Here is a montage of the girls and I my husband made of us. He was working on a powerpoint presentation for the first day of his fencing class. That's foil, epee, and sabre, not barbed wire or white picket.....

My husband learned how to fence at the local university through their Fencing Club and has been teaching the class at the university for 10 years now, or 21 semesters, as he would put it. Click the fencers above to go to a What is Fencing? website.

Someday I will post more fencing pictures. Somewhere I have some cute ones of Dancer Girl when she was smaller fencing, and some of my husband.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Today is your birthday, Dad, and we have been thinking about you all week. Every day when we do our calendar activity, Dancer Girl counts the days til your birthday, and then counts the days til your party. We are so excited about your party.

I have been thinking about the day you were born, and naturally I was thinking about your parents. I was thinking about your mother, and how much you must miss her. I think about about how much you missed. Then I think about your Grandmother, and all the family who loved you and took care of you. I am thankful for your Grandmother, and all the aunts and uncles, because they were your parents when your parents couldn't be there. I don't care how many times you may have felt left out or forgotten as a child, you are not forgotten now. We are not forgetting you. We are not forgetting your mother and father. I thank God for them, because without them, I wouldn't have you, and neither you nor I would be here.

Every day, I have been thinking, what special thing can I do for my Dad for his birthday? I have come up with a couple of ideas, but have not settled on anything yet. I guess you will find out :) when we see you. But I wanted you to know I love you, I think about you every day, and I am glad you are my father.

You have taught me how to be an artist. You have taught me how to see the beauty in many things. I have learned the value of working hard and doing your job with integrity and to the best of your ability from you. I have learned patience and unconditional love. I like how you wake up and look at the new day as a wonderful thing, and look for love and beauty in it. I am glad I have had a father, many children have no fathers. I am glad you and mom are still married. I am glad you value your marriage and your children. That is a valuable gift to me. I know there are many more things you have taught me.

I remember you and I sitting in a doctor's waiting room. I remember you showing me how to draw a flower. I remember you drawing me pictures to color like these. I remember you helping me learn how to write. I remember you playing with us in the yard. I remember you jumping into city lake to rescue me when I fell in. I think I was only 3. I remember thinking, Wow, Dad must really love me. Thank you for all the wonderful memories.

Thanks, Dad, for being there for me. Thank you for loving me, my husband, and my babies. I love you. Happy Birthday!

you can go to my dad's blogs(check his profile for all of them) Tomas, or to the wonderful family pages my dad has made to learn more about him and our family.

Quick Response from Quaker

Here's what I got in my inbox:
KittenYarn:
We're sorry your family did not enjoy the Quaker Instant Oatmeal Fruit and Cream Variety Pack, and was not pleased with the ingredients used in this product as well. For your dissatisfaction, we are sending a full value replacement coupon for that box in the U.S. Postal Mail. This coupon should arrive in seven to ten business days.

Each of the ingredients in a product is selected carefully based upon the flavor, texture and appearance that it provides. Nutrition, health concerns, and flavor stability are also considered. Federal laws regarding the use and labeling of all ingredients are followed carefully. Nonetheless, we are sharing your comments about the ingredients with our product development team.
We appreciate your business, KittenYarn, and hope you will continue to use our other products. We also invite you to visit our website at www.quakeroatmeal.com for information about all of our oatmeal products.

Quaker Consumer Response

Thank you, Quaker Oats. That certainly gets you points. Thanks for listening and responding quickly. Just thought you guys ought to know....

Silly Cartoons

Just spent a few minutes reading silly cartoons, trying to find something funny to post today. A couple of them were cute and I chuckled at them, but alas, you can't see them, because they were not free.

You can google, "cartoon of the day," and look around, and blow about 10 minutes. If you don't want to waste 10 minutes, you can just read the silly joke I read on the package of instant oats (see, I guess you can find value in anything, ha)

Why do hummingbirds hum?

(I will give my mom about 5 minutes to answer :) , then I will post the answer in the comments). Sorry for the non-entertainment provided here today, just wanted you to know I am still here. Quite busy with school and home, etc. etc. I skim everyone's posts, mostly no time to properly comment.

Garfield found here

Take a Deep Breath

Well, we all made it to Friday. Whew! I woke up this morning a little more stressed this morning. So I remind myself to take a deep breath. I stop to blog a few minutes and remind myself that some things are out of my control (cats getting hit by cars, children waking up early, husband working overtime). And I think about the things that are in my control. The plug for the television set. The pull cord for the drapes that let in the morning light. My ability to feed the cats so they stop meowing SO LOUDLY, and therefore lessening the chances that Little One wakes up.

I find myself this morning tip-toeing around, trying to get things done before Little One wakes up. Once she wakes up, then there's breakfast to be made, and another day of what I call toddler negotiations. For whatever reason this week, Little One has stood her ground, and not much has been able to motivate her to do the simplest things she usually does with joy and gusto. Things like going potty, putting on her velcro light-up Strawberry Shortcake sandals, talking in complete sentences. Now I know she is barely 2 and a half, but this kid talks up a storm. So I don't feel bad making her say, "Help, please" instead of incoherent babbling, screaming, and crying. So this may be one reason to add to the stress pile this morning. Oh, if she would just sleep until 8 am. (ok, stop laughing at me, I mean it)

The other stress was that I have known all week that today was garbage day and this week I had to deal with something really gross (alert: graphic story ahead. If you are eating your breakfast, you may want to skip to another blog and come back later. I wouldn't want anyone hurling their oatmeal...oh, wait, that was last post).

Over last weekend (Saturday afternoon, I believe) we had to deal with a white kitty dead on the road around the corner. So here's how it goes....

My husband comes home with the bad news. He distracts the kids while I go out with bags and box to pick up kitty off the road. I set her carefully in the box with the bags on a table in our carport. Husband, who is the official digger and cat-burier, does not want to tell the girls, and has to leave to go back to work. So I think, and cry and keep it to myself all Saturday night and Sunday morning. After church, I tell husband, please can we tell the girls and bury the kitty. So we tell the girls (insert Dancer Girl, much crying). Husband goes back to work Sunday afternoon, still having no time to bury the kitty.

At this point I see lots of flies as I walk past the box. So on Monday or Tuesday husband comes home early to bury the cat. He is not happy with me because the cat is not actually in a plastic bag, but on top of an old vinyl tablecloth inside the box. So by the time he got to bury the kitty, the whole thing was not very pretty and did not smell well. So husband buries the kitty in a hurry, and because the whole thing is so gross, and smells so bad, he leaves the box and the tablecloth in the backyard near the burial site in a corner of the backyard. I am not mad at him, no ugly comments please, that is just what happened.

