Children of Light

Peek-A-Boo

2010-07-11T01:46:00.004-04:00

There is a really good reason why I had so much trouble getting clear pictures of Emma out of 129 pictures!

WHERE is Emma!

Peek-a-boo!

WHERE is Emma!

Peek-a-boo!

You think that is FUNNY! Don't you?

WHERE is Emma!

Hi, Pretty Girl!

More = A Better Chance of Gettine ONE Good One

2010-07-09T15:39:00.007-04:00

Babies are wiggly.

Just in case you did not know.

And since I have fallen in love with natural light...

(There is not anyone that a flash cannot make look worse than they really do!)

I am having a terrible time getting good photos of little wiggly girl without them turning out like

THIS:

And then there are these that I really wish had turned out because of her sweet expression:

I took 129 pictures.

NO KIDDING!

And out of all the wiggly child pictures, managed to get only a few really good ones!

Doesn't it always seem that the sweetest ones end up in file 13?

But I cannot complain too much!

I did get THESE:

So I have learned that when really trying to get good pictures you really need to take a lot of them -especially when the subject is a wiggly little 3-month-old! More in this case is more!

There were quite a few that turned out beautifully. I am glad that I got them!

And this VERY special one:
And I'll tell you all about it tomorrow!

Much Ado About Nothing

2010-06-22T15:40:00.007-04:00

When we arrived the first day to ride horses with Mr K, it looked, for all intents and purposes that Monkey Shine was going to be the fraidy cat.

She does not like animals AT ALL! In fact, ANYTHING furry that moves is OUT -in her mind!
You can read about it HERE.

So she was the one I thought I would really have to sweet talk. She was the one I thought would chicken out, and I was not disappointed by her hesitation to even approach the animals!
She would rather climb into some branches than get close to the fence where they are being held!

You can tell by her face!

So while Monkey Shine was freaking out and needing to be sweet-talked by Mommy Monkey (that would be me), Monkey Do was having a ball.

She got to brush the horse, a lovely girl named Autumn:

I love Monkey Do's face in this one! She is really enjoying it!
And there is a sense of caring and doing something that is nice for the horse!

So Monkey See and Monkey Do brushed the horse together and then...

Monkey Do stepped back and watched as Monkey See had a lesson in how to saddle a horse...

And went for a ride!

And then it was her turn!

Mom! I am scared! I don't want to ride!

WHAT!?!? You have been talking non-stop about this for TWO MONTHS! WHY in the world are you not going to GET ON THAT HORSE?!

Well, I have never seen an animal that big up close!

Now here is the part that baffles me: She was NOT afraid to brush this huge animal looming above her. As a mother I was standing there thinking, "Be careful! Don't get trampled or kicked!" But she was happy to brush this enormous animal, but when it came time to go for a lazy little walk, around a corral, led by a very experienced horsewoman, in a saddle, with a handle and NOW we chicken out!

So Olivia, one of the darling young women helping, tried to "convince" her to get on the horse.

Guess where it got us!

HERE:
Full out meltdown mode. She was HYSTERICAL!

Finally it was clear that riding that day was going to be a lost cause, and we gave up.

I am really torn about that! I do not want this child -who lives in fear and is afraid to try ANYTHING- to cheat herself out of fun!
When she was learning to pedal her bike -with training wheels on, mind you- she would want me to push her around the cul-de-sac because she was too afraid to pedal. I must have looked like a terribly mean mother for yelling to her "NO, you go! C'mon! PEDAL!" all the way around. I must have seemed so mean! But she had to be pushed, and not in the literal sense. She simply needed to be MADE to do it so that she could see how amazingly capable she was! Now she is trying to teach herself to ride without training wheels! Larry took them off for her, and she is slowly getting it!
I push my kids to do things that are hard and that they are afraid of so that they do not live a life ruled by fear. When they do something hard for them it gives them such a sense of accomplishment and increases confidence! And if I do not make them face fear then they may be afraid to do the right thing and give in to those fears. And make a choice that could negatively impact them for the rest of their lives!
Fear can cripple them for life.

But it was clear that this was not going to be the day.

So what about the other "Fraidy Cat"?

These pictures say a thousand words:
She loved it! And the next time that we came to lessons, she was the first one on the horse!

So to give our little story of bravery and fear closure, what happened when Monkey Do was next there for lessons? Well before we even left I told her that if she didn't ride this time I was not going to bring her back for lessons. I simply am not going to have a meltdown to deal with three times a week for the entire summer!

So she swallowed,

And:

Now that was not so bad, was it?

"That was fun Momma! I think I will ride next time!"

Much ado about nothing.

Miss Fix-It

2010-06-18T14:00:00.000-04:00

So yesterday I posted some pictures of my blog about Mr K -who(dagnabbit!) captured my sweet littlest Monkey's heart and attention.

Well, I posted those pictures straight out of the camera.

Which I should not have, but I did.

I know that there are these talented people who take the most amazing pictures in composition and with a trained and artistic eye, and then they get on Photoshop, and they can make that photo EXACTLY what they imagined in their minds as the shutter flew!
They are artists!

But poor, pitiful me! I do not have Photoshop any longer.
My free trial ran out.
And even during the trial, I had NO IDEA how to use it!

Would you like to see the fruit of my efforts?

The original:

Ok. Cute, sweet baby! But there is some work that needs to be done, she looks blue, and poor sweetie has some of that baby acne stuff going on.

So here is MY first attempt at Photoshopping the picture:
Do you see the difference?

Me neither. For everything I did, there did not seem to be any change at all.

Effort 2:

Do you see the difference now? No?

Not surprised. I can't find a difference either.

I think I am not very good at this.

So I called my OOBER-TALENTED sister
(who just so happens to have this whole photoshop thing down, you know) and the result took my breath away!
I have NO IDEA how she pulled it off! But all the baby acne is GONE, her skin is rosie and lovely, and her eyes are even more twinkly!

That is worth another look!
Beautiful!

Here is what she did in Black and White:
Lovely!

You can see the family pictures she took of my family and me HERE and HERE.

Now, I am inept at Photoshop, but there are a lot of things that you can fix with simple Windows Media.

So here is the photo of Mr K straight out of the camera as you saw it in THIS post:

Ok, we can see that there needs to be some work done. Here it is on my laptop.

My poor laptop sure gets a workout!

First head to the "Fix" at the top left-hand corner of the viewing screen.

Now, you all may wonder WHY I am walking you all through it! Well, I am guessing that there are people who read this blog who are just like me. And I, for all my intelligence (no comments from the peanut gallery!) had all this on my computer for THREE YEARS, and JUST realized THREE WEEKS ago that I could actually DO something with it!

So those of you who have gotten all this figured out, sit back and watch all the rest of us "Ooooh!" and "Ahhhh!" at the discovery. Just laugh where we can't hear you, OK?

I HEARD that!

Back to business.

Now a menu will drop down on the right.

It looks like this:

With Mr K's picture I decided to start with the "Auto Fix" option. Sometimes it makes the picture just perfect.

Here is the result:
AAACK! I think it made it worse!
Mr K looks like he has been holding his breath for WAY too long!

Back to the drawing board.

So first I pulled up the "Adjust Exposure" option:
I bumped up the contrast just slightly, and simply nudged the brightness down. Not shown in this picture, since I took it AFTER the fix, and I did not want to mess up what I had just done!

Next I picked the "Adjust Color" option:
Now, I went up in the color temperature, making the picture a little warmer. Mr K is actually that tanned and dark from being in the sun, so it was appropriate.

Next, I nudged (there is that word again) the saturation to the right. You really don't want too much of this one, but a little bit can keep a picture from being too washed out!

Here is the result!

Well? What do you think?

Before:

After:
I like that one much better!

See I CAN do this "fix-it" thing!

This is a really easy way to fix pictures without the expense of Photoshop and the training needed to be really effective at it! Now of you want to make this a profession, you are going to need much more than Windows Media, but for the shutterbug, this can really be a lifesaver for your favorites that need help, and give your pictures a new dimension.

I like this also because you can fix red eye:

When I found this particular feature I went through all my old pre "natural-light-love-affair" days and fixed them all!

And crop pictures too:

So, you can use this feature if you just cannot figure out how to make Photoshop work for you, or if you are cheap, married to someone who is cheap, or an expensive program like that is not in the budget for you. Make the best use of Windows Media, and you might be able to make your photos pop!

Just don't forget THIS amazing, and TERRIBLY important button!

Located in the bottom right-hand corner of your window, make this little puppy your friend.
Simply click repeatedly to undo multiple steps!

And then have some fun!

Mr K

2010-06-17T18:02:00.010-04:00

This is Mr K

He is the giving soul who is providing the horses to ride for my Girls' lessons this summer.

Because, you know, lessons might not be NEARLY as productive if you don't actually have a horse!

Just a thought.

I just LOVE taking pictures of people when they have no idea!

Don't you?

I like Mr K. He reminds me of my Daddy that I MISS TERRIBLY!

See the resemblance?

But it is more than that just the facial hair.

They both have cowboy's souls! We may live in an age where the traditional cowboy and the need for them has greatly diminished, but cowboys are alive and well! They just carry it in their hearts.

A sense of right and wrong and the willingness to fight for it.
A chivalry that is not dead.
A love of the things that are given to us freely, but worth more than all the money in the world.
Sunshine.
Love.
Work (yes, it IS a gift!)
Making your word count for something.

And even though my Daddy is not wearing his hat in this picture, he is a cowboy at heart and can be seen sporting it on any given day!

There is one other thing that is alike about my dad and Mr K.

Babies LOVE them!

This is Mr K with a sweet little girl that appeared for riding lessons too! I believe that she is a past client, and knew him, and couldn't wait to see him!

And THIS was the reaction of the tiniest of my monkeys (yet without a monkey name) when she first got the chance to meet Mr K!
Do you see the little bit of surprise at him bending down to talk to her -and his hat, I am sure.
And the delight at being talked to -and the hat too, I am sure.
It was love at first sight!

And THIS is what she did when he asked if SHE was going to ride a horse:
I said, "She sure does like you, Mr K!"

To which he replied, "Honey, there ain't a baby in the world that don't love Mr K."

Matter of fact. Not prideful, not bragging, just fact -like "The sky is blue."

THIS was her reaction when he asked of she was going home with Mom now:

I hear crickets.

And THIS was her reaction when he told her that Mommy dressed her so sweet:

Uhm, is this thing on?

And THIS is what she did when he asked if he could keep her:

Yeah...

No loyalty! I carried you in my body! I have nursed you at my chest! I have the stretched out abdomen, the broad hips, baby weight, and windsails for clothes, and you go flirting with the first grandfatherly figure to come along!

That is it! We thought all along that we would have to use a bat to beat back the boys, but now I see that if I have any hope of your loyalty, I will need to arm myself against cowboys with facial hair and grandfatherly dispositions!

And THIS was her reaction when he said "You LOVE Mr K, don't you!":

It is ON Mr K!

It is ON!

Born To Ride!

2010-06-16T16:13:00.005-04:00

My girl loves horses.
She draws pictures of horses.
She collects horses.
She hangs pictures of horses all over her room!

So she was ECSTATIC when we were invited by a local rancher to take FREE riding lessons.

This is my girl waiting in anticipation to ride while they saddle the lovely and gentle Autumn.

She really is a beautiful horse.

And she really is a beautiful girl!

Doesn't she look like she belongs?

Nothing like Pioneer Woman's kids, who were born ready to ride!

But, for this being the first time she ever rode, she did pretty well!
She is a natural!
After all, she comes from a farm girl!
Good Nebraskan stock!

And I would like to take this moment to say GO BIG RED!

Aww! Do I HAVE to get off!?!?!

So when can I go again, Mom?
Huh? Huh? Huh?
PLEASE can I go again?
When? Soon?
I REALLY want to go again.
When, can I, Mom?
Let's go again!!!!

Now?

How about now?

How about now?

Ok, Now?

Let's do it now.

Now?...

Favorite Things

2010-06-15T23:54:00.004-04:00

I love red.

Have I mentioned that I LOVE red?

According to the fictitious "Dr Phil personality test", which is in no way related to Dr. Phil, that means I am "...the lively center of attention, the life of the party...".

Well, I never said it wasn't accurate! I just said it was in no way actually related to Dr Phil!

Any-hoo...

I love red, and you can tell this from my bedroom which you can see HERE.

And here is a picture of me in my favorite room, looking at my favorite nail polish.

Guess what. It is red.

Did I mention I LOVE red?

Here is something else that is red that I absolutely adore.

This is some amazing stationery that was given to me, and it proves the the giver KNEW ME! She appealed to both my loves of fashion and my love of red, and somehow managed to roll it into one amazing piece of paper! If I were to invent and design a pattern for stationery it would look JUST LIKE THIS!

There is something so lovely and charming about the beautiful dress (which I would LOVE to hang in my closet ANY day!) on a hanger.

And even the back of the box is a lesson in beauty!

And in an unusual stroke of paper genius, the dress is rather large, and a focal point in the design -giving it an air of luxury! You know, in a "I-am-pampering-myself-so-much-that-I-don't-even need-to-write-on-the-WHOLE-page-Half-of-it-is-DRESS!" kind of way! It has become more than paper. It is art!

Thank goodness someone designed it, because then I get to enjoy it! And though I love-love-love it, I just can't bring myself to open it and break out a crisp piece of paper and WRITE on it! That would be like allowing a child to scribble on a Monet!

I feel that fashion and shoes are high art forms!

Don't you agree?

You SHOULD agree!

But that is just me!

SO I will have to wait for something REALLY special to send a bit of this lovely vellum (word of the day).

So if you get a letter from me on this, the news is either really good or REALLY bad... let's just go with really good...for someone..probably me!

Hey! Did I mention that I LOVE red?

Younger and Younger All the Time!

