My pits....

When Will got dressed yesterday he wanted to wear this frog shirt...it says, "U can't stop the HOP." Well, at his preschool they teach letter sounds rather than names, so he sounded out the H-O-P and knew it said "hop"...I was pretty impressed. He finally gets it on and realizes it is sleeveless. He cracked up laughing, threw his hands up in the air and said, "MY PITS! I can feel my smelly pits!" Okay, he is only three so there are no smelly pits. But when his daddy tickles him, he calls them smelly pits. Then he ran over to the door by the pantry and asked to take a picture of his pits for Mike. He is all about taking pictures for him now. So we did.

Far be it I follow in him into the living room to try to take another picture.....no sireee, that would make one certain pit-showing three year old melt into the carpet whining the whole time. Does the whining stop soon?? Because it is getting old quick! But by the time he does stop, Livi will be right behind him taking up his slack.

Their cartoon of choice lately has been "The Backyardigans"....at the end of one we have DVR'd they go eat cheese and crackers. So of course we had to have a snack in the backyard. They go through cheese like I am feeding a colony of mice around here. They would prefer Black Diamond cheddar, but I am not going to Sams just for a foofoo cheese for them!!

See that rope that Will is playing with?? My in-laws left that while they were here when Mike was home on his R&R. Up until now it has been fun to play with....after I saw him basically making a noose, I decided to confiscate it. Yeah, mother-of-the-year right here.

We had washed the car this afternoon as well....of course it rained all night as well as the next day. I should be the weather man...sure beats the one we have here!

oh yeah....Muffin Monday was a lemon poppy seed muffin with this light honey lemon glaze....no pics though

happy Monday

Hanging Basket

On Saturday we headed over to the garden center to get some flowers. In the Walmart ad this week they had a handy dandy little step by step to a hanging basket. I showed the girl the ad and told her we wanted these plants. She tried to steer me to the ones that were already done. I know it would be a lot easier to just plop one in the planter. But, my dear friends, we were needed an activity that would last at least an hour!! The weekends can crawl by all too slowly if we don't have enough to do. Then they think they can watch tv sun up to sun down.

Where was I?? Oh yeah.....planting. So we get home and get the hanging basket down. Will starts swinging the chain around like he is some stripper from Girls Gone Wild. I had to rein him in for fear that he would whack Livi up the side of her head. Hence the sad look on his face in this picture. Who wants to be scooping potting mix with a old bucket when you can swing a chain around??

Livi had to get in the dirt action too. She couldn't get far enough into the bag, so she just started using her hands. She actually was alot of help.

After knocking the basket over two or three times, we finally got it planted and hung. Not bad for an hour on a Saturday afternoon.

Happy Sunday

sunday six: SPF edition

Sunday Six!

1. What does SPF stand for?

for daddy

2. What is your stuff? my dinosaurs and my cars

3. What does anniversary mean? that means you don't jump

(Can you tell we have issues with jumping on the couch!!)

4. How do we celebrate anniversaries? with cupcakes and a glass spoon

5. Did you celebrate SPF's 2nd anniversary? Nope, I didn't, because we didn't make cupcakes

6. Say something nice to Kristine & Shaun! Thank you....I am sweet and nice like that....brought to you by Will, who still doesn't want his picture taken.

happy Sunday....we are off to the duck pond and car washing .....so I am sure there is rain in the forecast.

Stuff Portrait Friday: TWO

This week's assignement from kristine takes us back to the beginning of Stuff Portrait Friday. Apparently she has given out assignments for two years! She gives the history of the whole game....someone wanted to see her fridge....so in honor of her fridge....here is my TWO.

I propped the camera up on the baker's rack and took this with the timer while the kids were eating breakfast. Apparently they thought I had become best friends with Crazy, because they were totally cracking up at me. They had to get in the action too.

Live popped up out of her chair, and said, "Cheese me." <----Two year old speak for 'take my picture'. What no badgering from me to get a picture??

Will said, "Mom (like Crazy and I were close)...You are not TWO!! But I am three!" It was so funny. I almost spewed my coffee all over! Then of course he wanted to do a crazy picture for Mike. He thought it was crazy something day at his preschool since we were taking random pictures with the fridge open.

