Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Sometimes an inaccurate memory is best....




Sometimes, it is so much fun to remember, to relive our childhoods.  Other times not so much.  I had a great childhood, even considering all the near death and maiming situations we were exposed to and participated in.  When I see vintage Fisher-Price toys I am filled with warm fuzzies. 




Sometimes a particular piece of Corning Ware makes me shed a little tear, and I love sharing "what I used to watch" with my kids.  This sharing of old TV is what brings us to the "not so much".

For example, I really loved "The Love Boat".  The glamour, excitement, beautiful clothes, exotic places and I really wanted to be Julie McCoy. I did not, however need to become cognizant of some things of which I was blissfully unaware.  For example, Captain Stubbing's great appreciation of   "Mountainous Terrain" as pertains to the ladies, Doc wasn't a romantic figure he was a boy bimbo!  Not to mention all the hooking up and innuendo.  Happy Days wasn't much better, The Fonz, who was so cool was essentially a jerk and those teenagers only had smooching on the brain.    "Get Smart", we love that but Maxwell is very into the ladies. "Gilligan's Island", a huge hit in our house but not an example of stellar thinking in that bunch.  "Isis" wow those special effects!  So what if she had powers from an ancient Egyptian God.  Wonder Woman we love her and that lasso of truth.  "Charlie's Angels",  well the nude beach episode=not so family friendly



The Greatest American Hero also did not pass the Huston guidelines of appropriate TV.

"Oh Zephyr winds that blow on high, Lift me now so I can fly."

This was going to be me once I became a D-cup and a brunette

For Christmas, Jenny got me season 1 of The Bionic Woman.  I am so excited!  Just after I morphed into Wonder Woman or Isis I'd be Jaime Sommers.  She was awesome!  Steve Austin was pretty hunky too!  So yesterday we popped in disc one and began with the crossover episodes on The Six Million Dollar Man.  I was so disappointed to realize she was kinda messed up and something of a hindrance.  Also, she was pretty free and easy about passing out her kisses.  I'm hoping after the skydiving accident, the bionics rejection and the memory loss, she will have gotten her act together.  I most definitely hope she ceases to send Steve mixed messages!  

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

It's important to me!

I've been a bit busy lately, shopping, wrapping, crafting and such.  All fun things but in between I have been trying to complete some training hours so I can help out at the children's home.  Even that activity has been interrupted, you know some one has to educate the children and make sure they are fed.  I did however manage to complete 6 hours of general training, 6 for First Aid/CPR hours and now today will be something called CPI which I believe will instruct me on how to deal with critical incidents of a physical altercation type.

I have to say while interesting this business of sitting still and listening is not an area of strength for me.  I apparently seem to have something to say constantly, I am sure I must annoy people.  Sorry.  You will all be happy to know that on Monday I managed to over come a heart attack, stroke and rabies.  Now I can even recognize the symptoms without reading it on a piece of paper.  I am trained.

I do however seem to have some sort of nerve disorder(unrelated to the rabies).  I stubbed my toe on Scott's ankle(more on that later), and when he was checking it out for brokenness I looked over and he was holding my second toe.  Now this may not seem alarming to you but I REALLY was quite certain that it was in fact my middle toe  that was in pain.  I made him conduct a series of tests where he had to close his eyes and guess which toe of his I was touching and he was right every time.  Me, I got it wrong.  I can only seem to tell if someone is touching my big or baby toe.  Scott for some reason found this vastly amusing; no sympathy at all, which may answer some of your questions about how my toe came into contact with his ankle.  He even went so far as to say "Tell me which toe your going to guess and I'll touch that one."  Really?  I mean granted that possible scenarios where you're, disabled at the toe and your blinded seem rare but I think I should be able to feel a difference in which toe is which. 

So the big question here today is this: If for some reason Scott annoys you, and without considering the consequences, you may for example kick him in the ankle, do you think you could tell without looking which toe is throbbing?



Tuesday, December 14, 2010

It ain't easy being crazy....


Sometimes I'm odd.  I know this and yet I cannot seem to change it.  I must not be overly concerned.   I know that this is true because yesterday while in training to work as a respite caregiver, instead of taking notes, I was overcome with the feeling that I am in fact very happy to have hair.  I know that many people have health issues, some life threatening and others just troublesome, that result in hair loss.  I don't mean to insult or offend I just realized I was grateful not to suffer any such circumstances.  I am very happy to have hair, much in the same manner that I am thrilled to have teeth.  I couldn't let it go so finally I made a general announcement and that seemed to help.  So yay I have hair, lots of it, Scott should be jealous.

I also know that most people aren't terribly concerned with their crackers.  Saltines are just saltines and blah blah.  I however love getting the perfect sleeve of crackers.  I always open the box and pull out all four sleeves so that I can examine the toastiness of the edges.  I choose the darkest ones and sometimes the tops are so perfectly brown.  Kroger brand crackers are the very best!  If you are really looking for a tasty treat, get the Kroger brand oyster crackers, no other brand will do!