2010-06-10T21:47:00.006-04:00

Do you remember my post about the faces my youngest Monkey makes? You can see it HERE. I mentioned in that blog that kids are learning to make goofy faces for the camera younger and younger.

There is something ELSE they are learning to do younger and younger!

I thought that two was young.
The only reason Sweet Geek is smiling in this one is because he has his eyes closed and has NO IDEA what she is doing!

Well, check THIS out!

No words are needed.
SERIOUSLY! She isn't even 12 weeks yet!
WHY is THIS the thing she gets right on the first try?
It is only something I will have to help her UNLEARN! No progress has been made at all!

Do you hear that Emma! No progress!

*Sigh*
It is starting younger and younger all the time.

How Do I Name This Post?

2010-06-09T22:22:00.002-04:00

Yeah...

OK...

So I need help deciding what lovely family picture taken by Julie I should have made into a print of an 8x10, and I need help.

Now my first decision -the naming of this blog. I thought about "Trouble", but there are so MANY other things that could cause a blog to be called trouble, that I really need to leave that option open.

Because I have four Monkeys!

I thought about naming it, "I Need Help!" only I was afraid that you all would think that was a reflection on my mental status.

(They are coming to take me awaaaaay...hoho...hehe...haha...to the Funny Farm!...)
(enough of that!)

And though I really DO need help (let's just keep that our little secret), I wished to keep up appearances of sanity and mental clarity!

(hoh...hehe..haha!)

So then, I thought about naming it "8x10." Dumb name.
But then I was simply so fed up with an appropriate name that I decided that I would let each of you use your imagination and simply think in your head whatever you want.

And we haven't even gotten to the actually help I require yet!

Whew! That was exhausting!

OK, here is the deal. My oober-talented sister took these really great family portraits while we were in Nebraska.

And I would like to take a moment to say GO BIG RED!

Moving on...

So I need to decide on one for an 8x10! The problem is that there are so many good ones, I am having a terrible time making up my mind! I know that there are some of you out there a little jealous! I mean, how often does THAT happen? Usually you go to Walmar..uh-hu-hum... a retail chain. Or someplace like Sear..er..a department store, and someone is there to snap photos.

"Say Cheese!"

And then you get the JOY of deciding which one is the least terrible out of truly horrendous choices!

So let us join Karen and Randy Fictional, and listen in!

"Well, Randy, in this one Bobby is not making the WORST face I have ever seen, but Sue looks like she just rolled out of bed and smeared soot on her cheekbone, and WHAT is this on Billy's FACE! I don't even WANT to know what that is! So which one will we be least embarrassed by hanging on our wall? *groan* There is not a single picture here that doesn't translate into YEARS of therapy for our children!"

You all get to leave comments and tell me what you think! I can't wait to hear ...er... READ your thought on the photos!

There are some of my sweet monkeys that will make it into 8x10-hood without even a second thought. There they are:

Would you like to see those in Black and white?

WHAT? Wait! Now I have to decide between them! And thought these were the easy ones! Aaargh!

OK, Here are the first three. It is all the same photo with different effects and filters. Thank Julie from JB Photography for both the amazing pictures and the photoshop work. You are a wizard, Julie!

Here they are:
What do you all think? Which colors do you like? I tend to be really partial to black and white, and decorate my livingroom that way, but I love all three of these and each filter has its own look and high points!

Or there are also these:

And then there is this one!

And these:

Decisions!

Let's go back to the Fictionals and listen in once again to Karen and Randy as they talk about the delema(sp?) before them:

"Randy, there is not a SINGLE picture that all three kids look good in! And you and I look like zombies in EVERY SINGLE ONE! So we need to decide based on the kids."

"Which one do we want to make mad, Karen? Let me rephrase that: Which child, when angry, will be angry for the least amount of time and will work less to make us miserable?"

"I have NO idea. Not Sue! She would walk around with a bag on her head! So it is between the boys. Which picture has a boy looking least terrible! Randy, my brain is fried!"

I can sympathize, but for OH SO DIFFERENT reasons!

My brain is fried.

I hope it did not damage my hair follicles.

Because then I would have bald patches all over my head.

One last thing. I had to add this photo. Though it is not in the running for obvious reasons, I love it because everyone is laughing! Just look at Monkey Shine's face! Just look at all of us! We were having fun, and that is the best part about the pictures. We were having fun!

What do you think?

Pure Bliss

2010-06-09T02:32:00.001-04:00

There are some perfect moments in this life, and if you don't breath them in when they occur, the bliss of the moment will pass, and the intoxicating beauty of it will be gone forever. The sweetness of a baby's smile -and smell, the first kiss with the love of your life, the moment your realize that you are going to marry that man!, a personal epiphany, a moment of clarity, an answered prayer, and unexpected blessing, a hug that gives you strength, a time when you clearly hear God's voice.

A kiss.

However,

If you are a VERY talented photographer like my sister, sometimes you can capture a moment -simply press a shutter and GRAB that moment!

That is how I feel about this series of photos taken of Monkey Do and my nephew at my Baby Sister's wedding (she will always be Baby Sister!). My other sister was the one behind the shutter, and I LOVE them. You can see more of her incredible work HERE.

Monkey Do has always been especially affectionate...

Which you can tell by the look of rapture on her face and the obvious pleasure she takes in the kisses.

Thank you so much, JB! I am so glad you grabbed this moment of bliss so that I can enjoy it again and again! Something about these pictures makes my heart sigh!

Oodles of Talent

2010-06-08T09:32:00.001-04:00

Big thanks to Julie at JB Photography for letting me post her amazing work!

Some people are just dripping with talent.

Just to be sure we understand one another, when I say "Some people" I am not referring to myself.

I am referring to certain people (Julie) who just seem to do things (Julie) that I just could not make work (Julie). She makes it look so easy! I am simply ecstatic with the family portraits she took of all my monkeys when we were in Nebraska. See for yourself!

Do you think Monkey Shine is having fun yet?

All the little monkeys!

Say "Fuzzy Pickles!"

Real smiles!

Perhaps I am completely vain, but you know what I like about these pictures? I look good in ALL of them!

Gotta love sisters! They are always looking out for you! They tell you if you have lipstick on your teeth, toilet paper on your shoe, or your skirt tucked into your pantyhose.

And they make sure, if they are taking family pictures, that you look decent before that shutter flies! Thank you, Sister Julie! I owe you one! Big time!

Now, how am I going to decide?...

Won't Go Unloved

2010-06-07T16:37:00.002-04:00

Boy, I don't know if anyone around here loves Emma!

She always just sits...

Alone...

By herself...

With no love and...

No affection at all...

From ANYONE!

Since babies need love...

Need hugs...

Need snuggles...

Need kisses...

Perhaps we should find...

Someone...

Someone...

Someone...

Who will give this poor baby some love!

The World's First Scratch-N-Sniff Blog

2010-06-03T11:29:00.005-04:00

After a recent trip to Nebraska (that I will talk more about later), I came home to find this:
A rose bush in the front yard (that I did not plant or cultivate on this rental property) bloomed and was laden with many roses! They are beautiful!
They are so beautiful, and not only are they plentiful and fragrant, they are also my favorite color! In case you had not noticed that I love red.

So, just as any person in their right mind would do, I decided to add a bit of beauty from the yard to my home. Because that is what sane people would do, and I want to give every illusion that I am sane! Besides! I love red!
This is what they look like in my room. I love the "antique rose" look in the vase and with the ancient mirror behind them. They look very charming!

Did I mention I love red?

The view in my antique mirror.

Interesting note:
Years ago flowers were used to help cover odors of daily living -back before Febreeze. When a rose, and other kids of flowers, would wilt and die the petals would be carefully removed and sewn into little linen pouches called satchels. They would then be placed in closets, trunks and drawers to add a subtle fragrance to the garments that women wore. I can see why. Mmmmm! They smell beautiful!

This is my view as I sit here writing this blog!
Did I mention I LOVE red?

I can show you the pictures, but the smell is simply Heavenly! I think I need the first scratch-n-sniff blog. I need to talk to my research and development team, my technical team and my creative staff.

Oh, Sweet Geek!!

Yep, he is all three.

In this case it would be good, but there are some blogs that I could live without smelling! Some days you wouldn't want to smell my blog either.
Maybe that is not the greatest idea, but wouldn't you want to hold the patent on that?

Without Words

2010-06-02T00:32:00.003-04:00

Why, yes! My toilet DID grow hair!

Favorite Things -FROG Edition????

2010-06-01T17:24:00.006-04:00

My Monkey See is quite the artist! One of the favorite art mediums is play-dough! There is always some new squishy new sculpture for me to view and admire in true parental fashion: "Why, YES! That IS the most amazing lizard (or duck, or rabbit, or etc...) I have EVER seen! Even more exciting and exhilarating than yesterday's shining example of artistic excellence!"

One, though, that I was so impressed with was her rendering of frogs, yes, frogs. I was very pleased with the detail of the little frogs!

I particularly liked this one. Perhaps because it is red. I love red.

You may notice that this frog has something that most other frogs do not. You can't go catch one in the pond and find it looking quite like this!

Do you see what it is that this particular amphibian has that others do not?

That is right! This frog has long amphibian hair!

I wonder if she is modeling the hair after someone. Hmmm! Can you think of someone she (the frog) resembles?
That is Monkey See on the left. Wonder WHERE in the world she got the idea for long blonde hair on the frogs!

Monkey See took great care with every little detail. Even right down to the webbed feet.

She even made these tiny little hats!
All she is missing some perfect little shoes for those webbed feet.
No, the feet are fine! I just have a thing for shoes!

This one also is detailed and well thought through! I don't know that I could even imagine something this sweet!

Again, this frog is fortunate enough to posses a trait most frogs can only envy! I imagine that frogs everywhere are very enviously rubbing their bald heads wishing they too could have such thick locks of flowing beauty!

Yes, I do love frogs. Not the slimy kind you catch in a pond, but I love these. There is something about them. There is an evidence of raw talent at it's most passionate and imaginative.
What does the future hold for my sweet Monkey See?
I must admit that it is really hard for me to explain, but to say that I am very impressed, and I see such talent in her! These frogs say to me that her future could be very bright.
And that makes them one of my favorite things!

Like Father, Like Daughter

2010-05-31T20:55:00.003-04:00

My Sweet Geek and I have marveled many times how much my oldest daughter is like him in many ways.

I particularly like these pictures of the two of them. They are making the same faces!

Hehe! Every time I see these pictures, it makes me giggle!

These two also have a habit of sleeping in the same positions.

Example:

You simply would not believe how many I have of my Monkey See and Sweet Geek sleeping in the exact same position.
Perhaps someday I will share them someday. That is, if I survive this particular post.
(PLEASE let this be the time he doesn't read the blog, PLEASE let this be the time he doesn't read the blog!)

But I am not going to share them today. Today's post is about our new little addition, Monkey ? (we haven't figured that one out yet). It seems that our Monkey See has some competition in the "Being Like Daddy" category.

Evidence:
Like father, like daughter.

Oh, boy! Some day I am going to pay for this.

Anamation

2010-05-16T22:24:00.002-04:00

Mommy has been working with me on my emotional responses for the great acting career she has planned for me. I have been practicing SO hard! Here are some of my best:

Indifference

Worry

Boredom

Satisfaction

Talkative

Pensive

Happy-Go-Lucky

Intense

Crazy!

Delight

Fearful

Perturbed

Condescending

About to Sneeze (Doesn't it look convincing?)

"Could you PLEASE stop taking my picture, Mom?"

I needed no coaching for that one. It is ALL my own!

More Favorite Things

2010-05-14T18:32:00.003-04:00

Today I just had to share this one of my favorite things from my room.
This pillow amazes me!

My mom found it and gave it to me! This is called ribbon embroidery, and is nearly a lost art in the world of crafts and handwork! How beautiful!

There are these intricate, delicate roses, and tiny ribbon french knots! I love the way the leaves are made.

I have decided to teach myself how to do this! The world can always use more loveliness!
And fewer therapy sessions!
Right?

So here is a piece of beauty in a chaotic world!
I am no a licensed professional, but if this makes you happy, feel free to make a donation....

Just kidding!

Favorite Things

2010-05-14T12:20:00.009-04:00

So after talking yesterday about a certain blanket and a certain photo, I decided to share my favorite things post today.

I have some favorite things I want to share! Seeing them makes me feel happy, and I want you to feel happy too! So cancel your $400 therapy session, you'll NEVER get happy shelling out that much money...WAIT! Maybe that is the point!
Anyway, maybe my favorite things will make you feel happy too!

My bedroom makes me feel happy and comfortable. It is my haven of peace and tranquility.
These pictures are all technically challenged! For some reason I cannot get them to turn out. So look, and feel tranquil, and don't knock my lack of ability!

I have been working on this room for years, and it is always evolving! I am always adding things, re-arranging things, and acquiring new additions to embellish my luxurious room!

These are a couple of my favorites:

One thing that I love to do is to throw an element of surprise into the textiles in a room. It is one of my favorite things to take one color and use ten different fabrics in all kinds of thicknesses, weights and patterns. I also like to put a little shot of surprise into a decor too! This blanket is my "shot" in this room.

This is a horse blanket that my sister got from somewhere. I LOVE it! It is wool felt; warm and comfortable -and COMPLETELY unexpected in a room full of silk and brocades! I love the colors mottled together: gray, brown, scarlet, green, and any color you can think of!

Nope, you can't have it! Sorry! Well, if your willing to pay the same cost as your $400 therapy sessions, well who can stand in the way of true happiness!

Age

2010-05-13T13:56:00.013-04:00

What is your age?...

Oh! Excuse me! I was talking to my camera. I would never DREAM of asking a person their age without a really important reason -even though I hear that certain people (Julie) are celebrating the big 3-0 today!

Happy Birthday, twin! The other day I showed my kids a picture of me when I was in high school and asked them who it was. They cried in one voice, "Aunt Julie!!" So you should feel good to know that you look like I did in highschool! WAIT! That might be a bad thing. I meant it as a compliment! You look great! That is what I mean!