Okay, by now the "door open" warning is going off!! What is up with the pulling your lips as far apart as you can thing? Who does that?? At least they didn't stick their tongues out at me!

Did you play?? Let kristine know....and wish her a Happy birthday to SPF while you are at it!

happy Friday y'all!

playing tag

carrieb tagged me, asking me to share seven RANDOM facts/habits (aka: idiosyncracies) about myself. There is so much to choose from but...here goes:

1. No one ever really thinks I am as old as I am.....I do color my hair, but just back to its natural color....I have had gray hair since I was 19 or so, so back to the black but-not-goth-black it goes. It doesn't help that i have a two year old and a three year old....also, I am a bit older than Mike, so.....again, few people realize. I remember my friend's husband saying at my 30th birthday..."You don't act 30".....not you don't LOOK 30. Oh well.......(Yes, Rick, I am talking about you!)

2. I am organized clean freak in almost every area of my life. I used to be a bit more rigid...but two kids sixteen months apart will break one of that. It helps keep me sane.

3. I used to be a special ed teacher before kids. But then they wouldn't let me off to go my sister-in-law's wedding (hey Jen and Stephane)...so I quit. We were moving the next year anyway. So it just came a year early. I never thought I would be a SAHM, but I love it!

4. I have moved from Oklahoma, to Alaska, back to Oklahoma, to the east bay of California, to the cornfields of Kansas, to Texas in the last ten years. Before that, I had lived in Oklahoma most of my life! Sooner born and Sooner bred....Go OU! I always swore I would never marry a soldier...they are hitting on you when you are 13 at the mall.....Little did I know one New Year's Eve I would meet the man of my dreams!

5. I met my husband while cleaning up empties at a New Year's party....see the organized clean freak #2.....It wasn't even my house that I was cleaning up empties.....yeah, see ....used to be much more rigid.

6. I am very crafty and creative. I can reproduce almost anything I see. But on the whole I am not the just pull it out of the air creative........

7. I agonize over every single move we make. I have managed to make a lifelong friend at every place we have lived. In some places (Alaska) I have made more than one. So like a wise Army wife told me at the first place we lived..."You never know who is going to be your new best friend." So I take that to heart and open myself to new friendships where ever we are. We have been here almost a year, and I have developed a few friends. I am trying hard to get out and do things since Mike is not here. I know those girl friendships are so important. I value them and will take the time to nurture them. I don't have 5-10 years to develop friends. I need them here and I will make new ones. I do keep in contact with all those people who have made an impact on my life and maybe we our paths will cross again.

Okay, now this is getting sappy.....

I don't really know if I know seven people that blog....so if you read this and you blog....consider yourself tagged.

happy wednesday

Wild Card Wednesday: W.....wacky and wonky Texas weather

Okay, so we haven't quite lived here a year....but please tell me...is this normal weather for Texas?? Remember when I was trying to get pictures of the kids in the blue bonnets?? (Little sidetracked story here....they are pretty much everywhere here still and Will calls them 'blue bomets'...when he sees some yellow wildflower besides them, he calls those 'yellow blue bomets'...it cracks me up every time.....

oh yeah, back to the wacky and wonky weather....I knew I better get the blue bonnet pics before Easter so these were taken in early April...okay we head to Oklahoma for Easter....and what happens??

Thanks, nice neighbor J for these pictures. Yes, folks, that is snow....snow in Texas...and this is central to south Texas at that.....It snowed on Easter about 4 inches. Most of it was already gone by the time we got back the Monday after Easter. People who had built snowmen has little round remnants of snow left...but for the most part it was gone.

Another picture from nice neighbor J....thanks again...

Then this was last weekend....okay, all of these were taken in the last three and a half weeks? Can this be normal? Today is yucky misty and overcast...but HOT....well not Africa hot, but about 80 degrees....and humid as all get out. Hot enough for me to all ready turn the AC on....I can't stand that sticky feeling in my own home. Oh well, welcome to Texas weather...even if it is wacky and wonky.....

Did you play?? Let The Kept Woman know....

happy Wednesday

Muffin Monday...Chocolate Pecan

Livi was taking a late nap, so Will and I got to cook together. It is so much easier to bake with just one kid!! He stirred all the liquid ingredients together as I measured them.

Chocolate Pecan ....these were actually pretty good. The were a light chocolate batter with a crumble topping with nuts and cinnamon.