I often wonder why my kids are so random, I probably should stop.

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Projects....

I have been trying to get some things checked off my list.  I got a few sewing projects  taken care of and hopefully will be finished with my holiday jobs by Wednesday.

This is what I accomplished today....




Thursday, December 9, 2010

hmmmmm...........

I have been trying to get a post together lately but I haven't been able to get my thoughts together.  Now I am just bored and annoyed with my self so let's see what happens.

 It's been a very enlightening couple of weeks here in the Huston house. 


Information currently undergoing procesing:

*Despite the  fact that it is acrylic and should scrape off easily, that green paint from halloween is still on the floor.

*Gorilla glue is VERY adhesive.  That bottle means what it says.

*According to Allye teenage boys can be jerks.

*Allye and Cora squeal VERY loud.

*I am much more adept at pin pointing other peoples flaws; my own seem to escape me.

*I really like having a king sized bed.

* I will probably never be willing to let Scott put his cold feet on me.

* People are sometimes very mean.

*Previously mentioned mean people make me daydream about torture.

*I do not drink enough water.

*I really like having blog followers,  it makes me feel special.

*I miss my brother Preston.

*I will never be Mother of the Year ( I re-ponder this occasionally).

*I will never love shoes that must be tied it is like prison for your feet.

*My dream life involves never being hot or cold.

* My brother, Todd,  is the only person I know who can get away with telling me I got him the wrong present for his birthday and it makes me smile.

*Jack Ryan is the very sweetest of babies.

*You can make a seriously cute toddler bracelet from a shower curtain ring.
See,cute huh?

*30 coats are heavy.

*First impressions do not seem to be as important to people as they once were.  Come on impress us!!

*I wish I were as smart as I think I am.

*Teeth seem to jump out of my boys mouths, 4 gone in 2 weeks. 

*My boys think its fine to leave said teeth on the end tables.  EWWWEEEWWW!!!

*My boys need deodorant EVERY day.  It is no longer an option.

*Fabric flowers really aren't that time consuming, go figure.
These are pretty cute too and really they are quick to make!

*It really isn't possible to think something into being.......

*It's a Wonderful Life still makes me cry.

*My life actually is wonderful. 


I sometimes wish that the things I ponder were of some sort of great importance, but mostly I try and stay away from great thoughts.  You know the whole with great thoughts comes great responsibility.... Don't judge me......

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

I am embracing the "Birthaday Week"

It would seem as if this is a time for self reflection, as I keep learning things about myself.  I have decided that I am okay with being 40, its just a number.  I do not want to be living or serving anywhere else.  I am so in love with Scott and content with the life we have carved out. I would like to think that arriving at this milestone will really inspire me to look at my life and make certain I am leaving the mark God has planned for me.  I was blessed with a lovely birthday week that included a girls night out at the Outback, an awesome gift of a weekend away in Amish Country from my dearest of friends and family, and finally a surprise party with so many that bless my life.  My heart is full and my blessings too numerous to count. 

I have however learned somethings about myself.  What?  Why, yes I'd be happy to share.

* I am a bed hog, who despite getting a king sized bed still  does not wish to split the space evenly.
* I am a big chicken.
* I seem to cheat at "sock hockey" without forethought.  I think it's an illness.
* I do not mind shoving my children while playing hockey.  They should move!
* My dreams of being a witness are not going to come true.  I just noticed an eleven year old lamp at the Jones' home.
* I can be high maintenance.  I do not seem to wish to change this.
* I am not shy.
* I do not like to miss out on fun things with my friends.  They should never exclude me.
* I will never be on top of dusting.
* Even though I know it is irrational I would like Scott to just know things I wish him to know and then he could act on them without my having to ask.  I get annoyed when he isn't telepathic.
* My internal dialogue isn't always as internal as I think.

Life is good and full, I am glad to here in this place for this time with the people I am surrounded by.

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Thanksgiving Day!!!!

One of my favorite things is Thanksgiving.  I love it for many reasons.  I love planning the menu with my mom, even though it generally looks the same year after year.  I love going shopping and preparing the food with her.  I am so thankful that she made sure I was competent in the kitchen.  She actually made sure I was not only competent in the kitchen but also at home among the appliances and food stuffs.  My mother is an excellent cook.  She just has a very natural knack for it and a great love of sharing so that makes her food extra good!  Thanks Momma.

I love eating the food.  The mashed potatoes, the broccoli and cheese casserole, French Onion Casserole, spinach salad, and ohh the desserts!  Yummy!

I love planning my Christmas shopping adventure with Jenny. I love playing games, and I love the talking and laughter.

I mostly love the people.  So let me tell you who I spent the day with and why I am thankful for them.