All kidding aside!

Anyhow, back to the subject. My camera is 7 years old, and in the years of digital cameras, that is ANCIENT! Dog years are 7 to 1, but digital camera years are about 50 to 1. So mine is 350 years old! Ha! Shutters (ha! I crack myself up!) pretty good for his age, huh?
Seriously! Cameras are being updated so quickly that every couple of years they become old news. In fact, now you can get a camera with DOUBLE the mega-pixels as mine for about $150. Not a GOOD one, mind you! But double the clarity. I won't even TELL you what mine cost -and we got it on a REALLY good sale! It was the state-of-the art best camera when we got it.

Yet, after having it for so long, I still have not figured out how to use it properly! I ask Sweet Geek, and he says that our camera does that, but that level of technical maneuvering is beyond me. I want a camera that follows verbal commands. "Stay in focus!" "No flash!" "Take the picture right!" This should save a lot of time since I already yell the command out anyway!

SO, I was trying to take a picture of an afghan that I crocheted (kro-shayd). (On a side note, my computer underlined crochet as an incorrectly spelled word! I thought I might have gotten it wrong so I looked at the choices. I just don't think that "an afghan I crotched would get across what I am trying to express. Do you?)

Ok, back to business. I was trying to take this picture of this afghan. More about the afghan later, but it had been rainy and cloudy here. And since I HATE flash photography, I was trying to use natural light and THIS is how it turned out:

Can you even tell what color it is? It looks brown or black, and I ASSURE you it is NOT!

So I tried again, this time with the lamp on:
You can see a tiny hint of red, but simply not the effect I was looking for! GOODNESS! IF a blanket is full-blown scarlett, it should look that way in a picture!

OK, open the blinds. That should let in a little more light.
Not enough!

Rumple it up a little more! Then maybe more light will get on the blanket, and illuminate it's beauty!

Again:
Don't you LOVE my bed?, but you still can't see the blanket!

One more try:
AAAAACK!

Ok, I'll HAVE to use the flash. I don't like flash photography. It look artificial and can make almost everything/anyone look uglier that it/he/she is.

GAAAAACK! Proven once again! Bleck!
Oh, my! That is truly ugly. If I posted THIS picture of one of my favorite things, everyone would wonder WHY ON EARTH this is one of my favorite things! Yuck!

Then I remembered this picture my Sweet Geek helped me take a few years ago:
This picture is terrible! It is fuzzy, the lighting is orange, and ALL THREE of my kids are making faces. BUT, he did something to the camera. He turned a little dial to a tiny, and crude picture of a woman's profile.
I cannot show you a picture of it because it is on my camera! And that would be something like licking the small of your own back!
At the time he told me that it was the portrait setting. And when snapping this photo, the reason it is fuzzy is because the shutter stayed open longer and I had not yet learned how to brace myself so I would not move while the shutter was open.
Now, I have a brother that likes to dabble in photography, and a sister who is an EXTREMELY talented professional photographer (she is having her big 3-0 today!). You can see some of her work HERE. So I have had some exposure (Haha! I crack myself up!) to some picture-taking technical jargon, and there was something about a longer shutter time letting more light in and creating a lighter picture?... or something like that. So first I tried to re-set the shutter time with the menu, and could not figure out how to do it! So I turned the dial to the little woman's profile, and THIS is what came out:

Oops! Not still enough. Let's try again.

So this is what I learned:
You can "shed some light" (hehe!) on a person or item that you are taking a picture of by setting the camera to have the shutter open longer! When your light is limited compensate with shutter time.
But when you do this, make sure that you use a tripod or brace yourself to be completely still while the shutter is open.
I also learned that the area that is in focus is VERY narrow. I don't know the technical terms (Maybe someone who knows could help me out on that one), but everything closer and everything further away is fuzzy. You have a very narrow depth that will be in focus.

I am going to play with this a little more, and can't wait to see how they turn out. I will keep you posted with a new post! Haha! I crack myself up!

Transformation

2010-05-11T00:36:00.002-04:00

So I have been thinking of things I can do to make my blog better, and I thought I would ask all of you -the readers!

Yes you, you poor people who are subjected to my blog each -well, whenever there is a new post. YOU are the ones who must endure me sub-standard photography, entirely strange and abnormal (at best) humor, oh you! You poor souls of such boredom and despair that you log on to see my blog because you think that it is better that gnawing off your own foot -only to find that it isn't! So you hurriedly shut down the window on your computer (as quickly as possible so that you do not also need to remove your eyes), and proceed to gnaw in a effort to take back some sanity.

There are some blogs that I, too, follow, and I have decided, that even though it is highly unlikely that these people even CARE what this little latecomer ant in the world of blogging thinks, I thought that I would give them some advice -something like what I am asking all of you for!

December Dreamers:
More posts!

JB Photography:
More posts!

Ashleigh Thornock:
More posts!
(surprise, surprise)

Pioneer Woman:
Be less beautiful, less talented, less successful, have an uglier husband, a boring love story, be a lousy cook, have quizzes that stupid people like me can win, hang out with strange people that speak only in monotone and don't know how to have fun, give away fewer great prizes that I can NEVER win, and be less funny -because, Girl! It is EXHAUSTING trying to keep up with you! I am getting tired just thinking about it all. I think I am going to go take a nap. Whew! That was stressful! I am fatigued!

I am off to contemplate my eyelids (yawn), and as I do, please leave a comment for my blog. What would YOU like to see me include?

My goodness! (YAAAAWN) How DOES Pioneer Woman keep up?

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.......

Booties

2010-05-05T12:16:00.002-04:00

I just HAD to share these delicious little booties with all of you! Aren't they sweet? I just can't get enough. Emma can't get them off of her little pigs, so they serve two purposes: Keeping her feet warm, and looking so ADORABLE!

Of course, they CANNOT be as sweet as she is!

*SIGH* Be still my heart!

Photographers or Clowns Wanted, Apply Within...

2010-05-02T02:41:00.008-04:00

I am finding myself either needing a clown, or a clown with a camera. My pictures have been challenging me lately!
So you are holding your camera, trying to get a picture of your sweet baby's radiant smile, and you can't look through the camera while talking silly baby talk enough to induce a reaction. So you get pictures that are not centered...

And not centered...

Or sweet, but out of focus..

You know, they do wiggle.

So you try to stop and get the camera centered, and in focus (all the while hoping Baby doesn't wiggle again) and you click the shutter RIGHT AFTER the beautiful, radiant smile! And THIS is what you get:

She looks THRILLED, doesn't she? (Note sarcastic tone)

OR...

You could SWEAR they start practicing WEIRD faces for the camera younger and younger...

"Hmmmm...I wonder..."

And then, every once in awhile, something really unexpected happens, but the result takes your breath away, and you fall in love all over again:

Pioneer Woman, eat your heart out! That ought to make your uterus hurt!

Now all I need to do is bottle that baby smell! I'd make a FORTUNE!

Waking Up

2010-05-02T00:52:00.008-04:00

We start sleeping peacefully...
(I am SO over flash photography!)

Stre-----tch!...

Rub our nose a few times...

Yaaaaaaaawn....

Pause to rub our nose again...

Make an "I don't want to wake up yet, but my Mom is taking pictures and my sisters are pestering me" face...
(I know it is blurry, but I love the face she is making!)

Pause for a moment more of sleep...

Followed by a moment of reflection...

Stretch some more...

Rub our nose again, third time is the charm...

Be cute to induce "Oooh"'s and "Ahhh"'s...

Grimace again about it being morning, and all that pestering...

"MOM! Can you please stop taking pictures!"

"Where is my thumb?"...

"Mom, I have a little gift for you in my diaper!"...

Peace...

Sweet Peace...

Blissful Peace...

Licking our lips, we are hungry...

OH! There are our beautiful eyes!

Emma Charity Leigh

2010-03-30T18:09:00.002-04:00

Arrived on March 23 at 6:14pm.
8lbs 11oz, 20 inches long

Welcome to the world!

You were highly anticipated...

And you are deeply loved!

What a JOY you are!

And we are SO blessed to have you!

Thank you, Father...

For this priceless gift!

Aviodance -Is That A Word?

2010-02-11T11:51:00.003-05:00

What? Have I been avoiding you all? Well, actually, I have. Now before you panic, I just wanted you to know that it isn't you! REALLY it isn't! It really, truly is me. ALL ME. You see, I decided after my last post to share some of my original poetry and lyrics with you over the next few weeks, and had a poem picked out. But...hack, gasp, gulp, wheeze, cringe... I just couldn't choke the words out!

NOW WHAT IS MY PROBLEM!?!?

Don't answer that.

STOP MAKING A LIST!

I'M NOT LISTENING!
La-la-la-la-la-la-la (fingers in ears).

So (choke), I am going to (hack) go ahead and be (gasp) brave, and trust that you all (wheeze) will not (cringe) judge me too harshly! So here is my first very (gulp) imperfect selection to share with you all -and it is coming in a timely manner -as this is what I am going through right now. Our new little addition will be here in 4-5 weeks (panic!).

Mother's Ode To Joy
Ah, "The joy of being a mother."
A MAN must have coined that phrase,
For sickness, pain and fatigue march seemingly endless days.

Backaches keeping me up all night.
All the clothes I own are WAY too tight!

Morning sickness swollen hands,
The largest feet in all the land.

Hemorrhoids, Hooray, Hooray.
I could pass on those ANY day!

Stretch marks and a growing bust
(As if mine wasn't large enough!)

It is even harder when you already have kids!
At keeping you exhausted they are such a wiz!
When you lay down to rest they think you are a bean bag,
And sleepless nights keep you feeling like a limp rag.

You ache EVERYWHERE!
Body screams in pain, void of all mirth,
And it isn't even time yet to give birth!

Hours upon hours of labor plague my bones.
"I give up! I am going home!"
My body is by pain racked.
It feels like a giant is tearing me in half.

Then a gasp, and a tiny cry of shock and surprise.
"It's a girl!" they say, and I look in her eyes.
It has been SO hard, but it is SO true:
"I would do this one-hundred times, Child, for one of you!"

God greatest give of both sorrow and mirth:
This miracle of giving birth!
What mingled joy and pain, I really think
If Men had to do this We'd go extinct!

As hard as it is, as much as I hurt
Each tiny child has immeasurable worth!

So I will be brave over the next few weeks,
Looking forward to the time when she and I will meet.
I'll try not to list all my aches or complain of my harm,
But instead look to the day I will hold her in my arms.

I'll tell her, "I must thank God for EVERYTHING I went through,
Because that is how GOD GAVE ME YOU!!

Pure Bliss

2010-01-25T13:59:00.006-05:00

Monkey Do has always been especially affectionate...

Which you can tell by the look of rapture on her face and the obvious pleasure she takes in the kisses.

Thank you so much, JB! I am so glad you grabbed this moment of bliss so that I can enjoy it again and again!

Haiti

2010-01-20T17:18:00.003-05:00

As we watch the footage of Haiti, I expect that each one of you feel very helpless, as I do, to know what to do to help -except pray. So that is what I have been doing. The need is so big, and the relief seems so slow.
Then today they had another after-shock that measured a 6.0. One thing after another!

A good friend of mine passed along a website for some missionaries she knows from Jacmel, Haiti. It has been so enlightening and wonderful to read how they are doing what they can to distribute food and water to those in their neighborhood. Doing what they can with what they have! IT is wonderful to hear how God is providing for their needs and making it possible to feed, comfort and minister to the people around them! Praise God! He already had some people in place to minister to Haiti. You can read about their work HERE. And you can find out how to donate to their ministry and aid for their community on THIS post.

There are some things that have really stuck out to me in the plethora of information coming from the media, that I would like to mention.

1. A child of 18 months old has seen 10 natural disasters in their life time. Multiple hurricanes and other disasters have hit Haiti with a vengeance.
2. The government was not strong in the first place! And is in no position to organize or distribute aid or relief. There was not a strong infrastructure before, and that has become extremely detrimental in the fight to help the people of Haiti.
3. If you can, you should make donations to your favorite missionary or charity by check or cash if you can. Credit card companies still skim 3% off the top for payment, so you can make sure that more of your donation helps Haiti if you can write a check or make a donation in cash.
4. Planes are clogging the airports! You may have heard rumors that aid planes have been turned away from the Haiti. This is not true. The truth is that there are SO many planes that are sitting there waiting to be unloaded that there is literally not room for any more! They are unloading them as quickly as possible, but lack the resources to work any faster. What is actually happening is that the aid planes are forced to circle for hours, only having to return to Florida or Mexico to re-fuel.
5. Don't send items right now. There is still no comprehensive plan to distribute the items to the population. It would be a terrible thing to have food rotting in a port. Right now, support Haiti through donations and prayers. The time for canned food drives will come.

Lord, we lift our hearts to you, and we pray for you to reach your hand out to the people of Haiti. Strengthen those who are lending aid. Open hearts to your love, and keep our missionaries safe, strong and able to reach to the people of Haiti with their hands -TOUR hands! We pray for strength and wisdom for every set of helping hands there right now. Please help a plan for distribution to develop quickly. Bless the missionaries and workers, and help the people of Haiti. Amen

My Verdict

2010-01-17T01:38:00.005-05:00

For Christmas I got a wonderful CD by Mandesa. I don't know if any of you remember her, but she was on American Idol a few years ago. She was really heavy at the time, and Simon insulted her. But she won him over by coming back to him in Hollywood and telling him that his comments were hurtful, but that she chose to forgive him. She did not win American Idol (of course), but has a wonderful ministry in Christian music. As I have been trying to get my song back, I was listening to her CD "Freedom" I was really struck by one song, and I wanted to share the words with you.