This is the only picture of Livi I could get where it didn't look like a "special" ingredient was added to the muffin.

By now, I had taken so many of Will that he just shuts his eyes and says, "Cheese"....Since the kids have eaten about three mini muffins each we are just having a simple PB&J dinner!

Here is the recipe:

Crunchy Topping: In small bowl, microwave 1T butter for 15 seconds. Add 2T. cocoa; blend until smooth. Stir in 1/4 c. packed light brown sugar, 1/4 c. chopped nuts ( I used pecans), 2 T. all-purpose flour, and 1/4 t. ground cinnamon. Set aside.

In small bowl, combine 1/4 c. cocoa and 1/4 c. vegetable oil, stir until smooth.

He tried to crack the egg, but was afraid. One time he smooched the whole thing and we had to dig all the shells out. So all you neighbors who get muffins....know that the kids really do all the prep work! So I did it for him.

Add 3/4 c. applesauce and one egg; blend well. In medium bowl, combine 1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour, 3/4 c. sugar, 3/4 t. baking soda, 1/4 t. salt, and 1/4 t. cinnamon. Stir in applesauce mixture just until moistened. Fold in 1/2 c. chopped pecans.

Spray mini muffin pan with cooking spray. Fill each 2/3 full. Sprinkle about 1/2 t. of crunchy topping on each. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Serve warm.

Makes about 30 mini muffins.

I did it!

I hung the planter I got from hosting my Southern Living party this weekend. Yes, I drilled into the mortar, set the anchors and mounted the screws.....whew hoo...I really was nervous. I did the bottom part and put it up there. Only to realize I had to take it down to drill the top holes! Oh well....I figured it out. I really love it. I need to find some fun flowers to put in it now. I'll have to add some leggy vines to trail out of it. I am sure Livi will want "purpur" flowers.

While I was hanging it, it was warm enough for the kids to swim. I filled up this baby pool we have had for the last two summers. It was only 78 degrees out. The water was really cold. I need to get the kids some of those water shoes. Livi was running around in the front yard and stepped on something. It was either a vine with a thorn on it or a bug that bit her. But her big toe swelled up like a little sausage. I gave her some Benydryl and put some anti-itch stuff on it.

I guess we will go look for some Crocs this week. I swore I would never get those shoes. Oh well, never say never.

I tried to get a picture of Will.....at least he wasn't throwing his hand up in front of his face.

Just wanted to add a big Happy Birthday to my mother in law.....I hope your wishes come true. I am glad you got the wreath on time!!

My first Sunday Six...thoughts by Will

Brought to you by Will...who says "I am not three anymore, I am almost four." ...oops, so sorry...I'll keep that in mind. Also, he just noticed himself on the computer and he said he didn't want ANYMORE pictures!

1. Do you like music? uuhhmm, yes I do.

2. What kind of music do you like? I know, a red flute. I love a red flute. (Grasping his hands in a mother-may-I-please-have-one)....May I have one?? Pleassssseeee.

3. Who invented music? I don'tknow.

4. What is your favorite musical instrument? I said a red flute...I think they have them at Target. (like I must have lost my mind because he just begged for one two seconds earlier.)

5. What type of music to Mommy and Daddy listen to? I think a violin. (I am shocked he didn't say Dad listened to LOUD music!!)

6. Where and how do you listen to music? In my room.

Stuff Portrait Friday - Knob

When Kristine at Random and Odd. assigned Knob as this week's assignment, I thought I would dig up some pictures of Mike when he was a freshman at The Citadel....as a freshman with their shaved heads they are called knobs. But to find a pic would require some time that just didn't happen this week.

So I went for the obvious....

As I ventured around the house, I realized most of the door knobs have something hanging from them. This one has Mike's keys and stuff near the front door....usually a clippie I try to take out of my hair before I answer the door!!

Since we have had so many storms lately where the electricty went out, I have some tealights in this one. Since I used so many of them last weekend, I need to refill it.

Of course my fun new tassel from Southern Living.

So did you play??

Another sappy post....

Look at my pretty pretty flowers!

I am not normally one to get excited about flowers. But today when the doorbell rang, I was quite surprised. This has been a very hard week for me for some reason. I have been feeling very overwhelmed with all the sad news in the world...from the horrific murders in VA, to my husband's deployment most likely being extended...to just the hormones of being a woman.