Scott-  His patience and great love of me
Allye-  Her joyful, ever encouraging look at life
Ash-  His sense of humor
Tucker-  His desire to always do the right thing
Landry-  His ability to laugh at himself

Momma- Her generous spirit
Daddy-  His complete dedication and loyalty to his family
Todd- His open heart and great love of everyone

Jenny- Her ability to stay on track
Barry- His willingness to say "yes I'll help."
Lydia-  Her spunk
Anna- Her quick laughter
Zane-  How he is such a total boy
Julia- Her Mona Lisa smile

Dawn- Her way of thinking things through
Steve- His great need to serve God
Jake- His desire for goodness
Cora-Her sweet smile and friendship with Allye

Tricia- Her wisdom
Mike- His love of family
Katie- Her desire to show God to her children
Mackenzie- Her "sistershood" with Jules
James-  His dimples

Leanne- Her calmness
Terry- His banana bread
Zachary- Being a good buddy for Z
Nicholas- Policing the other boys
Lucas-Protecting his mom from the scary Barbie van

Kendra- Her wish to be all God wants
Ben- His love of his family
Emma- Her feisty spirit
Kate- Her ability to laugh at herself
Jack- The way he makes my heart smile

LaToya- Her sweetness
Josh- His way of having fun with the kids
Brooklyn- Her openess of heart
Taylor-  Her subborn streak
Corran-  Those sweet cheeks

Brittany -  Her intensity
Shizoni- Her desire to play

All of these people are important to me and  I have so many reasons to be thankful for them, so I just listed what jumped in my mind. I am blessed with so many and so much.  This group of people is just a sampling of those that make my life richer.  Thank you all for being a part of my life.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

I'll probably live.....

Back in the day, I think I was 1 here....

It happened,  I turned 40.  Dah dah duhhnnnn.......  Maybe there wasn't actually any startling, mood setting music to announce the day but hey, it kinda feels like a crescendoish sort of moment!

I still don't know how I'm feeling about this momentous occasion.  I really like my birthday because it's so near Thanksgiving, and I love Thanksgiving.  Spending the day with people I love without worrying that
I should be doing something else = magic.  However, I did take a bath to relax last night and ended up hosting a crying jag.  Hmmmm.....  If you ask why I was crying I couldn't say, maybe because I fear the early or even inevitable onset of menopause.  I reeeaallly am not looking forward to hot flashes.  It's possible I cried just because I got soap in my eye.  Either way I consoled myself by not setting my alarm for this morning, so I slept until 7:30 and no one else was up yet!  Happy Birthday to me!

I decided to give time travel a try and see what about my early, middle and now this later portion of my life I could recall.  Let's see how it goes..........

I remember my parents telling me I was born in an army hospital I always thought that was cool.  When I was in 5th grade, we went on a trip to Wyoming and they said we were going to see where I was born.  When we got to Ft. Hood, Texas I was so disappointed that I couldn't see the tents.....Yes we were a M.A.S.H. family.

I remember when I was little I wanted my named to be Suzy Mae.  I made everyone call me that or Suzy Q.  It stuck pretty well I still have an Aunt who only calls me Suze.

I remember that my uncle used to tickle me until I could only squeal, he said he'd stop when I quit squealing.  This probably explains many things.....

I remember going through a peanut butter and pickle sandwich phase.  Yes gross.  Must have been a shock value thing.

I remember in Kindergarten at Morgantown Elementary falling in love with Jay Toney.

I remember learning about the great honor we should pay the American Flag and should it ever touch the ground it might as well be burnt.  Unfortunately,I heard "Don't ever let the flag touch the ground because it will spontaneously combust." Yes I spent my early elementary years terrified of our flag.


I remember that Christmas was indeed magic!



I got a Barbie Dream house like this...
A Fresh and Fancy kit like this...


This Drowsy Doll
My newest toy!
And so many other awesome things! 

I remember Shaun Cassidy.
I remember my Yo-Yo's 

I remember when I realized with great sadness that I was not meant to be tan.  In 7th grade at church my Mamaw very sweetly and loudly complimented me on my new yellow outfit and my nice white panty hose.......  I was wearing a flipflop style sandal.....no hosiery.


I remember when I was about 7 or 8 and I loved Snoopy.  My Papaw made me a Snoopy shaped shadow box and filled each box with a snoopy character.




I remember the turning point in my friendship with Jenny when we both knew that we were meant to be life long besties.  Yes, Isis brought us together.  Our shared memory of that classic but little known piece of 70's TV.

I remember calling home from college one day and this guy I didn't know answered the phone.  We got to talking and eventually I came home from school and we met.  He was lots of fun and he seemed not to mind that I'm complicated, so I married him.
I "heart" him!

Thursday, November 18, 2010

20 years later....

Well I am closing in on my 40th birthday.  I have been trying to decide how I feel about it, you know am I sad, depressed, on the brink of a mid-life crisis?   Of course that is assuming I live to be 80, I really hate to think I missed my opportunity to have a crisis....  I think more than anything I am kinda indifferent.  I really like big feelings so what to do what to do?  I still have some time to be faced with the reality of turning a big number so more on the feelings watch later.

