Thursday, April 30, 2009

Veggies and Fruits


We received another local grown veggie/fruit delivery today. We received:

2 very large zucchini - local
1 container grape tomatoes - local
2 jumbo sweet onions - local
1 head romaine lettuce - local
8 gala apples
strawberries - local

8 d'anjou pears
5 bananas

I'm excited to try a recipe for Strawberry Bread that is in the Simply In Season (World Community Cookbook) that I received from a dear friend as a sweet surprise! Recently I read on her blog that SHE tried it and it was SO yummy, so I'm super excited to make it!! I have everything except the whole wheat flour, so I'm going to run out and get more of that this afternoon, since the strawberries we received need to be used within 1-2 days, as there is no fungicides sprayed on them to keep from molding.

Strawberry Bread from: Simply In Season (World Community Cookbook)

1 cup flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 & 1/4 cups strawberries (mashed)
3/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup oil
2 eggs
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Mix together in a large bowl, stirring until just combined. Pour into greased loaf pan and bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, appx. 1 hour. My friend said hers took around 45 min... so I guess it needs to be checked around 40 minutes in.... I'll re-post once I bake ours!

Here's another recipe I was offered up in my delivery today for Balsamic Strawberries with Whipped Marscapone Cheese ..... may have to try that soon too!!

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Wordless Wednesday - April Blooms


Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Tuesday is Random

  • My dad called me today, he's vacationing in Gatlinberg TN. He called to tell me that this morning they were visited by a very large black bear. It ripped up the hottub cover and decided to take a drink from the hottub. THEN, it came back LATER to finish ripping the cover off and proceeded to lay down in the hottub and get a bath - dad took pictures this time. My dad said this bear was a good bit taller then him and when it got out of the hottub it shook off much like a dog would after being wet, it stared at my dad and stepmom through the windows and then went away. They have 4 more days on vacation... they went to tell the property management company of the cabin they're staying in, and they told my dad that this has happened a few times already. Um, scary!!
  • My SIL/BIL are one step closer to adopting that son of theirs!!! Go read all about it HERE.
  • I had a photo for a friend to scan in, I had put it in my purse and couldn't find it!! I thought I lost it.... so I looked in my car SEVERAL (at least 6) times, in my house everywhere I'd have put it, then I went dumpster diving. Yeah, I said it - I dug thru my trash for her. She's a dear friend and I felt like total CRAP because I couldn't find the dang picture!!! Thankfully I separate my trash into recycle bins, so I had a TON of paper trash to go through. After sorting and sifting through that, I didn't find it! So, back to the drawing board.... I found it in my CAR in the dash compartment. WHY???? I never put stuff there!!! WILD. Anyway, I'm happy, she's happy - and the picture is sure to be a great WW. Check it out at http://www.momspective.com/ tomorrow.
  • I keep scissors in my purse. You just never know when you're going to need scissors... like, when your 3yo is sitting in the back seat with a string on his sock and doesn't like the 'yucky sock'... I will whip my scissors out like Mrs. Gadget and snip that string off at a stoplight.... OR for clipping coupons in the carpool line... OR for when you are at a fast food place, and you order a SMALL drink and they give you this abnormally LARGE straw? WTF is that about????? SO..... for my kids (the toddler especially) sake, to keep them from poking his eyes out, I will snip a good bit of the straw off to make it easier for him. Well, I end up with these straw bits that are about 1-2 inches long.... the other day I started thinking... it'd be really bad for me if I get pulled over and a cop see's those. They're sure to assume I have a nose candy problem with 10 or 20 of those baby's mixed in my purse and my cup holder. HA.
  • I broke my tooth and will likely end up with a root canal - and I'm scared of the dentist like I'm 2 years old. Honestly, I'd rather have full blown labor again without an epidural.... I'd rather go back into the operating room for a emergency c-section and FEEL it again. I'd rather have someone torture me by pulling my fingernails out..... do you get the picture? I'm a big sissy!!
  • My husband went back to work this week after a 3 month temp. layoff. Thank goodness, because it's not like they're handing out jobs these days for artists.
  • Last, and certainly not least.... on a very serious note. Please PLEASE PLEASE stop by Gorillabuns and show some love. Thalon was just under 4 months old and received his angel wings and left this world suddenly. His mommy, daddy and siblings need support, prayers, encouragement, and to just know that they're being thought of. Please be sure to take time to read her last 2 or 3 posts. "Slow Motion" REALLY blew me away, the raw heart she wrote with made me cry my eyes out. "time" is also a post that hit me hard emotionally. Anyway, they need the blog community to reach out... she has certainly laid her heart out there for us.... lets reach back and hug her.

