Computers

My computer has decided it no longer likes me =(.  It has decided to not ever turn back on again.  Sad sad day....  I must say I didn't realize how addicted I am to the internet until I couldn't get on line anymore.

Many times today I found myself wanting to get online, and then remembering I couldn't.  I must say it was rather frustrating and obnoxious.  I felt like a drug addict searching for my next fix.

However, I must say that today's events have made me realize how much time I do spend online.  It is obviously WAY more than it needs to be.  And, I'm not gonna lie, it made me feel like a bad mom.  How much time am I taking away from my munches just so I can check Facebook, or my email, or my deal websites?  Will those things matter in 10 years?  NO, but the amount of time and love I show my munches will matter.

Therefore, my friends, I am pledging (once I get a computer again) to be better and to do better.  To cut down my internet time (I promise I'll still post =) and spend that time on my sweet, loving, caring muches while they still wanna spend time with me!

Ms. T




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Acceptance

Disclaimer: This post is probably not what you are expecting from me. It certainly was not what I was expecting from myself. It is me being real, and that is a very vulnerable place for me to go. So, read on if you want, but if you don't, I understand. The "normal" me shall return on Tuesday, I hope!

 

 

When I read the above statement, I think I read it differently than most. I think the average person would read it as a proclaimation to another party, "Take me as I am or watch me as I go." I think that is a good way to read it, but admittedly, that is not how I read it.

When I read this statement, it was a warning of some sorts, not to anyone else, but directly to myself. "Take ME as I am or watch ME go."

How much of my life have I just existed through, only because I was not willing to accept myself for who I am? How many memories have I missed making because I was too pre-occupied with being who I thought I was supposed to be? How many people have I fooled into thinking that I have it all together by putting on this facade of super confidence? 

Wow, with all this heavy stuff, you might need a little backstory. Three years ago this month, I was at the end of my rope. I was having panic attacks daily. I was depressed. I couldn't leave my house, even for church, without having a meltdown. No one, but the people in my inner most circle knew that anything was wrong. They are still the only ones that know anything is wrong.

Until now.

 

I reached the point that I knew that this wasn't supposed to be normal, and sought out help. I was diagnosed with Anxiety Disorder, Depression, and I had the beginning symptoms of becoming Agoraphobic. With the support of my family, especially my husband, I started finding ways to deal with my problems. I escaped that downward spiral that I was in, convincing myself that I had overcome my "issues" for good. I didn't realize that they would come back. I didn't realize that I would deal with them again and again, each time fighting to regain control of my life. Sometimes I would win. Sometimes I would not.

Last week, I took a trip with my sister in law. She is one of the ones that doesn't know the battle I fight. I have found ways to smile through anything and have done a pretty good job essentially lying to everyone in my life. I felt like I should tell her, like I should share with her my secret. She deserved to know that some days it's just impossible for me to be with other people. She deserves the truth when she calls to see if I want to do something, and I make up an excuse as to why I can't. But I didn't tell her. Because what if she doesn't understand?

This week, I have really struggled to find a good balance between not lying to people about what I deal with on a daily basis, and not over burdening them with my issues. I talked to Ms. T one day this week, and told her that I wished more than anything that I could just be real with people, and be okay with whether they accepted me or not. I mean, I have some really great days. I have days that I don't even have to give my choices a second thought. Then there are days that leaving my house is not an option. (Trust me, I've tried. Those days I have spent hours hiding in bathroom stalls or in the backseat of my car so no one could see what a crazy mess I really am.)

Which leads me to today. I have to accept me for who I am, before I can ask anyone else to do the same. I have to accept myself or I will live the rest of my life "watching me go" instead of actually experiencing it.

So today, I ask you, do you accept yourself? Is there a dark secret that you keep hidden because you are afraid people won't accept you anymore once they know? I hope you know that you aren't alone. I hope you know that we all have things that we hope people don't know about us. Maybe by sharing mine today, I can help you accept yours. At the very least, maybe I helped me accept who I am for once.

 

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Family

It’s getting to be that time of year again.  The time of year where it starts to get a little nicer out, and we start thinking about the big dinners we will be enjoying soon and all the family that will be surrounding us.  Well, at least I am. 

Apparently, the people at Walmart are too.  We went into Walmart last night and they already had their Christmas trees up.  What?!  It’s not even Halloween yet, people!  Nutty people… anyway, so I’ve been thinking about family.  I love my family dearly including all the nuts in the family tree.