On Wednesday, Jenny gave me a video tape to watch.  It was a video I sent her in 1990 while she was away at college and I was at home buying my first car.  For reasons unknown, I felt compelled to film the momentous occasion.  I filmed the tires(all 4, actually I just went back and forth twice to save the trip around the car), the bumper, the trunk and the cardboard on the floor mats.  All of this with riveting commentary.  I said things like "This is my car", "Lots of trunk space", "The cardboard is only temporary.",  "I've named her Sydney" and "Oh while I have your attention this is my Easter dress."  This has clearly demonstrated that my attention span has not improved over the last 20 years. I wonder what else hasn't changed...

~ I still rice krispy treats
~ I still do not like it when my parents do things different
~ I still like to out smart my brother
~ I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up.
~ I wanted to then and am still married to a dark haired, green eyed Texas boy.
~ I still like to have cinnamon toast with my hot chocolate
~ I still like road trips
~ I still love spending my free time with Jenny
~ I still get excited when my dad makes fudge
~ I still like to pretend I can sing
~ I still love to ride with the windows down in my car belting out a rock song.  Then I remember I drive a minivan.
~ I still love to find the perfect pair of jeans.
~ Most of my clothes are still blue.
~ I still like James Dean
~I still love big hair

How about you?

Monday, November 15, 2010

What a day........

So today was maybe the worst day ever!

Well, at least the worst if all you're counting are the trivial things gone wrong.  I had to wake up early and converse with people.  This could have been worse since it was my mom I was talking to.  I had to drink coffee not from my favorite mug.  I had to rearrange my day's original plans.  I had a minor altercation with the excessively bright sun and a guardrail.  I went to file a police report, turned into a total girl and started to cry.  At which point I had to explain that no one was hurt, I just needed to sit and "cry it out".  Once that humiliation was over I went home and spilled my giant Diet Dr. Pepper and had to settle for drowning my sorrows in mashed potatoes.  Turns out, I only thought I cleaned the DP mess up. What really happened was the drink ran slowly under the couch and after a few hours it made it to the other end of the sofa, giving the peculiar impression that a chair had peed it's pants.  So I had to move the sofa, clean the floor and arrive a bit late and flustered to drama class.

Anyway maybe tomorrow will be boring........

Bummer.....

Big Bummer........

Friday, November 12, 2010

More birthdays

Last night we got together to celebrate Scott and Julia's birthday.  By "we" I mean all the usual suspects, the Fuqua's, Boverie's, Zickafoose and Jones'.  My sister LaToya and her husband came by later and unfortunately my other sister Melissa does not live close enough to pop in for a mid-week dinner on short notice.  Daddy made a giant pot of delicious gumbo and we had cupcakes and coffee ice cream dessert.  YUM!!

After eating and visiting until 9-ish we headed home.  Walking home the boys were comparing notes on who got to consume the most dessert.  Landry only got two cupcakes, and Ash had 2 cupcakes and some of the ice cream.  Seriously unfair, I know this because it was announced loudly and with feeling.  Why would I ONLY allow 2 cupcakes per child? Why did Ash also get ice cream?  Truthfully, this 2 cupcakes and ice cream thing was because I wasn't paying close attention.  Anyway Ash told Landry if he hadn't been so busy playing with Jacob (the Jones' 15yo son) he could have gotten both desserts too. Landry promptly informed him that "Jacob is cooler than chocolate cake!"

How cool is that?  I would love to be cooler than chocolate, but that is a dream I will likely never realize.  This is just an example of the blessings that God has placed in the lives of my children.  Jacob is a young man who impresses me constantly.  He demonstrates such patience and concern for my boys it often brings me to tears. He makes them feel special and important, yet he makes sure he doesn't intentionally or inadvertently expose them to anything potentially harmful to keeping them close to God. 


Thanks Jake for being such a Godly young man and for keeping the hearts of my boys as near to Him as you can.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

A day with shoes on my feet....

I thought about creating a post last night, but let me tell you I just couldn't.  I had to relax and unburden myself from the trauma of wearing shoes all day long.  I mean actual tie up with socks underneath shoes!  I put them on at 7am and took them off at 11pm.  Those who know me well understand what an emotional ordeal this was for me to endure.  In addition to having my feet imprisoned for an entire day I was out and about for most of that time too.

The day started with taking Allye to PATH (her homeschool co-op) at 7:30, then I had to come back home get the boys and take them to the orthodontist.  Always a treat, the orthodontist.  I mean he smiles all nice and patiently answers the boys questions even offering to let them come in and spend a day hanging out watching people get braces, work in the lab and cast molds.  What he is really doing is making me think he is all wonderful in the hopes that my heart won't stop when I calculate how much it's going to cost to repair the genetically flawed open bites my boys are sporting.  So after I realize he is not going to choose even one of my four kids to say "oh I don't he will require much therapy if you leave these large gaps in his teeth".  I tell him we need to prioritize the work.  You know start with the problems most likely to lead to a serial killer mentality if it goes unfixed, that sort of thing.  He says, "I would really enjoy the chance to work on Tucker and Landry's open bites."  Now I am thinking if he would "really enjoy" it he could do a BOGO free sort of deal, yes? 