Random Tuesday Thoughts - bears, trashcans, and straws





  • My dad called me today, he's vacationing in Gatlinberg TN. He called to tell me that this morning they were visited by a very large black bear. It ripped up the hottub cover and decided to take a drink from the hottub. THEN, it came back LATER to finish ripping the cover off and proceeded to lay down in the hottub and get a bath - dad took pictures this time. My dad said this bear was a good bit taller then him and when it got out of the hottub it shook off much like a dog would after being wet, it stared at my dad and stepmom through the windows and then went away. They have 4 more days on vacation... they went to tell the property management company of the cabin they're staying in, and they told my dad that this has happened a few times already. Um, scary!!
  • I had a photo for a friend to scan in, I had put it in my purse and couldn't find it!! I thought I lost it.... so I looked in my car SEVERAL (at least 6) times, in my house everywhere I'd have put it, then I went dumpster diving. Yeah, I said it - I dug thru my trash for her. She's a dear friend and I felt like total CRAP because I couldn't find the dang picture!!! Thankfully I separate my trash into recycle bins, so I had a TON of paper trash to go through. After sorting and sifting through that, I didn't find it! So, back to the drawing board.... I found it in my CAR in the dash compartment. WHY???? I never put stuff there!!! WILD. Anyway, I'm happy, she's happy - and the picture is sure to be a great WW. Check it out at http://www.momspective.com/ tomorrow.
  • I keep scissors in my purse. You just never know when you're going to need scissors... like, when your 3yo is sitting in the back seat with a string on his sock and doesn't like the 'yucky sock'... I will whip my scissors out like Mrs. Gadget and snip that string off at a stoplight.... OR for clipping coupons in the carpool line... OR for when you are at a fast food place, and you order a SMALL drink and they give you this abnormally LARGE straw? WTF is that about????? SO..... for my kids (the toddler especially) sake, to keep them from poking his eyes out, I will snip a good bit of the straw off to make it easier for him. Well, I end up with these straw bits that are about 1-2 inches long.... the other day I started thinking... it'd be really bad for me if I get pulled over and a cop see's those. They're sure to assume I have a nose candy problem with 10 or 20 of those baby's mixed in my purse and my cup holder. HA.
  • I broke my tooth and will likely end up with a root canal - and I'm scared of the dentist like I'm 2 years old. Honestly, I'd rather have full blown labor again without an epidural.... I'd rather go back into the operating room for a emergency c-section and FEEL it again. I'd rather have someone torture me by pulling my fingernails out..... do you get the picture? I'm a big sissy!!
  • My husband went back to work this week after a 3 month temp. layoff. Thank goodness, because it's not like they're handing out jobs these days for artists.
  • Last, and certainly not least.... on a very serious note. Please PLEASE PLEASE stop by Gorillabuns and show some love. Thalon was just under 4 months old and received his angel wings and left this world suddenly. His mommy, daddy and siblings need support, prayers, encouragement, and to just know that they're being thought of. Please be sure to take time to read her last 2 or 3 posts. "Slow Motion" REALLY blew me away, the raw heart she wrote with made me cry my eyes out. "time" is also a post that hit me hard emotionally. Anyway, they need the blog community to reach out... she has certainly laid her heart out there for us.... lets reach back and hug her.

Go visit Keely for more Random Tuesday !



Sunday, April 26, 2009

waterfront

Peaceful moments with my family. I wouldn't change a thing about our time spent at the lake today... it was much needed and GORGEOUS weather to boot!
The gentle calm and sounds of the lakefront always has a way of making everything about life seem to flow so smoothly and easily, just like the water rolling over the rocks up onto the shore.

In 5 Minutes or Less...

Haven't been much on blogging lately, here or my other blog for that matter... spring is sprung and that has kicked my butt in gear with outdoor activities, library activities, crafts, flower projects, spring cleaning - and in general some changes. So... short and brief...