Not Guilty
Mandisa

I stand accused
There’s a list a mile long of all my sins
Of everything that I’ve done wrong
I’m so ashamed
There’s nowhere left for me to hide
This is the day I must answer for my life

Refrain 1:
My fate is in the judge’s hands
But then he turns to me and says

I know you
I love you
I gave My life to save you
Love paid the price for mercy
My verdict: Not Guilty!

How can it be?
I can’t begin to comprehend
What kind of grace would take the place for all my sin
I stand in awe now that I’ve been set free
And the tears well up
As I look at that cross
‘Cuz it should’ve been me

My fate was in the nail scarred hands
He stretched them out for me and said

I know you
I love you
I gave My life to save you
Love paid the price for mercy
My verdict: Not Guilty!

I’m falling on my knees to thank You
With everything I am I’ll praise You
So grateful for the words I heard You say

I know you
I love you
I gave My life
I know you
I love you
I gave My life to save you
Love paid the price for mercy
My verdict: Not guilty
Not guilty
Not guilty

You can listen to it HERE.

I think it is really beautiful. Take the time to listen and be blessed.

Compassion

2010-01-17T00:35:00.004-05:00

I am FINALLY able to load pictures on my Blog! It has been a couple of weeks since I have been able to get any to load. So they must have finally fixed it! Yay!

The above picture was taken not quite 2 years ago on a wonderful family trip with my sister, nephew and parents to BEAUTIFUL Mackinaw Island, Michigan. That is a vacation that my girls still talk about and that we all loved SO much. My family really knows how to celebrate together, and show love!

As I was thinking about my lack of plans for New Year's Eve, my mind began to wander back to many years ago!
I am one of four girls and two boys. One of the things that my parents did right was tell the young men interested in us beautiful Schaller girls that we were not allowed to date them, however, they were welcome at our home any Friday or Saturday night for dinner and family time. As a result, our home was always swarming with teenage boys that my Mom and Dad promptly adopted! We also had a bunch of girlfriends hanging around! They showed such love and concern for those young people! They were able to show them what a loving family looks like and steer them firmly to the things of God. I am still good friends with one of those boys that hung around all the time!
But boy, could my mom throw a party!!! She is one of the most talented women I know. She is a gifted writer, eloquent speaker, amazing decorator! She would take all these swatches and lay them next to each other, and I would think, "YUCK! That is going to look terrible!" But when she got it all done, it would be amazing! People would walk in and comment nearly every time on how beautiful it was!
But I remember best how she could really pull off an event!
My all-time favorite New Year's Eve was when Mom got a murder mystery kit from my aunt. She invited all the teenagers over to our house for the entire night, knowing that if they were at our house, then they would not be out getting into trouble. It was a semi-formal even. Young men needed to have slacks and a tie, preferably a jacket as well. And each young lady wore a formal dress. Then she prepared a FIVE COURSE meal for us! The way the murder mystery thing works is that you start with dinner and the murder is announced during dinner. The conversation starter. There is a book for each person, and they each have an identity that belongs to the story. I was Tequila Mockingbird. I remember it after all these years!
The books are segmented. After each course you turn to the next segment and it gives more and more clues toward solving the murder. So while Mom was getting on the next culinary delight, we would retire to the living room and accuse each other if killing the mythical person! It was great.
I was the murderess, by the way. I think Mom did it on purpose! Thanks a lot, Mom!
When all the food was eaten and the mystery solved, we changed in designated areas (well separated), and that was such a clear night! Out in the country in Nebraska there are no street lamps, but that night we did not need them! The moon was SO bright and huge that night, and we bundled up and went out and went sledding at 11pm. We said, "Happy New Year!" under one of the brightest moons I can remember! Then after we were good and cold, we went inside, had hot chocolate, and watched appropriate G-rated movies. I remember we put in Singing In The Rain. They guys got bored really quickly with that and made their way to the kitchen to start a rousing game of Monopoly. I personally think that particular game is tedious and full of monotony, but based on the shouts and ruckus coming from the kitchen, they were having a wonderful time! As the night wound down, the girls crashed upstairs in the room my older sister and I shared, and the boys crashed on the livingroom floor.
We were well fed and well supervised. The rules were strict. No touching. Period. And we would not have DREAMED of anything unseemly!
The next morning, ahem, afternoon, Mom made us whole wheat pancakes, and Daddy put on the bacon and made his famous omelets. I think that almost everyone hung out with us for most of the day: watching movies, laughing and helping Mom with dishes and stuff! It is one of my best memories!
There was no pressure to be part of a "couple", no one was excluded, everyone was welcome and treated by everyone else with respect and kindness.
My mother often told us that those boys were so attracted to my sisters and I because we were so kind to them. She told us that the sweetness we showed towards every person we met is what made ourselves and our home so magnetic to them. That is something else I can thank my parents for. That was something they taught us.

Christmas was always a time of such joy! We would listen to hours and hours of Christmas Music on the record player! You cannot even GET some of that music any more! Then we would sing them when we were driving anywhere together -in 5 part harmony!
Thanksgiving was a time of true gratitude to God for the blessings He gave us. REAL gratitude.
Easter was about the resurrection!

There was love there -an imperfect, sometimes a little dysfunctional, open to anyone who needed a family love. I think over the years of the people who became kids to my Mom and Dad, and I know that the influence they had reached farther than my teenage mind could even understand. Was it perfect? No, but I would not trade my life for the world and I would not change my parents one bit even if I could. They continue to bless me and my family. My mother is so wise and my Daddy is a living example of the leader in the home being the servant of all. They ADORE each other, and it shows in the way they smooch and tease and laugh with each other. Those kids got to see that too, and I am sure that it made a real impression on them!

Music was a BIG part of our lives. Everyone I knew could sing. The church I grew up in sounded like a finely tuned choir. I bet they still do! Every member of both sides of my family is VERY gifted! I though everyone could sing. When people said that they "couldn't carry a tune in a bucket" I thought they were joking, or needed to try harder. It never occurred to me that they might not actually be able to sing! We would sing for church or some special event and we would sing A Capella. I never understood as a child how extraordinary that was! Daddy would joke, "People ask why we always sing A Capella. Well it is just too hard to fit six kids and a piano in the car!"

I think of all the treasures that my parents have given me, compassion is the one I value most. It is something that has to be taught. You aren't born with it. As I look around at people in my generation -and try to teach it to my sweet little Monkeys- I recognize that compassion is a rare commodity. It is easy to have compassion when there is a huge disaster, but what about being able to put yourself in the shoes of another person that you may not see eye-to-eye with. What about letting that person get over on the freeway? What about simply understanding that there may be things that that person is going through that make them act in a seemingly unkind way towards you. That does not mean it is right, but a gentle act of kindness towards that person may change their entire day. Do we see ourselves in every person we meet? Can we feel their pain? We should. Do we really live it?

For all the mistakes that Mom and Dad made, and I bet they can remember more than I can, they did a LOT right. I am SO grateful and would not trade them, or my upbringing, for all the world!

Thanks Mom and Dad! Oh, and Mom? I need some help decorating! Come visit soon. I miss you!

Monkey Mom

Nervous

2010-01-09T22:28:00.002-05:00

What a new place we are at as a couple and a family. I have never had a career before when pregnant, Larry is laid off, our youngest is going to be four tomorrow, and I am filled with alternating waves of joy and terror when I consider the little one who will arrive in about 2 1/2 months.

It is getting so bad I am developing a nervous tick.

We are starting over from scratch with a new baby!

*tick, tick*

New baby smell.

FOUR weddings to pay for!

*tick, tick*

Tiny little toes.

SO much at work to get ready before I leave on extended maternity!

*tick, tick*

A new little personality to meet!

Gave away most of my baby clothes.

*tick, tick*

House no where NEAR ready.

*tick, tick*

So (ahem) light on my feet? (note sarcasm)

*tick, tick*

*tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, panic and tick*

What? What is that Ma'am? No, there is nothing REALLY wrong with me. I am just a little stressed out because... What is that? No, I DON'T have Turret's Syndrome.

Wait! Where are you going? Ma'am? Ma'am?

*SIGH* Perhaps I should obsess and stress when I am not standing in the baby aisle at Meyer's.

*tick, tick*

Have A Blissful New Year!

2010-01-01T17:25:00.005-05:00

Happy New Year everyone! I hope that every one of you has a blessed year.
I decided to ring the New Year in without any parties, snack food or parties. We tend to stay home to avoid the "crazies" out on New Year's Eve. So we stay home, kiss each other, and go to bed. Boring, yes. Satisfactory for now? Absolutely! I don't think this pregnant lady can handle too much excitement right now! I love being home instead.

So as I was lying on the couch last night, after tucking my sweet monkeys in bed, I was thinking that there may be no better way to ring in the new year than with a nice warm bath!

AHHHHHH! Bath, you are bliss! Oh, the thought of settling down in a tub of warm water with a good book (I got Gone With the Wind for Christmas), a few candles, and my MP3 player (I love Ravel's "Bolero" and "Hoedown" from "Rodeo" by Copland. Google them and see what I mean!), and sitting there until I am good and wrinkly -and then sit some more- warms my heart!

They say in real estate that men buy houses based on the garage and women on the kitchen, but I have decided that I will now judge potential homes by the bathroom! It is my dream to have one of those enormous, ancient, clawfoot tubs or an infinity tub (Do you know what that is? The tub fills all the way to the top, and has a reservoir for overflow. You can see a picture of one HERE.) Any home that does not have an adequate tub for some serious, Olympic-quality soaking time will get a resounding "Not that house!" from me! No, NOT really. I am thankful for the places that God provides, but that WILL be a place that I seriously look!

I was going to collect my paraphernalia and enjoy ringing in the new year last night, but fell asleep on the couch watching an old episode of Perry Mason. After Sweet Geek woke me up I went right to bed.

So instead, I waited and went up to the bathroom today and settled in for a soak.

Candles lighted, check.
Book, check.
MP3 player, check.
Monkey Shine occupied, check. ( DON'T need help! Check THIS post for an explanation!)

AHHHH! Water running, waiting for the tub to fill, looking forward to a wonderful, enduring soak. SIGH!

WHAT!? What is THIS?! The tub in only half full and the hot water is gone! Blast lovely, charming, old homes! They do not always have the best and most up-to-date equipment!
So I waited awhile, in hopes that the challenged hot water heater would catch up, but as I periodically checked, it continued to only run COLD water into my half-filled tub!
So I gave up, and determined to enjoy it as much as I could for as long as I could. I didn't crack my book open, I neglected my MP3, and I did not wrinkle even one little bit (that's OK, I have enough of those anyway!)
But I did enjoy my New Year's Day. And as I laid in my almost cold, half-full tub, I thanked God for the kids I have, and for protecting Larry when he fell, and for my family that I miss so very much. I thanked God for the child who kicks me, and for every kick. And I thought how many changes this year is going to bring, and I welcome them! I am excited for those changes, the blessings and challenges they will bring. And I hope that as things change that I change too, and in a way that will bring me closer to God's plan for me. I pray that I will be a better Mom and more loving & understanding wife. And that I won't let pride get in the way of being compassionate and admitting when I am wrong. And I am praying that I won't say things I don't mean, and will think before I speak. No New Year's resolutions, just the Hope of God's continued work in my life and my family's life. He promises that He will complete His work in us, and I am looking forward to the subtle nudging in 2010.
So Happy New Year! I hope that at the end of this year, we will look back and recognize the gentle and patient nudging of the loving Hand of God. I hope that we will all see Him in the way that only God can show himself to each person.
May you have a BLESSED new year!

Decisions, Decisions Part II

2009-12-21T11:55:00.005-05:00

Here are more sweet -and hard to pick from- pictures of my darling little girls! And this is only a few of them! So enjoy, and I would relish hearing your thoughts on what you would have submitted! So feel free to critique and pick them apart. REALLY, I would love to hear what you have to say!

I LOVE black and white!

But not as much as I love these faces! I think these photos of my Monkey Do speak for themselves.

These were taken when Monkey Shine was teething and just woke up from her nap. I COULD NOT get her to smile, but they turned out sweet and unrehearsed. I love her little grumpy face! That really is the way she was. She did not smile a lot when she was little, but boy does she laugh a ton now -and keeps everyone in stitches!

I HAVE to stop right here! Look at those lashes!! Sigh! I am falling in love with my Monkey Shine all over again!

What would YOU decide? Hmmmm...

Decisions, Decisions Part I

2009-12-20T17:44:00.003-05:00

On Ree's website, she had a contest where people could load their favorite black and white photos for a contest. So I began to sort through all the B&W photos I have taken ever since I first fell in love with one that won a "Cotton:The fabric of our lives" contest years ago. It was beautiful and uncluttered. The little girl in the photo was CLEARLY the focus of the picture, and it made her beauty just pop. So I began to experiment, and saw the true loveliness of my girls just SHINE.

I sorted and could not decide. How can you choose between these?:

Oh, my goodness!

Isn't she sweet?!

What a doll!

It just makes you want to giggle with her!

Awwwww! I wonder what she is thinking! Probably something like, "I wonder why my strange mother is jumping up and down and making funny faces and weird noises!"

Look at how her eyes twinkle! Monkey Do.

Don't you just want to reach in the photo and kiss those little chubby cheeks!?!?!

LOVE the face!

This one was framed and hung in my living room right away! I LOVE it!

This one was such a beautiful moment! I was trying to get photos of her in the morning -one of my first without a flash (I experienced enlightenment about the perfectness of natural light!). She woke, and the next photo breaks into a grin full of morning sunshine! But this one was so pure, it truly captured the moment!

Over the next couple of days I will be sharing more of my favorite black and white photos. Please check out the beautiful work shared on Pioneer Woman
Make sure to check out all four posts. There are some AMAZING pictures that make my silly little photos look like goop! Enjoy!

The Signature "Face"

2009-12-18T19:13:00.005-05:00

There is this face that peppered pictures of my Monkey Do(now six) for the first few months of her life! People watching her get her picture taken would laugh at the HAM that she was, and I giggle every time I see them!