My family is a big one.  I have: 2 brothers, 2 sisters.  2 sisters in “love” as my Mamma likes to call them, and 2 brothers in “love”.  And that’s just on my side.  The Hub’s side is much less populated: 1 brother in love and 1 sister in love oh and one Dad in love.  We’re a crazy crew when we’re all together.   The Hubs can attest to this.  You see with having just one brother, the Hubs didn’t quite have the same chaotic life that I had.  However, our chaos was  *almost* always fun! 

I will never forget one of the first trips the Hubs took with my family.  It was a short trip to Disney.  Ahhh I LOVE Disney!  Anyway, we had just gone into Downtown Disney and something made my younger brother (who is only 2 years younger than I) decide to play follow the leader.  So we all jumped in line!  Here we were all fully grown mind you, zooming around running through crowds climbing over benches.  It was great fun.  Poor Hubs didn’t know what to do with himself.  He just stood back and stared at us like, “what kind of crazy has gotten into you people?!”  Even with knowing all that he chose to marry me.  Ahhh love really is blind!

There are many, many more nutty stories I could share with you about my family, but for today I’ll leave you with just enough nuts to make some trail mix ;). 

Have a good day!

Ms. T

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5 ? Friday

Once again the week comes to an end and therefore, along with all the celebrating for the on coming weekend we are proud to present 5 Question Friday! Thanks again to Mama M. for letting us link up.

1. Do you prefer cotton, silk, or flannel sheets?

Depends, what kinda weather is it?If it’s warm outside cotton for sure.Lovely, clean 400 thread count cotton sheets…. Mmmmm Love them!Flannel sheets are great too if it’s cold outside, something about the flannel holds in the warmth.

2. What time zone are you in?

Eastern time zone

3. What is your favorite part of the holiday season?

All of it!I love buying presents, giving presents, wearing wonderfully warm clothes, drinking hot cocoa, the smell of Christmas trees, the food, the face of my Firecracker when he gets to open his presents, being with my crazy family.I love it all!

4. What is your favorite "wintry" drink? (It doesn't have to be an "alcoholic" drink!)

Hot cocoa.It’s chocolate. It has marshmallows floating in it. What’s not to love about that?

5. In your opinion, what is the worst job in the world?

I’m going to steal an answer from one of my old friends.I had never thought about it until she brought this particular job to my attention.Since then the more I think about it the more I MUST agree.Feel free to disagree with us if you so choose, but the job I award the most disgusting and therefore the worst job in the world is being the person that has to clean out port o potties.Yep, nasty nasty nasty stuff.Those things sit out in the sun all day for who knows how long between cleanings and we all know what happens in there.SICK NASTY!

And from Ms. L -
1. Do you prefer cotton, silk, or flannel sheets?
Cotton! Every year for Black Friday, we find a set of really high thread count sheets on sale for super cheap and buy a set. Merry Christmas to us! The last couple of years they have had 1,000 thread count sheets at Target for around $20, per piece. Before they we were able to find them at Belk for the entire set for right at $50. We have a California King Bed, so sheets are never cheap. If you haven't splurged on good sheets, you should really try it. I think it is one of the best things we own. Right up there with a DVR and that California King sized bed.

2. What time zone are you in?
Right now? Eastern. That's understandable seeing as I am only about 20 minutes away from Ms. T, and that was her answer. We do travel to the Central Time Zone a good bit though. Oii! How confusing that is!

3. What is your favorite part of the holiday season?
I absolutely love everything about the holidays! I love to give gifts, and kind of like getting them too. I love the tradition that comes with the holidays. My mom's Christmas cookies, Pumpkin Pies (Not the traditional ones - check out my family's recipe here: http://risingabovemediocre.blogspot.com/2011/10/no-mediocre-pumpkin-pie.html), Peanut Butter Balls, etc. I love that the Fab Ms. T and I get to celebrate our birthday!!!!! I so think we should have an online birthday bash this year!

4.What is your favorite "wintry" drink (It doesn't have to be an alcoholic drink)?
I love a good Peppermint Hot Chocolate. Well, that's my drink of choice this season. My ole' reliable is a good Caramel Apple Cider from Starbucks! Yum!

5. In your opinion, what is the worst job in the world?
I think that a Crime Scene Cleaner has a pretty bad job. I mean, blood and guts, and who knows what else smeared all over. That smell has to be horrible. It's not like they get to clean it as soon as it happens, ya know? They gotta wait for the investigators to finish up their job. I imagine it's all smelling pretty ripe by the time they get to it. Bleh.

All right everyone! Have a great weekend. If you go trick or treating, be safe and save a little candy for the kids!
Ms. T & Ms. L

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Ribs Recipe

My Hubs loves ribs.  I mean loves.  If I make 5 pounds of ribs Firecracker and I might eat a total of 1 1/2 pounds (if that!).  The rest goes to the Hubs.  If he doesn't eat them for dinner he claims them as the next day's lunch.  Hubs is serious about his ribs!