  • The husband is on the mend from being sick. He's also headed back to work on Monday after a temporary layoff for 3 months, I never blogged about it - didn't want comments about it, there's plenty of people worse off... we've been super fortunate and had many opened doors with freelance offers. He's extremely talented, and evidently that's still a valued trait in today's failing economy... seriously, I/we figured that ART would be the last thing on demand in the consumer world these days!!
  • Little J is sick again with another yucky cold + really really yucky allergies. The doctor prescribed 2 Rx for allergies, and then has suggested us to alternate 2 OTC allergy meds daily. For now, we're doing ok with alternating the two OTC's that are tried, true and trusted. The doc. suggested the other 2 as back ups in case these seem to stop working... for now, we're going to stick with the tried and true... it seems to be working.
  • We visited Tiger World this weekend and had a BLAST with the kids. They both learned alot about the animals there, most importantly, they had fun doing it!
  • I had my hair cut off, and went shopping for me. I haven't went shopping for ME in over 3 years!! I'm tired of staring at the same old clothes in the closet, so I decided that it was time for me to realize that I needed to make a few changes...
  • Big E got glasses, and looks pretty snazzy in them!! We were concerned that he may feel like the odd man out wearing them in class, but he really loves his new specs!! He's also the proud owner of a yellow belt in TaiKwon Do. He's worked hard for it, and we're proud for him, and of him.
  • This past week was full of funerals for my extended family, I couldn't get to any of them and found out about one of them on the day OF the funeral!! Seemed like every day my dad called me to tell me, or I read about it on FB from my family... when it rains it pours, right?
  • A friend of mine from highschool married the principle of our highschool's daughter... they're both finishing their fellowships in cardiology... and they welcomed TRIPLETS into this world this week. We've not kept in touch, and we found each other on facebook. I'm so happy for them!! And from what I read, they were super surprised to find out they were carrying triples! She carried them up to 33 weeks!!
  • Another friend of mine wrote me this week to tell me about an earthquake that just happened at her house. While another friend was posting messages about HER friend being locked in Target during a Tornado in a completely different state. And yet another friend writes me to pray for HER friend who's 4yo son was accidentally ran over by a lawnmower by his GRANDFATHER. The boy is in pretty rough shape, and the grandpa is not doing so well - as expected. Things like this make me realize more then anything, that there are bigger problems in the world then my own, and we're very fortunate.
  • We're leaving for the lake now!! LATER TATERS~

Friday, April 24, 2009

sick days

---time off for sick days---
be back next week!

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Wordless Wednesday - contented

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Random Tuesday Thoughts - Spring, Allergies, Oranges and stuff


  • Went to the mall today, I'm usually not a big mall go'er but today I went so the boy could ride the train. We rode the train (mini version, but big enough for parents/kids to ride together) through the mall once, visited the bookstore, and had lunch! It was a nice day to do something different!
  • I'm praying for Stellan, are you?
  • I just finished talking to a good friend, and she was telling me how she wished she could cook better... I shared with her that I was prepping the chicken now for our dinner and that it smelled good. Only to find that when I walked downstairs - it was burnt!!! HA! So much for that meal!! Boston Market here we come.
  • It's really windy here, and my allergies are in high gear.
  • I'm glad that the weather is finally warming up, but I wish it was consistant. I have to turn the heat on at night because it's in the low 40's and then the a/c during the day (or open windows - my favorite) because of mid-high 70's.
  • My husband is no longer laid off!! His employer asked him to come back tomorrow, but he has some freelance work to finish up that he's committed too. He officially goes back Monday of next week, after his temp. layoff of 3 months. We've been VERY fortunate and been able to pay our mortgage and other debts without a worry. Honestly, it was divine intervention - without a doubt.
  • I've been stuck on Lifetime Movies late at night, like around 11pm nightly... I keep watching the 'behind the headlines" stories lately of true stories. I watched the Green River Killer, Natalie Holloway, and a few others in the past 2 weeks. I'm a latenight Lifetime junkie - sue me.
  • We're going to get new furniture, and it couldn't be soon enough. I've had the same sofa/loveseat set since I moved out on my own and purchased them myself... when we married and moved to this house we decided to wait to get new furniture. Well, now that the youngest is 3, and the oldest is 10 - I think it's time to kick the old stuff to the curb. It's still in acceptable shape, but gosh it's just become like a eye sore to me after 13 years - yes - 13 years. I'm not one of these 'keep up with the Jones's' people who has to have the perfect Martha Stewart house... but a girl can dream, right??
  • Next week, my SIL/BIL will officially adopt one of the 3 children they foster too. There's another adoption pending after that one. I'm sooooo happy for them to finally be able to have that 'gotcha' day!! It seems like it's been FOREVER in the making!! Yay - more nieces and nephews for me!!!
  • I need to start the dishwasher, my house smells like burnt chicken, my cat is meowing for no apparent reason, the wind is so loud outside, a severe thunderstorm warning popped up on my blackberry, I have an unknown "something" on my shirt sleeve (maybe from when the toddler sneezed on my shoulder??) the neighbors dog is barking and it's annoying, and my kid is STILL sleeping - how's that for random?? --- need to change shirts.