SMILE!!

And she would!
Here is the proof -otherwise known as blackmail pictures- that I hope embarrass her when she is a teenager, and she laughs at when she has kids of her own. And I hope she gets her own little ham to make camera "faces"!

*Chuckle, Chuckle* Ahh! Smile on, Monkey Do! Smile on!

Pictures

2009-12-17T17:16:00.004-05:00

I ran across these great, loving pictures of my Mom and Daddy. After 39 years they are still in love. Isn't that sweet? I just love them -and the excellent example they have given me of what I want for MY marriage!

Prayers

2009-12-15T10:14:00.002-05:00

This post will be short, sweet and to-the-point.

I do not follow reality TV, or any real shows in particular. I simply do not have the time, but what I have seen of the Dugger family in "18 Kids and Counting" I have been very impressed with. I did also take a special interest in the recent pregnancy of Michelle Dugger because she was due the same week as me. As the pregnancy progressed I would think about the point that she was at and the experiences that she had at nearly the same time as myself.
I was shocked and concerned to hear that their sweet little child was born 3 months early this last week. At 1 lb 6 oz, that Dugger baby is fighting for her life, and I cannot imagine what they may be going through. If this little girls lives, she will have a number of health issues which may endure for the rest of her life. Please keep the Duggers in your prayers, and this precious life, precious child in your prayers. She is in the fight of her life!
Please keep me in your prayers as well. I am freaking out a little. With a nephew born early and hospitalized only a few weeks ago, and the Dugger baby -the same size as my own- my mind has been reeling with everything that could go wrong. Keep all of us in your prayers!

Strange Lady

Wait! I AM Thankful!

2009-12-10T17:42:00.002-05:00

This has been a really tough year, well, couple of years for my family -for me. It started with my husband sustaining a closed-head injury. And translated into a million different things: I had to begin working (when all I EVER wanted to do was be a stay-at-home Mom), our finances have been tough, then Larry was laid off, we lost our house, and a million other little things. We are having trouble keeping the wolf from the door. And you would think, at this time of year and with the struggles that SO many families are going through, that the wolves would hear "unemployed with three kids and another on the way", and just back off and "Baaaaaa" a few times. But NO! And apparently a full payment made on Friday is not enough to keep them from locking you down on Monday! AAARGH!
On my blog I try very hard to reach to the joy of life, the beauty, the things that you laugh at in spite of yourself. But there is also a deep desire in my heart to be known as well. Yes, I am human. I get angry, I can be lazy, I DO snap at my kids, I don't always submit to Sweet Geek the way I should, I am not really a super Christian! I can't be perfect -as much as most people want others to believe that about themselves, and on another note, on a blog it is really easy to portray to your readers who you WANT them to see -not the way you are REALLY feeling, or the faults so clear to those around you.
So here is my blunt and hones post. It is raw and a little unkempt, but it is real.
The truth is that I am angry! I am angry at the mortgage company that REFUSED to work with us, and took our house! I am angry that they are now selling it for $40,000 -a small fraction of what we owed. What if they had let US have it for that!
I am angry at the car loan company that took advantage of us for YEARS!! And every time they talk to Sweet Geek they tell him that he needs to do the "responsible" thing. Because letting your three little children go hungry or have no heat so you can pay for a car is more responsible than going to the grocery store.
I am angry at the company that laid him off! He worked there for YEARS and literally saved the company MILLIONS of dollars, and yet when they made cuts, all they could see was the time missed because of his head injury, and the money it was costing them to insure our growing family.
I am angry at the credit card company that does everything they can to make our lives miserable -even trying to cut us out of our bank accounts- because a full payment on Friday is not enough to keep them from shutting us down on Monday! AAAARGH! The love of money IS the root of all evil! Holding a person's money hostage so they can't buy groceries, pay rent, buy gas, pay utilities is SO ethical! Don't you think?!
I am not angry at God. A little frustrated at times because I cannot see any value in what He has allowed happen to our family, but not really angry. Mostly I feel abandoned. I know in my head that He promises never to leave or forsake us, but I have been praying for a miracle for so long, and I feel like my prayers are bouncing off the ceiling and dropping into my lap.
I cannot say I have never been here before. I have, and God DID reveal Himself to me. I think that every Christian out there has at one time or another felt that way. There is nothing wrong in it, it just is the way that our human minds and emotions deal with the things that we cannot see in an eternal and all knowing God.
But even though my head knows this, it does not keep the tears from falling, does not keep the heart from aching, does not keep the stress from mounting. It does not make me feel any less alone in this great big world, that right now is KICKING ME ALL OVER THE PLACE!!!
Then you add the fatigue that comes from being pregnant, the constant hip and pelvic pain that becomes more and more excruciating each day, and this terrible cold that simply will not let go, and it makes for every day being a little more difficult.
For those of you who thought I was this deeply spiritual Christian, this must be a real eye-opener for all of you!
But in the middle of all of this, there is a deep sense of gratitude! I think this is the "peace that passes all understanding." How can I be so overwhelmed with everything burdening me and still be thankful? Well, here is how: My kids don't have cancer. That is right, no heart conditions or any other life-threatening illness. Our unborn baby is healthy! After losing our dear unborn child in January, that makes every kick from her a reason to rejoice, and thank God for her very presence. I am grateful for family that calls me, prays for me, checks on me. I am thankful for growing up in a family that loved and honored God -and showed through trial and example how to love Him too! I am SO grateful for the fact that we are all together, and we have a roof over our heads. I am grateful for my sweet little girls! They can be sassy and have their "days", but they really are smart and sweet little people who bless me on a daily basis, and always give me reason to laugh. I am grateful for good friends that check on me, and help me when they can. I am grateful for the times that God has shown Himself to me in the past. I am grateful for the times, over and over, that God came through at the last minute for my family growing up. Yes, I am grateful for the trials. This is so difficult (probably harder because I am pregnant and overrun by hormones), but I will reluctantly embrace the opportunity to see God show Himself to me and my husband. I am grateful for my Sweet Geek, who brought me medicine every 4 hours when I was miserably sick, gets up early and cleans the driveway and my car before I go to work, made sure I had the GOOD snow brush in my car, and does a million tiny things every day that simply scream "I LOVE YOU!!!" I am grateful for so many things. More than I can name. I am thankful for all of you reading my posts! My ramblings are disjointed, silly and sometimes a little vain, but I like knowing that you are there. I am thankful for a banker named Traci, and I am thankful for the BIG things too.
I am thankful for small kindnesses and graces. Like today, when (after two stores, VERY pregnant, with three small girls in tow) I felt as if my exhausted body could not take another step. We were looking for something specific, and I decided to try one more store. I pulled in, and my heart sank to see that the parking lot was SO full that the only spaces left were in Bufu, Egypt. AAARGH!!! I was going to have to walk the entire length of the parking lot with crazy drivers (not paying attention), but I was going to have to try to drag my kids through all that mess without them getting run over! Kind of a frightening thought, when you think that I can't move fast enough now to intervene! At the last moment I saw a car pull out of a spot only THREE SPACES from the door! Another driver was racing to the spot, and, as he had the right of way, I was sure that the spot was lost to me. I don't know if he could see my panicked look, or if he could see the three heads bobbing in the back seat, but he pulled past me to park in Bufu, Egypt, and waved me into the spot. I was SO relieved! I wanted to thank him, but could not find him after we got out.
I am thankful for that man. I am sure that he will never read this blog (as he seemed young and hip and WAY too cool to read the blog of a rather odd mom with and strange sense of humor), but I hope that someone blesses him with an incredible kindness! That is my prayer for him. It may seem like a small thing, but in this time when we are being hit from every side by people who do not care, a tiny reminder that there is kindness in this world is especially touching to my bruised and wounded spirit. It was a little salve on my soul. Thank you, God. And thank you Man in the Red Fleece. I think God sent you to me today to remind me that He has not forgotten me, and that He still has people in this world that know how important a small kindness can be. You blessed me. Today God reminded me to be thankful when the world seems to have me neck-deep in mud. He threw me a rope, perhaps not to pull me out of the mud today, but to keep me from sinking any lower. Thanks you, God. I am thankful!

Strange Lady

Adequate Assistance

2009-12-05T20:28:00.005-05:00

For all of you busy women out there –especially moms- has there ever been a time when you were distracted in the shower, or your normal routine was interrupted, and you got out of the shower with one leg shaved and the other not? Then as you towel off, you realize your mistake. Now it is time to decide. Do I go right back in and take care of it now? Or can it wait for one more day. First you think of what you are wearing that day. If it is slacks, you may let it go until tomorrow’s shower –or the next day (because we moms know that sometimes a shower just doesn’t happen every day), or you can hop back in (if you are not running late) and take care of it right now. If you have something big going on that day and need to be your most confident, then that is a no-brainer! But what is SO funny about all this is that we EVEN HAVE TO THINK IT OVER AND DECIDE! It just makes me laugh. When I was single, I never forgot to shave one leg, and if I had, then I would not have hesitated for one moment to get back in and take care of it!

Our poor husbands! On the days when we feel that it just is not worth it, they must have the funniest things going through their heads when we crawl into bed that night! Then they feel one distinctively prickly leg, and one decidedly smooth. I bet my Sweet Geek thinks to himself, “I don’t even WANT to know!” and wisely keeps his wonderings to himself.

And WHY does he think that? Because men NEVER have a little monkey pulling back the shower curtain to report a sibling or ask where such-and-such is -as they scramble to cover themselves, balance one leg on the edge of the tub, keep the water from spraying the bathroom they have to clean, and catch all the bottles as they fall off the shower caddy! They simply take a shower, wash a little, shave a small portion of their body (only face! Or not even a whole face if you are Sweet Geek!), and get out! They simply don’t understand! I would give my favorite pair of shoes (which in my book is saying a LOT) to have just ONE little glimpse into his mind as he contemplates the one smooth leg and the other distinctively hedge-like.

Well, thanks to THIS

Little Monkey,

I never have to worry about that again. As I have been battling a nasty cold his week, I have had a sweet little 3-year-old nurse –who has made it her job to make sure that I was comfortable and taken care of. Over the last few days she has been mostly by my side, and hands me tissues (which I add to the five unused ones already in my lap that she handed me three seconds ago), tells Sweet Geek I need medicine, “massages” my back and shows such darling, genuine concern for me that this Mommy’s heart is touched by her sweet little Monkey Shines’ compassionate heart.

On Saturday I decided to take a nice, relaxing, quiet bath to calm me –and also hoped that the steam would help loosen my congestion. Up I went to the bathroom, ran myself a very hot bath, added some peppermint bath soak, and settled in for a nice, quiet, rejuvenating time. All of a sudden, there she was!

Grin and all.

Over the course of the bath she asked approximately 473 questions, (including, “when I am big will I have a shaver like you?”), made 833 statements (including, “When I am big and I have a shaver, I will keep it HIGH up! So MY 3-year-old will not cut herself!”), told me my bath was WAY too hot, offered me six soggy tissues and pointed out every spot I missed on my legs at least four times. She asked me at least seven times when I was going to shave my other leg!

So much for a nice, long, quiet soak! Oh, well… At least I got both legs shaved, and Sweet Geek can crawl into bed with a smooth-legged wife. There will be no wondering, no hedge trimmers needed, no scrambling for slacks instead of a skirt, and I can keep my favorite pair of shoes! No need to give them up for a glimpse into his mind –at least not yet. So I will enjoy them for a little while longer while I remain blissfully ignorant of the workings of the male mind. And, after all, mystery keeps life interesting! Very, VERY interesting! I think I’ll just hang on to my favorite shoes!

Where Have All the Flowers Gone?

2009-11-23T19:43:00.005-05:00

At this time of year, it seems to be all about family! Loved ones you can't wait to see, the familiar family traditions and foods, the rhythm of the expectations of what the day brings. But in the last two months it has been impressed on me more clearly than ever that the holidays this year are going to be especially difficult for people this year:

Loved ones lost, some family relationships strained, family to far away to visit, and what really breaks my heart is that in the last two months no fewer than 8 couples that I know have announced plans to divorce.

Do you remember the hope of your wedding day? Do you remember the flowers worn by groom, carried by the bride -all noting a day of joy, expectation, hope, love, and togetherness? I remember MY wedding day. It was a small and intimate with only 50 people. I would have loved to have more family there, but it was on December 23, and much of my extended family could not be there, but all five siblings, some well-loved aunts and cousins, and my parents were there.
It was a wonderful time. I cried tears of joy as I walked down the aisle (smudging my carefully placed make-up beyond repair!), looking forward to joining myself to the man that I knew, without a doubt, was given to me by God.

I am sure that many of the marriages I heard of in the last two months began with such hope, affection and excitement -like a newly bloomed flower: fragrant, breathtaking and lovely. Only something happened along the way. The flower began to wither, first on petal fell off, followed by another. And suddenly, like something from a Disney fairytale, there is one petal left, and it is dangerously close to falling as well.

Where have all the flowers gone?

New love can continue to bloom for many years. Just ask my parents, who continue to embarrass their grown kids by smooching in the kitchen in front of ANYONE who happens to be in the house. (For the record, I was never embarrassed by their unabashed affection, but I have this one pesky sister... You KNOW who you are!) They have been together for 38 years.

Or my Grandparents -BOTH sides were married for over 50 years, and my Grandma B in particular, nursed Grandpa with patience and gentleness until the very end. Both marriages ended with one partner passing on to be with the Lord -much to the sorrow of the dear spouse left behind.

Or there is the DARLING couple from my church who just celebrated 50 years! On the way, Monkey Do asked what kind of party we were going to, and I replied, "We are celebrating with Mr and Mrs F! They have been married for 50 years!"
"FIFTY YEARS!" she replied, "And they are still ALIVE!"

