any of the other mothers, and felt a little out of place. Fortunately, Monkey has FOUR other Cub Scouts in his class, and all their mothers came along, so I had a few familiar faces, and people to talk to. Not that you would know it, but I'm a little shy, and it's hard for me to jump in and strike up conversations. It was a fun day, even if we did eat lunch in the freezing cold* at the park. Brrr.

That afternoon, I took Possum to the airport so that he could go see his mother for the holiday.

Saturday was what the boys and I call a pajama day. They stayed in their footie PJs all day, we played and watched TV, played Cranium Cadoo and snuggled under blankets A LOT. Saturday afternoon, they put on clothes and BEGGED to play outside. It had warmed a little, so they got to play until dark. Oh - and I did lots of laundry. You're jealous, aren't you? Of the glamorous life I lead...

Sunday, the boys skipped off to church with Grandma, and Budman and I headed to the grocery store. When we got back to the house, Monkey headed off for his "best friend's" birthday party, and Budman and I made 10 jars of dill pickles in the afternoon, Mater and I played A LOT of board games, and did some puzzles. I also (finally) got to work on Christmas Presents. I'm making a lot of gifts this year, I can't tell you what I made, though, because SOME PEOPLE who read this blog might see it.

So, there it is, my weekend in a nutshell, not terribly interesting, but then that's life!!


*Yes, I know that to you ladies and gentlemen up North, I'm a gigantic wussy, but it was 37 degrees when i left the house that morning, and it did not warm up much all morning, in fact, it never got above 48 all day.

This is not the post you are looking for.

Forget the weekend update. I don't even remember what I did two weekends ago, and it probably wasn't as exciting as whatever you guys had going on...

Anyway, you'll have to be patient with me for a bit longer, I'm planning some changes to the Empty Mind here, and until I'm finished, posting may be sparse!!

I'll try, though, I promise.

Weekend Update - short version.

I could not even begin to tell you all about the weekend, it was too crazy - so I'll go with this:



And this:



That's what Budman and I did on Sunday. We are now finished with ALL the Halloween costumes for the family.

YAY!!

Now I can start thinking about Thanksgiving.

I am still donating my October revenue to the Alzheimer's Association.

And don't forget to enter the giveaway for my Blogoversary! You have until October 31...

Opposites, wondering and musings...

If the opposite of black is white...

What's the opposite of Red?
What's the opposite of Green?
What's the opposite of Purple?
What's the opposite of Brown?

The funny thing is, when I asked these questions to myself, an answer popped in to my head instantly for each of them. I'll let you ponder it yourself, though, without the interference of my opinion.

Last night was Cub Scouts night. I suck, I have so many pictures, and I really want to do a picture post, but I'm not comfortable putting pictures of other peoples' kids on the Internet, so I'll need to figure something out there, before I can post the tale...

Conversations with Mater:

Mater: Mom, it smells like Butt in here!!

Mater: Mom, Monkey's attackling me!"


Conversations with Monkey:

Monkey: "I'm goin' to town here, Mom!" (while drawing the coversheet for his Cub Scout scrapbook)

Monkey: "Mom, I'm keeping my eye on you!"

This weekend will be spent finishing our Halloween costumes, I really hope I can get them done. I'm still debating whether I want to wear my costume to work or not next Friday. We are allowed to, and will have a contest, but it's going to be a pain to work in all day... Hmmm... Will give it more thought.

Since Halloween is not over yet, I am still in denial about the approach of Christmas. Do NOT tell me how you finished your shopping in March, or how you're already starting on shopping for NEXT Christmas, I will hunt you down. I'll get there, the same way I always do... gradually!

First, I have to get into the Thanksgiving spirit, which involves me planning an elaborate menu, and all of us eating until we explode. Then I will be ready to think about Christmas. After I clean my family off the ceiling.

Have a terrific weekend. I'll leave you with this one - What is the opposite of puce?


I am still donating my October revenue to the Alzheimer's Association.

And don't forget to enter the giveaway for my Blogoversary! You have until October 31...

Scenes from a Walk

A few highlights from this weekend's Alzheimer's Association Memory Walk®. The kids did really well considering we dragged them on a 3 mile walk! We had our biggest team ever, My sister & nephew, my Aunt K, Cousins S & S, Aunt K's friend, K, my Dad and Stepmom and Monkey and Mater all walked and had a great time.

Mater - watching the opening ceremony...

Monkey and Mater

Monkey and Aunt K in the T-shirt contest. We didn't win, which explains the look on Monkey's face, but the group that did win was walking for a relative that had passed away the day before... There were a lot of great T-shirts there.

Remembering loved ones...

On our way. (Mater is on Papo's shoulders...) There were TONS of people there.

My Aunt K and her friend, K. (They have the same name, and I would give them names like I've done in the past, but my family has a LOT of 'K' names, and I'm running out of ideas!)

Miles of people...

Bad picture, but this woman was ACTUALLY carrying her dog. Huh??