So here's the part that stressed me out. All week, I knew I was going to have to deal with that tablecloth and that box, because garbage day is Friday. I knew I would put it off til this morning. So picture me going about my business.....I wash my hands after going to the bathroom, glance out the back window to see my pretty flowers in the back yard.....and there is that box and tablecloth (on purpose I have not gone into gory details as to the exact state of the tablecloth). All week, I have not let the girls go in the backyard to play on the swingset, because of this box and tablecloth. All of this is silly, I know, but neither husband nor I wanted to deal with the little white squirmies. He reasoned that they would grow up and fly away.

So, then comes today. I wake up anxious and full of dread, knowing that today was the day. So I went out there (nothing touched with bare hands, mind you) and took care of it. It is done, the garbage is at the curb(insert multiple hand washings). There were no white squirmy things to deal with, though there was a lovely smell.

I suppose I must apologize for dumping this on you first thing in the morning. It is just that I woke up a little stressed (i know, i know, stress of my own choosing). The good news is that I more caught up with laundry than I usually am. There are only a few small loads to wash, and a few to fold and put away. We have had a busy and productive week at school. Some days I kept up with house things, and other days, they got left behind. I know I will feel better once I get the dishwasher loaded.

Isn't it silly how we let the external things in our lives control our stress and happiness? I say to myself, I will feel better when the dishwasher is loaded, when those clothes are put away, when the cat is buried. It is silly, and it is not. I actually find that I do feel better when I can see my counter tops and find clean underwear in my drawer. I feel better when there is nothing to trip over in the living room.

So again, I tell myself to take a deep breath. Though some of those things are in my control (laundry, dishes), there is no point getting yourself all stressed out before the day has really started. Um, I mean, myself. So I stop and think. What would God really want me to do today? What will the best things to do be?

get the family clean and dressed (including myself), feed the family good food on clean dishes, say Good morning with a smile and be glad to see them as they wake up, be patient with childish behavior (jumping, tickling, forgetting, going potty at all the wrong times at the wrong places, wanting Happy Meals every day, asking for every pretty doll on every commercial), sing songs to my family and with my family, play outside, let the children help fix the meals, let the children vacuum the floor (or clean the television screen or bathroom mirror) and not complain at how long it takes, read books, play games, get off the computer the first time my children ask me to, turn off the television, tell them the truth, etc.

I could go on and on, but this is my list for me. So, sorry for the gross story, but I really hope you have a good day. I feel better already.

Shame on you, Quaker Oats Company

First let me say that I LOVE oatmeal. Always have. My mom made mine with milk, lots of butter and sugar(thank you, Motherkitty). So here's the deal. My husband bought the girls some instant oatmeal in yummy flavors : Strawberries & Cream, Blueberries & Cream, Peaches & Cream, and Bananas & Cream.

So Little One picks Blueberries & Cream and I start to make it for her. As I stir, I peruse the ingredients list. Imagine my astonishment when I read that there are no blueberries in the Blueberries & Cream. That's funny, I think, what were those little dark blue things that looked like dried blueberries. Figs, I tell you! Ok, I give them credit, they did put some blueberry concentrate in there. Oooh. That was low on the list behind: "dried figs, dried corn syrup solids, modified food starch, sugar, dextrose, glycerine...." And then to make all that stuff, etc. blueberry-like they had to add "blue 2 lake" and "red 40 lake". Huh? How hard would it have been just to put dried blueberries in?

Ok, so know I am thinking, surely there are peaches in the Peaches & Cream. Nope. Dehydrated apples. Strawberries in Strawberries & Cream? Nope. "Sugar flavored fruit pieces": namely "dehydrated apples [treated with sodium sulfite to promote color retention], artificial strawberry flavor, citric acid, red 40". What? Where's the strawberries? Bananas in Bananas & Cream? This one was the closest with "banana flake powder."

To top this off, I went to the website for some info and found this in the FAQ:

Q: Are your oats organic?
A: No. However, it's important to understand that organically grown foods are not more nutritious or safe than foods grown using more modern agricultural practices. The same standards of nutrition and safety apply to both types of foods. (emphasis mine)

What? Isn't is common knowelge that modern agricultural practices are filled with chemical fertilizers, chemical bug killers, and hormones, etc? How are all those things better for you than pesticide-free, hormone-free, other chemical-free food? Grrrr.

Quaker Oats, I am very disappointed with you. I am very glad that my children didn't like this very well. Dancer Girl thought it was way too sweet. You should have seen how big her eyes got when I told her she those weren't strawberries. That Little One wasn't eating blueberries. Sounds like deceptive advertising to me. Sure if you squint and look close enough on the front cover, in a font much smaller than the word "FRUIT," you will see the words "artificially flavored fruit pieces." Oh well. I guess this one gets a 2 thumbs down.

Contact the Quaker Company and let them know you what you think about this:

Call Quaker toll-free or Email Quaker (U.S.) or Email (Canada)


Later in the day update, after much rumination and meditation and discussion:
I also just noticed the amount of sugars (carbohydrates) in each packet of instant oatmeal. The low ones were 26 grams and the high ones 27. That is just about the same amount in only 8 oz. of Coca Cola. And we all know a can of coke is 12 0z., but still, that is a lot of sugar for a little bowl of oatmeal. From what I have read that is anywhere from 6-10 teaspoons of sugar per serving. This article states 10 teaspoons per 12 oz of coke. According this article, a big bowl of Frosted Flakes may have less sugars/carbohydrates than a bowl of this instant oatmeal. Would you make yourself a bowl of oatmeal and put 10 teaspoons of sugar on it?

Now don't get me wrong. I like Coke. I drink Coke. I gave my kids Fruit Loops for a snack today. It is just that sugar is so addictive. You expect the sugar in a coke or sugar cereal, not in your instant oatmeal, trying to pass itself off as healthy and full of fruit. That is the problem I have: this product falls in the same category as Fruit Loops, Coca Cola, Cocoa Pebbles, Big Macs, etc. to me. They can put what they want in the product, and let whoever wants to buy it. Just don't try to convince me that it is as healthy and good for you regular oatmeal with fruit in it that you added yourself. I send them a royal raspberry.

Ok, now I am done.

Birthday Pics

The first week of school has gone great! Dancer Girl and Little One have kept me very busy. Both are really enjoying school. We are starting to settle into a routine. It seems almost crazy but even with school I was able to keep up with dishes and laundry, more than usual it seemed. That is a plus. Dancer Girl's birthday celebration was fabulous. Yesterday, I finally cleared a path in my dining room, and got some of the pile of birthday things put away. Thanks to all who came. We had a wonderful time!

First Day of Kindergarten

I am so proud of Dancer Girl. She just finished her first day of kindergarten. And when her Proud Long Haired Daddy asked her what she learned today, she told him a lot. She said today was August 8, she knew that the letter of the week was "Aa." She remembered that the season right now is summer. And she sang her daddy two songs with words in them starting with "Aa." She practiced writing, drew a picture, wrote a story, did a nature walk, did lots of math worksheets. She told her daddy that "Aa" is a vowel. This is the same girl who will go to get a pair of socks and come back with a new outfit on, and a deck of Go Fish cards(not a true story, just an example, mind you).