Go visit Keely at The UnMom for more random Tuesday!

Thursday, April 16, 2009

yummy fruits and veggies

We received another delivery today! I mentioned last night that we would be receiving another delivery and big E perked up and said "man, I hope there's mangoes again". I told him that we'd always get fruits, but it depended on the local farms that the company pulls from and/or what was in season.
Last night we cooked up the last of our previous delivery, all that was left was onions and potatoes, and we had some seriously yummy potato soup.

Today our delivery included:
1 bag of romaine lettuce - local
3 very large squash - local
1 jumbo yellow onion - local
2 large roma tomatoes - local
10 braeburn apples
8 red bartlett pears
6 oranges - FL
1 pack of 6 bananas


Along with each delivery comes 2 recipes that go with the veggies/fruits delivered. I love this company we joined with! Here's a yummy sounding recipe for squash:

Garlic-Cilantro Squash:

1 tbsp of minced fresh cilantro

1/2 tsp lemon juice and olive oil

1 clove garlic, crushed

1-1/2 tsp of water

1/8 tsp of salt

4 small yellow squash cut in half

Combine cilantro, lemon juice, oil, water, salt & garlic in a bowl. Brush cut surfaces of squash with 1/2 of cilantro mixture. Place on grille over med-hot coals. Place squash halves, cut side down, on rack and cook 3 minutes. Turn squash, brush with remaining mixture, cook until tender. Serves 4.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Wordful Wednesday - togetherness with missing pieces

The Past

I grew up surrounded by my Aunts and Uncles for every possible holiday, looked forward to it almost as much as most kids look forward to Christmas gifts. The gatherings and meals were filled with laughter and togetherness. Now that I have a family, and kids of my own - I see the importance of togetherness even more.

I wish I could change alot of things about how "together" my childhood family is now, but I cherish every memory I have. Standing by my Granny V in the kitchen watching her slice homemade lemon pie, and smelling her perfume and thinking of how beautiful she looked after cooking all day in the kitchen, having tea parties on an old tree stump with my Grandpa V. Building forts over and over and over with my cousins. Being at my Granny and Grandpa L's house and thinking that burning leaves or picking up walnuts was the most fun in the world. And at every family gathering, no matter where, listening to the grownups tell funny stories from their younger years always intrigued me. There was depth and it peeked my interest always, and now more then ever I value those days.

The Present

I long for those types of childhood memories for my own kids. There are alot of hoops to jump through to get our family "together" now. I have 5 step sisters, 2 step brothers, 1 brother in law/sister in law, a combination of 16 nieces/nephews, cousins, aunts, uncles, one living grandmother. My children have met all of these people only a handful of times, and I'm ashamed to say - some have never even met little J - but all have met big E. For such a large family we get together very little. It's no one's fault in particular, it's just how it is, schedules, jobs, out of state, etc. I missed Christmas with 1/2 of my family this year, and I'm still not ok with it. Not only did we miss Christmas with MY family, we missed it with my husbands brother and their family because it was just not financially possible for us to travel there. It is a difficult concept for me, one that I'm ok with adjusting too, but I will say - difficult.

I'm not ok with saying that the last time I saw some of my family was at my brothers funeral - almost 2 years ago. I'm unsettled that I'm partially at fault, because I should be more aggressive at keeping those family ties strong. I need my kids to know where they came from, and I'm in a fortunate position to offer them more then just pictures and conversation, I can actually take them to people. I'm not above admitting that I can, and should have done something about this by now - in fact, I take full accountability. It really shouldn't be so complicated, life has become too "busy" these days, I don't remember life being so busy when I was little, family time came so easy it seemed. Either my parents were super hero's, or they just weren't sidetracked by technology, phone calls, jobs, etc., there was always room for family time. I already know the answer to that - they were super hero's.