Mater, Monkey and Nigel

Oh, and our team?? Raised $895.00 so far!! I will still be donating my October revenue to the Alzheimer's Association. Thanks to all of you who sent your well wishes, I appreciate it more than you know...

And don't forget to enter the giveaway for my Blogoversary! You have until October 31...

Today's the Day

The giveaway is now closed. Thank you to all who entered!

Today, I am walking in the Alzheimer's Association Memory Walk®. It is the largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer's in the nation.

I've told you all about my Grandpa Jack, and why I'm walking. So this morning, perhaps even as you read this, I will be walking a 5K (That's 3 miles), along with my sister, my step-mother, aunt, cousins, friends. This is the largest team we have had, and I'm hoping that Grandpa Jack is proud of us. But mostly, I just hope that he knows how much we love and miss him.

I'm not going to bore you with statistics and facts today - I've already written all of those here and here. Today, I just ask that you spend a moment thinking a good thought for us. I will be donating all revenue for the month of October to the Alzheimer's Association This may not be much, but they're getting it all. I really hope that you will consider taking some of your time (today, tomorrow, sometime this month) to click through. It won't cost you a thing, except time, and it really is for a good cause.

And, if you would like to donate to the Alzheimer's Society, I ask that you consider supporting me in my walk today...

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Now...

Today is also the one year anniversary of my blog. (Technically, it's tomorrow, but then I would have to write two weekend posts - when I normally don't even write one, and... Oh sorry, back to the good stuff) It doesn't really feel like it's been that long, but here we are - one year later!! To celebrate, I am giving away a $25.00 gift card to JCPenney. It's not much, but it's yours, if you're the lucky winner.

Here's how to enter:

1. Post a comment on this post before October 31, 2008. I normally wouldn't make it this long, but since I'm having the contest in conjunction with my Alzheimer's fundraising efforts, the 31st it is. (Don't forget to leave an email address, so that I can notify you that you have won.) **EDITED TO ADD: Contest will close at 12:00 noon on Friday, October 31st.**

2. For two extra entries, write a blog post linking to today's post and this one, and leave the link in a comment.

3. Stumble this post for another extra entry.

(In fact, if you leave all that stuff in ONE comment, that will really help.)

One entry per person, the winner will be chosen at random ('cause I'm ALL about the random), and will be notified by email. I will also post it here. If the chosen winner does not respond in 3 days, I will choose another winner.

Sound fair? If you have any questions, email me (the address can be found on my profile page)

Thank you all for a wonderful year...

Wekend Update: Random, random, everywhere...

Hello, remember me?? I know I'm a huge slacker. I still can't seem to turn all those "Drafts" into "Posts". I'm working on it.

Coming up later this week, the Cub Scout post I have been promising. I've decided to wait until after his Bobcat ceremony (is that what it's called?) to finish that one up.

Also, I have a circus recap. I took LOTS of photos (& video), and I would have had that one finished already, but life keeps getting in the way of my blogging (RUDE!) Plus, there's that whole camera slacker thing I've got going on...

So, instead I will share a bit O' the random...

Yesterday's Left-handed compliment of the day: "You're VERY intelligent in your own way." I won't share with you the response that came to mind...

I never did make it into work on Saturday. I fully intended to, but Budman had to go to his parents' house to work on their cars, and with Mater having run a fever the day before, we did not want to bring him around Budman's Dad, Pop, for fear that he would get very sick. So, the kids and I stayed home, I did laundry and cleaned house, and felt very productive instead.

Saturday was the Circus, thanks to Possum, who said "I don't have to be there until 7:20, I thought we would leave around 7:00", (Gee, thanks for making our plans for us, we MIGHT have had something else in mind, though - So sorry we didn't consult you first!!) we were very nearly late. My parents DID meet us there, and as I'm getting out of the car, I get my SECOND phone call from my mother (She's not so good with the concept of 'go with the flow'), who says "The man here says the show starts at 7:00. That's in five minutes!" So, we hurried over to meet them at the door, rushed in and found our seats. Possum, turns out, was NOT supposed to be there at 7:20, since the silly thing STARTED at 7:00 and he couldn't find the other boys in the group, because they were already out in the CENTER RING!!! Grr, the boy makes us crazy sometimes! Oh well, he made it to where he was supposed to be, and we had a lovely time. I have lots of pictures, and will share soon.

Sunday, the little boys went to Church with Grandma, and the big one went to the shooting range with Grandpa, SO Budman and I snuck off together!! We went and had breakfast at Whataburger, then swung by the auto parts store to buy a radiator for his mother's car. (Boy, does he know how to show a girl a good time!!) Sigh... Where was I? Ah, we headed to the In-laws, and replaced the radiator - OK, so Budman replaced it, but I totally helped him, AND if I had a Chevy S-10 whatever, I could SO change out the radiator on it. I could SO!! Budman said next time he was letting me doing it all. SO there!

Surprisingly, the radiator only took about an hour and a half, and we headed back home, where I prepared a little Seven Layer dip to snack on while Budman and Possum watched the Football game, which was a tremendous disappointment, and I Plurked.

