turkey day summary

Good things about Thanksgiving Day

No snow on the drive to and from Grandma's house
Turkey
Sweet Potatoes
Pie
Children who were mostly well-behaved


Bad things about Thanksgiving Day

Wearing the wrong shoes considering the amount of snow on the ground at Grandma's house

Feelings of guilt after eating the pie


Best thing about Thanksgiving Day

Having Aunt Nancy say to me, "Could your butt be any smaller?"
{obviously said to me before I ate the pie}

black friday

ten things for which I am exceedingly grateful

1. A little boy who requests my favorite restaurant for his birthday lunch (because my favorite has now become his favorite...and because we rarely ever go to any other restaurants)

2. A little girl who thinks the blue cheese crumbles in my salad are my own puke ("Uh-oh, Mama. You puke in you food!)

3. A good husband who puts up with all my crazies (and believe you me, there's a lot of 'em)

4. A baby nephew who reminds me that babies are a lot of work (and helps me be very much ok with not having one of my own)

5. Hulu and the DVR (without them, I might be expected to do something useful during nap time)

6. Diet Dr. Pepper

7. Mini chocolate chips

8. Thoughtful children who help me practice daily the art of cleaning up after people

9. Ear plugs and nasal strips (and when those don't do the trick, a comfy couch)

10. Turkey

Happy Thanksgiving!

the birthday cake

Danny saw a Cars cake at Walmart a few months ago. That's what he wanted for his birthday. Um...nope. I don't think so. I'm not the mama who buys Cars birthday cakes at Walmart (no offense to the mamas who do buy Cars birthday cakes at Walmart).

I was going to copy the cake my friend made for her little boy last year. Then I remembered a page that I had ripped out of a Family Fun magazine several years ago. I keep it in my pile of Stuff I'd Like to Make Some Day. You can see my inspiration over at the Family Fun website.

Look at that grass! It's my favorite part of the cake. I bought a grass tip to pipe it. If anybody wants to make an Oscar the Grouch cake, come on over and borrow my grass tip. I think it would make perfect Oscar fur.


See those flags? I spent a good half hour coloring in those little squares with my fine tipped Sharpie...at midnight. I'm surprised the lines turned out as straight as they did.


A view from the top.


I bought three new cars for the top of the cake. I don't know the yellow guys' names but the orange one is my favorite. His name is Snot Rod. I have no idea if he's a good guy or a bad guy (I've never seen the movie) but I love his name!


Danny liked the cake. He blew out those candles twice since he requested the Happy Birthday song about smelling like a monkey in a zoo. I knew he would.


p.s. A big thanks to Judy for capturing that last picture. It's my favorite.

it's been four years

...since this little boy changed me forever.

I love you to infinity and beyond, my Danny Boy.

Happy birthday to you.
Happy birthday to you.
You look like a monkey,
And you smell like one too!


(He requested that special version. I promise.)

to do list: easy scrappy wreath

I'm not a crafty person.
I'd like to be.
I think I kinda sorta used to be.
And then I had kids.

But it's ok.

I have a to do list.
It might never have anything crossed off it, but I keep a list anyway.

Here's my latest addition.

Easy Scrappy Wreath

Remember my friend, Arlene?
She has a blog.
She also has a dog.
And she's crafty.
And really nice.

Her scrappy wreath looks like something I could do.
I know how to use a pair of scissors.
I know how to tie knots.

Done.

If you want more good stuff,
check out the recipes and crafts on her sidebar.
Did I mention that she's crafty?
She is.

I can't wait to try her pumpkin sheet cake and a few Oreo truffles.

And I know Cate would be adorable in one of these little girl tutus.
(hint hint)

So there you go.
Check out her blog.
Make a scrappy wreath.

Be crafty.
Be happy.
Make some Oreo truffles.
Share one with me.

she's my little girl

I've had many conversations with Jarrett about when babies stop being babies. We decided that when they start walking, they aren't babies anymore. They become toddlers. This morning I put Cate's hair in two pig tails. Then I looked at her and decided that toddler girls stop being toddlers when all their hair fits into two pig tails. Just look at her. Is it just me or does she look like a big girl now?