As of 2 (or so) years ago I had never successfully made ribs before.  I tried once and failed... miserably (is there anyother way to fail?  I mean go big or go home right? =), therefore I was hesitant to try again.  After some internet perusing I found John McCain's famous rib recipe!  I have made ribs a gagillion times (no, I never exaggerate!) since and every time they have turned out wonderfully! If you or anyone in your house likes ribs this is a recipe you NEED to try! 

Ingredients:

--4 lbs of ribs (I use pork, but beef should be fine too)
-- 2 Tbsp. Garlic Powder
-- 2 Tbsp. Salt
-- 2 Tbsp. Black Pepper
-- 3 lemons juiced (I usually just use about half of one of the little lemon containers that have the already squeezed juice in them.)

Directions:

Combine all the dry ingredients and rub the ribs down front and back. 

Put the ribs into a 6.5 quart crock pot and pour the lemon juice on top.

Cook on low for 7 to 10 hours or on high for about 5 hours.  (Crock pot= best part of this! Easy cooking, easy clean up!  YAY for easy!!)
Eat, Love, Enjoy =)

Ms. T

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Try It Tuesday - Toddler Scarf

Welcome to Try It Tuesday!  Today we are tackling a super easy project just in time for all the cold weather that is about to hit.  I am going to show you how to make this super cute winter scarf for your toddler!

All you need for this project is:

One Pair of Adult sized Knee socks. (Mine are from Target - priced at $2.50, but any knee socks should work fine.)

You will also need a pair of scissors, some stick pins, and a sewing machine.

Start by cutting your knee socks off right above the heel.

Turn one sock inside out. Put the sock that is NOT turned inside out into the sock that is inside out. Pin the two socks right sides together at the raw edges.

Straight stitch 1/4 from edge all the way around.  Turn sock right side out and you should have a nice seam in the middle, like this:

Back to the cutting table.  Its time to make the fringe.  You can use any type of trim that you like here.  I wanted this to be as cheap as possible and didn't want to buy new trim, so I used the remainder of the sock to make my fringe.

I removed the heel and the toe of the sock, and cut the rest of the foot into 6 strips. 





Give this strips/loops a good stretch.  This will cause the edges to curl up nicely.

Pin these loop inside the end of scarf (or what used to be the top of the sock). I pinned my loops to lay flat so each loop will create two pieces of fringe.



Straight stitch across, making sure that you stitch over each of your loops. 

It should look something like this.  Although your stitch may be a little straighter than mine.

Cut all the loops at the end and tie knots in each end for a more finished look. 

Tada!  You're done!  This is a cheap and stylish way to keep the babies warm this winter.  We have worn one of these scarves out twice, and have had complete strangers stop us and compliment them.  Here are a few of the ones we have done so far.







Hope you enjoyed today's tutorial.  If you give it a try and like it, be sure to send me a pic, so I can see too!  Have a great day!

Ms. L

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Getting Your Money's Worth

As a Mom I'm always trying to get my money's worth out of everything.  I use coupons, wear clothes until they get holes in them, or they get stained etc., scrape the butter container to make sure we get every bit we can. 

Well, the Firecracker found his Halloween costume in the back of the closet the other day. He was so excited about it and wanted to wear it.  I thought about it for a minute and then thought, "why  not? Halloween costumes usually only get worn once a year.  What a waste!" 

So Firecracker got to wear it. And he keeps wearing it.  He even wore it to church last night.  If he had been 10 I probably wouldn't have let him wear it to church, but hey 2 year olds can pull off alot of things that 10 year olds can't ;).   

Here is a picture of my adorable Firecracker wearing his "super hero" costume.  (It's really a knight costume, but because it has a cape, he is insistant that he's a super hero.  Whatever who am I to judge? ;)

Here's to getting your money's worth out of everything today ;).

Ms. T

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Germs Germs Go Away...

Please don't come back another day.

I am sick.  Bleh.  I hate being sick.  I have some sinus/allergy/cold/death disease.  Ok, maybe death is exaggerating just a bit, but at times it really feels like it. 

The kids and I went to Georgia this week with my Sis-in-law and her daughter, and our county's 4H group.  We attended a HUGE Agricultural Expo, and did a little cave exploring.  It was 3 days of great fun and exhaustion.   Travelling to Georgia during Pecan and Harvesting season is a really bad idea for me.  But I love the Expo, and try to go every year. 

(Insert cute pic of kids here)

You really have to use your imagination here, because I can't find my camera to upload my pictures.  And I don't feel like getting up off the couch to try to find it.  I will include some pics in the next day or so, once I get around to unpacking. 