She and her teacher came up with a word list of words that start with "Aa." There was story time, and rest time at school. Dancer Girl's first day was a busy one, but very productive. And, I think she really likes her teacher :) ..... me.

Thank you to Long Haired Daddy for encouraging me to write about this today, and to be a teacher to my children. Even Little One was excited to do ABC worksheets, and drawing. She thought she was going to school, too. I couldn't be the mom and person I am without my husband's support. The best part is that it felt so good to teach the children today, and know that they were excited and happy to learn.

A Time for Dancing

As usual, I woke early and sit in the quiet dark of the house. This morning my thoughts are all towards my daughter. Today is her birthday. She is finally 5 years old. She is so beautiful and seemingly mature. She is learning to read, and loves to do math. Any time music plays, anywhere, she breaks into dance. This is why I call her Dancer Girl. Even when she was in my belly growing and growing, she seemed to wiggle, stretch, and twist. I will never forget that early ultrasound where she was jumping and leaping across the screen. Well, she has never stopped.

In fact, very soon after we got home from the hospital, I found that one of the only ways to get her to calm down and get to sleep was to bounce, sway, and dance with her. No rocking chair for her, too confining, she didn't like bumping her feet and head. I tell you, she couldn't be still. When I was pregnant, I always found myself standing and dancing, or swaying when music was on, I was so happy. I did this even in church. I would get out of my seat and stand in the back, where I had plenty of room, and dance as much as I wanted. Even to this day, if Dancer Girl comes to the big church service instead of her class, she wants to stand in the back and dance. And I let her.

So this morning, I am thinking of her. Last year, on her birthday she woke up to a bed filled with balloons (actually I did this on every one's birthday last year but mine, ha ha). That was so much fun. But this year, I am trying to think of something different to start the day. I am thinking of showing baby pictures, telling birth stories, and sharing the letters her grandma wrote to her when she was growing in my belly. And, of course, sing her all the birthday songs I know. That is pretty ambitious. I will probably just play it by ear.

I love parties, and of course my children have had big parties every year. So much fun. This year is no different. We finally settled on a flip-flop/hula kind of theme. I haven't had many RSVP's so I hope plenty of people come. Regardless of who comes, I know we will have a good time. For the party, we are making our own hula skirts. There are the leis, the flowers for the hair. We are going to make hula girl hand puppets. We even found a flip-flop cake at Wal-Mart. I even made flip-flop sugar cookies. You could kind of say that I have gone a little overboard.

Anyway, today will be a quiet family day about her. Ok, it will probably not be quiet. There will be lots of singing. There are two quotes (ok, there are not only two, do you really think Motherkitty could stop at only two quotes? just teasing mom....that means I love you, by the way) that my mom wrote in the letters to my daughter before she was born that really mean a lot to me:

"There is a season for everything, a time for every occupation under heaven: A time for giving birth, a time for dying; a time for planting, a time for uprooting what has been planted. A time for killing, a time for healing; a time for knocking down, a time for building. A time for tears, a time for laughter; a time for mourning, a time for dancing. A time for throwing stones away, a time for gathering them up; a time for embracing, a time to refrain from embracing. A time for searching, a time for losing; a time for keeping, a time for throwing away. A time for tearing, a time for sewing; a time for keeping silent, a time for speaking. A time for loving, a time for hating; a time for war, a time for peace." Ecclesiastes 3:1

and

The poet Carl Sandburg said, "A baby is God's opinion that the world should go on."

I love you, Dancer Girl, more than you know. I am so proud of you. I love to see you happy, and dancing. I hate to see you crying, and sad. You are a gift to me from God, another way God has chosen to say that he loves me. There was a time in my life when I didn't think I deserved to be a mother, a time when I thought it would never happen. But when I see you, Dancer Girl, it is proof of God's love and grace, just for me. And that is why part of your name means "full of mercy". That is one of the prayers that your father and I have for you, that you will grow up to be a woman who is full of mercy, love, and compassion for others. We love you so much. We love you more than 100, 000 million :)

A Girl's Thoughts About Rocks

Quote of the day:
Dancer Girl:
"Mama, I want to see a melted rock one day." Make sure you pronounce "rock" like "wok", in a little 5 yr old girl voice. When she said that, it took about 5 full seconds of digesting in my brain to realize she wasn't saying "wok", but "rock." I asked her what she meant, and she said, "Lava. It is in a volcano." Oh, lava, in a volcano. Of course I reply, "Maybe, someday," like moms do when their children ask nearly impossible to do things.

Anyway, she is technically 4.99, and not 5 yet. Friday is the official day. Saturday is party day.

So, back to this girl and rocks. She keeps saying she has a rock collection. She tells almost everyone she meets that she collects rocks. She has one favorite little black rock that she keeps losing and finding. She keeps it in the Big Green Van. The truth is, she and her sister try to pick up every little gray rock in every gravel parking lot they come to. People's driveways are not immune, either. Then you hear my voice, the mother: "Put that down. You can't just pick up rocks in parking lots everywhere you go. If you want a rock collection there are much prettier rocks ." etc etc. Yeah, that's me, dasher of hopes.

Well, anyway, I got the girl a bag of rocks for her birthday. Smooth, shiny rocks. Black ones, gray ones, white ones. I am hoping it will be one of her favorite gifts.

Five Things Meme

I got tagged by my The Four Bears....

Five things in my freezer: frozen french fries, Schwan's ice cream, ice cubes shaped like stars and beakers, frozen broccoli (with cheese of course), Rocky Road
Five things in my closet:Trivial Pursuit, yarn, memory boxes, sewing notions, empty scrapbook with box full of things to go in scrapbook adjacent to it :)
Five things in my car (Big Green Van): Goldfish cracker crumbs; Scooby Doo umbrella; unused sparklers from the 4th of july; pool floats; scripture memory songs; bag of children's books, toys, and dolls
Five things in my purse: sparkly lip gloss, Dragon Tales pull-up, Wal-Mart receipts, sippy cup, Water Babies sunscreen
Five things in my wallet: stamps, more Wal-Mart receipts, butterfly/flower checks, picture of Dancer Girl and Little One from 2004 (ages 3 and a couple of months), Red Cross Blood Type Card (o-)

The Chosen Ones :)

• Manababies
• Cats in my Craft Basket
• Franny
• Rose Cottage by the Sea
• My Dance

Saying Goodbye to Friends

Well, today was a really hard day. Dancer Girl had to say goodbye to this little girl who is her first best friend. She and her family are leaving for New York state at 7 am and we stopped by their house as they were packing the truck today for one last goodbye. We ended up staying four and a half hours.

Her mother and I were sent each other's e-mail addresses by the La Leche League. We both wrote desperate e-mails to La Leche when our babies were months old, asking where the closest group was to our city. Well, it turns out that my friend started her own group for nursing moms. She called it Mother to Mother. We e-mailed and met each other for the first time when Dancer Girl was 8 weeks old, and her daughter was about 6 or 7 months old.