Disconnected

It's no secret to anyone who really knows me that I had a lasting bond with my brother Mike. I do have another brother, and we're not as close now as we were as children. Our lives have taken different directions unfortunately, and we see each other very little. My oldest brother Michael who passed away 08.06.07 barely got to know little J. I remember when the below picture was taken, afterwards he spent the entire afternoon bonding with little J. By the end of the evening little J was sitting on his lap as the most content little toddler in the world, having skipped two naps. He was 100% his Uncle Mike's best boy that day. Tears roll down my face in remembering how we had dinner that evening, and Uncle Mike held little J (then just 1.5 years old) and shared bites of food with him, swapping drool and giggles with him as if he were his own. I lay awake at night and think about the "what if's"... What if I could call Michael today and tell him how big E is doing in school, how he's growing up, how he's becoming a tweenager, and how little J is learning, growing, and changing. I feel robbed, and then I throw my pity party... until something like THIS slaps me in the face to remind me that I had 31 GREAT years with my brother.

As an adult, and mom, I'm beginning to realize that no matter how good your intentions are, you can't always build a bond with the people in your life that you long to do so with. Sometimes you just have what you have, and you must be content with it.

Powerful Moments

Recently, my husbands brother and entire family came to visit. I am still learning new things about them, and enjoy any time I get to spend with them. I love listening to other peoples "stories". I'm grateful that my sister in law posts often to her blog about family, events, updates, etc., I've learned alot that way about the family that I married into! When my husband and I met and we were getting to know each other, I thought it was interesting that we both had a brother named Michael. The kids nicknamed his brother Uncle Mikey, and my brother was Uncle Mike.

I found myself feeling sad and happy while they visited, in watching my husbands eagerness while we waited on them to arrive for dinner when we met the day they got here, he couldn't wait to see his brother, and also because of little J's attachment to Uncle Mikey during the week they visited. Big E is/was old enough to know and remember my brother, but little J will not ever actually remember him. So, there was an emotion for me each time I saw little J with Uncle Mikey. The feeling was joy and sadness at the same time. Joy that our youngest had the opportunity to love, touch, and have "in your face" time with his Uncle Mikey. Sadness that I'll never get to see what that would have been like with my brother. I excused myself often, and tried my best not to let my emotions get the best of me. There were a few times that I had to sit by myself and remind myself that I'm not the first person to ever lose a sibling, I'm not alone with those feelings. It was ok to be a little sad... in fact, at times I felt sorry for myself, and threw mini pity parties along the way. I did that privately.

The Future

I plan to do better, to provide my kids with more insight about where they come from, sharing their family history with them as my parents did when I grew up, and I hope that I can keep my brothers memory alive enough for little J that he can know what kind of Uncle he was, and would have been.

In memory of my brother and my step-mom, I'm hoping in the next few weeks to have some photos to put up of a project I've planned. A peace garden of sorts that will be in their honor. Our kids lost a grandma, and uncle all in 2 years time, and I want to have a happy place to reflect on memories with them.

I still miss those I loved who are no longer with me but I find I am grateful for having loved them.

The gratitude has finally conquered the loss.

Author:Rita Mae Brown

Wordless Wednesday - Brother Love II


Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Random Random Random




Here's my two cents worth of random. Read more at The UnMom.
  • Big E brought a book home yesterday titled "How Big is It?".... what is it with boys and size concerns? The book is about large structures, bodies of water, man made items, etc. Anyway, it made me giggle when he told me what he was reading for fun yesterday.

  • My favorite snack IS yogurt and granola... and that catchy tune from the CD I have by the Imagination Movers doesn't help my cravings... I LOVE vanilla yogurt with bare naked granola... think I'll have some in a second.

  • We're having potato soup for dinner with the potatoes and onions we have leftover from the local organic produce delivery we received.

  • It's overcast and random rain today, and I'm a little down about it. It really does affect my senses, I need to do yoga. I may do that before yogurt and granola.

  • I'm sad for Maddie's family, and for Thalon's family. Read more HERE. I can't help but feel like I know them after following their blogs. That link has built in links so you can show some love if you want too.