Cate has started to say awesome. It's adorable. Awesome, Danny! Awesome!

It's just about darn near killing me to let her "help" me with the dishes. I don't know why I bother to just take off her shirt. She should be in her birthday suit with a big plastic tarp underneath. She gets the job of rinsing. I fill up her side of the sink with warm water. She then proceeds to pour that water back and forth between clean cups and bowls. Sadly, the water doesn't stay in the sink. She's learning a valuable skill though, right? I'm learning patience, right? Look at all the fun we wouldn't be having if we had a dishwasher. That's me, looking on the bright side.

I was raking leaves a few weeks ago. Cate dragged over the small garbage can and started picking up leaves and dropping them in. I didn't even ask her to help me. Sometimes that kid just makes me proud.

Cate enjoys saying the prayer around here, family prayers and dinner prayers. Even if she's not the one asked to pray, she goes right ahead and does it anyway. Most of the time, she folds her arms and sort of closes her eyes and starts with "Bessing uh home." Our home must be very blessed with all the prayers on its behalf.

A few days ago I was driving in the car with Cate. My Tom T. Hall CD was playing. I skipped over to Sneaky Snake because I thought she'd like that one. She did. When it was done playing the first time she said, "Neaky Nake!" I played it again. Once again, "Neaky Nake!" Almost brought a tear to my eye. Makes me proud that she appreciates good music.

Today we were driving in the truck and I turned on the Christmas music. She yelled from the backseat, "No gong! Hurt mine ears!" Sometimes she doesn't appreciate good music. It just hurts her ears.

I've been contemplating changing her crib into a toddler bed. Proof that I am indeed going crazy. Who in their right mind would let a kid out of a crib before she even knows how to climb out? Crazy parents, that's who. I was hoping it might aid in the bedtime trauma that occurs around these parts on a fairly regular basis. For today, it's still a crib. And I'm still crazy.

Cate thinks you can't see her if she covers her eyes with her hands. Oh, if only it were that easy.

My little girl has a baby in her tummy. Just ask her. She'll tell you. It's a girl baby. "Mine-uh have a baby in mine-uh tummy. See? Peel it." Then she rubs her tummy and wants you to rub it too. If you ask what the baby's doing, she says, "Kickin'! Kick. Kick." She's not actually sticking a baby doll under her shirt. That would be funny though. It's just her pot belly that she's convinced has a baby inside. I totally blame her Aunt Judy for this one.

"Oh! My! Doss!" is frequently heard coming out of her little mouth. You know, oh my gosh. I love it.

Cate doesn't like wearing jeans. She sees me pulling them out of her drawer and immediately tells me that they hurt. Jeans hurt. I think it's because they aren't very comfy on her big belly. She prefers her stretchy pants. I can't blame her though. Most of the time socks and shoes hurt too. They're the right size. They just hurt.

She calls sneezes "bless you's."

Almost every morning, Cate yells over her shoulder, "See ya, Missa Tato Head" as she runs out of her bedroom. That's the thanks I get for changing her night time bum and getting her dressed up all spiffy and cute. She calls me Mr. Potato Head. Lovely.

When we drop off Kris at school, we say our funny good-byes. See ya later, alligator. After while, crocodile. And my favorite, see ya soon, baboon. Cate loves it. I love it when Cate says her good-bye. Most of the time it's "See ya, baboon." I'm pretty sure she doesn't even know what a baboon is. Makes me laugh anyway.



She's my little girl.



And I love her.

just another raymond monday

I'm tending this cute little kiddo again tomorrow.

Feel free to send me all your positive vibes, thoughts, prayers
and Diet Dr. Pepper throughout the day.