I know that she was referring to this unimaginable length of time -in the mind of a six-year-old. Fifty is a HUGE number -and it is in the context of marriage too! And still being alive after that many years can also reflect the fact that both parties -despite the overwhelming desire- refrained from strangling their marriage partner for EVERY SINGLE ONE of those fifty years! Now that really IS worth celebrating! Especially since anyone, who is honest, will tell you that there are days...

But where have all the flowers gone?

We are living in a world that does not value or support marriage, in churches that act on the premise that marriage is doomed (there ARE churches out there that do!), and "advice" that encourages people to just give up!

Marriage is hard. So what can you do to keep those flowers blooming? Well, I am not an expert! That is for sure. With less than 10 years under my belt, I am SURE that there are people in your circle who can offer much better advice than I have, but there is one trick that keeps me in love with my Sweet Geek -even though he (like his bride) can be stubborn, and ornery (like me!) and is in a grumpy mood right now (not alone!).

I remember.

Yep (Nebraska coming out), I remember.

When Sweet Geek and I were friends at work, I went through a terrible break-up with a man that I thought I would spend the rest of my life with. And so as we became better -then best- friends, he was always there when I needed him. He fixed my car, helped me move, helped me find a new car when my clunker was beyond repair, made me a gourmet meal, gave me good advice, and always did these thing for me with no strings attached. When I would ask him why he was being so nice to me, I expected him to say, "Well, I really like you. Would you like to go on a date?" and then I would tell him that I really wasn't interested in any kind of romance after this bad break-up. But he never did. He always said that he knows what it is like to need help, and have nowhere to turn. He would tell me that he just wanted to help. I didn't even know that he really liked me until the brother of a friend asked for my number. Sweet Geek looked like he would be sick, but I was still healing, ans so I held him at arms length, not sure what I wanted, but sure that I cared about him. Perhaps not romantically at the time -I really couldn't. I simply didn't have it in me, so we went on, pretending the elephant wasn't in the room. I just could not go there. What if everything went south? I don't think I could take it. But instinctively he knew I was not ready for anything that resembled love.

His love and help were offered unconditionally. He somehow knew that my heart could not bear someone else's happiness right then, but all this time we were becoming closer and closer. We could talk for hours -and I really liked him, but I just couldn't move forward. All the pain and broken trust had left a wound on me that I could not get past.

Then it happened.

To be continued...

Homesick

2009-11-14T01:07:00.005-05:00

My dear readers...

I am here to bore and unnecessarily punish you once again with my drab and boring blog -that I have been so sadly neglecting! But I had something to share with you all.

Here it is....

Are you ready?

I am homesick.

I know that sounds really weird considering I am sitting in my living room right now. No fancy desk or office. There is no room for a couch in the office, and I think my Sweet Geek would have a problem with me moving all the computers and equipment out to move a couch in. I am sure that would cause our family's version of Chernobyl. And the truth is that I am so terribly uncomfortable with this little child, that anything but a WELL-PADDED chair sends me into waves of agony.

Anyway, I am not like my favorite blogger, Ree the Pioneer Woman. She was born in the city and was dragged by love into becoming, as she puts it, an "accidental country woman." Not me. I am just the opposite.I grew up on a farm. Not just any kind of farm... a HOG farm! Oh yes!! It IS true! I have mucked out barns, scooped poop, cleaned chickens coops (Chicken poo is the worst! Yes, it IS worse than pig poo!), weeded gardens, walked beans, baled hay, played in lofts... Yes, dear readers. I have done it all. Yet somehow I managed to move from a VERY rural hometown (population 248) to one of the 10 largest cities in the midwest!

And not only am I in one of the biggest cities, but I live RIGHT IN the city! You can spit out the back door and hit the neighbor's patio. See!? I AM a country girl!

Now, I don't know if it is pregnant hormones, the difficult situations that we have been facing lately, lack of sleep or the SERIOUSLY lower cost of living (with Sweet Geek laid off, stretching money is right up front), but my heart longs for the plains of Nebraska. Yep, (more proof I am a country girl) you heard me right, Nebraska. Every time I see Ree's pictures of the Oklahoma prairie, it looks so much like home that I feel a twinge of longing.
As I lay awake, trying to drown out the sirens and barking dogs with Sweet Geek's stolen pillow, I long for the quiet, the calm, the slower way of life. I long for neighbors who care -who's kids don't have screaming matches in the front yard. Because in Nebraska, any decent person knows that you simply don't do that in your front yard! All the nighbors would be talking about it to anyone who would listen for WEEKS on end! Any decent person knows that you keep dirty laundry where it belongs -in the washing machine!

I long for a real drive. You know, where a 20 minute drive takes 20 minutes because it is 18 miles -not because there is TERRIBLE traffic backed up by construction. TWO miles in 20 minutes.
I long for old friends, family recipes, working in the garden, canning the harvest, seeing hay bales, and all the little nuances that make country living what it is.

I am homesick, but most of all, I miss these people:

This is my Dad, my Hero, snuggling my little daughter. I missed him very much this past Wednesday -Veteran's Day. I wanted so much to hug hum, thank him, do something special for him. He has a true servant's heart, and served his country for 27 years. He was a member of one of the best engineering units in the world. It is TRUE! They even won an award! But he is the most affectionate person. My little monkeys adore him and revel in being toted around. They also marvel at him cutting their food, getting them drinks, and allowing them to follow him around everywhere he goes. I miss his steady belief that I am amazing (boy, have I got him fooled!), and having a great listener who thinks a lot like me! I like it when we talk about something and come to the same conclusion. I miss my Dad.

Then there is this great person!
My Mom is the one in the middle. We will get to that silly person on the right in a minute (I am on the left). But back to Mom. My Mom is one of the most resourceful people I know. She made homemade bread every week for years to combat a wheat allergy my brothers shared. She managed pinch pennies well enough to stay home and homeschool all six of us -all living and feeding the brood of us on one income. She can do ANYTHING she puts her mind to, and over the years has leaned heavily on her extremely creative spirit to make sure that we had the things that we needed -and then some. She managed to budget great trips for our family! We got to go to Calgary, Canada. And my favorite part of that trip was Lake Louise. We made a trip to Colorado about every year. You have not lived until you have seen the Rockies. But my favorite trip was Wyoming. Jackson Hole is the most amazing place! Conversation with Mom flows. We have the same language! We talk about everything. I miss her nearly every day. I can't wait until this little Monkey arrives! She will come and stay for a whole week! I can't wait.

She researches info on nutrition and taught us to have a healthy life. She continues to encourage and support in healthy food choices, nursing, and creative living. When I am really stumped she always has a way of puting things in perspective for me and finding out-of-the-box solutions.

Not to mention that out of my six siblings, 4 live within 2 hours of my parents. My sister Katie and I talk on the phone at least 5 times a week -if not every day, and she gives my Sweet Geek enough sisterly crap, that I need to keep her on retainer. She is the other silly person that picture, but there is a much better one on my other sister's blog. You can see the photos here.

I saw the need the other day in a very real way to touch my roots when my 7-year-old Monkey See asked me, "What is a hay bail?"

TRAVESTY! UNTHINKABLE! AAAACK!! It is time that I give my kids a good country education! What is a hay bale -indeed!

Sometimes it is just time to go home.

What makes home -home to you?

What is in a name?

2009-11-04T18:32:00.006-05:00

Two things:

As I was looking over my last post, I realized that "Smart Man Contest" sounded really bad! Like something out of a game show or something! "Men! Let's see just how smart you really are!"

I decided I need someone to read and edit my blogs BEFORE they post! Any takers?

I still want to hear about your witty moments, so in spite of my terrible contest name, please don't hesitate to share the evidence of your quick-minded retorts! Take that, person insulting me, I have a great retort!

Anyway, that also brings me to the other thing: I ordered the WONDERFUL prize for that contest, but it is on backorder, and will arrive shortly. I really wanted to post pictures, and soon I will be able to do that! So let's just put that contest on hold, shall we? And then when my WONDERFUL prize arrives, then I will show it to you all, and maybe you will love it and enter!

So with a terribly named contest, I have been kicking myself, but it also turned my mind to baby names. Now with our girls we had a formula in out minds when they were named: first names with an important meaning, two middle names (one related to family and one a characteristic that we wish our children to display), and our poor kids not only have two middle names, but a last name that is 12 characters. Poor kids! I think that their overly long names will adequately scar them until they get married -hopefully to a man that has a four-letter last name.

Not to be confused with a four-letter word.

Just wanted to clarify that.

Anyhow, there was something that happened that we did not plan. Somehow, every child ended up with a six-letter first name that ends in a vowel. Hmmm. How can we follow that?

Eliana was easy. We had NO trouble picking a name we both loved.

Amelia was easy too. As soon as I said it, Larry was completely on board! (His favorite aunt was named Amelia)

Now, Noelle was a different story. It seemed that every name I came up with for a girl, Larry did not like at all. As it happened, I was having contractions on Christmas Eve, and went to the hospital to be checked out. On the way I said, "Wouldn't it be funny if we had a girl today and named her Noelle?" Sweet Geek said, "I LIKE that!" So when she was born in January -and was another girl- we named her the only girl name we could agree on.

So here are a few names that we have been thinking of. We cannot add Olivia to this list (my sister stole it for her sweet little one-year-old girlie -whom it suits entirely), but we decided that we MAY have to abandon the six-letter-end-in-a-vowel thing.

I like Isabella. I always have. Bella for short. What do you think?

Emilie, the French spelling. I like it, but if you have seen my other kids' names, we picked really uncommon names. This one may be too used for our taste.

I like Emmaline, Emma for short. If you have seen "Anne of Avonlea", then you KNOW where I got that name!

I also like Annette, but what would we call her for short? We already have an Ana for short, so we would be forced to call her by her entire name all the time. What in the WORLD will
I call her when she is in trouble? Hmmmm.

You may wonder why these are all girls' names. Right?

No, it is not because of our track record!

It is because we have had a boy's name picked out for years. I got the idea from my sister (who I hope does not mind me taking it), but I thought it was perfect.

Justice

Isn't it just right? It just seems to fit. Throw in a grandfather's name and a touch of Dad, and we will be all set.

So here we are. Boy name picked, girl name -uh, not so much.

So tell me. What names do you like?

What is in a name?

Smart Men Contest

2009-10-09T21:36:00.005-04:00

So I wanted to fill you all in on what it was that rendered "A", the head of the Aflac state organization, speechless. When I shared with his brother, "C", what had transpired, he assured me that it was the first time that A had EVER been at loss for words in his entire life.

The thought of it still makes me giggle!

So here we all were at this wonderful, exclusive restaurant, in a private room, and somehow that day, we poor women were more than outnumbered. All of us ladies, being friends, migrated to the same of the two tables, and sat together; the few women and three men. The ENTIRE other table was men. So A ended up at the other table. At one point he came over to say HI to all of us. He said, "So is this the table for the women?" Without even thinking, I replied,

"The women and the SMART men!"

A stood there for a moment (with a blank look on his face), then shook his head, and stammered "I have nothing to say to that." And turned and walked away. Another Aflac executive (a SMART man) was seated at the ladies table and said, "Well played!"

This little anecdote simply makes me giggle every time I think of it! The look on A's face was absolutely priceless. ZING! I got him! And good.

He has probably forgotten it. He likely forgot before he even left the restaurant. But I never will. For a small beans agent -with no delusions of grandeur- to be able to out-wit the big man in the state... Well, I will cherish the memory forever. And another Spirit Award dinner will give me a chance to see if he even remembers -and make sure he never forgets again.

Well, I am not THAT mean!

Maybe just a little!

I sound very full of myself. However, I am sure there will be plenty of times over the next few months that you will hear about my clumsy and embarrassing moments. I just wanted my first walk down memory lane to show that I DO have good moments! Well, at least I have ONE! So when you hear about me spilling food down the front of me, tripping and trying to make it look like I meant to do that, or actually tumbling over my own two feet and falling in the store (I hope no one could SEE this), you will be able to say, "Well there was that ONE time that she DID have grace and wit!" And that will get you through it all!

What time in your life did you show exceptional wit? Share your stories, and the best on will be published in this blog -and you just might get a little gift! More details tomorrow!

I can't wait to hear about your wit!

The Whale and Argyle Socks.

2009-10-05T21:52:00.003-04:00

SOME women BREEZE through pregnancy.

I am not one of them.

SOME women feel better pregnant than not.

I am not one of them either.

SOME women don't need maternity clothes until the end of their second trimester (that is what "The Book" says about maternity.)

Uhm-hmm! Not ME!

SOME women barely show for months!

I am ABSOLUTELY not one of them!

One morning, only 8 weeks along, I woke up to get ready for work, and could not get my pants to button. Here I was, early in the morning, frantically searching through boxes of maternity clothes (untouched for nearly four years) for ANYTHING resembling professional wear. I arrived a little late, and in something a little less than appropriate.

Hey! The last time I was pregnant, there was no career in sight!

SOME women look GREAT right up until the end!

I am not one of those women.

I look something like this:

Now, due to tradition ever since I got married, my sister and I are pregnant together. She is 8 months pregnant, and unlike me, she looks like this:

I can almost hear "Isn't She Lovely" playing in the background.

Now to add to my current lack of attraction, I have SPIRIT!

Are you wondering what I mean by that? Well, allow me to enlighten you! Twice a year, the company I work for has a huge meeting, awards banquet and party. The region who shows the most "spirit" (i.e. yelling, screaming, signs, costumes, noisemakers, etc....) is rewarded with an exclusive dinner at a fancy restaurant.

My region won last time, and it was wonderful! We ate here. And for the first time ever (according to his brother) I rendered the top man in the state speechless.

But more about that later...

There is a golf theme, so to show we have spirit, we are wearing argyle socks...

(These are much cuter than mine.)

And khaki slacks rolled up to look like knickers.

Hmmmmmmm...