So for now, I going to leave you with just one of the many humorous things that was said to me this weekend.  This one is from The Boy.

Boy: Hey, Mom and Auntie Em, do you know how a boy spider gets a girlfriend?

Me: No.  I don't think I do.  Is this a joke?

Boy: No, Ma'am.  I learned about it in school this week.

Me (Slightly nervous): Ok.  Go ahead.

Boy: So, the boy spider decides that he wants a girlfriend.  Then he puts sparkles all over his web.  Well the girl spider decides she needs to come check out what's goin' on at his web.  So, she thinks his web is pretty and decides she will be his girlfriend.  And the boy's all like, "YAY!" (He actually yelled 'YAY' and threw his hands in the air.)  Then the girl has to lay some eggs, but she wants to be private and tells the boy spider to get lost. 

Me: Well, that's understandable.  Sometimes spiders like their privacy.

Boy: But if the boy spider won't leave, you know what she does?  She EATS Him!!!! (Very enthusiatically.  I can only imagine that this is the coolest part to him.)

Me: Well, I guess that would teach him a lesson, huh?

Boy:  I am sure glad you and dad aren't spiders.  Because he didn't leave, and if you were a spider, you would have to eat him.

At this point Auntie Em and I were about to die from holding in our laughter.  For the rest of the weekend, at random points you could find Auntie Em or I throwing up our hands in the air yelling "Yay!".  I think we convinced the 4H that we are completely looney.  I also think we scared our tour guide while we were in the caves and spotted some sparkly spider webs.  Oh, well, what's life without a little excitement every now and then? At least I know that The Boy paid attention during the science lesson at school.

Have a great germ free weekend! 

Ms. L 

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Feeding the "not ducks"

I took the Firecracker to feed the ducks the other day.  When we got to the lake, we found these little guys.

I don't know what kind of birds these are, but they were definitely not ducks.  However, they were the little guys that got treated to our stale loaf of bread the other day.

 Firecracker had a great time feeding them.  However, at this point he was telling them to get in the water.  Not sure why, but he was adamant that they get in the water.

Anyway, we had a great time feeding the "not ducks".  Have fun today!

Ms. T

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Adventures in Oral Surgery & 5 ? Friday

Yesterday, I had to get my wisdom teeth out =(.  It is no fun, but it really went better than I expected.  See you may not know this about me, but when I get nervous especially about medical stuff I cope by using humor.  Yesterday was no exception.  The Hubs was a great sport, as he usually is when he knows I'm nervous.  He took the ribbing I gave him with a light hearted smile, or in some cases a chuckle and nod.

The nurse and the doctor were laughing with me, or maybe at me, there at the end...  I'm sure I was quite the sight trying to crack jokes with a numbed mouth full of gauze.  See now you're even laughing with me, or at me. 

The funniest part (or most nerve wracking actually in the moment) was while I was lying in the chair waiting for the anaesthetic to numb me up.  The doctor's office was apparently right next to the room I was in.  He was on the phone and saying, rather excitedly might I add, "yeah, yeah, I'm finally done.  Yep, I finished October 1st, so I'm officially done."  So here I am lying in the chair thinking, "grrreeaaattt.  I'm patient number 10 or something!"  Not so reassuring while you're already slightly nervous.  But now it's hilarious (only because everything went well =)!

P.S. My FABULOUS parents drove 5 1/2 hours just to come and watch my munches and help take care of them for a few days while I recover.  I know you wish you were as lucky as I am to have such great parents ;).

And onto 5 ? Friday! Thanks to Mama M. letting us link up!

1. Where do you escape to when you've had enough?
   Shopping.  I leave the Hubs with the kids and go to the store for some coupon deals.  It's my catharsis.

2.  What shows are you watching this fall?
    Fringe, House and my newest favorite "The New Girl".

3.  What is the longest road trip you've ever taken and where did you go?
     I'd say it was like 475,668,697,857 hours or at least it felt like it.  I rode with my parents to Maine for my younger brother's wedding.  I tell ya, it was fun, but a really long drive.

4. Do you plan on taking your kids to Disney World?
    YES, they've actually already been to Disney.  Firecracker has been 3 times now and Sweet Pea has been once.  I love Disney.  As long as we can afford it I will take my kids.  Plus it's a great excuse for me to get to go ;).

5.  What is something people would be surprised to know about you?
     In the words of my niece, "I sometimes sing in Japanese"!  You know when you don't really know that awkward moment when you're singing along with a song and the artist gets the words wrong.  You start mumbling.... yep, that's me ;).  Honestly, I have very few secrets.  Ask me what you wanna know and I'll tell ya.  No problems.