I'm seriously out of practice with all this baby stuff.

holding
feeding
holding some more
feeding some more
sitting down holding
standing up holding
making dinner holding
folding laundry holding
feeding again
still holding

It's a good thing he's so cute.
(and that Cate is such a good little helper)

On the agenda for tomorrow:
teach him how to nap for longer than thirty minutes at a time
(or a big ol' three hour nap coinciding with Cate's would be nice)

I remember Danny at this age.
He took forty minute naps.
One day he took 5 forty minute naps.

Ug.

If you're wondering who took these adorable pictures of Sweet Baby Ray (shared here with permission from his mama), it was FotoFly. I'm excited to have our pictures taken there in December with Grama Bama, Grandpa and their 8 grandkids.

Those FotoFly ladies have got their work cut out for them.

See what I mean?

Here's the last time we had a professional picture taken of all the grandkids.

December 2004


A great picture, except my babies (and Sweet Baby Ray) are missing.
And three people have their eyes closed.

And the last very unprofessional attempt:

It's a good thing they're cute!

barbecue meatballs

This one's for my sister. She requested the recipe. I figured somebody else out there might enjoy it as well. It's a keeper, if I do say so myself.

I came across this recipe for barbecue meatballs many months ago. I knew I had to try them because there's really only 3 ingredients. (I like to keep things simple.)

grape jelly

chili sauce

meatballs


Grape jelly? Yes. Grape jelly. Seems weird but tastes so good. (I also like brown sugar on my meatloaf.)



This particular brand of chili sauce is dear to my heart (as dear to your heart as any chili sauce can be). My grandma always (and I mean always) had a jar or two in the door of her fridge. She put a dollop of it on everything (and I mean everything). I thought that was strange but figured she just really liked spicy food. Now I know it was because her taste buds were not so great and the chili sauce made it so that she could taste something.

And I just really like the shape of the jar. It's kind of cute. It makes me happy when I see it on the shelf at the grocery store.

As for the meatballs, you can buy them at the store in a big bag in the freezer section. Easy.

Or

You could make your own. Here's the recipe I use (just leave off the extra ketchup, brown sugar and mustard for the sauce on top...you won't be needing any sauce). They're deeee-wish-us.

The best part, my kids actually eat these barbecue meatballs. They love them. And I love that they love them. Here's their reaction recently when I told them we'd be having meatballs for dinner again.



It doesn't get much better than that, right?

The other best part, I've been saving the jars for a little Christmas gift idea. I've got 12 of them. (We've eaten a lot of barbecue meatballs this year.) The lids are already spray painted. I just need to figure out how to get the label off the glass.



There you go, Judy.

Feel free to make them for dinner on Sunday.

We'll be there at 5:00.

nine on the ninth

oatmeal for breakfast for me
smelled better than it tasted
I'm more of a cinnamony-raisiny oatmeal lover.

toast for breakfast for her
after she spent the night in my bed
(more on that fiasco later)

leaves, leaves, and more leaves
a few of them were dusted with snow in the morning
raked some of them during nap time

killing time by making goofy faces
early for the dentist
possible cavity...drat

waiting for Costco to open
early again
bought raspberries...Cate loved them

played with Legos
not Star Wars this time
skeleton horse is my favorite

made an appointment with the eye doctor
need new contacts
can you spot my skin tag/eye booger?

watched one of my shows while kids slept
Scratchy kept my legs warm
and then I went out and raked leaves

did some dinner prep
also during nap time
you can get lots done when nap time lasts for 4 hours


Also done today but not pictured:

changed the litter in the kitty poop box
bought cotton balls at Target
washed dishes twice


I know.
Quite an exciting day.
Jealous?

buttering me up

my boy: Hey, Mama! Know what part of my family is the best?

me: What?

my boy: You!



How sweet, right?

OR

Is he just buttering me up so I'll buy him everything he wants for his birthday?


Like

this and this and every single Star Wars Lego set under the sun.


I'll choose the former mixed with a tiny bit of the latter.

{because everybody knows I am the best part of this family}

ten things I did this morning (in no particular order)

1. Woke up at 8:45 (that's after I woke up at 6:15 to make Dan's lunch and then went back to sleep). This is what I get for having kids who do not go to bed at 7:00 the night before (not even close). And because the sun is kind enough to stay behind the mountains until sometime around 8:00 every morning. Bless you, Fall and Winter. Bless you.