  • A close friend of mine sent me a message today, it's her birthday and her mom tried to commit suicide. I wish I could hug them both today. Her mom is going to be ok, physically, but I'm praying that emotionally she'll move past her depression soon. Also praying that my friend can pull off some happiness on her special today in spite of the situation.

  • I just realized that my RTT turned into a downer, posting two sad things in a row - not intentional. Just reality. I don't believe in faking it, sadness doesn't make me weak - faking it does. I'm sad for several reasons today, and still fully aware that my life is full of blessings.

  • Little J literally grew over the weekend, taller and wiser. His vocabulary is starting to really grow into "kid" vocabulary, and it's just an amazing thing to witness.

  • I'm getting ready to look for summer vacation rentals for our annual trip to the beach. The after that, going to look for fall rentals for when we hope to visit our Texan family!

  • Dove Bliss RULZ.

  • I have went to the grocery store two times in the past two days, for random little stuff. I NEVER do that, I'm pretty structured with shopping and like to do it all at once and stockpile. These two trips were specifically for one thing... dish washing detergent, and blame if I didn't successfully forget it AGAIN today. I feel like the scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz... if I only had a brain!

Random Tuesday Thoughts - the short version




Here's my two cents worth of random. Read more at The UnMom.
  • My oldest boy brought a book home yesterday titled "How Big is It?".... what is it with boys and size concerns? The book is about large structures, bodies of water, man made items, etc. Anyway, it made me giggle when he told me what he was reading for fun yesterday.

  • My favorite snack IS yogurt and granola... and that catchy tune from the CD I have by the Imagination Movers doesn't help my cravings... I LOVE vanilla yogurt with bare naked granola... think I'll have some in a second.

  • We're having potato soup for dinner with the potatoes and onions we have leftover from the local organic produce delivery we received.

  • It's overcast and random rain today, and I'm a little down about it. It really does affect my senses, I need to do yoga. I may do that before yogurt and granola.

  • I'm sad for Maddie's family, and for Thalon's family. Read more HERE. I can't help but feel like I know them after following their blogs. That link has built in links so you can show some love if you want too.

  • A close friend of mine sent me a message today, it's her birthday and her mom tried to commit suicide. I wish I could hug them both today. Her mom is going to be ok, physically, but I'm praying that emotionally she'll move past her depression soon. Also praying that my friend can pull off some happiness on her special today in spite of the situation.

  • I just realized that my RTT turned into a downer, posting two sad things in a row - not intentional. Just reality. I don't believe in faking it, sadness doesn't make me weak - faking it does. I'm sad for several reasons today, and still fully aware that my life is full of blessings.

  • My toddler literally grew over the weekend, taller and wiser. His vocabulary is starting to really grow into "kid" vocabulary, and it's just an amazing thing to witness.

  • I'm getting ready to look for summer vacation rentals for our annual trip to the beach. The after that, going to look for fall rentals for when we hope to visit family out of state!

  • Dove Bliss RULZ.

  • I have went to the grocery store two times in the past two days, for random little stuff. I NEVER do that, I'm pretty structured with shopping and like to do it all at once and stockpile. These two trips were specifically for one thing... dish washing detergent, and blame if I didn't successfully forget it AGAIN today. I feel like the scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz... if I only had a brain!