So the girls have practically known each other their whole little lives. The Mother to Mother group still meets once a week, though my friend and I don't really go much any more. There is at least one Mother to Mother Group in another nearby city now too.

Our group focused on Nursing Moms Supporting Each Other. My friend called lots of companies and got lots of free samples and coupons. We started making free informational packets to give to local OB offices and the Health Department. My friend got certified as a lactation consultant, and became a resource for the local hospital when new moms needed additional help with nursing their newborns. We organized casseroles for the moms in the group during their first weeks home with their newborns.

My friend and her family has had a great impact on mine. I will miss her a lot. I am sure, however, that my daughter will miss her daughter more. There was lots of crying as I buckled the girls up in the van to finally go. Dancer Girl had to go back for second and third hugs before I could even get her in the van.

Both girls will be starting kindergarten this fall. It has been a long time since that fall day in 2001 when we met. I am happy because they will be moving closer to family and grand-parents, and I can see the benefits of that. I am sad because my daughter has a broken heart because she is losing a best friend and playmate. They will write, of course.

My prayers are for safe travels and for God to look out for them and direct every step in their lives. To my friends...

An Old Irish Blessing
May the road rise up to meet you.

May the wind always be at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face,

and rains fall soft upon your fields.

And until we meet again,

May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

No Spilled Milk

Well, I never thought I would be one who liked babysitting. Maybe yesterday was a fluke. Everything went so well. No one cried. No one got hurt. By the middle of the afternoon, I had 5 children running around my house. And no walls were colored. No milk was spilled. There was no fighting. The 2 youngest ones were age 2. My Little One and my friend's very quiet, I love to play all by myself all the time little boy. The next ones up were my Dancer Girl (4.96, thank you very much), and her best friend, a little girl who turned 5 last March. The oldest girl is 10 and loves to play with children, hold children, etc. etc. And I guess that explains everything.

When the 10 yr. old's mom asked me to babysit I said no problem. I told her she would be as much help to me as it was to her (my friend got a new job and needed a babysitter on some days til school starts). Long Haired Proud Daddy said, "You seem a lot more relaxed," after the first day of babysitting this girl. It was true. That day, there was also no fighting or crying. I didn't get frustrated with the children one time. (please note that there were also no clothes folded, no dishes washed... I think you get the picture). Since it was her first day here I checked in often to see what everyone was doing, and usually ended up playing with them. You know me, I was the customer who ordered the peanut butter and cheeseburger pizza, and sweet tea with honey, banana split, strawberries, and bananas. :) These girls have great imaginations.

It really helps that this girl will really play What Not to Wear with Dancer Girl(dressing up is one of Dancer Girl's favorite activities). Yes, yes, I let her watch way too much TV, and this is one of her favorite shows, next to Cash in the Attic and Cash Cab and Berenstain Bears and Mr. Rogers. Hey, I just remembered something funny. When Dancer Girl was a toddler(about 2), and I was having my daily TLC fix, namely Trading Spaces or A Baby Story, if she would even see a commercial for Trading Spaces, she would say, "Spaces, spaces! ". She could even sing the theme song. It probably helped that Trading Spaces came on every day when I sat down to nurse her to sleep for her afternoon nap. (I guess you can see why I am having to wean ourselves off the TV....hey, maybe that was why my mom always called it the Boob Tube, never thought of that before---- we are doing really well, by the way---the children even fight to see who gets to turn off the TV).

Oh, wait, I am digressing. The point is that the girls play well together, and this sweet girl can also calm down Little One some of the time and distract her. So far, so good.

So, hey. That is not even what I meant to post about, though at 4 am is it possible to have a coherent thought? Wait, don't answer that.

I meant to ponder all those deep thoughts about why I am not crocheting much (read nothing) right now. Every once in a while, I think about some of my works in progress (WIP's) and think things like, Don't forget what happened the last time you got that out. I think I spent more time detangling the yarn after my girls helped me get it out of the skein than I did crocheting. Mind you, I wasn't mad at them. It was kind of silly, and they had loads of fun. I really do have lots of patience for untangling things (I get this from my dad, and from having really really long hair).

So I have been busy. Busy enjoying my children. When I do crochet, Dancer Girl sits on my lap to help me with a few stitches, which is not very easy because she is left-handed. I decided to tone down my projects and my expectations. When I sew on a button, I have 2 helpers. When I get out the sewing machine for some wild, finish it in a half an hour projects, or to mend Daddy's pants, I let the girls watch and help. It is the least I can do. There is no use trying to "accomplish" lots of things in a stressful way. I might as well let it go, and have fun and not get very much done, but help the girls want to get involved. Of course this means I haven't sewn any cute dresses for the girls like I thought I would (yes, I have bought a couple of patterns....now I say, maybe I will make that for a friend someday). Maybe this is where Motherkitty comes in . Maybe she will get her sewing machine out when she has to close up her pool (because there would be no use asking her now, ha ha).

Which brings me to today. It is the last day of swimming lessons, & Grandma & Grandpa (aka Motherkitty & Tomas) are coming! Hurray! Oh, wait, Sorry, Motherkitty. Hooray!!!!!! See you when you get here!

Answers posted....

apparently i mis-typed number 6, it should read...

Dungeon, Jewelry Store, Sequence

instead of...

Dungeon, Jewelry Store, Scoreboard

that's what happens when you type sleepy.

to see the answers, check the comments on the 3 of a Kind post

Any One Else Want to Play?

I will probably post the answers to the 3 of a Kind quiz tomorrow in the comments for that post.....does any one need more time?

My Grandma

My Mom, Motherkitty, and my Aunt, Mrs. Green Thumb, have both written lovely tributes to my grandmother. Go and read about my Grandma. I miss her very much. I love you Grandma. I think Motherkitty's post is July 13 and Mrs. Green Thumb's is the day before. I don't know why, but I was just having trouble getting to mom's blog, though I got to it earlier today. If you have trouble, keep trying, I suppose. Both of them have posted some wonderful pictures of my grandma.

keep working on that 3 of a Kind word quiz, no one has sent me all the correct answers yet, though Motherkitty is very close, of course :)

3 of a Kind Game

I did this word game in my Reader's Digest (thank you, sweet hubby for the subscription) . All the credit goes to the July 2006 edition of the Reader's Digest (RD Challenge by Will Shortz, p. 200) . It would probably be a bad idea to copy and paste it all over the world if you haven't paid for a subscription. Even so, I had a lot of fun, and it was easier to put it here than copy it and send it to all my friends and family. You will have to forgive me for being crabby, but that is just the way I am today.

Instructions: Figure out what the trio in each set have in common, as long as the answer is a six-letter plural word, ending in -s.