Next up we go to Sam's to kill time between the ortho and drama class.  We didn't actually need anything from Sam's but the library was closed.  We cruised for samples, looked at the toys, tried out the furniture and then had lunch at the snack bar.  This I recommend its cheap and tasty, the four of us ate for $11.00.  Off to drama next and that was fun, Allye is Lucy in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.  The boys are being extras, Landry is one of the frozen statues in the witch's castle. I now know he can remain motionless for at least 5 minutes while retaining consciousness.  

Drama ends at 2 and Allye has a run with the XC team.  So while she runs we get to the library.  On the way in the boys are arguing, this is a new hobby because after 11 years they cannot stand one another.  I was sharing with them my dream of harmonious relationships and a man approached me to say that could only happen if I took drugs. Nice! 

After we got Allye we were able to go home, well at least close to home we went to Momma's.  I needed to sew and since she donated her basement as my craft room we went there.  I was trying to sew some things that I can sell at our homeschool meeting tonight.  My stock is minimal but hey I can take orders.  I hope that my meager items are not totally lame.  More on that later.....

Anyway I left Momma's around 10:45, came home and released the prisoners.  I swear my toes sang.  Did I mention I hate shoes well wearing them that is........

Friday, November 5, 2010

Some people have big thoughts, mine are just ordinary.

I thought I'd share some things that have been on my mind lately.........

~Just this morning I recalled how much I really love slightly overdone bread products.  I like pancakes dark brown, biscuits just past golden and crispy, muffins to have a crunch on the bottom(but not a burnt taste) and I set my toaster on 4.  These are things that make breakfast worth eating.

Muffiny Goodness!


~Why can't someone invent permaclean glass?


~What started the hatred of dust?


~You should never take a poll of the odd things your sons may have eaten.  Just trust me.


~Do you suppose some people create horrible things just to get featured on snarky craft blogs?


~Since it's the thought that counts, can you deduct thought points for someone not thinking of where you could possibly display/store something?


~Can you imagine how long it must have taken to weave the fabric lengths necessary to create the "Bible Times" ensembles we see in pictures?  I mean no fabric weaving machine....  This makes me wonder did they really wear all those layers?


I know it's sad but these are actually the thoughts that drift around in my mind.  I have so many more but I'd like some of you thinking I am sane.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

I enjoy people, especially small children type people.  I love the differences in personality, the unique mannerisms and general specialness that makes the world exciting.  I have met some funny folks, some serious hard to know people and frankly just some odd ducks, but sometimes I think my kids are the weirdest kids around.  They say and do some truly bizarre things, but I look at their parentage and realize they can't really help it.

Apparently Landry went out without a sweatshirt today because he didn't want fabric touching his arms.  What?  Ash drew a mustache on his face with a dry erase marker, turns out those do not erase easily from skin.  Tucker sleeps with seven, yes it says seven, pillows and they all have names and assigned positions on his bed. His favorite is named Pilly.  Really.  It's true.

They are very sweet and try and give me compliments regularly.  Like just the other day one of them told me that he wasn't going to tell me what he didn't like about dinner because that would be the same as insulting the disgusting parts.  Yep neat guy. 

Do you ever laugh so hard at your family and feel so full from the wonder of just being with them that you feel sorry for everyone who isn't you?  I do.  Especially when my teenage daughter says, "I love our family.  I wonder why some of my friends don't like theirs."  When one of my sons tells me that sometimes he gets so full of happiness that he has to hug someone.  When my son wants to know why everyone's mom and dad won't teach their children to know God so they can always be together.

Yeah I love that my kiddos are strange.............................

Monday, November 1, 2010

Game night isn't all about winning, but that's fun too.

On Thursday Momma and I thought it'd be a great idea to have a girl game night so we set it for Friday.  Turns out it was.  So many good things came of this evening!  Let me begin be saying that anytime you are with people you love good things have happened.

The evening began with dinner, first good thing, yummy yummy slow roasted beef!  Momma asked Jenny to pick up so rolls, which she interpreted as "go home and make them from scratch", second good thing.  I only had to make brownies and this was optional, third good thing.  Third and fourth if you count to bowl licking portion if the day.  We played Pennies( or Hand and Foot if you like, it canasta)  and Jenny and I won ( I won't say who we beat) fourth good thing!  It was fun.


Quite possibly the most productive of our activities was the list.  What list you ask?  Let me tell you......

I was VERY casually and kindly informing my mother of yet another something from my childhood that maybe my parents should not have allowed.  So she flipped to a clean piece of paper and said "Why don't we just make a list?"  Now while I would have NEVER considered the idea of enumerating, on paper no less, the flaws of my parents I do like to indulge their requests, so make a list we did.

~  When we were children, we shot fireworks on Christmas Eve(I don't know either).  This was not the problem, we were in charge of ourselves.  We would shoot the roman candles first so that we could use the spent tubes as rocket holders for our bottle rocket wars.  Yes we aimed at each other.  The real issue was the item we were given to ignite our fireworks, as you may have already guessed, it was in fact a shovel of coal from the fire place.  I know for sure they like their grandkids better than us because this would not be permitted for them.