Sunday, April 12, 2009

spring breaks

It's been a while since I posted so I'm catching up. Blogging helps me keep a log of what we do, last week I spent some time reading old posts on my blog and some other blogs I read, it's interesting to watch changes occur in a timeline on a blog... anyway - here's what we've been up during spring "breaks" around here....
  • Monday of last week we went to the dentist, only to find out that a)our insurance no longer covers dental cleanings and b)the appt. was for 12 and they didn't bother mentioning that they were running behind... until one HOUR later when I asked. So - we made another appt. after finding out that it'd be another 45 min before we'd even be seen!! I have better ways to spend 3 hours :) So, before the next appt. I'll be buying independent dental coverage to cover cleanings and basic maintenance.
  • Tuesday we went shopping for spring clothes. Big E is really into his own style lately, and so we went and he was able to pick out everything with a budget set. He ended up with about 6 new shirts, 2 pants, 1 pair of shorts and a new pair of Sketchers. Little J ended up with a little less then that, but he also has a new pair of shoes (both boys needed those). That along with the clothes that we bought at the end of season on sale last summer should have the boys covered for a while! We also made a trip to books a million and both boy bought a new book. Big E is reading alot of the Hardy Boys series for fun reading, and Little J ended up with Thomas's Treasures book. We had lunch at the mall food court, total junk lunch, and we made it before TWELVE buses of kids arrived. TWELVE!! I assume they were at spring break childcare camp, they varied in ages but the food court was bombarded. I bet at the pizza place there were at least 100 lined up! INSANE!!
  • Wednesday we had Little J's regular class, so big E brought his current read with him and hung out while we had class - 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is this weeks adventure! We grabbed McD's, Big E received a gift card from a teacher at Christmas and he finally spent it (on nuggets and yogurt parfait, yum)!! Then in the afternoon we went BACK to the mall and I exchanged something I had bought for myself (I never try clothes on anymore!!) and headed back home for an afternoon outdoors since it finally stopped raining and warmed up just a bit.

  • Thursday the boyz and I went to hang out with the BIRDS for the morning. We headed out around 9am and spent about 2.5 hours there bird watching and listening to the different birds calling each other. We had a BLAST!! The most interesting part for me was the Bald Eagles. That, plus the peace garden, and the blooming flowers, and the sounds, and the general atmosphere....oh - and my boyz holding hands 99.9% of the time during this trip.



  • Friday we went to see Monsters v/s Aliens at the loudest possible theater ever!! Little J wasn't really into it at all, but did sit nicely during the entire film. Big E and I laughed at alot of the adult humor, and both of us agreed that it was just too loud. I've been to alot of movies in my lifetime, and this one took the prize for the loudest. It kindof took away from the enjoyability of the movie all together. There were some pretty funny moments in the film, Big E's favorite part was when the President played Axle F on the keyboard to the Alien/Robot.
  • Saturday we headed to the eye doctor for Big E, and ordered some pretty snazzy eye wear. His vision isn't terrible, but he is near-sighted and will need glasses to see from a distance. The eyeglasses are pretty trendy looking, he picked out silver. The rest of the day Saturday was spent running errands, and nursing the sick - Jonathon is sick again :-(. I'm keeping my fingers crossed, and spraying the house down in hopes that Little J doesn't pick it up again... he's been sick each 3 weeks since Thanksgiving and that's odd for him. In his 3 years, this past winter is the only time he's ever really been "sick". Big E and I have managed to skate around it several times, so hopefully we'll do that again this round!
  • Sunday - It's Easter. We are spending the day with family and enjoying time together while celebrating the meaning of the holiday and adding in some fun for the kiddo's with coloring Easter eggs and a few other Easter crafts. We'll have Easter dinner with Mimi and Papaw at our house, we're all looking forward to that!
Otherwise we've been spending as much time outside as possible, weather permitting. I have a few pictures and will try to upload more later!! I need to update smugmug too... just too busy soaking up the sun and keeping the house in order to sit down to do it!! Today I bought a flat of Pansys and plan to plant them in my planter this afternoon. We're hoping to re-invent our front of the house landscaping in the next few weeks... mama is excited!!

Thursday, April 9, 2009

A different kind of post...

Heather and Mike Spohrs' (a.k.a.The Spohrs are Multiplying) gorgeous little Maddie passed away unexpectedly on April 7, 2009. Heather was posting twitter updates all along the way until they intubated little Maddie.

I don't know them personally, but as a mom and fellow blogger and twitter reader, it hit tugged at my heartstrings and I shed tears for the loss of a child that I didn't even know. I can't imagine the pain they're facing.

This Full House, A Mom Two Boys (go to her link to find out ways to send any thoughts/prayers to the family) and 5 Minutes for Mom have posted how to help.... Mike and Heather (Maddie's parents) don't want flowers, instead, they want donations to a fund to help other babies have a healthy start.

Nothing can fill their void, or mend their shattered hearts, but a little donation goes a long way to helping other parents who may be facing the same rough road ahead. Maybe with the donations, there will be more research toward how to save babies who deal with medical complications as Maddie did.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Wordless Wednesday - Brother Love


Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Random Tuesday Thoughts - where did spring go?


Go visit Keely at The UnMom for more Random Tuesday Thoughts!