I was talking to my mother-in-law yesterday and I guess she could hear it in my voice. Sadly I had to tell her that I didn't think I would be able to make it out there this summer.

One thing this deployment has taught me is.....I know my limitations. It is very hard for me to say no. I am a people pleaser. All I want to do in life is make life easier for those I love and those around me. I know how much they would love to see the kids...but I think traveling with two kids under the age of three might push me over the edge. People think all these military wives have it all together...but I can only take one day at a time. If I screw it all up one day, I can only hope I do better the next day....and for the past 180+ days that is how I have survived.

So when I opened the door and there was a lady holding this beautiful bouquet of flowers I really did get tears in my eyes! It was like my mother-in-law really heard how I had been feeling and wanted to brighten my day. I know we will get through this deployment ....there are good days and bad days. Well today was definitely a good day. Thanks, John and Meg, I love you and we all will get through this!

Silly game

"Request a picture of something in my life, anything you might be curious about. I'll take the picture and post it. Then I'll request a picture of something in your life and you can post it.""Stole it from Tina " and I think it´s a great Idea. Feel free and leave comments. ;-)

Tina requested "my favorite chain"

I got this for the Valentine's Day 2005....Livi was born in October....so October and Olivia...I saw it and loved it. I gave it to Mike to give to me for Valentine's day. We hired a babysitter and went to a late dinner in Pleasanton at a wonderful little Mexican restaurant. When he presented me with the little red heart shaped box it came in, I cracked up. I didn't realize he had brought it with him. People all around us were gasping. It was funny. This was our first time out without the kids. By the end of the main course our babysitter called and couldn't get Livi back to sleep. I was nursing and she wouldn't take a bottle. So we ordered dessert, a wonderful chocolate thing, and hurried home.

I still wear this necklace daily. It came on a much more delicate chain...but once Livi stuck her finger in the "O" and pulled. It broke. So I put it on a little sturdier chain and still love it.

So, any thing else you are curious about??

What deal did I find yesterday??

Since The Kept Woman is all about saving a buck these days....

I just had to share my lovely little find today. I was running errands, and like TKW says...it sounds better than shopping....Big Girl Agabell was here today with the kids, so I went to do my favorite thing to do with no kids. A pedicure....most times this would be the most relaxing time of my week. Today I was ready to roll some heads....apparently mommy-who-brought-two-kids-to-the shop did NOT get the memo to leave her kids at home. For an entire hour I listened to her hollar at her kids..."Lisa, get over here (Lisa appeared to be about 18 months old) "Isabella...you know better" who appeared to be 2 or so! Ugh...

So in order to relax I went to BestBuy to check out a new phone. A little retail therapy...But I forgot to ask Mike if I should keep my old number or get a TX one?? It would be a pain to let everyone know my new number, but he could call it like a local call when he calls home....uuhmm?? a dilemma

So I went next door to Ross....well, normally I have to really be in a mood to do combat shopping...and that is what Ross, TJ Maxx, and Marshalls is like. Every once in a while you can get a great deal....I stumbled around the store, found a few great things but then decided to venture over to the bags.

There was a girl marking them down....that is always a good sign. I spotted this little thing....I felt it....oohh, it is so soft. You can smell the leather just standing by it. then I opened it..

and was sold!! Isn't it adorable?? It has this cute little paisley lining. Yes, it looks like I should be driving a Harley instead of a wagon...but I really liked it. And the best part, she was marking them down even more, so it was 60% off......Whew hoo!! Then I came home and promptly organized like a little school girl packing up her backpack for the first day of school.

Now, of to my closet to find something to wear that matches my new little bag!

happy wednesday...

Did you play?? Okay, no "W's really, but it was a great deal!

such a sad day....

I don't usually watch tv, especially since it is usually something bad about Iraq....but today the tv has been on contantly. I went to go get a pedicure and the news was even on there.

The past day has been so utterly unbelievable. I don't even know what to think. First a foremost, my heart goes out to all the friends and family of those murdered. You think when you have finally sent your babies away to school that they are finally grown up. Now so many families are planning funerals, grieving in a way that just makes my heart ache to think about it.