The kids had Monday off school, so they were tasked with getting the Halloween decorations up outside. They also got to carve Jack-o-Lanterns!! The decorations aren't quite finished yet, but don't worry BurghBaby, I will share the pictures, as promised.

I guess that's it for now. I really have lots more ideas, but somehow, I'm lacking the words to back it all up!

Oh, and remember, my blogaversary is coming up, and I will be having a giveaway!! Stay tuned for more details!!! (Dang, I'm not sure how to spell that!!!)

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Please don't forget that I'm On the MOVE for a cure to Alzheimer's. (Read yesterday's post for more details.) I'm donating all revenue from October to the Alzheimer's Association. Please stay and click a while!!! And if you wish to donate to a terrific cause, I would be honored if you would support me in my Walk on October 18th!!

Click Here to Donate

Just when I thought...

Thank Goodness for Budman. Just when I thought I was permanently out of ideas to blog about, he brought this home.

It's a shoe-box. (I'm sure you could have guessed that, but work with me here...)

INSIDE the shoe-box, were these.

6 baby rabbits. (I was holding one of them)

He went to his mom & dad's house today, to help them with some auto repairs, yard work etc, and his mother asked him to take care of the nest of rats that were out in the yard. Only they weren't rats. And Budman couldn't "take care of" them. So, he loaded them up in the shoe-box, and brought them to me. I did some Google research, figured out what we needed and my stepmother and I ran out and bought some milk replacer, and some tiny bottles, and tried to feed them. So far, they are a little slow in getting the hang of it, but we made some progress. At this point, though, we're starting to think that they may be a little older than originally thought, so they may actually be weaned.

We don't have any intention of keeping them, so no lectures, please. :)

Normally, he would have left them alone, and not disturbed them, but they would not have survived had he left them. The In-laws dog was already nosing around, and between her and the lawnmower, they would have been goners for sure.

The original plan was to keep them until they were old enough to be released, which we could do here on our property, since we already have plenty of rabbits here. However, I may make a few calls tomorrow to see if there is a local wildlife rehabber who would be interested in taking them.

Either way, we are handling them as little as possible, and have already explained to the kids that they will not be staying. The boys understand about wild animals, and how you can't keep a wild thing locked up, no matter how much you want it, because wild things are meant to be free and wouldn't be happy if they weren't free.

But aren't they just the CUTEST things?????

The return of the weekend update.

Alternate Title: "Gosh, we sure are boring..."

Ah, the Weekend Update. I'm sure you've been missing it with all your heart.

Considering that I have the most boring life ever, you're probably thinking what's the point?

Anywho...

Friday was fraught with Ike anticipation. It was the only topic of conversation that anyone could manage, and I was starting to get a little annoyed with my co-worker, who gave me up to the minute updates, every.freaking.second. of the day. Flipping out that we might actually get 30 mph winds once Ike made it inland and up to our neck of the woods. Thirty mph?? Oh no! Whatever will we do???!!!

Sarcasm is my weapon of choice.

She was all day sending me pictures of random flooded roads and traffic on the I45. (oh god, I just said THE I45 - I hate when people do that!!!) It's not that I don't care, because I do - friends and family in the area and all that - she is just one of those people that grab onto something and CANNOT let it go. And freaking out is what she does best (i.e. Already this morning, I have been subjected to constant updates on the state of our economy, the stock market and, as usual, gas prices.) Good times...

Friday evening, we watched the news and played with the kids. I woke at 2 AM to discover that ALL FOUR of our local networks had preempted all programming for Hurricane talk. Some of them were even boasting commercial-free coverage. I watched that for a little while, until I could fall back asleep.

Saturday morning, we stayed in (TOLD YOU I have the Most Boring Life Evah!!) the kids played in the rain, we watched The Sword in the Stone, and countless hours of Spongebob, in an effort to keep the children from driving me going insane . The weather never got bad at our place, we had less than an inch of rain, and mildly gusty winds. Ike decided to head east to see the sights. I am rather glad of this, although I was really hoping for a good rainstorm...

Saturday night, as I was putting the boys to bed, I was teasing them about... GIRLS!!! As I climbed to the top bunk to tuck Monkey in, I asked him about his GIRLFRIENDS, and was relentless in insisting that he must have a GIRLFRIEND. (Use your imagination, sing song voice, tickling and general teasing ensued)

His reply?? "Snap out of it!"

I swear, I don't know where they come up with this stuff.

When I got to Mater (who apparently DOES have a girlfriend), I asked her name (He doesn't know), if she was in his class (She's not), what grade she was in (Kindergarten - at least he doesn't have the older women chasing him...), and what her name was (He doesn't know). Awesome! Amid all the giggling and teasing, his response?

"Snap out of it!"

Sunday was spent doing a little grocery shopping. I HATE when we go shopping hungry - We bought mostly food for lunches for Budman and I for this week and next, and I'm embarrassed at how much we spent! ON LUNCHES! Oh well, we likely won't be needing to buy anything for a while...