Hope you have a great weekend!

Ms. T



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Try It Tuesday...ummm... Thursday

Hello, Everyone!  Ms. L here!  It's time for another week of Try It Tuesday brought to you specially on Thursday.  Yay, me!  Only 2 days late! 

Ok, so as you know, my mom was here for the last week.  It was wonderful.  We enjoyed spending time together.  We spent most of that time thrift store shopping and crafting.  We had 3 major projects that we worked on, and still have to finish.

Today is not quite a full-blown tutorial, because I am still in the process of this project. I am going to show you what I have accomplished so far, and will update you again when I am finished. First, a little back-story.

While my mom was here, I introduced her to the wonderful world of Pinterest.  As we were perusing the DIY page for inspiration, my mom spotted a hand crocheted rag rug.  She got all excited and told me that her mom and grandma used to make those when she was a little girl.  She went on to say that she has wished to have one of their rugs still.  So, project #1 was born.  (I don't have any pics of this yet, but will get some posted rather soon.) 

In talking about that, I remembered that my mom used to make us Rag Dolls when we were younger.  We had store bought dolls, but my rag doll was my favorite.  For some reason, and don't ask me why, all of our rag dolls were named Mrs. Pat.  I know, not very creative.  So I decided that I wanted to make a Rag Doll for the Little Miss.  Then, that grew out of hand rather quickly.  One rag doll became a Disney Princess, which then turned into the entire crew of Disney Princesses.  A little ambitious for a new sewer, right?

That brings us to the middle of project #2.  So far, I have finished two of them.  Cinderella and Tatiana.  I have 5 or 6 left to go, but this will give you a good idea of what is involved.

The patterns that I used were Simplicity P2102 (babies) and Simplicity 5705 for Princess dresses. (Tatiana's dress was not included in pattern.  This is a slightly modified version of Belle's dress.)  The dolls are 15 inch dolls, and the dresses are made for 18 inch dolls.  So to cut my pattern down, I cut all the material out on the sew lines rather than the cut lines.

Their bodies are made out of a lightweight muslin, but not too thin, because you don't want to be able to see the cotton through it.  All of the dress fabrics were found on the clearance rack. 

I don't have an embroidery machine, so their faces are painted on.  Their hair is a worsted weight yarn that I pushed through the fabric with an upholstery needle to create a slip knot.

This project wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be.  Cinderella took me almost two days, but she was my first sewing project.  Tatiana was able to be started and finished in one day, but I worked on her almost the entire day, just taking breaks to take care of the kiddos, and entertain them.  Hope you enjoyed the tutorial (kind of), and I hope it inspires you to create something of your own!

Have a great day!

Ms. L

PS - The 3rd project is knitted dishcloths.  I am about halfway through with mom's, and already using mine.  Love them!


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Coupon idea

I just read over on I Heart Publix that you can get 6 bottles of Suave Men's shampoo for .07!  Talk about a good deal!!!  This is how you get this deal:

buy 6 bottles of the Suave Professional Men's Shampoo (estimated price 2.19 ea.)

Use 3 buy one get one free coupons for this product found in the October 2nd Red Plum insert.

Also, use 2- 3.00 off of 3 Publix Coupons for this product found in the Green Advantage Buy Flyer (most of the time found at the magazine rack at the front of the store.  If they aren't there ask at the Customer Service Desk).

Finally, use 1- .50 off of 2 coupon for this product found in the October 16th Red Plum.

Ok, so this is what the math should look like:
6 shampoos x 2.19 = 13.14
Use 3- b1g1 coupons = 6.57
Use 2- 3.00/3 Publix coupons = .57
Use 1- .50/2 Manufacturer coupon = .07

Even including tax you should get all 6 bottles for right around 1 dollar!!! Whoo hooo!!!!
Good luck, fellow couponers!

Ms. T

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Mysteries of Life

Where do the lost socks go?

Why do the children pick the worst moment of the day to leak through their diaper, or throw a tantrum etc.?

Why do jeans magically shrink in the dryer, BUT only if they've been washed first?  And then stretch back out after a wear or two?

Why do tupperware containers disappear always leaving their lids behind?  Are they mad at the lids and trying to get away from them?  Or are they mocking us by showing us how many dishes we lost?

How do they get milk out of a bean/ nut?

Why do so many super heroes' masks only cover their eyes?  If they're serious about hiding their identity they should take notes from Spider Man.

Why is it if a white piece of clothing makes it into a colored load it always comes out pink even if there isn't anything red in that load?

A few things to ponder today.  Hope you have a good day!