What will that look like?

Let's look at that picture of me again:

Well, if I had photoshop -which I don't- perhaps I could help you envision that.

But instead you will have to use your imagination.;

That is probably funnier anyway.

I hope you can laugh at me!

'Cause I sure can!!!

NO! I WON'T post pictures!

Absent

2009-09-22T14:20:00.003-04:00

For the last two months, as the roll was called by the lord of blog, there has been a blogger absent!

I KNOW you all missed me and have been hanging on to your seats waiting for my next funny quip or interesting perspective...right?...no?...oh, oh well...

Anyway, I am back and as my first blog in more days than I want to count, I wanted to dispel a few myths, and give you a clue to as to ONE of the many reasons WHY I have been missing roll call every day.

Pregnancy myths dispelled:

1. You get a "glow" when you are pregnant. Yea, right! Tell that to my sallow skin and pale complexion. I don't think I have ever "glowed" a day in my life -and that is counting my three -now four pregnancies!

2. Your hair shines! Tell that to the bald spot forming... well, I won't tell you where, because then you will just stare! I must be the only pregnant person on the planet who has their hair fall out in clumps when they get pregnant!

3. Morning sickness lasts the first three months, then goes away. I am a week into my second trimester, and there is not relief in sight. I was sick all nine months with my other three, so I am anticipating the same grueling trudge through constant nausea -all the way to the finish line. Oh, and it isn't morning sickness at all! Morning, noon, and night -and sometimes intense enough to wake me up in the middle of the night!

4. Your husband pampers you when you are pregnant. Yeah...I am not even going to touch that one! He has been VERY understanding and has been picking up the slack. But I don't think pampered is the word. I am VERY grateful for him!

One thought confirmed:

As I have struggled with the pregnancies of all my kids, there is one thing that has never changed -it is ALWAYS worth it! There has never been a time that I held one of my kids and regretted for a moment all that I went through to get them. I have had nightmare pregnancies and deliveries; not like some people I know (you KNOW who you ARE!!!), that feel better pregnant than not, and barely get to the hospital before that baby greets the world. But in spite of all of it, my kids have been the greatest blessing of my life! And though I am SO ready to have this over with, I am also looking forward to baby smell, and a new little person to get to know.
It is ALL worth it!

Just so you know, I am scared of boys.

I just thought I would share that.

We Have a Winner!

2009-07-19T16:58:00.002-04:00

"But Mom, you should see the other kid!"

Congratulations to Nona! The winner of the contest!

Honorable mention goes to Pam with "The Eyes Have It!" Thanks for entering, Pam! I wish I had 2 so I could give away another! But, alas, I only found one!

This was harder than naming my kids!

I am serious! It really was! Every comment was great, and every time I saw another one, I would start laughing, and Sweet Geek would sit there and say, "What?" until I composed myself enough to answer him!

Boy was that FUN! I bet he was wondering if I was laughing at him -which (after the third time or so) I was! But that will just be our little secret!

Nona, contact me at imbeautifuldawn@yahoo.com to claim your prize and pass along your shipping info to receive your prize!

Wow! That was so much fun I want to do it again!

But not today.

I have to keep you coming back!

And I know all you sensitive men out there are crying because you felt SO left out. Don't try to deny! I can hear you with my bionic woman ears!

No, NOT really!

So let me just say, I have not forgotten you, and I am already planning the next great contest that has a gift with men in mind! You ladies might thank me too!

Thanks so much to all of you for visiting my site and entering the contest! Be watching for the next one!

I will leave you with these -the rest of the photos taken with Monkey See's little "makeover."

Enjoy!

If you aren't laughing, you will cry! This was so much fun!
Thank you all!

Name That Picture Contest!

2009-07-15T10:57:00.005-04:00

Folks, today we have hit a milestone!

Today is my VERY FIRST contest!
(Jumping up and down, clapping hands! Squealing like a schoolgirl!)

CRASH!!!

Hold on a minute! I just dropped my laptop.

Just kidding. Don't freak out, Sweet Geek!

One day, when Mia was a baby, I came into the bathroom after I had bathed and jammied (not a word) Eliana.

And THIS is what I found:
She had been watching me apply makeup and decided to try her hand at eyeliner!

So, your challenge if you choose to accept it is:

Name that photo!

The contest period is until Friday at 2pm Eastern time. The entries will be reviewed and a winner will be announced on Sunday. Facebook friends will need to click on THIS link and leave your comment on the website. Facebook comments will not be counted. Feel free to pass along the page to friends for their chance to win!

Here is what you win:
This is a vintage handbag. Research reveals it was made between 1963-1965. It is in perfect condition and appears to have never been used. Estimated value is somewhere between $30-$150.

I found it at a steal, but I won't tell you how much I spent.

It will make all those people out there paying $150 cry.

I LOVE the crock-embossed detail. It is a beautiful handbag, but not practical for me. If you like anything vintage, you will love this.

For all you guys out there, this could make a great gift for a cherished woman in your life(I promise I will never tell) -or you could sell it on E-bay.
So don't hesitate to give me your best shot!

I can't wait to see all your contributions!
And my hope is that it will give me a little glimpse into each of you!

Here is one more look at the photo:
Name that photo!

This message will self destruct in 5...4...3...2...

Places, Part I

2009-07-14T12:08:00.006-04:00

What a place I am in right now! I am not talking about a mansion, messy home or office building. I am talking about the emotional places that we frequent, or occasionally visit.

Have you ever heard someone say, "I am in a weird place right now", or "I am just not in that place yet."? I don't think that they mean they stumbled into something out of a Dr Seuss book, or landed in Willy Wonka's Chocolate factory. It also does not mean that they wish to be in Tahiti, but haven't quite made it yet.

Those phrases do not refer to the cruise you are on or the dream vacation. It is something far more important. They are places in our lives -emotional places.

There are times of emotional bliss: A new love, a marriage, a baby. The job you have wanted your whole life and the big deal you closed. You are confident, happy, full of light! You are in a great place!

But there are places of darkness: The loveless marriage you fight for, the child who has strayed into danger, the loved one who is terminally ill.

There is the monotony of daily battles that tear you down and sap you of your joy. It is a fight to keep your head above water -some days you settle for your nose above water. And the fear is always there that you will sink under.

What place are you? Do you feel overwhelmed? What do you fight for?

This week, on blog that I follow, PW sponsored a fundraiser for a family battling cancer. Though the contest is over (sorry guys), she asked a question for the entrees to answer:

What do you fight?

That is worth saying again. What do you fight?

Until yesterday, I did not take the time to read any of the answers. There are more than 10,000, but I read a few, and some of the answers are quite humorous! Pet dander, potty training your 2-year-old, fighting with the dog for a place on the bed.

But some of them broke my heart.

Like the woman under pressure from her husband's manipulative family to leave the career she loves and take an unpaid job in the family business; the woman who is reminded every day with stinging comments that her husband is not her soul mate; the mother and wife who is caring for her husband and daughter as they simultaneously fight cancer; the woman living in a loveless marriage for the sake of her children; the young woman dealing with years of physical, emotional and sexual abuse. And I could go on, and on.

I cried as I sat there.

It made me count my blessings.

Blessings:

Monkeys

Sweet Geek

Mom and Daddy

My sisters, My best friends:
(there is another sister, but alas, I have no good pictures of her)

Baby toes

And so many more things than I could fit pictures in my blog.

These are the light to me, and my heart aches for those others dwelling in a dark place.
They are in the trenches. That is the place that they live their lives. Can you imagine being there indefinitely? What about the fear of a much darker place? Like the loss of a loved one, or divorce. Can you imagine every day feeling as if you can hardly breath -the pain is so overwhelming.

And yet, we go on. We move forward. Resilient. Choosing a great attitude over a sorrowful one, but always feeling the pain in our hearts. Choosing to count our blessings; enjoy the simple things in life (like shoes!); and thank God for every moment, every hour, every day with the ones that we love. And fighting to not let the little struggles get in the way of enjoying the ones we love.

I want to hear about your struggles. If you do not want to share your name, leave the comment under anonymous. If you are on Facebook, and you don't want to use your name, click THIS link, and it will take you to the blog. I want to hear about what you struggle with.

The radiant light that you see or the dark place that you must dwell right now. The peace that you have. The fears you live with, the hopes that propel you. The cruise you are on to Tahiti...

Where do YOU live?

Oh, and if you find MY comment on PW's site, I am sure it is shallow and silly. Please disregard completely.

It Boggles the Brain!

2009-07-03T11:01:00.011-04:00

It is interesting how, over the years, the relationship between my girls has changed. Monkey See and Monkey Do were

"...like peas and carrots!"

Like green eggs and ham!

HAM!!
Adored each other!
Always together...

Partners in crime.

And as they grew, a cute little invader entered the picture!

Monkey shine.

Do you see Monkey See's face?

She is in pure BLISS!

Have you ever noticed that girls always seem to couple up? Why in the WORLD do they have so much trouble playing together? Why is it that the relationship changed so much when there was a third Monkey added to the family?

I also realize that in MY family, growing up, every other daughter paired off. T and J were very close and K and I were very close. Then, as T and I left home, J and K bonded quickly.

I never understood it.

Still don't.

But to be fair there are tons of other things I also do not understand, like:

Why do you drive on a parkway and park on a driveway?

Why is something transported by ship cargo, and something transported by truck a shipment?

Why do men become addicted to video games. (You know who you are!)

How in the world does a beautifully dressed child look like a mud pie in 13 second flat?

Why do men fall asleep best when there is a movie on? (Again, you KNOW who you are!)

The questions about men could go on and on. And on. And on. And on. And on, on, on.

But there are other questions we should be asking ourselves:

Why do we do what we KNOW is not best again and again?

Why are we so willing for the "just-ok" right NOW, instead of being willing to wait for the "weak-kneed-heart-racing-smooching-and-holding-hands-when-you-are-eighty" kind of substance love?

Why do we let all things go too long before fixing them? -Cars, homes, plumbing, marriages.

Why are we willing to settle for "almost good" instead of working toward what is truly great?

Why do we shortchange ourselves?

Why do I do it to myself?

And another million questions about why men are so weird.

Ouch! My brain is threatening strike! It just picked up a sign and is heading to the picket line with all the brains of those kids who try to do stunts on dirtbikes and the guys from those movies with the stupid stunts. I won't say the name.

No! Wait! Stop! I NEED my brain! Those other guys may not use their, but I NEED mine! Ok, I know you are accident prone, and I make fun of you a lot, but don't take it SO personally. It is a joke! Laugh once in awhile!

Uhm, I don't think Brain has much of a sense of humor. Maybe it has an unhealthy self-image.

REALLY, brain! EVERY other brain in the world has high fat content and wrinkles! NO! I will NOT bet you Botox! Just forget it.

While Brain and I are renegotiating our contract, I am just going to focus on getting my girls to get along.

That should keep brain busy for awhile!

Make Change your Friend

2009-06-30T10:05:00.006-04:00

There are people in your life that you come to truly appreciate. There are some changes in our church family, and our hearts are heavy at the fellow hearts that are being separated from our own, but we must make friends with change.

People come.

People go.

People live and pass away.

But there is one constant in our lives... Change!

Monkey Shine loves Emily.

Do you see that little chubby, dimpled arm around her neck?
That is Noelle holding on for dear life!

I don't know what she was trying to be safe from.

Maybe her mother was terrorizing her by taking too many pictures.

Get used to it! It will not end any time soon!

Monkey Shine pensive, Emily radiant!

I have always been so grateful for the gentleness and interest the girls from this family have had for my Monkeys.

That is a powerful thing to little kids: having bigger kids think they are great, and treating them with respect and affection.

I know that my little Monkeys will miss them terribly -and so will I.

Though we will miss this dear teen (and her family that I don't have any pictures of), we send them to the grand plan that God has for them. And we pray that they will have God's best in their lives -knowing that they belong to Him.

So as we send off friends -and reach out to make new ones- we will remember to include change in the relationships we nurture.

Favorite Things -Monkey Shine

2009-06-29T00:33:00.007-04:00

We found this little doll in the Rescue Mission store, and she fell in love with it right away. Sometimes there are things that your kids gravitate towards immediately -like a magnet to metal.

It feels so right.

It was meant to be.

We belong together.

She carried it around as we looked at recycled furniture (See how GREAT I made that sound! Actually, they have some really nice new stuff there too!), and through the book section -clearly the BEST place to find the classics! When it was time to go, I told her that we could not buy it today. And, with some hesitation, she took that castoff dolly, and shoved it in the bottom of a bin off stuffed animals so, "...nobody will take it when I am gone! So I can come back and take her!" At that moment I knew that dolly was for Monkey Shine. So two days later I went back and dug through the stuffys, and her strategy worked! There she was on the bottom of the bin! Best 50 cents I ever spent! Ever since, she and dolly (who -oddly enough has the SAME NAME! What are the chances of that! What a coincidence!) have been inseparable!
What in the world struck her so much about this doll I will never know.

She is a little less than clean.

She is very small.

She is not fancy in the least!

Maybe it is the hair.

Girls out there near my age (you will just have to guess since I will NEVER tell!), do you remember the Troll dolls? I never owned on, but when I was a kid, a friend showed me this thing that she did. She would twist the hair into a point, and smack the troll on the bottom if its feet. The hair would immediately fluff out of its point into a furry fringe.

Well this poor baby has troll hair.

I simply could not resist!
You take the hair in your hand...

Like this.

Then twist it until it makes a little point...

Like this!

Then you firmly SMACK the dolling down on her bottom!

(Which I can't show you a picture of because I am not that coordinated. I am so accident prone I might actually injure myself!)

And THIS is what happens!

!!!
Wait a minute...

Before...

After...

Before...

After...

AAACK! It looks JUST the same! I don't know why I even bother!

Monkey Shine's favorite things!