Other than that short excursion, we spent the weekend at home, on the computer, reading books, watching TV, eating ridiculous amounts of food, and just being the boring folks that we are...

I did laundry, but only because I think my work frowns on nudity...

The boys did get to spend some time outside yesterday, which kept me from going crazy and killing them.

Of course, after a while, I heard screaming, and as I ran to see what was the matter, Mater came towards me claiming he had been stung by a bee. I never saw the bee, but it had gotten in his sock, he said, and whatever it was, it got him right on the ankle bone. I couldn't find a stinger, but he had a small red spot on his ankle, and it began to swell almost immediately. We made a paste to put on it, which he thought was pretty cool, and he snuggled with me for a while, until he wanted to move to a pillow in the floor.

He's fine - apparently, he's not allergic, and I'm not certain that it was a bee, since we never found a stinger. I believe that some wasps don't leave a stinger behind, and we have plenty of those around our place. Budman did a check of the area, and couldn't find a nest there, so I don't really know what happened.

But at least he's got a good story to tell at school today.

Sure beats "We sat around and did nothing the whole time..."

Lazy days of Summer...

I've been so unmotivated lately. Vacation will do that to you, I suppose. Of course, now I'm back at work, and still trying to get back into the swing of things. I've switched to a 4-10 schedule. Four 10-hour days and one off. Unfortunately, we can't always have off a Friday or Monday, so no consistency. And, the possibility of overtime goes right out the window... Ah well, at least I will be able to use the extra day each week to work on schoolwork (or whatever).

We ended up going to see Get Smart (Thank you all for your suggestions) at the movie theater Saturday. As for dinner, I couldn't decide where to go eat, so I picked a theater that served dinner. I've been there before, and it was pretty good, but this time the service was AWFUL, and the food was so-so. We stopped off for drinks before, which was nice, and the movie was very funny. I think that Steve Carrell may be the only person on earth that could have done Maxwell Smart that well. I've tried to think of someone else who could have pulled off that role, but I can't.

I've been taking lots of pictures with my new camera (and I even uploaded them to my computer finally!) My kids are cheesy posers (I mean that they have to give me a cheesy pose anytime I take a picture), so I've been sneaking around taking pictures of plants and cats and squirrels and things (Squirrels NEVER pose...)

Here are a few samples.

Boys being silly (Please ignore our phallic swimming pool.)

More silliness...

The weed I replanted turned out to be a Sunflower. Now I don't feel quite so stupid...

Sunbathing...

Whoo Hoo! My camera kicks @ss.

This was done at the end of our driveway...

Remind me later to tell the story of how Budman darn near lost a finger while we were having our fireworks show.

Have a great week!

Half of me Giveaway Contest, More Excuses and Shameless Begging

This is part of PastaQueen's Viral video prize giveaway and super secret bonus content.



Head on over and check it out.

And - FYI, I'm going to be as lazy as possible (blogging-wise) this week.

I'm on VACATION next week, so I feel an overwhelming urge to clean my desk off (Meaning: actually work through the hideous piles of paperwork being stored in the spot where my desk used to be) before I leave for a week. This has less to do with wanting everything to be done, and more to do with the irrational fear that I will leave something undone, and come back to find out I no longer have a job.

Or maybe it's not so irrational. (I hate when I do that - begin a sentence with And, But or Or. But how else are you supposed to start the stinking sentence??) Please, someone tell me!!

So, I will be skipping the weekend update (Mainly cause my weekend was uneventful and incredibly boring.) and putting my nose to the grindstone (ouch).
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Oh, and it's camera begging day. So, Nikon, Canon, Sony and the gang... Get with the program - I NEED that camera - Vacation is next week!! So is my birthday... You guys don't want to ruin my birthday with my crappy camera taking crappy pictures, do you???

WELL, DO YOU??

I didn't think so - So let's get moving!! Send me that wonderful camera, I will be more than happy to review it for you, and tell both of my readers the world all about it!!!

a/k/a time flies when you're... oh never mind

I'm going to have to start numbering these... Not to mention finding a way to make our weekends some more interesting... Ah well, just the highlights, then...

Here's the weekend update.

Friday, we took the day off of work. The memorial service wasn't until the evening, but we were not about to spend the extra gas, to go to work, come home early, get us and the kids ready and drive all the way back up to the church where the service was.

Gas prices seem to influence more and more where we go. I don't even like to drive the 4-7 miles it take to get wherever I need to go in town. If it weren't for those pesky kids wanting to eat all the time, I probably wouldn't go anywhere EVER!!

The service Friday evening was nice. My uncle wasn't the kind of guy who would have wanted everyone dressing up all fancy for him, but we did it anyway. The boys behaved well (Thank goodness). There was a slide show, some music, and then people told their stories. My uncle was the kind of guy, that if you knew him you had a "story". There will be no funeral - at least not yet. Due to the nature of the incident, he has not yet been identified, and the investigation is ongoing. So, in lieu of a funeral, the memorial service offered some closure (as much as you can get in this situation, anyway).