Even when I gripe, moan and complain about Mike being deployed, at least he is alive. He will be coming home later rather than sooner. Yes, he is missing another birthday for Livi, Thanksgiving, our 10 year anniversary, and Christmas. But he will be home in early 2008. These families will live through these same holidays, only it will be a reminder that their child isn't ever going to have another celebration with them.

My little kids are just in preschool. It scares me to think that they might one day attend a school with someone like this. What brings a person to the point that it is okay to do this? It just scares me.


no happy tuesday here.....just a tuesday.

I got this from By the Way Sunday

~Your Favorites~

~Your Favorites~By the Way...

• 1. April, May, or June? June...it's by baby's birthday
• 2. birthday, Christmas, other? birthday
• 3. breakfast, lunch, or dinner? dinner
• 4. car, truck/SUV, or van? wagon...haven't I mentioned I love love love my car!
• 5. lounging, shopping, or sightseeing? oohh hard one....I love to lounge, but with two rugrats running around it is not very relaxing......I can shop with the best of them....but I like to sightsee too. So it's a cointoss here.
• 6. blonde, brunette, or redhead? my hair is almost black.....so is that brunette....brunette seems more brownish to me??
• 7. mystery, romance, or history? mystery, but not scary mystery
• 8. slow, medium, or fast? I never go anywhere fast with two toddlers, so slow it is.
• 9. apples, bananas, or oranges? Bananas....now I have that stupid song in my head...."B-A-N-A-N-A-Anas" ...make it stop!
• 10. Friday, Saturday, or Sunday? I love pizza Fridays, meet the neighbors on the driveway Saturdays, and pancake Sundays,....so all of them.

Tomorrow for Muffin Monday we are making Orange Pineapple.....yum!

happy Sunday!

Salt writing....or mess-making whatever you want to call it

It was windy and chilly all day today....so I had dig out some work that we hadn't done in awhile to keep them busy. Busy meaning not climbing the walls or camped out in front of the tv. Will does this at school. All it is is salt in a tray with a lip. This is the Pampered Chef little bar pan. We had been practicing pouring the salt into containers. He asked to write numbers and his name. I didn't realize he could do this. I was pretty impressed. He could write his name. He still gets "M" and "W" mixed up....he asks me, "Is this the Mom letter?" He also writes his Ls from the bottom up...but overall he did great!

You could tell he was really concentrating. Some numbers were backwards. Nine looked like a sucker...but he definitely knows his numbers.

When he got to 10 he said, "TaDa"......then he got mad that I was taking pictures. Sooo. I had to turn the camera on Livi..

Here is where the mess came into play. She has the 1 down, oh yeah, and 0....so she just did hand prints. Which then turned into salt flinging. ....When she was writing the O for her name, she said, "O-me"......

Oh well, it was good for a good thirty minutes of managed chaos!

happy saturday!

emotional kind of day

List of emotions from today

Love: these two crack me up....today was "Crazy Hat day" ....I was really surprised Will wore his hat. When I dropped him off at school, one mom and the secretary told me this was the last year I could buy the matching madras plaid hat and shorts from Gap.....i LOVE those shorts. He is almost four.....I think I can do it one more year!

Amusement: Right after we took took that pic, Will said, "Let's take a silly one....just for Dad...He is silly, he would like a silly one."

Sad: That little comment made me sad because it looks like it will be another nine months before Mike gets home! I can't believe he is being extended another three months. UGH!!!

Proud: the kids and I planted these and they are still alive....even after a snow over Easter weekend!!
Worried: this one has yellow tips.....does that mean it is dying???

Amazed: this one looks like it will live but will be permanently leaning to the side from the ice storm this past winter!

Relief: I literally ran across the street tonight from a Pampered Chef party because we were in a tornado warning! UGH!!! The power went out several times, so I lit a few candles....turned all the stuff off and hoped the battery on the laptop would last for a bit until I was ready for bed!

Excited! the weekends tend to be easy...we start Friday evening with Papa John's pizza, sleep in on Saturdays and make pancakes on Sunday....generally a nice lazy weekend



Heartsick... I try not to think about Mike being gone for yet another birthday, another thanksgiving, our ten year anniversary, and another Christmas.....but I do....and it sucks!

Thankful: for my neighbors and friends and family....I couldn't do this without them.

happy friday y'all