Spring Break observations

Drew is the professor.
In this photo he looks like the evil professor.
"This is my creation....if all goes as planned it will blow up as soon as it senses girls nearby. Especially sister girls......Bwhahaha!"
Everywhere we went he was the first to build something. Including the nice leftover lump Gwenna is sitting on in photo below.

We called her the observer.
Sometimes it is more fun to play it safe and watch everyone else ( well, only me the Mom,)
gets hurt, and snow burns, and soggy wet. I did eventually trick her into going down the hill with me and Bubbs and ended up in a head-knocking-teeth-jarring-is anyone bleeding crash. I, or mostly my head, took the brunt of it. No regrets though. Having pain in this instance was soo worth the pleasure.

We called him the pro. He had the shoulder tilt action. He could maneuver back onto the track, around a tree, and use his feet to brake, all for the perfect 10 landings. He is a boy of few words but great actions.

We called them stupid. ( the ones on the bottom) Others called them the best Dads in the world.

At the end of the day this is what it was all about.


A special thank you to the Taylor's who are one of the few people that can get my hubby to laugh a belly laugh.
Thank you.

Well said. No, really.... I agree.

Awkwarfamilyphotos.com

According to today's regulators and bureaucrats, those of us who were kids in the 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s or even the early 80s, probably shouldn't have survived. Our baby cribs were covered with bright colored lead-based paint. We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors, or cabinets, and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets. (Not to mention the risks we took hitchhiking).

As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags. Riding in the back of a pickup truck on a warm day was always a special treat. We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle. Horrors! We ate cupcakes, bread and butter, and drank soda pop with sugar in it, but we were never overweight because we were always outside playing. We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle, and no one actually died from this.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of wood scraps and fruit crates and then rode down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem. We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on.

Now one was able to reach us by cell phone. Unthinkable! We did not have Playstations, Nintendo 64, X-Boxes, no video games at all, no ninety-nine channels on cable, videotape movies, surround sound, personal cell phones, personal computers, or Internet chat rooms. We had neighborhood friends! We played dodge ball, and sometimes, the ball would really hurt. We played other games such as Kick the Can and Capture the Flag. We fell out of trees, got cut, and broke bones and teeth, and there were no lawsuits from these accidents. They were accidents. No one was to blame but us.

We had fights and punched each other and got black and blue and learned to get over it. We made up games with sticks and tennis balls and ate worms, and although were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes, nor did worms live inside us forever. We rode bikes or walked to a friend's home and knocked on the door, or rang the bell or just walked in. Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment.

Some of us weren't as smart as others, so we failed a grade and were held back to repeat the same grade. Horrors! Tests were not adjusted for any reason. Our actions were our own. Consequences were expected, no one to hide behind. The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law. Imagine that! This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers and problem solvers and inventors, ever. -anonymous

I fell

This picture is so funny it made me think of a lot of things.

1. Falling down the stairs.

2. Wearing cut-off denim shorts.

3. Falling down the stairs while wearing denim cut off shorts.

Deep thoughts.
I know.
But most of all.

4. Being able to laugh at yourself while falling down the stairs and wearing denim cut-off shorts.

Photo source: JunkFest...someone PLEASE tell me how to link!

I am sooo drooling over this talented girl's blog.
I DREAM of having a room like this.
If a room could describe a person, this room would be me.
But, seriously, these girls are super talented.
Go check out their blog.
They are super nice too.
I know 'cause I e-mailed them about how much I love those clocks and they e-mailed me back.
That's right.
We're like best friends now.
Well, maybe not.
I lied.
A girl can dream though.

Craft

I want to make this.

I need to make this.
I will try and make this.
Well, probably not.
Anna, if you are out and you find a frame like this even if I have to paint it, call me, you have my #,
Oh, and if you see a nest like this, buy it. I will pay you back. Yes, really.
If there are any eggs like these,
same thing.
And don't you have paint this color?
Tell you what, since you'll have all this stuff, just go ahead and make this for me.
I promise to act genuinely surprised.

Ever have a day like this?
I do.
More than I'd like to admit.
Thank goodness for friends and family who are always there to remind me that the sun always eventually comes out again.
Even if that friend is named Dawn and has to climb into bed with you to check and see if you are alive.
Thank you.

And can somebody get that girl an umbrella.
And some pants.
Seriously, where are her pants.


Photo source: Unknown.

Reading..........

photo source: Awkwardfamilyphotos.com
Go there.


This is what my children see when they interrupt me reading.
House is burning down?
Hope you get out okay.
The dog ran away?
That's nice. Run faster.
You're starving because I've neglected to feed you so I could finish this extra long chapter?
There's leftover beans in the fridge. Oh wait. Never mind I finished those this morning.

I.........

photo source: Awkward family photos.com

This is a prime example of why everyone in my family is glad they are not having a birthday in the near near future.
Oh, you thought this is what they would get as a punishment or because I am in a bad mood or something......no,no.
I like refried beans.
A lot.
I have no shame.
This would be my ideal birthday cake.
Stick a candle in it.

Ken's Perfect Hardboiled Egg

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
• 6 cups water
• 8 eggs

Directions

1. Combine the salt, vinegar, and water in a large pot, and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the eggs one at a time, being careful not to crack them. Reduce the heat to a gentle boil, and cook for 14 minutes.
2. Once the eggs have cooked, remove them from the hot water, and place into a container of ice water or cold, running water. Cool completely, about 15 minutes. Store in the refrigerator up to 1 week.
   

Tried it. It is super amazing. Go try it. I dare you.

XOXO

This one is for my very own frog prince. Sometimes there is more frog than prince about him, but who's complaining.
Oh......I am.
I am still under the illusion that a simple kiss will help turn him into a prince.
He requires a little more than that, well, a lot more than that, but he is and ever will be my knight in shining armor, or frog or whatever.