Saturday, Budman went to his parents to help with work around the house, the kids and I went to get Father's Day gifts. I got T-shirts and paints, and we made hand print T-shirts. The boys each picked their own paint color, and I could not have picked better colors if I had tried. They went perfect together . We went ahead and made four of the shirts, for my dads and Budman's dad, also.

Sunday, we gave Budman his shirt, and the cards that the little ones had made for him. He was touched. (He should have been... The boys asked for my help in spelling. I got a piece of paper, and wrote the things they said they wanted to put in the cards, I was a bit teary-eyed just reading them.) Monkey, especially, who wrote, "I love you for keeping us safe. Thank you for being the best dad." Aww.... excuse me just a moment. 'Talk amongst yourselves'

Dinner that evening was, surprisingly, a success. Seems lately anytime I get in the kitchen, something goes wrong. It's part to do with my scatterbrained nature, partly bad luck and partly that I always get a bit ambitious in the kitchen. I planned the menu last week, bought my groceries ahead of time. And feel free to laugh at me, Budman does, but lately ALL my recipes come from bloggers.

The menu:

Bacon Tomato Cups from Robin at Pensieve - Oh mama, were these good... I think I overdid the Mayo a teensy bit, but they still turned out heavenly, and if I hadn't reminded them to save room for desert, Budman and Possum would have eaten them all. Thankfully, I still have quite a few of these in my fridge, and I'm kicking myself for not bringing them for lunch today...

Shrimp Scampi from My Wooden Spoon - This was awesome. I think I will use more butter next time, but it was a hit. Both Possum and Monkey went back for thirds!! Granted, Possum will eat anything, but he won't go back for seconds or thirds unless it's REALLY good.
What went wrong: I forgot until the very last minute that the shrimp we bought was not already peeled, and had to turn off the fire under the pan while I spent almost 20 minutes frantically peeling shrimp.

Creamed Spinach from The Pioneer Woman - I really cannot get enough of her recipes. I have not found a bad one yet... And to be perfectly honest, I have never eaten spinach before yesterday. Shocking, I know. I've never been able to get past the smell of canned spinach, but when I made fresh creamed spinach yesterday, I REALLY liked it!!
What went wrong: Not having ever cooked fresh spinach (or any spinach, for that matter) before, and being the stubborn know-it-all that I am, I did not look at the spinach until showtime, and I wasted another ten minutes removing all the stems. This is something I could have had Possum do for me, he was already hovering around the kitchen anyway... but I'm stubborn like that.

Carrot Cake from... a box. I had big plans, to make Sigrid's Carrot Cake, also from The Pioneer Woman (I told you - 90% of my recipes come from her!!), however Budman talked me out of it. He thinks I like to make things complicated. Once I started listing ingredients, he BEGGED me to just make him a box cake. Truth be told, I'm glad he did, if I had been doing it from scratch, I would have had to begin cooking right after lunch, and probably, I would have procrastinated, and not made it at all, and then I would have been upset with myself for not being Superwoman. I'm weird like that. So box cake it was, and my step-mother said it was the moistest cake that she had ever eaten, so YAY Betty Crocker!!!

So, even after going back and removing the really boring stuff... This is still way too long. But, if you've made it this far, you either really like me, or maybe it wasn't quite as boring as I thought...

Have a great week.

Weekend Update - continued

First, I have to say that my Monkey graduated Kindergarten last night!!

I'll have photos - as soon as Budman sends them to me - So today may be a two-poster!! I know you're SO 'cited.

But, for now - back to the weekend update. It isn't all that interesting, but I'll do my best.

Oh - and Possum's eyes are looking much better. You can see a little bit of purple if you look closely, but he's doing just fine, thanks for thinking of him!

Saturday, was pretty simple. Budman worked on the car, he was feeling a lot of stress about that, and when you're stressed, I'm not really the best person to have around. I can be a bit... clingy, for lack of a better word, and annoyingly accommodating. Finally, I recognized that Budman needed some time to himself (I'm not exactly a quick study). He went out for a while, I cleaned our bedroom, while doing laundry (and actually putting away clothes!) I had the boys clean their room and the loft (which is nothing more than a glorified toy storage area).

For lunch, I chopped up some leftover ham and made an awesome ham salad, the little ones, of course, don't know what's good, and preferred to have Mac 'n Cheese. (Neanderthals)

After lunch, I had the boys take a nap. (The little ones, I don't make Possum nap). We have pretty much done away with napping, since they don't have nap time at school during the week, but Saturday was stressful, and I wanted some time to get the cleaning handled, without having to stop every five minutes to break up fights or whatever.

When Budman returned, he announced that we were taking the boat and heading for the lake - as soon as the little guys woke up. I went upstairs a few minutes later, and they were both awake, so we got ready and headed out. This was the first time that we let them swim in the water while we were out there, and they were both VERY nervous about that - even though they had their life jackets on.