~ Loveboat (Captain Stubing even annouced he likes "mountains" the Dolly Parton kind!)
~Happy Days.  I know what those kids were up to now.
~Grease.  Although I am not sure this should be on the list she says it should.
~She let me go to the mall alone with my friends, now if my daughter finds out she will want to...
~I tried to get her to put Preston as a bad influential brother on there but she refused.

~Most recently I discovered that it is quite possible that an item on this list is what mutated my ovaries and may even have been the cause of my having multiples.  When we were young we lived in a neighborhood where the ice cream truck would rattle through and we would be so EXCITED!  Especially if we were in a position to get a treat.   We also had this other cool truck that would rattle through the neighborhood regularly.  It was a very exciting fog truck!  Yeah, I know right?   I mean we would run to the edge of the street and dance and jump around in the fog squealing with excitement.  It was pure joy as we followed as far as we were allowed filling our hearts, lungs and nasal passages with the fog.  It was such fun that  we were able to ignore the smell and taste of the pesticide fumes that were being sprayed in order to create this awesome fog for us to play in.  Curious, huh?

Now we never got to the list of good things......

~My dad used to play records on the stereo and dance around the house with me.
~My parents used to play Uno, Aggravation, and Yahtzee with us all the time.
~My parents taught us that Christmas is magic.
~My parents showed us that if you can do it for someone there is no reason not to.
~My parents gave me a childhood so happy I can't visit a flea market or antique store without a teary trip down memory lane.
~My parents let my brother write on the wall that girls were silly so that when he had a crush they could remind him of his previous ideas on females.
~My parents used to let us paint our faces like clowns whenever we took a notion.
~My parents would always take the time to watch whatever dance I made up to my current Olivia Newton-John favorite.
~My parents showed us how fun it is to open your home to friends.
~My parents taught us honesty is crucial.
~My parents taught me to love God and to trust Him.

Yep they did a good job.  Thanks Momma and Daddy.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

and the costumes are.......

Ash decided on Luigi as a costume, Landry went with Tony Hawk, Allye was Minnie Mouse and yep Tucker was a HOUSE.  No special house just a house.  It turned out well but really a house?  We meaning me decided the fam wanted to go cheap for costumes this year so we borrowed and procured for free what we could and ended up spending a dollar.  Now to be fair Momma took Ash out to find just the right shirt and apparently that was quite a hunt and the paint was kinda pricey ($12).  Thanks Momma!

These are the results........((((((((((drum roll))))))))))........

Allye as Minnie Mouse

Ash as Luigi

Landry as Tony Hawk

Tucker the HOUSE

The whole gang of bandits!


All of that to say this.....





So the week started off pleasantly enough.  I mean on Monday Scott was up and about fairly early but he very  kindly respected the no talking unless absolutely necessary rule.  He even consented to driving Allye to PATH, so I didn't have to leave the house until 12:30.  Actually I needed to leave at 12 but since I can't seem to convince myself that drama class begins at 12:30 not 12:45 I always leave late.  Not only do I leave late but I am usually yelling out to the boys as I go that I am sorry about not making time for lunch but dad will be home soon.  All of that was okay, drama class was fun and then when it was over off to XC practice or really a fun run.  I said something about wishing we didn't have to go and Allye couldn't stop thinking about  my comment so after 30 minutes she came to the car in tears and insisted we go home and then insisted it wasn't anything I said that upset her.  Yep I'm a great mom........
We declared Tuesday official make our costume day!  So I painted knee and elbow pads, found a skateboard helmet, yes I know we should've already owned one what with Landry on his skateboard all the time. I procured overalls for a Luigi costume, and then I built a house.  It was a cardboard house but I built it nonetheless.  I had a meeting at 1:00 and was heading that way until the tornado weather said I don't think so little missy."  So I stayed at Momma's.  I managed to get there 20 minutes late and we only spent 45 minutes choosing 5 menu items.

On Wednesday, what with the Tuesday tornado weather messing up my clock, I woke up late, not until 7: 57!  Meaning all the people were up when I got up.  Meaning they were all talking and such...ACK!!!  I still managed some productivity, I dyed a shirt, made paper patio furniture for the previously mentioned house, went to the other drama class and then back home.  Once at home Lydia came over for a bit, then the pink parade( Anna, Julia, Emma, and Kate) came over and giggled among us.  After the Boveries went home we had some chicken and dumplings Kate had 2 helpings so I guess they were tasty.  At church, we had a meeting and I kinda sported a bad attitude.  God cleverly reminded me that my negative thinking would not, could not stop His divine power. By turning the heart of a man to Him, God dismissed  my stinkin' thinkin', our dear friend Nick was baptized into Chirst and along with his sins my negative thoughts were washed away.