  • Where did spring go??? I live in NC and Sunday it was in the mid 70's and today it's in the low 50's with tomorrows high being in the high 40's.... and at my mom's house - it's SNOWING! What's up with that???

  • I went shopping this morning with my kids, and had a blast. Both boys enjoyed the shopping trip (10 years old and 3 years old). We bought spring clothes, but it doesn't feel like spring. (notice that I'm bitter about it)

  • I'm making homemade veg. soup for dinner, with some fresh veggies that were delivered to my door from the local group I joined to support local farming... here's a photo of the yummies we received on our delivery. I used the tomatoes, zucchini, carrots, potatoes, and added onion and several herbs. It smells YUMMY!

  • We received a letter from our HOA that the small plastic chair that is behind our garbage can that is beside our house, that happens to be BEHIND a large bush, needs to be disposed of or we'll be fined for having 'rubbish' in our yard. We're rebels, we decided to wait until the garbage pickup comes by to get it afterall.... on pins and needles over here.

  • I just sold some stuff on ebay, and it rocks. That's an addiction... HA.

  • Our garbage disposal is broken, and it's really made me feel like a spoiled brat... I miss that thing!!

  • It's spring break for my oldest, and we were hoping to have some decent temperatures to play outdoors, and had a trip planned to the local botanical gardens... doesn't look like that is going to pan out this week, so I think we'll visit a local planetarium, the library, the museum, and maybe hit a movie one day.

  • I'm addicted to lifetime movies. Call me a lazy tv watching mama... after 10pm, that's all that is on my TV... Lifetime.... esp. the ones based on true stories, I love those. I'm such a girl, go figure.

Thursday, April 2, 2009

veggies and doctors visits

I'm slack at posting lately, I've been spending alot of time with random stuff in life and less time writing about it! I plan to catch this up to speed soon!!

Veggies...
Today we received our first box of yummies from a local organic produce delivery company. I'd been searching for a local CSA that we could join in with, and hadn't found one that really suited us and then when we had a visit from our family from Texas my SIL went to visit her good friend who lives nearby and found out about this company. I'm excited!! In our box today came: zucchini, roma tomatoes, red potatoes, lettuce, carrots with tops, fuji apples, mango, red plums, and banana's. I love that they offer a dislike list because I don't like the idea of wasting goodness!! I was able to substitute out 1 item on our dislike list for extra items we like.

I did a cost comparison at a local Whole Foods market, and found that I'm getting the box of yummies delivered to my front door (chilled and guaranteed fresh) for right around the same price I'd buy it for in the store (varied by less then $1.00 for today's box), the upside is that the greater majority of what we received in our delivery today was local farm grown (with the exception of exotic fruits), so the idea of supporting local farming warms my heart!

Doctor Visits...

Nothing in the realm of 'major'... but for us, doctor visits are usually just checkups. We've been fortunate and not had too many sick visits in the past few years. This past month has been horrible for little J, he's had one thing after another with sinus's or allergies. Anything from a fever with croup like coughing to random rash's that break out in hives and swell the skin. This past Saturday's visit with the ped. was the 3rd in 3 weeks for the same symptoms sticking around (with random fever). His 2nd visit was a follow up to check his ears to make sure the fluid was gone, and the 3rd was really because he just sounded horrible, and we were worried that since it'd been almost 3 weeks that he could get pneumonia. He's on the mend finally and getting a little more rest at night with only a few interruptions with coughing and gagging during the night. The ped. did prescribe a epi junior for him because of the recent rash's that break out in hives, most likely contact dermatitis - but to what we're unsure. So for safety's sake, and in relation to my own personal history with anaphalaxis, and my brother's death due to anaphalaxis, she just felt better with us having one handy. I know what symptoms to look for before using it, so I'm glad we are prepared if the worst case scenario were to ever occur w/ little J. Big J (the husband) also caught the yuck, he's been sick for about 4 or 5 days, but nothing like little J. Big E and I have skated around getting sick so far!!

Outside of that - we've been considering building an ark with all of the rain we've had these past 2 weeks!! HA!! We went to the airport a couple of weeks ago and there were some birds just swarming overhead, and I managed to catch a few half decent shots of them, you can see those pictures HERE if you're interested. I'll try to update my smugmug again soon, I hope to post a few pics from our visit from my BIL/SIL & kids as soon as I get a chance!

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