Both Monkey and Mater are a little afraid of the water. It took me forever before I could get Mater to take a bath without screaming - and showers are a nightmare!! We had a little pool last summer, and while Monkey would have lived in it if we would have let him, Mater very rarely felt the need to "swim". So, understandably, they were both freaking out a bit about jumping into the lake from the side of the boat.

But, mean mommy that I am, I made them get into the lake at every opportunity. Budman was in the water with them, and usually, we only let one in at a time, since I discovered that while I can get into the water, our boat doesn't have a ladder yet, so I am incapable of pulling myself back out! I'm so embarrassed to even admit that... No upper body strength, and overweight. YAY! But, that's OK, I'm working on it - and Budman promised to get me a ladder. Anyway, I wish I had taken the camera, because I will not be able to accurately describe some of the funniest moments that happened. I'm totally gonna try, though.

While Mater was in the water, he was screaming so loudly, that I was sure someone would call the police. He just about came unglued! As Budman was handing him up to me so I could lift him back into the boat, he said (still screaming) "I liked it!!!" Sorry Mater, not buying it.

Monkey also fussed a bit, they both like the water fine as long as they can touch the bottom, but that's not so easy in a lake. Later, we found a spot to do some fishing, and Mater decided that he needed to.. go potty. When we told him that he would have to get into the water, he decided all of a sudden, that he no longer had to go. Too bad, we lifted him over the side and down into the water, while he's screaming "no, no, no, I don't want to! no, no, OH MAN!" That was the moment when his feet touched the bottom of the lake. We were in a little "inlet", and it was about 2-3 foot deep. He felt awfully silly about the fuss after that. He took care of business and we teased him for making such a ruckus. He wiped his tears, and began to laugh at the whole thing. He even told the story again several times later that night after we got home.

We stayed out on the lake as late as possible, getting back to the boat ramp just before the sun began to go down. It was so very nice. I think we'll be spending most of our time there.

Sunday, we slept in a little and then decided to head back to the lake. (Aren't' I boring? "car trouble, blah blah, lake, blah blah, laundry, blah blah blah!" Some swimming, some fishing (I won - I caught SEVEN fish!!) Repeat. Repeat again. We headed back home, ate some hamburgers, and put the boys down for a nap. As soon as he asked to be excused from the table, Mater asked if he could go take his nap. Monkey was not far behind. Due to the heat of the day, and the VAST amounts of sun, even Budman and I took naps. After that, Budman spent the evening on the laptop, looking for our new car (Yes, my car is repairable, but it will be time consuming and expensive, and we've been discussing a new car with better gas mileage anyway. Guess now is the time.)

Speaking of sun, the top of my right foot is burned. The left foot is just fine. I have no idea why. Budman, bless his heart, burned his scalp (I knew I should have rubbed sunscreen in his hair...) And I managed to miss a few spots when I applied sunscreen, so I have pink cleavage and the backs of my arms are not feeling so hot. Actually, they are feeling hot - but you know what I mean...

Monkey and Mater, managed to avoid being sunburned, I'm a maniac when it comes to sunscreen for my two fish-belly white boys, though.

Possum got a bit of sunburn on his back, and several people have asked "Didn't you put sunscreen on him?" My answer has been that he's 14, and old enough to put on his own sunscreen. Is this wrong? I did remind him on Sunday, although he forgot to put it on his back, and is now a little sore...

Anyway, so I'm now wondering, Should I have made sure he put sunscreen on? Having your (step)mom put sunscreen on you - isn't that a little creepy? I generally try not to nag Possum about stuff, although he is forgetful, we are trying to teach him responsibility for his own actions, and not to depend on us to think for him. Just wondering - Input appreciated.

Well, there it is - Not nearly as exciting as I built it up to be, but that's our weekend nonetheless.

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In a butt-kicking contest.

Whew! Well, Here's the weekend Friday update.

Friday, Budman and I were headed to Mater's school because he won the "Insert school name and mascot here" Pride Award for the 6th 6 weeks. It's an award that is voted on by teachers (with student input) and it's for students who show good character. Yay Mater! This honor won him a certificate and a donut breakfast with the pricipal in the library Friday morning. We were planning to head into work late - after the presentation was over. Unfortunately, fate, karma or the universe had other plans. On the way to the school, my car died. At 60 mph. On the freeway. Yippee.

THANKFULLY, grandma was also going to the school, so that she could take Mater for the day after the presentation - and we would be able to head on into work. (Mater's in afternoon pre-K, so he wouldn't NEED to be there for another several hours.) So, we all hopped in Grammy's car, headed to the school,

then went back home to call a tow truck. ARGH!!! Budman was not a happy camper.

As it happened, we had left Budman's truck at my work on Thursday, to save gas, and because we were both headed to the house anyway, it seemed nicer to keep each other company. Of course, this meant that we had ONE car at home, and NO alternate way into work.