Ms. T

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Giggles from the Backseat

Today was supposed to be Try It Tuesday.  I had the cutest little project ready, and was going to take the pictures, when I realized that my camera was dead.  And I have no idea where the charger is.  See, the hubs is responsible to all electronics in my house, and so I wouldn't even know where to begin to look.   So, tune in on Thursday for my new Rag Doll Disney Princesses.

So for today, I thought I would tell you a little bit about the Little Miss.  She is the sweetest little thing you could meet.  With a temper.  And a slight Diva attitude.  She just turned 3 in July, and is smart as a whip.  (You know, I have no idea how smart a whip is, but it must be a genius.)  She is super girly with just enough guts to try to catch a frog and jump in puddles.  She thinks that when you are home, you are supposed to only wear your undies, but if you must be made to wear clothes, you have to have shoes on as well.  Preferably Princess shoes.  She is very demonstrative in her affection for people, and even goes over the top declaring just how much she is going to miss you anytime you leave.  She has a great sense of humor, which I think partially comes from her daddy & I, but her big brother really helps develop it.  Occasionally, she says things that just make me laugh, and even though she doesn't realize what she has done, she giggles like she meant it exactly the way I took it. 

So, I am going to share just a few of her recent (and one from long ago) phrases with you today:

Yesterday, on realizing that The Boy's Principal only has one hand:  "Mom, I couldn't see his other hand, only a Knuckle Sandwich!"  (Thankfully, we had pulled away from the curb and he couldn't hear us.) 

Today, on seeing another teacher, who is fortunate enough to have both of her hands:  "Mom, she had all three of her hands.  So, girls can have all they hands but boys only get to have Knuckle Sandwiches?" (Note to self: Work on counting and find a way to explain that not all boys are victims of the Knuckle Sandwich.)

Today, while playing with some blocks:  "Mom, if you are bad and get in trouble, the pizza man will come and take you away."  (Um, can he bring dinner?  Because if I am going to pizza man jail, I don't want to have to cook dinner!)

Right after she turned two, we were saying her bedtime prayers, and this is what she prayed, "Dear God, please let Bubba grow a little mustache.  Not a big daddy one, but a little bubba one."  (Luckily, The Boy turned 7 on Sunday, and we still have zero facial hair!)

Hope you have a wonderful day!

Ms. L

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Giant Hunting

Firecracker has recently started telling me there are "giants" in his room whenever the light is off.  If I send him to his room to get something he will take off and minutes later come back asking me to "come quick, Mom.  Giants!" 

Frustrated with not being able to send him to get things that he's perfectly capable of getting, and has retrieved before with no problem.  I decided to take an admitedly odd approach.  If you know me you'll realize this is not out of step with my character.  Why zig when everyone is ziging?  When everyone is ziging I don't even want to zag I want to run in circles, and make it look good!  It's my nature.... 

Anyway, the form "circle running" took in this situation was to tell my Firecracker, "okay, let's scare them off!"  Then we run to his room with our hands in the air saying, "booga, booga, booga".  Obviously, any pretend giant should shudder with fear and run for the hills when they see us coming.  Lately, we've been scaring off quite a few giants.  However, yesterday takes the cake. 

We had gone outside to play.  He was climbing up his little slide and standing at the landing on top and looking around.  Finally he looked at me and said, "MOM, GIANT!"  I said, "okay, Firecracker, go get him!"  He slid down the slide and started running across the yard arms in the air shouting "booga, booga" at the top of his lungs.  He continued to "hunt giants" for almost a half an hour.  I'm sure the neighbors got quite the kick out of him.... They usually do! =)

I tell ya, giant hunting for a half an hour wore my little man out.  It might turn from a way to get over fears into a full fledged game!  I don't know, but this Mama is happy that her little Firecracker ran off some of his endless energy. =)

Ms. T

Sweet Potato Bread

Sorry my post is so late today.  The Hubs was doing some home repairs today and kicked the kids and I out of the house.  Apparently he didn't want any little hands helping him do any electrical wiring... Sometimes the Hubs is so unadventurous ;)

Anyway, My sweet Mamma sent me some sweet potatoes about a week ago.  I say she sent them to me, but really they were for the Hubs, because he loves sweet potatoes and I don't care for them.  I needed to do something with them, because the Hubs doesn't usually dig through the produce drawers.  If he's wanting a snack he doesn't wanna have to make it.  The quicker the better.  All this to say I had 4 or 5 sweet potatoes that were going to go bad if I didn't find something constructive to do with them.  They ended up being enough to double the recipe and for the Hubs to eat one.... since they were already cooked ;).

Hence the sweet potato bread recipe I'm about to share.  The bread was actually my Mamma's idea too!  She's so great ;).  This recipe was a first for me, but it was SUPER delish! 

 Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

1 3/4 cups sifted all- purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/3 cup water

1 cup cooked and mashed sweet potatoes

1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Directions:

1. Combine sugar and oil; beat well.  Add eggs and beat.  Combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Stir flour mixture into egg mixture alternately with water.  Stir in sweet potatoes and chopped nuts.

2. Pour batter into greased 9x5 inch loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour.

3. Try to save some for the rest of your family... This will take self control!

4. Do some sort of exercise to burn off the entire loaf of sweet potato bread you just ate before your family could get any. =)

I found this wonderful recipe Here just in case you'd like to see it for yourself ;).

Ms. T

         

  

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5 Question Friday!!

I have to say I'm excited about this weekend, because tomorrow night is date night with the Hubs!!!  Whoo hoo!!  We haven't been out on a date in quite a while so this Mamma is ready for some grown up time.  No, "wait, yep, she needs a diaper change."  or, "time for Sweet Pea to eat", or "Firecracker, don't eat that off the floor!!" etc. etc. 

Ok, so let's get this party started.  Once again a big ol' thanks to Mama M. for letting us link up to 5 question Friday.

1. Do you prefer your ice cream in a bowl or in a cone?

  

   Both.  However ice cream is presented to me is fine by me!  I loves it.  It's my bestest friend (sorry, Ms. L).  Hmmm come to think of it that's probably why I've gained more weight with this last pregnancy and post pregnancy..... Possible connection? NAH! My ol' friend would never betray me like that... Right?

2. What three things do you love the smell of?

   Clean babies.  After my munches get out of the bath tub I have to smell them.  I love it!  Firecracker thinks this is hilarious and then wants to smell me.... He's a nut.

   Cinnamon candles/ brooms etc.  Cinnamon smell makes me feel like Christmas is coming.  And Christmas is my FAVORITE holiday.

   Bleach.  I know this is a weird one, but hey, I'm a weirdo.  If you remember I mentioned my abnormal love for bleach here .

 

3. Gift cards or no? (In regards to gift giving...)

   Yeah, I can get on board with gift cards.  Unless I am really close to the person and I know the perfect gift for them.  I do love buying that perfect gift and knowing the joy it will bring to the receiver.  Not just that they're getting what they wanted, but also knowing that I know them and listen to them well enough to know it's the perfect gift.  Love that feeling (for both of us).  If I don't know what they want a giftcard is a much better option than giving them something they have to return.  In the words of Jim Gaffigan (hilarious comedian, if you've never heard him you should you tube him.  You'll thank me later, after you've stopped laughing.) "thanks for giving me an errand".

4. What sports did you play in high school if any and do you still play them?

   I played Volleyball and Basketball in High School.  I really enjoyed them.  Volleyball the most for sure.  I miss it, and would be happy to play again.  Not so sure my body would be able to do what it used to do though.....  But hey, in my mind I'm still 20 and in the best shape of my life. =)

5. Were you in band in high school? What instrument did you play?

   HAHAHAHA!  Oh wait, you're serious.  Ummm ok, no, I was not in a band for a few good reasons: A. I have NO rhythm.  I'm not exaggerating.  Ask the Hubs or Ms. L, or pretty much anyone that has seen me try and keep time (I.e. clapping the beat to a song.  Yeah I start, but then have to stop so I don't get laughed at.)  B. I have no musical talent.  My Mamma disagrees with this one, but she's my Mom and she has to say stuff like that.  Trust me, you don't want to stand next to me when we're singing in church.  I am a joyful noise maker.  NOT a "get up on stage and let everyone listen to me singer".

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

Ms. T

1. Do you prefer your ice cream in a bowl or in a cone?
In my belly!  I, as well as Ms. T, will take my ice cream however I can get it!  In fact, somewhere around here I have pics of the Incredible Ms. T and I in college, pigging out on some really soupy banana splits.  Our little dorm room only had a tiny fridge with no freezer, and apparently it did not provide the frozen tundra that ice cream prefers.  Hmmm... I might need to go digging and find those pics!

 

2. What three things do you love the smell of?
A) My deep freezer.  Crazy, I know.  I remember when I was little, my mom had a giant deep freezer, and I remember trying to climb into it, so I could smell it more.  Don't worry, it didn't smell gross, just cold,  I guess.
B) Eucalyptus lotion.  I used it when I was in labor with both of my kids, because it's one of those things that you like the smell so much, you breathe as deep as you can, which either causes you to hyperventilate or relax.  For me, it causes the later of the two.
C) Pumpkin Scented Candles - because they remind me of FALL!  Which I love!