I liked this one for my kids. If life is a sport, than I am glad to have them on my team. I choo choo choose them.

Sometimes.

No, that's mean, ALL the time. See? I AM a good mom.

This one is for my mom, sisters, and friends. I have been truly blessed to have people in my life who truly get me.
Anna, if we weren't related I'd wish we were. For the sole fact that you "get" what I just said makes it even more so. 'Nuff said.
Mom, you are the only person who knows what I am feeling with a simple "hello" on the phone. You are what I aspire to be with my daughters.

Wishing you a very early Happy Valentines day.
XOXO,
Michaela

Flash back Friday

A girlfriend of mine, whose blog I religiously follow, has Flashback Friday's. Since I love everything she does, I am therefore going to copy her!
Thanks April!
This falshback is only from earlier this month though. My 2nd oldest child, Serelle, was baptized.
She was so nervous and had us go over and over what she would do or not do.
The commitment she has made at such a young age is a shining example to all of us around her. To be willing to take such a big leap of faith and be baptized at 8 years old is a big deal. Especially for a girl who likes to fly under the radar and is very shy when not around her family.
Looking at her now as a young girl, I see so much of who she will become.
She is loyal to her family and friends. In her own way she looks out for those around her and is very conscientious of making sure no one is left out.
She is also very intense in all she does. She loves intensely. Dislikes intensely. Is happy intensely. Is mad intensely. Is generous intensely. Is obedient intensely. The list goes on. She is a work of intense opposites and contradictions. Most of them good, a lot of them frustrating, but all of them Serelle.
So, for this Flash back Friday, I want to say, I love you Sis. Thank you for choosing me as your mother and for making my life complete.

Monday Doors on Tuesday night

My second grader comes home every Monday with a Monday Door. It is a simple photocopy of a cartoon door that opens to reveal what she has written.
It is usually quick and to the point but more often than not it melts my frozen heart. To be able to look back at our week or weekend through her eyes is very refreshing and funny. Needless to say, I have saved every single one.
So, in light of this little happiness maker, I would like to start my own Monday Doors. ( yes, in true Michaela fashion, on Tuesday night)
This last week, along with everyone I know, my thoughts and prayers have more often than not been turned to those in Haiti. Especially with the feelings of being unable to help. Or that what little I am able to donate through tithes, seems so inadequit in the big scheme of things. What can my few measly dollars do for all those suffering?
The conclusion I have come to is that it can't do a whole lot. It won't go very far or make even a small impact.
But, if there are a lot of us giving, then together it equals something big.
All those small or big donations get put together, and allow those who can go and help to do so. I saw a picture of people loading all these boxes onto a crate to be shipped over to Haiti. The boxes were filled with things that are really needed.
Soap. Blankets. Clothes. And maybe what I was able to give paid for that blanket or t-shirt. And I can only imagine how grateful I would be to be on the receiving end after having lost everything I own.
So, please don't ever think that what you can afford to give is ever too small. It all adds up to something greater than us all.

Too early?

This is one of my motivators. what kid knows how to draw a Star Wars clone trooper on an Etch- a-sketch on his first try in under 2 min? My favorite nerd in the whole wide world, that's who!



Is it too soon to be thinking about my New years resolution?
Maybe.
But, for people like me who get an idea in my head and have to act immediately,
this might work in my favor for a change.
So.....
My news years resolution is going to be this blog.
What does this blog and resolutions have to do with each other you ask?
I'll tell you, even if your not asking.
I want to resolve to be more productive and actually finishing all my "projects" that I start and never finish.
I figure this blog will be a great way to commit to that. If I resolve that I will blog at least every Monday about something ( notice how I even type/said that in a pseudo whisper, that's how nervous I am!)
And by something I mean anything. It could be a craft that I started years ago, or a simple sewing project that might not be blog worthy, or a recipe that I am trying with no guarantee that it will be edible, or just a simple snapshot of my life in motherhood/wifedom/sister/daughter/friend/American citizen/obsessive compulsive/book connoisseur/semi-crafter/photography lover/church goer.
Wish me luck!

Puppy Love

I can not believe I am going to do this......
Blog about our dog. I know, I am not a dog"person" to say the least, but I am finding impossible to avoid.
We inherited this puppy from my mom, who inherited him from her neighbor.
What started off as just babysitting this mutt ( and I mean this in the nicest way, we really have no idea what he is other than part Chihuahua) quickly and inevitably evolved into permanent residential status for Buster. All along in the back of my mind I had this mental check list going of all things I would not put up with, and therefore be justified in re-homing Mr. B.


1. pees and poops everywhere.
2.barks or whines all night in his crate.

3. Bites or is overly aggressive.
4. Isn't compatible with the Alpha dog in the household,
otherwise known as Hubby/Daddy

This is how it went down.
1.The darn dog pees on command! ON COMMAND! I take him out every so often and say " go potty" and he.....goes potty. Darn. There goes #1 on get rid of, I mean re-homing list.

2.He LOVES to go in his crate. Snuggles up in a cute little ball and gives you his best puppy dog eyes.
There goes #2 on my (mustgetridofhimbeofrethekidsgtooattatched) list

3. Did you see the pictures? Nuff said. Darn darn darn. #3 goes down in flames.

4. So, I come home from grocery shopping the other day to find.......Hubby asleep on the couch with.......Buster on his chest sleeping away. Buster was too small at this point to have jumped up there on his own, so the only other explanation is that said Hubby put him there. Nooooooooooo.
So, having passed the test, and earned his stripes by being willing to be the new "baby" of the family, I formally introduce you to Mr. Buster Brown.