So, I got an unexpected day off work on Friday, it was spent doing lots of laundry. After a little while, Budman and I arranged to borrow my father's Jeep to go pick up his truck. After a VERY windy, bumpy ride (I have decided that I do NOT want a Jeep!) we got to my work and managed to pick up the truck without being seen by anyone who knows me.

On the way home, Budman got a call from the school nurse. At Possum's school. Apparently, there had been a fight, and Possum did NOT win. She felt that he might need medical attention, and could we please come get him. ARGH!!! So, Budman and I headed toward school to pick him up. Of course, as is our luck, before we could get there, there was a multi-car pile-up on the freeway, about 100 yards in front of us. We got to watch as the rescue vehicles arrived, and proceeded to shut down the freeway for 45 minutes. 45 very long, very sunny, very hot minutes in a Jeep. I actually turned on the A/C, which was less than effective with no top or windows, but I didn't care.

Budman called my dad to go get Possum, and once we were able we headed home.

Turns out, Possum is fine, relatively speaking. His face is a bit cut up, and he has TWO black eyes. I'm not really sure what happened, but apparently he and another kid decided that they were going to box after class. Ugh - Teenage boys...

This was supposed to be the WEEKEND update, but this is getting long, and I still have two days to go. Besides, I never have anything to post on Tuesdays anyway, so I will continue my tale tomorrow.

I'll bet you just CAN'T wait...

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Weekend Update

Here I am, back with another weekend update! Saturday was a busy day - Budman and Possum worked on the boat engine ALL.DAY.LONG. Monkey and Mater went with me to drop the clothes at the cleaners, and then they went to a birthday party at The Little Gym. If you have one of these near you, I highly recommend a birthday party there. The party was 90 minutes long, and it was the most well-organized 90 minutes - with kids - I had ever seen. Every thing went like clockwork. And boy, did the kids have a blast!! I had my camera, but for some reason, it went kaput on me, so I may have to have Budman take a look at it for me (Or else convince him that I REALLY do need a new one- haha)

After the party and picking up the clothes from the cleaners, we went home and the kids played in the driveway, while Budman and Possum finished up working on the boat. I went into town to get some Popeye's chicken for dinner, and then back outside again. My excitement for the evening happened when I ran up to the corner store to get a lottery ticket. I picked up a bottle of Starbucks frappuchino and some candy for the kids, and as I was standing in line, I noticed a man standing by my car. I thought that it was rather strange, so I watched him closely, then realized with a sinking feeling that I hadn't locked my doors, as he reached for the door handle and opened my passenger side door. Without thinking, without even putting down the items that I was carrying in my hands (and hadn't paid for yet), I ran out the door, and YELLED at him "Hey! What do you think you're doing?" Apparently, I scared the crap out of him, because he began stammering and apologizing and saying that he had the wrong car. When I looked down, he had already put his beer in my floorboard. I guess it was an honest mistake after all... I locked my doors, and went back into the store, where the gentleman in front of me apologized for his friend, and the man behind me claimed that I had "scared him". I told him that "I pretty much scared myself". So, I paid for my items, and hoped that no one would notice that my hand was shaking as I passed my money over the counter. When I got home, I told Budman my story, and he was NOT happy. He didn't know what I was thinking, running outside to confront that man. For the record, neither do I.

Sunday, was a little less crazy, Budman and Possum took the boat out to the lake in the morning, I had instructions to meet them there at 9:30 with the little ones. That way they would have time to make any needed adjustments before we got there. Unfortunately, while the motor runs terrific, it has some sort of transmission (is it called a transmission on a boat??) issue, where the boat will not go forward OR backward. So when we got there, Budman and Possum were making their way back to the shore, by paddling with a 2x4. According to Budman, this is a fairly easy problem to fix, but he didn't have the tools he needed there at the lake. All the same, we came there to fish, so he put Mater and Monkey in the boat, strapped them into their life vests, and let them fish in the boat anyway. So what if we were 5 feet offshore, the boys didn't care.

We didn't catch anything, and after a while we headed home for lunch - My aunt, uncle and cousin had come over, and they had brought kids with them. When the neighbor put her kid over the fence so he could play too, that's when Budman and Possum snuck out for a haircut. Grrr.. I managed to keep the kids outside, and when they finally left, I was completely wore out.

The kids didn't watch a minute of TV this weekend - until Sunday evening, when I decided that I had finally had enough outside time (It got up to 92 degrees yesterday - ugh!) I made let them come in and watch America's Funniest Videos. I don't know what it is about that show that they love so much...

Anyway, that's mostly it. It was a pretty good weekend, and I only wish it had been longer...

weekend update

This weekend was - thankfully - largely uneventful. Friday, I slept all day, took Possum to his appointment (He remembered not to ride the bus home - YAY!)

Friday evening was more hanging out in the recliner under a blanket.

Saturday, Budman and Possum headed off to his parents house to help out. They've just bought a house, and between moving, repairs, yard work and auto maintenance, Budman and Possum have given up ALL of their weekends lately. Unfortunately Budman's dad is too sick to do most of these things and his Mom shouldn't be doing it all by herself (although, she's a tough one!) and Budman's brother bailed to AZ, so there isn't anyone else to help them. I stayed home with the little ones, we went out to lunch at our local Italian/Mexican/home cooking restaurant - I.kid.you.NOT. Chicken Fried Steak, Flautas, and Ziti with Meatballs were just a few of the items ordered at our table.