 

3. Gift cards or no? (In regards to gift giving...)
It's not my first choice to give them.  However, if it is one of my older nieces or nephews, I think that it's a nice gift, because what teenager doesn't want to go shopping with their own money, and get to pick out their own gift.  I give them to my dad for almost every holiday, because he is a super hard person to buy for.  I LOVE to receive giftcards, because I tend to be a little picky, and like to choose my own gift.  ( I also hate surprises, so that's a nice easy gift).

 

4. What sports did you play in high school if any and do you still play them?

 

5. Were you in band in high school? What instrument did you play?

My itty bitty school didn't have a band.  I did play the flute, but not in band.  Ok, I do have more rhythm than Ms. T.  That is one way we are different.  But I do make fun of her for her lack of it every chance I get.

 

All right everyone!  Have a great weekend! 

Ms. L

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By Special Request

I am not trying to butt in on Ms. L's blogging day.  However, as you now know I am a couponer.  I love the extreme deal.  And even some of the decent deals.  I was asked last night by a friend when I was going to post some of my coupon deals on the blog.

So by special request I have a couple of coupons deals for you.  Some require coupons others do not. 

These are CVS deals.  Just in case you were wondering I love CVS.

1. The small/ trial size tubes of Crest Complete toothpaste are on sale for 2.37 ea.  There is 2.00 off coupon in the September 11th, Smart Source.  Making the toothpaste .37.  To make this deal even hotter whenever you purchase any Crest Complete you recieve a 2.00 ECB (Extra Care Buck, it's like a CVS gift card, able to be used on your next purchase- which can be done immediately).  So you'll be paying .37 out of pocket and recieve 2.00 ECBs =).  It's like being paid 1.63 to leave the store with a tube of toothpaste! yippee!!!  In my CVS the smaller tubes of this kind of toothpaste was on the same shelf as the big tubes.  NOT in the trial size section.

2. CVS is also offering a deal on Hallmark cards.  Buy any 3 Hallmark cards get 3 ECBs.  This is even working on the .99 cards.  So you will pay 3.00 out of pocket, but recieve 3 ECBs at the end of your receipt.  Whoo hoo free cards!!

Good luck and Happy Couponing =)

Ms. T

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A "Help"ing Hand in Parenting

Several weeks ago, I went to see the movie, "The Help".  It was amazing.  I laughed, cried, cheered, and even felt convicted about my parenting.

Now, I am not going to spoil the movie for you, in case you haven't seen it, but I will explain a bit more what I am talking about.  There is a character in the movie who has a young daughter that does not meet her mother's expectations where beauty is concerned.  She is a little chunky monkey, with some rolls, and chubby little cheeks that just make you want to kiss 'em.  Her mother is appalled by this however, and distances herself from the child.

However, this child has a Nanny, one of the main characters in the movie.  Each morning, the Nanny cuddles with this precious darling and says to her:

"You is Kind.  You is Smart.  You is Important."

If you were to ask me how often I tell my children that they are cute, or handsome, or pretty, I could answer "all the time".  If you had asked me a couple of weeks ago how often I tell my children they are important, or kind, or smart?  Sadly, not nearly as often.  Now?  I tell them every day. 

This one statement in a movie really made me reconsider what qualities I am emphasizing as good with my kids.  I want them to know that they are compassionate, kind, caring, funny, smart, good dancers, honest, and so many other things that are such rarities in today's world. (Yes, being a good dancer is a rarity, but I say that because it is a passion of my son's).  Today we are surrounded by bullies, negative media, snark blogs, peer pressure, and so many other sources of negativity, that I want to make sure that my kids always know what they have to offer this world.  I don't ever want them to think that they are worthless.  

Along the same lines, I have to share what a fellow blogger, Anna, from An Inch Of Gray , has taught me in the last month.  On September 8th, she lost her 12 year old son, Jack, to the floods that ravaged the North East United States.  Of course her entire family is devastated, but she has been blogging through the pain, sharing all the ways that God has revealed Himself to them in the last month.  *I will tell you, if you choose to read her blog, please have tissues handy, and be prepared for her to be incredibly real.  She is a mother that is mourning deeply the loss of her son, and is questioning the surrounding circumstances.  However, she is still a shining example of grace in tragedy.*

One of the greatest things that Anna has taught me through her posts, is that each day she would tell her children, "I am proud to be your mom."  Of course, coming off of reading her emotional posts about losing Jack, I sobbed and held my children for hours and days afterwards.  But another thing that I did, was start telling them how proud I am that I get to call them my kids.  I think it is just as important for them to know that, as it is for them to know that I think they are cute, or handsome.


Ugh, what is up with me lately?  I have been so emotional the last couple of posts.  I will try to return to the super light-hearted self in the very near future.


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