Example: Railroad, wild animal, music CD: TRACKS

Please email me your answers and I will tell you if you are right. I probably will not post the answers here (unless someone bribes me with lasagna or chocolate) ha ha

Here goes....
1. trombone, children's playground, labratory microscope
2. parade, malt shop, tackle box
3. weight, British bank, ASPCA
4. dentist, dry run, Army camp
5. hunting dog, compass, scoreboard
6. dungeon, jewelry store, scoreboard
7. fish, sheet music, dieters
8. municipal parking lot, electric utility, rhythm in verse
9. golf course, salad, environmentalists
10. boxing match, doctor, children's song
11. beach, rifle, pasta
12. rupture, school year, good fortune

The first time I tried to do this, my brain was fuzzy and I couldn't get any of them. The second time a little light bulb went off in my brain and I got quite a few of them. Numbers 2, 10, 11, and 12 were ones that I couldn't get for a long time. Good luck.

Family Farm

We went to a local family farm today to pick up some fresh veggies. We got corn, yellow squash, peas, potatoes, salad tomatoes (that's what they called them), cucumbers, zucchini, fresh herbs...

The girls also fed clover to some fat fluffy bunnies(here is a picture of one of the bunnies we fed), fed some chickens, and went in the hen house to check for eggs. We brought home the eggs they found. Talk about farm fresh eggs.

This farm is family owned and practices organic farming. That's right, no pesticides or hormones or chemical fertilizers. All natural, free range, you name it. We eat lots of junk most of the time, just want to make sure this type of farm thrives in our area. Not to mention I really like fresh veggies, etc. Though I have to say early in the season I wasn't sure what to do with so many leeks and heads of cabbage.

Oh yeah, I also got some fresh blackberries and fresh cut flowers. Growing up, my mom and dad always had a garden. I have lots of fond memories of going to get corn, tomatoes, green beans for that night's dinner. Also have lots of memories of eating cherry tomatoes out of the garden til my mouth got raw. Over the years, I think my parents did their best to have a strong healthy garden (nevermind that last year it got replaced by the pretty blue pool, ha ha). Well they say you should rotate your garden spot anyway. When they dug up their garden, mom and dad just dumped everything in a new garden spot. You wouldn't believe some of the stuff coming up on its own. Talk about good compost!

Anyway, I am digressing. Today was a good day. Honesty with yourself is very important. I recognize that at this time in my life, my yard is too shady, and my children take up so much time that I do not take the time to cultivate a garden. So why not support the local farmers who devote so much of their time and energy to do what I cannot. Hopefully, I am planting some seeds of good family memories and healthy eating in my children.

Happy Independence Day

I am very appreciative of the country we live in. I am thankful for all the people who fought in all the wars so that we could be free and independent. Most of us, I am sure, take this for granted. I am soft and pudgy and lazy and haven't had to be hungry one day in my life. I have not been put in a position where I have had to really sacrifice for my fellow human beings rights. Would I sacrifice to the point of death for the rights and love of another human being? I would certainly hope so, but the habit of comfort would make it quite a challenge. I am thankful I have the freedoms I have. I need to remind myself to strive to work hard and sacrifice and be a good example to my children. I want them to remember this holiday not just for the pretty colors, parades, and fireworks.

Summer Reading Program

Our local library has a summer reading program. Here are some pics of the summer readers....






When Dancer Girl reads books, she is very, very quiet. When Little One reads, she reads to herself, to pink ponies, and to whoever will listen. I am glad my girls love books. Dancer Girl likes to sit in the special chair her Grammy got her to read, and Little One likes to lay across the top of the couch. We are having a fun and busy summer and this is just one of the things we are doing.

Quote of the Day

Little One, age 2, at lunch...

"Jesus, Help the food feel all better. Amen"















picture from http://www.freespiritart.com/lords-blessing.php

I am so in love with this man....

This is Dancer Girl in a Mommy and Daddy sandwich about 4 mos, same shirt

This is Little One about 6 mos old with just Daddy














He is such a good daddy! Happy Father's Day, Sweetie!

Cute Girls Ready for Travel

I found two more pictures to go with yesterday's busy, busy travelling all the time post. Both of my girls travel relatively well, and they especially like going to Grandma and Grandpa's house.




They both wanted me to post this pic of Grandma's pool. This is Motherkitty, Tomas, and Dancer Girl last summer.















The pool is just as beautiful and refreshing this year. I think Motherkitty only gets out to eat and use the potty (just teasing, mom)

Things have been so busy lately, because it seems like we have been going, going, going for weeks. Since my mom's knee surgery and our AC lightning strike incident, we have spent sooo much time away from home. All of our visits have been wonderful. We have been to Grandma and Grandpa's house,
and Grandma and Grandpa's again, and then to Grammy and Papaw's. And then we went to visit Nana and her son, Grand-Dad Mike, and then back to Grammy's house. And in between all that Dancer Girl has attended 2 Bible Schools, and started a summer reading program at the public library. Somehow, today has been a day to mostly catch up on things at home, and lounge around. All you industrious people out there will just have to forgive us, we watched TV all morning, ate frozen pizza for lunch, then ice cream. Treading water, I call it. Just keeping up with the basics. It didn't help that all of us woke up with some level of congestion or soreness in our bodies. My husband's is caused by allergies. Whatever the cause, it causes me to have a slow start to the day, and feel sleepy. It also didn't help that I had dreams about finding lots of new baby kittens in my house overnight, totalling 18. And in the dream, the mama kitty was nowhere to be found.

Our Duchess has 5 beautiful kittens, ready to go to new homes. They were born the week after mom's knee surgery, and will be 2 months old on Saturday. One little white one has already gone to a new home. So, she is going around the house, meowing and meowing, looking for that little one. There are 4 little scritchy scratchy fuzzy cutie grey tabbies left.

Birth Control Patch Death/Injury Settlements

The scariest part about this is that the manufacturer of this product AND the FDA saw problems and approved it anyway. How many women could have avoided blood clots, strokes, or death if the drug manufacturer and the FDA had really done its job? It makes you wonder what they really care about. Do drug companies really care about you as a woman or a man? According the articles below, after it was approved deaths were reported in 2004, 2005, and 2006. The drug company did not do anything about it right away. Hmmmm...

"Documents have surfaced in litigation that show Ortho-McNeil has been analyzing the FDA's death and injury reports on women using the Ortho Evra birth-control patch, and has charts that show a higher rate of blood clots and deaths in women on the patch when compared to women who take birth-control pills.In addition, according to a November 11, 2005, article by the Associated Press, an internal company memo shows that in 2003, the company refused to fund a study comparing the Ortho patch to the company's Ortho-Cyclen pill because there was "too high a chance that study may not produce a positive result for Evra" and a "risk that Ortho Evra may be the same or worse than Ortho-Cyclen."

http://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/articles/orthoevra.html
"It is alleged that the FDA and the drug maker saw warning signs of problems with the Ortho-Evra patch before it was approved for the general market. Both entities maintain that the medication is as safe as any other pill-form birth control. However, a study with 800,000 women in 2004 showed that using the birth control patch increased the risk of dying or suffering a blood clot three times more than regular birth control pills. Unaware of the risks, doctors prescribe medications with little thought. It?s an unfortunate reality that many doctors are incentivized to prescribe brand name medications; they are legally paid what is essentially the equivalent of sales commissions or receive other incentives such as lunches, parties, clip boards, note pads, and more. These financial incentives bring up a plethora of ethical and liability issues. "
http://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/case/ortho_evra?ref=article
"If you have or a loved on has suffered from blood clots, heart attack or stroke, while using Ortho Evra, you may qualify for damages or remedies that may be awarded in an Ortho Evra class action or lawsuit."