After that, more sleep, then watching the boys while they played outside in the backyard. We picked berries, and the boys ate them with sugar. Budman and Possum got home very late, and he was exhausted.

Sunday morning, even though I still felt like crud, I volunteered to head back over to my in-laws house with Budman and Possum, so that we could (hopefully) finish up the hedge-trimming and auto repairs (actually, Budman handles auto repairs) and get back home in time for lunch. We had Grammy take the little ones to church, and we got over to the in-laws house and got down to work (after waiting for them to get home for 30 minutes) When I finally looked at my watch again, it was 1:30, and there was no way that we were going to be home in time for lunch. Budman had promised the boys a fishing trip in the afternoon, so after a quick lunch, we finished up and headed home. Of course, we were all exhausted, and when Budman found out that the boys had Monday off from school, he quickly decided that he would take the day off of work and take them fishing then instead of Sunday evening.

So, last night was spent being completely lazy. We did give the little ones their summer haircuts, (This is when I stop spending money on professional cuts for the summer, and buzz their little heads in the driveway!) they have been begging for weeks to have it done already. I was waiting until I was sure that it wouldn't be getting cold anymore. Monkey asked to be completely bald, and I told him that he would have to wait until school was out for that. He's almost there, anyway. I will have to get pictures, soon. For Mater, we can't go quite as short with him - he's so blond, that he looks like he has no hair at all if we get it too short, not to mention I worry about sunburn on his head. I figure we can slap a little sunscreen in his hair, right??

So, the boys (Budman included) went fishing today, and I headed in to work. I'm still feeling a bit yucky, but nothing to stay home over, so here I am.

I'm glad Budman got a chance to do something fun with the boys - weekends are often so busy, that it's good when they can all have a little guy time.

Weekend Update

**EDITED to add: I tried not to make this post sound whiny or as if I were complaining. I'm not, really, sorry if it comes across that way...**

Ah, this was a busy one. Budman left my camera at work, so I have NO pictures of our Easter frivolities.

Friday, Budman was planning to replace the alternator in my car, so I took his truck to get Easter baskets for the little ones, and eggs for coloring. As we were leaving Albertson's, his truck wouldn't start, so the boys and I headed back in to call him to come get us. Since my little car had a faulty alternator, and most likely wouldn't have been able to jump the big truck, he had my father come with him. Unfortunately, the battery was still showing a charge, and the alternator seemed to be the problem. ARGH! So, both boys, Budman, and I all rode home with my father in his pickup (NO BACK SEAT!) Thankfully, we were not far from home, but I was VERY uncomfortable with the arrangement.

Saturday morning, the alternator that Budman put in MY car was not working, (and we still didn't have the truck back) so I had to borrow my step-mother's car to take the boys to my mother's for our family Easter egg hunt. Budman put the old alternator back in my car, and went off to help his brother build something.

We had lunch at my mom's house, and then Easter egg hunting with all my cousin's kids. Seems there's a lot of sickness going around these days, so we had a skeleton crew this year. My mother has 6 siblings, I have MANY cousins, and out of the 8 or so of us that live in town we usually have around 15 kids each year. We only had 10 this time, still quite a few... Monkey & Mater were VERY well behaved, I was so proud of them. Funny, don't you just LOVE getting your kids around other kids - just so you can see that yours aren't so bad after all?? Budman, worked all day with his brother, and came home late, falling asleep on the couch instantly, poor thing.

Sunday, we headed off to get his truck from the Albertson's parking lot. Turns out, it wasn't his alternator, only the battery (weird, they even tested it at the auto parts store, and said it was fine.) Anyway, the new battery did the trick, and we brought the truck home. When we got there, Grammy was loading the boys in the car, to go get Papo J; he had run up to the corner store, where the BATTERY died on his Jeep - it wouldn't start, and she needed to go rescue him. LOL! They're all convinced I'm a jinx! I pulled the boys from the car so we could get the eggs colored for our Easter Egg hunt that afternoon with my cousins from my father's side of the family. Budman volunteered to go get Papo J.

We kinda had to laugh at all the car issues this weekend. I told Budman that we should just be thankful they all happened now, while we still have tax money instead of some week when we can't afford it. That's normally our luck!! Besides, he said it was finttin for Easter weekend, since his truck died on Friday, and we fixed it on Sunday (;-P I told him that was sacrilege!!)

Anyway, Uncle K and his gang were coming over for lunch, but were running late because they had car trouble (LMAO!!) then Easter egg hunting and off to the airport so that we could pick up Possum. We got home just in time to put the little ones to bed, and off to sleep ourselves not long after.

Why are weekends so tiring? Why do I always expect to get rested up on the weekends? I should know by now resting up is what work is for!