You'd think after overcoming the obstacle of pre-coffee chatter and a realization that I need my attitude adjusted that'd be busy enough of a week.  Oh but no!!  I remembered Allye had to get to the ortho.  Bad scene, let's just leave it at new brackets, bigger wires and rubber bands.  She is in pain.  Finally we get back home and finish up the boys' school work.

Costumes had to be completed because tonight was the first of our 2 halloween activities.  We I had to paint a shirt and hat, make a patch for said hat, and make Minnie Mouse ears.  I had a fabric spray paint to use for the to be painted items, this requires adult supervision and I am not the adult you should choose.  I put plastic on the painting surface to protect it, but it slipped my mind entirely that I should not be spray painting in the kitchen.  Ill just show the photo evidence.....
Doesn't seem so bad, just a little paint on the arm...
Then I noticed the chair....




Then the fridge...
and the other side of the fridge...




 And quite possibly the worst idea of all because I do not think drying the hat in the oven was a bad idea, was drying the painted items in the dryer.  At least if I was short cutting things and not rinsing thoroughly.....




Sunday, October 24, 2010

It is sooo hot in here!

So today I thought I'd confess to some of the things I am not so proud of but I don't seem to be in a hurry to change.  I am not a stellar house keeper.  I want to be a whiz at all things domestic but alas I am not.  I am a fair to good cook, a decent seamstress, a mostly loving wife and mother but I will probably never manage to wash the dishes as I go about my cooking. Thus leaving a giant pile that I have no interest in washing after all that cooking. My dream life involves having clothes in my closet ready to wear not clothes that must meet the iron before adornment can take place.  Even dreaming this dream of life without wrinkles does not inspire me to stand by the dryer ready to hang everything while it is still radiating heat.  I wish to be thin I would even dare say the size of my soul is a shapely size 10 but I can't seem to get past the sweating involved in running. 

All of the above would seem to be victimless crimes and generally speaking they are unless you count me.  However my most grievous and some may say annoying flaw is the direct link between my physical comfort and my ability to be rational.  I do not like to be sweaty, hot, tired, hungry, cold, sad, stressed, itchy, sleepy, confused, or achy.  Really, I know I should just suck it up and deal right?  The problem is Scott.  You see he seems to be a very tolerant person (sometimes this aggravates the problem) and he lets me get away with complaining.  I haven't said or done many things that have resulted in him getting to exasperated with me. However allowing the children to consider shoes as optional year round and adjusting the thermostat from 65-80 with no stops in between, are no crossing zones.  So I have say things like "Do not go out without shoes until at least April!" and I have to ask permission to adjust the temperature in the house.  Honestly he can be a real fun sucker sometimes!

Well all that to say it is VERY hot in this house today. 78degrees!  I mentioned it no less than seven times with no results.  I stood in the front door going in and out breathing loudly to indicate the pleasant outdoor temperature compared to the inside OF OUR HOME!!  Nothing.  It's possible I began ranting about heat stroke and the dangers of excessive sweating and how maybe I could faint from this heat.  Nothing.  While rushing around to get the boys dressed nice for Young Men' s night at church I began to experience stress. Where could the church socks be?  Confusion.  Where on earth had the belts disappeared to?  Of course my temperature was at atomic levels by now and I couldn't even think!  Did Scott care?  No, he was giving some lame excuse about between seasons and dealing with it.  I had to take off my shirt lay on the bed and absorb all the coolness I could, which let me tell there wasn't much.  I yelled for no one to touch me.  And Scott just hovered over me, exuding heat I may add, laughing!  Yes that's right laughing at my pain.  Finally I had to finish finding the boys' things so I got dressed and headed up stairs to complain look for the belts.  The boys' were concerned they asked why I was so hot so I told them their dad was a sadist and refuse to cool the house for me.

Now I do not need any dogooder improvers of mankind to point out that a.) If I were a stellar housekeeper I'd have known where the socks and belts were  b) If I were at the dryer hanging up warm clothes I would not have needed to use the hot iron, and c)  If I dropped a few pounds my body temperature would most likely not escalate to such a degree.  See, I know stuff!

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Old Times

I really love "Old Times'.  You know what I mean right?  That moment when you're really enjoying some friends or family and your heart is full and you're laughing so hard you cannot stop smiling and you think "Just like old times".  Yeah, I love that.  There are many things that I love.  Since I  had this very experience last night I thought I'd share some......(in no particular order)

I love my family
I love a good sandwich
I love to laugh
I love to sew
I love color
I love when I make Allye laugh
I love green and blue
I love good ideas
I love road trips
I love when people say what I did is awesome
I love the feeling of the cold side of the pillow
I love when I shave my legs and change the sheets on the same day
I love the smell of garlic
I love completing projects
I love people with personality
I love that people forgive me
I love old friends
I love things that remind me of childhood
I love coffee
I love pretending I'm organized
I love fabric
I love my mom's cooking
I love NCIS
I love when people are real
I love cheese
I love reading
I love knowing the words to the song on the radio
I love sweet cereal
I love not having fleas in the house
I love poptarts and coffee
I love to feel cool air around me while I am cozy.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Once again it's Wednesday......