The 2 links for articles above contain additional links, for more info. The second article has a news timeline, with links to news articles from the LA Times, the New York Post, CNN, Washington Times, Boston Globe, etc. etc. Go see for yourself

If I were a young woman I would question every drug prescribed to me and research it thoroughly. Don't just accept what your family physician tells you. What if they don't know all the negative side effects or risks? You have to take care of yourself. Why gamble on increased risk of blood clots, stroke, death, or decreased fertility just for convenience. Even taking these kinds of contraceptives for prescribed medical condtions such as acne or painful periods could be not worth the risk. There could be nutritional deficiencies involved or other causes.

Articles like these prove to me that drug manufacturers have to be greatly concerned about their profit margin. Why else push a drug on the market with known serious risks?

*steps down off soap box and quietly walks away*

Motherkitty's Meme

7's Meme
Seven things to do before I die:
1. Make sure that all my family knows I love them
2. Own my own power drill, and know how to use it
3. Live totally debt free, including no mortgage.
4. Tear down the brown, gold, and avacado wallpaper in the hallway
5. Learn to play chopsticks on the piano
6. Own a piano
7. Learn to play the guitar
Seven things I cannot do:
1. Pretend to be someone I am not
2. Eat raw or slimy eggs
3. Eat any shellfish that is a cousin of an arachnid.
4. Parallel park an 18 wheeler
5. Wallpaper anything by myself
6. Lie about my age.
7. A back handspring
Seven things that attract me to my husband:
1. His smile
2. His long hair
3. His intelligence
4. His love for God
5. His love for our daughters
6. His ability to have mercy on anyone, and find a way to help
7. His silly jokes
Seven books I love:
1. My Antonia
2. The Good Earth
3. The Holy Bible
4. Fahrenheit 451
5. A Man Called Peter
6. The Autobiograpy of George Muller
7. The Tawny Scrawny Lion
Seven movies I'd watch over and over again:
1. The Three Lives of Thomasina
2. The Inn of the Sixth Happiness
3. Joe Versus the Volcano
4. The Secret Garden
5. The Sound of Music
6. While You Were Sleeping
7. So Dear to My Heart
Seven people I'd like to tag:
1.4 Bears in the Woods , cousins
2. My Dad
3. My Aunt, Dad's sister
4. Doubleknot
5. My friend, the Author, Trish Writes
6. Lisa-Anne, friend from college
7. Puffstitch

Decide for Yourself

Here is another article from May 2006 about Iran and the color coded badges for people other that Muslims....
http://www.wpherald.com/storyview.php?StoryID=20060519-035758-8752r
As for the dispute saying this is totally untrue, read this article that supposedly debunks the idea. The only thing that hits me about this article is that this is technically not a "law" yet in Iran. However, it has been discussed by the parliament, and added only as a "secondary motion" to a proposed law, that has not been signed into law. There was a law about Muslim dress code passed 2 years ago, and the article says that maybe the subject came up then. But just the fact that the Iranian parliament has had discussions about "what to do with religious minorities" to distinguish them from Muslims should be a huge blinking red light. Yeah, it may not technically be a law yet. Yeah, they are categorically denying it, but why should they even be discussing it? Why should Jewish shop owners who sell food have to be mandated to identify themselves as non-Muslim?

Original story:http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=6626a0fa-99de-4f1e-aebe-bb91af82abb3
Saturday » May 20 » 2006

Experts say report of badges for Jews in Iran is untrue

Chris Wattie
National Post
Friday, May 19, 2006
A yellow badge worn by Jews in Nazi Germany during the 1940s.(MICHAEL KAPPELER/AFP/Getty Images)Several experts are casting doubt on reports that Iran had passed a law requiring the country?s Jews and other religious minorities to wear coloured badges identifying them as non-Muslims.
The Iranian embassy in Otttawa also denied the Iranian government had passed such a law.
A news story and column by Iranian-born analyst Amir Taheri in yesterday?s National Post reported that the Iranian parliament had passed a sweeping new law this week outlining proper dress for Iran?s majority Muslims, including an order for Jews, Christians and Zoroastrians to wear special strips of cloth.
According to the reports, Jews were to wear yellow cloth strips, called zonnar, while Christians were to wear red and Zoroastrians blue.
The Simon Wiesenthal Centre and Iranian expatriates living in Canada had confirmed that the order had been passed, although it still had to be approved by Iran?s ?Supreme Guide? Ali Khamenehi before being put into effect.
Hormoz Ghahremani, a spokesman for the Iranian Embassy in Ottawa, said in an e-mail to the Post yesterday that, ?We wish to categorically reject the news item.
?These kinds of slanderous accusations are part of a smear campaign against Iran by vested interests, which needs to be denounced at every step.?
Sam Kermanian, of the U.S.-based Iranian-American Jewish Federation, said in an interview from Los Angeles that he had contacted members of the Jewish community in Iran ? including the lone Jewish member of the Iranian parliament ? and they denied any such measure was in place.
Mr. Kermanian said the subject of ?what to do with religious minorities? came up during debates leading up to the passing of the dress code law.
?It is possible that some ideas might have been thrown around,? he said. ?But to the best of my knowledge the final version of the law does not demand any identifying marks by the religious minority groups.?
Ali Reza Nourizadeh, an Iranian commentator on political affairs in London, suggested that the requirements for badges or insignia for religious minorities was part of a ?secondary motion? introduced in parliament, addressing the changes specific to the attire of people of various religious backgrounds.
Mr. Nourizadeh said that motion was very minor and was far from being passed into law.
That account could not be confirmed.
Meir Javdanfar, an Israeli expert on Iran and the Middle East who was born and raised in Tehran, said yesterday that he was unable to find any evidence that such a law had been passed.
?None of my sources in Iran have heard of this,? he said. ?I don?t know where this comes from.?
Mr. Javdanfar said that not all clauses of the law had been passed through the parliament and said the requirement that Jews, Christians and Zoroastrians wear special insignia might be part of an older version of the Islamic dress law, which was first written two years ago.
?In any case, there is no way that they could have forced Iranian Jews to wear this,? he added. ?The Iranian people would never stand for it.?
However, Mr. Kermanian added that Jews in Iran still face widespread, systematic discrimination. ?For example if they sell food they have to identify themselves and their shops as non-Muslim,? he said.
Rabbi Marvin Hier, the dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Centre in Los Angeles, acknowledged that he did not have independent confirmation of the requirement for Jews to wear badges, but said he still believes it was passed.
?We know that the national uniform law was passed and that certain colours were selected for Jews and other minorities,? he said. ?[But] if the Iranian government is going to pass such a law then they are not likely to be forthcoming about what they are doing.?
Stephen Harper, the Prime Minister, said yesterday that Iran is ?very capable? of enacting such a law but could not confirm reports that members of religious minorities must wear identifiable markers on their clothing.
?Unfortunately we?ve seen enough already from the Iranian regime to suggest that it is very capable of this kind of action,? Mr. Harper said. ?It boggles the mind that any regime on the face of the earth would want to do anything that would remind people of Nazi Germany.?
National Post, with files from Allan Woods, CanWest News Service
© National Post 2006http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=6626a0fa-99de-4f1e-aebe-bb91af82abb3Crossposted with commentary atNeocon agitprop press backtracks on Iranian 'badges'