Summer Burgers

2009-06-28T06:00:00.006-04:00

There are VERY few things that I make, that anyone would feel ANY inclination to compliment. I will not lie to you. I am a terrible cook on most things I make. Really. I can make about three things VERY well(alright, maybe four), and with everything else I lean HEAVILY on the cooking talents of my Sweet Geek. So you will not get many great recipes from me (Not like Pioneer Woman), but I do have something for those people out there who cannot really cook well -or who do not cook at all. The ramblings of a fellow kitchen-challenged, NON-cook, who can get you by! For those of you who want more of a challenge, visit Pioneer Woman's site -just make sure that you come back after you see it!
(NO! Don't go away! I will try harder! I promise!)

So there are very few compliments from my kitchen (OK, now, all of you mocking me! I am WORKING on it!), but this is one that gets the thumbs up every time I make it, and my family LOVES it! These summer burgers are fast, easy and sure to please.

In addition to the raw thawed hamburger, here are the needed ingredients:

Eggs, onion(s), garlic (Fresh or minced), Lipton onion-mushroom soup mix (OK, OK! I am cheating!), Chipotle Tabasco Sauce, and bread crumbs (you could use bread stuffing in a pinch).

I think that is all.

Watch out for an ingredient drive-by!

So, first get your onion(s) ready.

Cut off the top and bottom, and peel off outer the skin. You want nothing left with any dryness or wilting. Rinsing the onions in tepid water can help you to get over your emotional issues before you cut that onion! I don't understand why, but for some reason the roughest and stiffest of men are dissolved to tears by the soft crying-shoulder an onion has! Maybe it is the warmth of the water! Maybe it is the moment for pause! Maybe it is purely mental and so am I! Anyway, you can run it under the water and it may or may not help you keep from crying. You want to dice the onion especially small. If you cut it too large, the burgers will fall apart. Cutting them small has always been a challenge for me! I just can't seem to do it very fast without my accident-prone tendencies resulting in one of many different sized injuries. So it may require patience, but be careful. OR... You can find a former chef to cut them FOR you! Look at those hands FLY! And he NEVER... Ever... Has a slip and cuts himself. Now I just think you are showing off!! I am SO jealous! Oh, to be normal and not accident prone!

This is what they should look like. Ok, you will need to put your thawed raw hamburger in a large bowl. One bigger than it seems you will need. Trust me, you will thank me later! Ok, we were crunched for time, so I will be moving quickly. Follow closely! Or you could just read it at slowly as you want to! Doesn't matter to me!

Add one package of onion-mushroom soup mix. Ok, add the bread crumbs. What I have here is about 1cup, but I also started with 3lbs of meat, so use a little bit of give. Start with less and then add more if the meat is mushy when everything is mixed in.

Add your eggs. I use two eggs for every pound of meat. You want it hold together well.

Next comes the garlic. You can use fresh garlic, or if you don't like it leave it out.
I put in 1 teaspoon per pound of meat. Give or take.

Tabasco! The magic add! Now I am not a huge Tabasco fan, but I love the Chipotle Tabaso, and a very small amount added to burgers gives them a touch of flavor without the kick! It is SO yummy!

If you try nothing else in your burgers, try that. Only a hint. I used less than a teaspoon with 3lbs or burger. So go easy. Better less than too much. Unless you LOVE spicy food, then crank it out! You will love the flavor!

SURPRISE!

Unexpected ingredient! (See how out of focus the picture is?! It is times like this I envy Pioneer Woman, and Ryan's cameras! But mine is better than most, so I can't complain. I just want a great lens or two. That will never happen, though. It would require me to cut back on my shoe budget, and I am not sure I could survive!)

My cook husband had an idea to add some green goddess dressing! Not a combination that I would have thought of. I have added RANCH dressing before! But that is why he is the cook, and I just drool over his food and his talent! Let's just say this: We will be adding this as a permanent ingredient of our Summer Burgers! Throw those onions in! You don't dare forget those!

Don"t forget the salt... And Pepper... Now stop. Before you stick your hands in the bowl (And you WILL! And get all lovely and messy!), you need to take a sheet pan and just cover it with some aluminum foil. You will be simply too messy to do it later! This is also the time to tell your husband to start the grill. Then comes the FUN part! You get to kneed the ingredients together. I am sorry, but unless you have an industrial size bread machine, you are going to have to do this by hand. Have your soap ready, and dig right in! If you have never done this before, the concept is to take from the bottom and push it into the mixture. If you do this enough times, it will be mixed evenly. Like so: Grab from the side...

Pull up...

And over...

Then make a fist and press into the middle.

Turn the bowl slowly as you work the mixture.
This is the same technique used for homemade bread!
That is a recipe for another time.

So now it is time to make the patties. Take a hand-sized portion and work it into a ball, then flatten it out, and smooth the edges all around. If you work it in your hand a little, it will stick together better. I can't show you this process because I think that my Sweet Geek would be VERY upset if he had to clean hamburger mush out of the shutter button of my camera! As you finish them, well, I am SURE you can figure out what to do with them! Here is what they should look like: You will notice that there is a dent in the middle of each patty. You will want the edges to be thicker than the middle. If you don't, then the burgers will shrink more, not get done in the middle, and have charred edges.
Doesn't that sound awful?!
Unless you like that charred, undercooked meat thing -then go right ahead.

Let's get that red, American meat on the grill! I must say, it is SO nice having a big strapping COOK around to do the grilling!
He is especially good at that! Mmmmmm! starting to sizzle! I am actually dancing with anticipation!
Don't worry! I won't subject you to a video, and I promise to stop when I am taking a picture so they are not all a blur!

Finished product! Isn't your mouth watering? Nananana-naaaa-naaaa!

Don't worry! You can make them too, and this Fourth of July you will be armed with the best burgers at the picnic or family reunion! Mmmmmmm! Then you can enjoy them without even a hint of my strangeness! Won't that be nice?!

When you're the Best of Friends

2009-06-27T11:34:00.004-04:00

It is so nice to have good friends.

You go along together in the same direction...

Keeping each other company on the right path...

And when you rest...

There is always someone...

To keep you warm.

If you work together and get along...

Your journey will be JOY!

Friends!

Hero Dad

2009-06-26T10:42:00.006-04:00

"Cut it here, Daddy!" I said through my tears. Dad was struggling to get tape off my finger. Why? Well, after Monkey See's trip to the hospital. (See THIS post for details), Mom and I took a trip down memory lane. I broke my thumb when I too was seven and in second grade.

What?! You are NOT surprised by the fact that I am clumsy?
You underestimate me! No, I mean you underestimate just how klutzy I am! Really! I cannot even be classified as only clumsy(not strong enough), awkward(sadly ineffective) or klutzy(weak adjective). My clumsy episodes are actually rated on the F-scale. Really.

So here is what happened...

Mom and Daddy were out for the evening, and my older sister and brother were supposed to be watching my younger sister and me. I have NO idea why they weren't, but they were upstairs leaving my younger sister and I to our own devices.
I blame them completely! They weren't watching us, and me breaking my thumb was ALL THEIR FAULT!

No, NOT really!

Anyway, J and I were playing with a folding high chair. At one point, I was trying to move it or something with J still in it, and it suddenly went down and took both of us with it. My thumb was right in the joint and was folded in the joint when we went down. The full weight of J and the chair all landed on my thumb. Somehow, and I don't know how, she landed square on the seat as it hit the floor -unhurt.

WAAAAAAA! It is all your fault! ....Oh, I give up! I do not blame anyone. It is one of those things that happen to me because I am rated on the F-scale.

I bet YOU can't say that!

HOPE you can't say that!

Thank GOODNESS you can't say that!

Really. I am TERRIBLE. I sprained my ankle four times this past year! You think I am kidding, but I am not. I really did.

Unfortunately, My poor Monkey See inherited my graceful prowess! She is doomed to a life of scars, scars and more scars! *SIGH* poor little girl!

So there we were, in the kitchen, and somehow I managed to disentangle my thumb.

Now, you know how, when you are little, that you ALWAYS think EVERY boo-boo is a broken (insert appendage here)! Well, during one of my dramatic (I bet you can't believe I am dramatic!) over-reactions (I bet you can't believe that I tend to over-react!), my mother said, "If it was broken, it would be black and blue right away!" And all the other things that mothers say -when they have dramatic (not me!!) daughters who tend to over-react (surely you can't be talking about THIS blogger!)
Somehow that stuck with me. So as I stood in the dining room of the VERY big home we had, I looked at my thumb, and it was absolutely black.

SSSSCCCCRRRRREEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAMMMM!

I think they heard it in China, don't you? Did YOU hear it? It would have been early spring in 19.... OOPS! almost gave my age away! Anyway, if you heard my scream, just forget WHEN it was. And whatever you do, don't tell! Then we can all remain friends!

Anyhoo! S and L came running, and S didn't know what to do, so he called Grandma (you can see a picture of her HERE). Grandma came over, and being from rural Nebraska, the nearest ER was 30 miles away. Back in NE, there are still small-town Doctors! You get the best care from doctors who know your first name and delivered you, all your siblings, and in some cases, your parents. You went to the same Doctor for everything, and nearly everything could be handled there!

But it was closed.

So Grandma, not really knowing what to do, decided to stabilize it by wrapping it with tape.
TIGHT, with tape!

Then she put us all to bed and went home.

I woke while it was dark, and my thumb was throbbing. I tossed and turned. I tried so hard to go back to sleep, but my thumb hurt SO BAD, and I was holding back the tears. Then I couldn't any longer. I didn't want to wake my parents. I thought they might be mad at me for being out of bed, but I could not take the pain any longer. So I got out of bed and went to my parent's room. I think I went around to the other side of the bed -away from the door- and woke Daddy up. He sat up an in the dim light from the yard lamp outside, he could see that there was something wrong.
"Cindy, turn on the light!"

I will never forget as long as I live the look of horror in my parent's eyes as they saw my thumb. It had swelled so badly that the skin and swollen tissue had stretched between the edges of the tape and made little bulges and bumps. It pushed its way out. And it was painful.

They KNEW it was hurting me, and there was a look in my mother's eyes of sheer horror at my pain. My Daddy looked so sad, but he was all business! Mom went and got her tiny little Fiskars (scissors), and Daddy began the difficult job of trying to cut the tape off of my thumb -without cutting me or causing me any more pain. It was a daunting task. The tape had been stuck sticky-side to sticky-side and would not budge -not only that, but the swelling had caused the tape to be even tighter. It took what felt like forever! And I vividly remember telling Daddy to cut it in a specific place, and he told me that it would not get the tape off, but snipped there anyway. Sure enough. He was right! It stuck -steadfast refusing to budge.

I would have to say that, in the whole process from the breaking all the way to the cast, this part was the most painful and traumatic. I was SO relieved when the tape finally came off! There was such instant relief! My thumb still throbbed, but it was no longer throbbing AND constricted -an excruciating combination!

Daddy knew just what to do! He splinted my finger (wrapping it very LOOSELY this time).
By the time Daddy got all the splint on, I could just begin to see the sky turning from black to gray, and it began to grow lighter as I snuggled into their waterbed and fell asleep.

The next morning, Mom found someone to watch J (I think it was Grandma), T & S went to school, and I went to the Dr. He confirmed the break -right on the knuckle- and put a cast all the way to my elbow.

My Daddy was and is my hero. Good under pressure, he always loved me without condition, always accepted me without expectation, and never turned away affection. Daddy always shares. He would go into the store and get a really BIG drink -because he gave every one of us turns to have a drink. I bet he still shares with the grandkids!

He is a great driver. We had a little standard transmission Festiva, and one day, there were a couple of teens in a muscle care at one of the three lights in Norfolk, NE (hehe!), and they were reving the engine. When the light turned green he blew their bangs back! What a shame, all that souped-up power, and no skill to use it! Truly a shame! It is important to note that we had to PILE in that car! There were six kids in the family, and somehow we always managed. I don't think we were all in there then, but I am SURE the car was above capacity!

Daddy is an Army man. He was always so handsome in his uniform, and I loved the way he smelled when he came home. Even though he is retired, I don't think that you ever get the Army out of the man! We would go for the picnics and to pick him up from his reserve weekends, and those young boys respected him. I am sure that they still do. I bet they have nothing but the highest regard for him even now.

Daddy can watch someone for a few minutes, and tell you what kind of person they are. He has a sence about that, but also he can read people like you would not believe. He watched us, as kids, and knew when we needed him. Always ready to comfort, and affirm his unconditional love. I learned how to watch people from the best.

He almost never yelled at us, but when he did, we REALLY deserved his anger! And it meant something that he was always calm and loving in his dealing with my mistakes. He listened to me, and heard me out. Paid attention to my side of the story. That meant so much to me. More than I can say.

There are more things that he did right than I am able to list here. But I am so grateful for the kind of Dad that I have! He gave us the acceptance that we needed, and I never needed to look for love somewhere else. He believed in me. Once he told me, once, that I could be the first woman president if I wanted to. Dads out there: Do you know just how crucial it is to believe in your daughters, and tell them that?! I think that no man will ever know the impact that a father has on every woman in the world. My Dad did it right, but there are so many Dads out there that really don't get it and never did.
Mine did get it, and I am so grateful. I would not trade him for the world.

Thank you, Daddy. You are my Hero! I thank God for you!

Here is my Hero, busy charming Monkey Shine!
They both look so wonderful in these photos!
So often, photos are full of fake smiles, and half-hearted expressions.
But not these! They show just the true smiles of two of my favorite people!

Here are some more great dads:

Team Hoyt

My Hero Project

Hero Dad

Enjoy reading about these dads who were and are heroes to their kids.

I think I will read this post again, and read about mine!

Let's face it, if I am sitting and reading, I am unlikely to kill myself or have any debilitating injuries. Maybe THAT is why I loved to read as a kid! Less risk!

God bless the great dads. God bless mine!
Take care of yourself, you dads out there! We still need you!