My becoming a star witness doesn't seem to be panning out.  I embraced a child at church tonight, gave him instructions as though he were my own and then he turned around and said "Hi, Ms. Candy!"  So I am discouraged, if I can't pick the child of my womb out of a line up what hope is there for me?

I also seem to be failing in the mature woman of 40-something department.  Although I am not quite 40 I should at least be semi mature right?  Well not so much.  Allye was telling the boys and me something about her friend saying of you lick someone's elbow they can't feel it.  Well obviously I had no choice but to put my elbow in Tucker's face and insist he lick it.  Then I licked his and Ash licked Allye's and Allye licked Ash's. Landry not excelling at hand washing was not included in this activity.  It was a grand experiment but probably should not have taken place while driving down the road.  It is also possible that in class tonight when a certain charming young lady was painting her picture of Moses and said "I am getting some orange for my tits (instead of sticks maybe)."  I laughed out loud.   Yes, I am a grown up....kind of......

I took the boys to the glorious wonderland of the Wal Mart toy aisle today and they bought a new toy.  Yes that's right all three of them got a new toy that compliments the purchase of their brother's, it was a rare and beautiful moment of peace and harmony that lasted through the check out line and into the car where a heated discussion ensued about who went first........

Then it was off to laser tag, a new activity for us.  Apparently it was AWESOME!!!  You can run inside, in the dark, yell and scream and point your gun at someone.  What, I ask you, is there not to love?  So they played 3 games and according to the polls the villains prevailed each outing.  So today at "recess", we learned that the bad guys win and when shooting shoot to kill.

It was off to the Jones' home for dinner.  I must say it was excellent and made me feel very happy inside.  The boys being very excited about their new toy brought it in to force Jacob to play with them.  Tucker excitedly informed me that buying these toys was a great investment because they had given up video games ever since they got it. So let me recap.....3:30 purchase of toys, 4:00-6:00 laser tag, and 6:15-6:30 said statement of video game abstinence.  Yes I think I changed their lives today!!!!

Sunday, October 17, 2010

I Spy With My Little Eye.

Lately I have been indulging in my love of mystery novels.  I really like Agatha Christie but honestly throw anything my way and I will give it a try.  This recent, high intake of suspense and thrillers has gotten me on a path of self improvement. I have undertaken the challenge of becoming a great witness!  Now I should regal you with the deep and meaningful reasons that led me to this mission but, I can't.  Not because it's top secret and I'd have to kill you if I told you, but because there is no such reasoning.  I just want to be ready in case my eye witness testimony is ever needed.

You see Scott the "mocker man" has in years past made non-flattering laughing sounds at my observation skills.  Just because you don't notice a Lowe's being built in a previously empty lot until opening day, I say "Why would I be looking at an empty lot? My time is more valuable than that!"  If I happen to notice someone has started shaving his head a few years late, I say at least appearance is not important to me.  I think its rude to keep count of who notices what and when.

Now being a very civil minded person and not at all strange and/or bizarre I have decided to embark upon the journey to star witnessdom.  I do not think that this will be a journey without its trials, for example Scott has already corrected my observations 3 times and Allye keeps saying, "Mom why do you keep saying 'I'm a witness!'?"  See, no support at all.  Also I am pretty sure that if I actually were to witness a horrific crime the only way any details would come from my catatonic brain would be through strong medication and hypnotherapy.

Its true, the dark green(Scott says it was black) Saturn with a man in his late thirty's/early forty's, had a license plate reading CHEWBCA.  See I notice things.

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Today I .......

Finally!   We had an actually honest to goodness nothing to do stay home Saturday!!!!  I know!! I feel the same way, pinch me am I dreaming!!!   So let's see what kind of magic I made out of my day....

I began my morning with an urgent need to pee so I took care of that first off.  I decided to go ahead and stay up just in case by sleeping longer someone may have tried speak to me upon awakening.  Just to be safe I get up before anyone else in order to prevent potential acts of violence.  I then made a delicious pot of coffee and did some important Facebooking and blog reading.  I watched an episode of Bones on Hulu.

By the time I was finished with all that stimulating activity Scott was up and we sat companionably together reading novels.  I am a novel and a chapter ahead of him so I am trying to pace myself.  I had a bowl of  cereall for breakfast but for the life of me I can'remember what kind.  I feel certain it was super healthy and in no way is it endorsed by a cartoon character.  

I decided tidy the kitchen and spent about 10 minutes marveling at how nicely my lousy dishwasher cleaned to dishes for a change.  I added some white vinegar to the bottom of the washer and as suggested by my pal, Kendra, I ran the hot water until it was steaming and then I started the cycle.  Well really for me that was enough to call it a great day but hold on to your hats there was more!

I then completed the laudry and Scott was sweet enough to keep me company and help out.  He did the dreaded task of sock matching.  I know!  It's okay to be jealous.  After laundry I began sewing and I actually have 3 completed projects for the day YEA!!!!  I started and completed 2 apron/potholder sets and a swaddling pouch.