links for the National Post article found here through a Google seatch...http://mparent7777.livejournal.com/8711741.html

also could find nothing on Snopes, one way or another

Thanks, Mom & Dad

Without you guys, I wouldn't be here. Happy Birthday to me! I am happy to be who I am and have the parents and family that I have. Like Esther, I feel I must be on the earth right here, right now for a specific purpose. God help me see, hear, and be all that I am supposed to be.

What does this remind you of?

Iran may force badges on Jews, Christians
TEHRAN, May 19 (UPI) -- Iran's parliament passed a new law this week that would force the country's Jews, Christians and other religious minorities to wear color-coded ID badges.
Iranian expatriates confirmed reports the Iranian parliament, or majlis, has approved a law that would require non-Muslims to adhere to a dress code which mandates they wear "standard Islamic garments," according to Canada's National Post.
The roughly 25,000 Jews living in the Islamic Republic would have to attach a yellow strip of cloth to their clothing, Christians would wear red badges and Zoroastrians would wear blue ones.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader and highest authority, must approve the law for it to take effect.
"This is reminiscent of the Holocaust," said Rabbi Marvin Hier, head of the Simon Weisenthal Center in Los Angeles. "Iran is moving closer and closer to the ideology of the Nazis."
The Weisenthal Center has written to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to call on the international community to pressure Iran into abandoning the measure.
"There's no reason to believe they won't pass this," Hier told the Post. "It will certainly pass unless there's some sort of international outcry over this."
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejan has publicly called for Israel to be "wiped off the map." The West believes Tehran is secretly and illegally using its nuclear energy program to develop a weapon, a claim Iran denies.
E-MAIL PRINT SAVE LICENSE© Copyright 2006 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Armbands no matter how many times I tried to add a picture of an armband it would not work out...click to see one
or here for more

Tribute to Long Haired Guy

Don't know why this is a bit fuzzy, but this is one of my favorite pics of Long Haired Proud Daddy. Here he is with Little One, I think. *whistles quietly to self* At first I thought this was Daddy and Dancer Girl when she was a few months old. Motherkitty and I are sitting here trying to figure it out. Going by the date on the pic, it HAS to be Little One. But, man, it sure looks like Dancer Girl.

I love my husband's happy face here. He is such a good daddy. He comes in the door after work, and he is clobbered by two little girls, running at full force. Then comes time for laughing, playing and frolicking.

Anyway, I wanted to post this in honor of Father's Day, coming up....

We have been at Motherkitty's house due to loss of A/C fun, where we were forced to do our penance in the pool :). Ha Ha

Today we are going home to check on Long Hair Daddy, the kittens (about 5 weeks old), and the house situation. Also, Dancer Girl will be going to her first Vacation Bible School this week with some of her friends. Lots of fun! I am sure we will be spending the hottest part of each day at friend's houses or the library or some other cooler place. Good ol' Mom and Dad are sending me home with a box fan and a small A/C window unit, for good measure. Next weekend we will be spending some long overdue time with Long Haired Daddy's mom and dad, aka Grammy and Papaw.

All Puffed Up

They say pride comes before a fall, but I don't think it means this kind of pride.

Dancer Girl went on her first sleepover with all her little girlfriends (picture 6-8 four and five yr olds). Sure she's slept all by herself at Grandma's house without mommy and daddy. She had soooo much fun. But last night she was telling me more, even though it was a week ago.

Mom, I had trouble going to sleep at my sleepover. Emma's mom just read one story. So, I just laid and thought a while. And then I went to sleep.

Now, here comes the proud mama part. I was asking about sleeping with her stuffed animals, and she said that she gave her very favorite pink bunny to another little girl who forgot to bring one. And then, she let another little girl borrow her very, very favorite soft green blanket because that girl had forgotten a blanket. *see puffed up mama, that's me* I was so proud and astonished. All on her own, my sweetie gave away her favorite stuffed animal and blanket for a night because she knew she had plenty. And then she said....

I knew that was why I brought extra!

All this and she's just 4. That's my girl!

(click the hen if you want to read a little about the Partridge Family)

Hotsy Totsy

Apparently our air conditioner unit is out. The thermostat reads 81 degress. I left messages with 3 different heat/air places this evening, and hopefully someone will call back in the morning. Thank God for ceiling fans, and also that our place has plentiful shade, and lots of trees. I don't worry so much about husband and I. I just don't want the girls or the kittens to be so hot. Would have to look back at my calendar but I think they are only 4 or 5 weeks old. They were born on the Monday that marked one week from mom's surgery, so I guess that would have been April 17.


too bad we gave away all our oscillating fans....

Meaningful posts

It has been a while since I have written anything but quick updates. I have been so busy with little ones and helping mom as she heals from knee surgery that I have not shared much. Not much about me, not much about what my yarn is doing. Not much about what my kittens are doing (yes, there are cute fuzzy kittens at my house)

As usual, Little One is climbing on my lap for her morning "milkies." So any typoes from this point on are entirely unintentional ;). So for those of you who don't know, I like to nurse my babies til they say they are done. My Little One is just a little over two, and if that grosses you out, I blow you a raspberry.....ppptthhh. My Dancer Girl, who is now 4.5, nursed til she was 2.5. Actually, I thought I might be tandem nursing, as she nursed through my whole pregnancy with Little One. And then, three weeks before Little One was born, Dancer Girl just said, "All done," and that was that. She said she was sharing with baby sister, and was so sweet about it.

I have this love/hate thing with natural & attachment parenting type stuff. Now that my girls are 2 and 4, and mostly still sleep with us, I can squint my eyes and see a pinch of value in the cry it out thing. Just a pinch. I also can see gobs of value in eating healthy, whole, raw foods, no hormones, preservatives, etc. etc. in my food, but that didn't stop me from eating chocolate cheesecake for breakfast yesterday, right after I had a small bowl of Honey Smacks (with organic 2% milk, of course). Yes, I carried my babies. I wore my babies. I slung them on and tried to get things done. I love, love, love my sling, unused as it is now. But there always came a certain point in each day where I just fizzled out (usually nap time). I would find myself asleep on the couch (sitting up) with two little ones sleeping on me. After that I would rearrange big sister on the couch and try to lay little one in her bed. There are only so many times you do that and get screaming and crying and not staying asleep (no matter what you try to do to soothe them), when you just give up and sit back down on the couch and nurse the baby back to sleep.