2. Thought about vacuuming Cate's mess of rice under the kitchen table. Leftovers from last night's dinner that didn't get cleaned up when it should have. Why I continue to let her eat rice is a mystery to me. Maybe because I love sweeping and vacuuming so much.

3. Ate two packets of Berry Blast flavored oatmeal. I bought it at the grocery store a few nights ago. Each box was 85¢ for 5 packets. I figured that was a good deal. I pay $10.00 at Costco for the ginormous box of 52 packets. Five of those are plain so I figure that's a total waste of money. Who eats plain oatmeal? Blech. So 85¢ for 5 packets sounded good to me. I bought 6 boxes. Listen to the flavors. Maple Streusel. Strawberries and Cream. Peaches and Cream. Apples and Cinnamon (my personal favorite so I bought 2 boxes). Berry Blast. And look at the little critters on the box of Berry Blast.


I'm a sucker for cute little space critters and smiling spoons.

4. Made a ham and mustard sandwich for Danny to eat for breakfast. His request. I figure it's pretty much the same thing as eating toast and bacon, just in different forms. Plus a little mustard never hurt anybody first thing in the morning.

5. Bagged up some pumpkin chocolate chip cookies to deliver to a few people this afternoon. I may not be able to teach my kids to knit or sew or can tomatoes, but by golly they're going to know how to bake a batch of cookies, stick them in a bag, tie a ribbon on top and give them away. And if either of them is ever interested in learning how to play the piccolo in the marching band, I can teach them that too.

6. Started a load of laundry. Getting caught up after Tuesday's detour of washing all of Danny's blankets, pillow cases and a few pillows. How that child can puke on himself in the middle of the night and then just go right on sleeping I'll never know. He's feeling better now, thanks for asking.

7. Looked at my calendar and saw nothing written in the little box for today. Hooray! I get to do nothing today!

8. Had a little discussion with Danny about who loves whom more. Came to the conclusion that "to infinity and beyond" is the most you can love someone.

9. Examined the skin tag under my right eye. I think it's growing and it's grossing me out. Kind of looks like a booger on my face. Maybe a call to the dermatologist is in order. If you know me and I notice you staring at my skin tag, I'm not going to like it. A quick glance is understandable. Just don't stare. And don't tell me I have a booger on my face.

10. Preheated the oven so I can bake some banana yogurt muffins. I've got some semi-rotten bananas on the kitchen counter that will be put to good use this morning. I told Danny what I was going to bake and he said banana yogurt muffins are "deeeee-wish-us." Let's hope so.


And now I'm going to go brush my teeth because it's almost 10:00 and it seems like the right thing to do.

this is what happens

...when a little girl

grows up

with a big brother

and little boy cousins

and little boy neighbor friends

she finds creative uses

for her big brother's tools

and "fixes" Big Baby

kind of reminds me of Sid from the Toy Story movie

not her first time torturing her toys

at least she hates wearing jeans and still lets me put her in dresses

she might turn out to be less of a tomboy than I think

not that there's anything wrong with that

yikes

I'm done now.

darth vader and a marshmallow

Darth Vader


a marshmallow

a.k.a. the little girl who pitched a fit when it was time to put on her Princess Leia costume

(Why is it that chubby thighs and a pot belly look so adorable on a two-year-old but not so adorable on a 37-year-old?)

Darth Vader and a marshmallow

Minutes later, the marshmallow turned into a grumpy cheerleader.

(thanks to a mom who remembered the cheerleader outfit in the bottom drawer)

I'm only disappointed that the Princess Leia costume didn't get worn because I sewed part of it.
Yes, I SEWED!
I felt totally validated as a good mother for a few minutes.

The only part I sewed was some hair clips onto the big hair buns.
But still, I sewed.

Maybe she'll wear it next year.
I'm pretty sure it'll still fit.
And I'm pretty sure Danny will still want to be something Star Wars.