As soon as you sit down, you are also giving up the entire afternoon of "household productivity." You know, putting a load in the washer, carrying all the dirty dishes to the kitchen, picking up the garbage, scooping the litter, putting some laundry in the dryer, picking up the scattered dress-up clthes & dirty towels in the bathroom, trying to unload the dishwashwer....Waaaaaahhhh! Maaaammmmaaa! That was a mistake. Note to self: unload dishwasher when children are awake.

Then, when they wake up, the children want a snack (= more dirty dishes).

All this....and I still love being a stay at home mom. I don't like being drained. I don't like the mess, but I love my girls. And I don't regret most of the parenting decisions my husband and I have made.

So know you know how much I ramble when I type, because I type a little like I talk. Nonstop, my husband would say. Or at least he used to say that. On a car trip recently, husband looked over at me, and stared in awe at how quiet I was. Juxtapose this to the happy NONSTOP singing and jabbering coming from the backseat( he calls Little One his little burning bush, like in the Three Amigos with Steve Martin). He couldn't figure it out, and all I could do was smile.

p.s. Don't you like how many sentences started with "and" and "but"? Kind of annoying, isn't it?

Just a moment, Dear...

I'll have dinner ready in a few minutes.



Don't you wish we could all feel this angelic while tending to all of our motherly duties? This girl makes it look so easy. Soft and pretty, too. Peaceful, even. Hey, where can I get a job as an artist's model? I can do that! I only have two children, but I bet I can get the same effect!

Somebody probably even feeds her grapes, too.

Surprise!

We did it! We surprised Motherkitty! Dancer Girl, Little One and I showed up at Motherkitty's house yesterday with roses for Mother's Day. And, boy, was she surprised! Tomas, too. She said, Let's go out to eat. So we headed for the local pizza joint, & then we went to a local store because Motherkitty (aka Grandma, around here) wanted to buy the girls something. So we went back to MK's house with leftover pizza, new puzzles and games, and chocolate snacks, thanks to Tomas (aka Grandpa). We will sleep over 'til Tuesday, then go back home. Dancer Girl has gymnastics Tuesday afternoon. The girls kept lots of secrets this week, my Mother's Day present from them and my husand(a shiny, sparkly), and our surprise trip to Grandma's. For 2 and 4 yrs old, that's pretty good.

Mom is getting around pretty good, sometimes with no walker, sometimes with. She needed no assistance at night this time, and I think she is fixing Dancer Girl breakfast in the kitchen right now. The girls woke up this morning and the first thing they wanted to do was climb in bed with snuggly Grandma. That was a sweet picture(though no pix were taken).

Have a good Monday.

Just in Case

I wanted to write this now, just in case everything gets crazy and I forget. All week, all month I have been thinking about Mother's Day (actually all year off and on). I love all the women in my life who are moms. I especially love my mom and don't know what I would do without her.

In this season of my life, the roller coaster time of life with little ones, I never know what I will be able to accomplish in a day, and I don't mean just dishes and laundry. Every moment is exhilarating and draining. You are filled with wonder and fear and frustration at all the cute, wonderful, and surprising things your children can do(not all of them good), at any moment of the day, in front of anyone. The proud moments{one day your child just announces that she is ready to sleep in her own bed, just like that), the embarassing ones (your child falls out of a shopping cart in a crowded store).

All of you who are mothers are wonderful. God picked you for your children. And He picked your children just for you. He equipped you especially to handle all of your child's joys and frustrations. He filled you with the love you would need. He gave you the motivation to sacrifice when needed, and say, "Enough!" when needed. I hope someone fulfills some of your secret desires this year. You know, all those silly ones. Flowers for your garden, the moisturizer you would never buy for yourself, a new broom for the kitchen, new towels or sheets, thirty minutes alone in a bookstore. I don't know, those are your things to dream about.

Here are the children, all piled up on my lap, asking to type here, asking to send Daddy a card. Following me wherever I go, laughing and playing, learning to share...
so, here is a message from Dancer Girl and Little One

ohkgukfj,j;'kgguk;l;41k,m,m jhhnmhjugy7t54556tttgb@
fhm.// zdfffffffffffffffddddddddddddddddddddddfffgbbbbnm,dfv fv cvcdddddeeee

btw, you don't have to buy me any flowers, the pretty picture the girls picked just happens to be associated with things for sale

Yarn addiction

Well, I have done it again. I have purged my yarn stash, and given away more yarn. All my yarn and unfinished projects (mostly afghans) now fit in one large plastic tub, and one smaller one. For those of you out there who are also yarn addicts, you know that this is a big deal. Apparently the earlier standard I set for myself was unattainable. I told myself that I couldn't buy anymore yarn until I use some of the yarn I had. By getting rid of the yarn, if I want to make something now, I would have to buy new yarn. Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ah, the sacrifice is apparently a thinly veiled attempt to disguise my desire to buy new yarn for another project. All right, now I just need a pregnant friend who would just love something made out of soft yarn for her little one to drag around. Any volunteers? The white kitty Duchess is sleeping on the afghan I made for my Little One


the other one is one I made for Motherkitty

Tiger and His Dad

I actually watched the news the other day, and saw that Tiger Woods' dad, Earl Woods, had passed away. The news program showed how Tiger always gave his dad a big bear hug after competitions. What a wonderful example of a father/child relationship. I will have to admit that I never watch golf. I know who Tiger Woods is, but had no idea about his dad. The love his father had for him is obvious and inspiring. I am adding Tiger and his dad to my list of heroes, and examples of people I want my children to emulate.




Tiger says,

"My dad was my best friend and greatest role model,

and I will miss him deeply."

Kittens

Five little kittens were born Monday afternoon between 5 and 7 pm at my house, on my bed. Eeek! I have not been home to see the damage but can anyone say, Steam cleaner?

Still at mom's house. Talked to brother Eli today and MK's sister, Desert Gardener(check Motherkitty's links). Tomas is still at his convention. I plan on making BLT's for dinner, and am going to put a roast in the crockpot tomorrow morning, so mom and dad will have lots to eat when I go.

Dancer Girl has ballet and gymnastics today, and a choir performance tomorrow evening, at the First Baptist Church. She surprised me last week by singing, "Oh, how I love Jesus, oh, how I love Jesus, oh, how I love Jesus, because He first loved me." She is learning it in her little choir, and I had no idea she even knew. How's that for something sweet to bring tears to a mother's eyes?

I was having fun with Motherkitty's digital camera today, and she might even let me post some of her and Little One, they were so cute.....


here is one, they are reading books, Elmo watching...