It's Time for the Burkulater

Snow Day

2012-01-21T07:02:00.000-05:00

We had a nice little dump of snow last night.

The hubby is working today, so that it's the perfect time for the kids to beg me to go outside with them.

I took the youngest out a few days ago so I could shovel and "have a snowbaw fight."

She was begging to go back in after about 10 minutes of being in the freezing cold.

The wind has been crazy here lately!

Today, we have friends coming over, though, so they should have someone else to throw snowballs at!

The high today is a balmy 25 degrees, but it will feel like 3 degrees.

Anything under 50 puts me in whiny mode.

I think I'll turn the furnace up to about 75 in here and walk around with our portable heater.

Don't tell my husband.

What is it like where you are?

Toddler at the Altimeter

2012-01-19T08:33:00.001-05:00

3YO to Me: "I go'd in a jet. It was red."

Me: "You did?!"

3YO: "Yeah. It was SUPERFAST."

Me: "Wow"

3YO: "I go'd with Grandma. I was driving."

This girl is going to have her own private jet one day.

I have no doubt in my mind.

An Adult's Christmas

2011-12-28T19:49:00.003-05:00

Somehow, after we had kids Christmas became a time when

my husband and I get nothing under the tree.

This year my husband and I got:

A new Christmas tree, because ours broke,

A new microwave, because ours broke,

A new vacuum, because ours broke,

2 new vehicle batteries, because ours broke,

and we'll be getting a new van, because ours broke.

The kids noticed our stockings were empty.

Unfortunately, all the things above wouldn't fit!

Better than coal, I suppose!

What did you get this year?

Uncle Update

2011-12-24T10:55:00.002-05:00

I had to share this post from my Uncle Gary, who is currently battling cancer.

When the hustle and bustle gets to be too much and you're stressed about this or that,

remember that we are truly, blessed.

We have a Savior.

We can pray to Him, and He hears us.

Hello, it's Gary. I received two wonderful early Christmas gifts. The first gift is from all my Co-workers at Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital Operating Room and all Surgical services. Every year we adopt a family in need for Christmas, this year they adopted me and my family. As I said before-I have the most wonderful people to work with in the world. They are the most thoughtful, loving, beautiful people iv been blessed to know. Thank you all for everything. On Sunday I had 3 Santa's from work deliver presents-it took three people to carry in all the wonderful gifts. My wife and I were extremely OVERWHELMED!!! Our tears could have flooded Lake Michigan and turned it from fresh water to SALT water. We received an extremely generous amount of cash along with the gifts. Freshly baked goods were also delivered and so delicious. Then we had 3 more Santa's come over later with more gifts. OVERWHELMED once again. The gifts were chosen with care! I received an electric blanket,which I am under now,warm pajamas, slippers, shirts, lottery tickets, goodies, whiskey (can't have it yet) Canadian ketchup, FBI hat (federal beer inspector), beer (keep it cold),and a whole lot of love! Thank you all once again. The second Christmas gift also came early, on Thursday the 22nd of December my Dr. told us that my cancer is in remission!! With all my family and friends prayers I had nothing to worry about! Thank you all from the bottom of our HEARTS. The next step is stem cell transplant. They want to start right away since the cancer is so aggressive, don't want it to have a chance to spark up again. Please keep the prayers coming,we need all the help and support we can get. We love you all and thank you for everything. Love, Gary Deb and family.

Merry Christmas to you and yours.

My Favorite Things 2011

2011-12-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

Well Ladies and Gents, it's that time of year again...

the moment you've all been waiting for:

My Favorite Things, 2011.

My 2010 list was issued about 2 months ago because I am the queen of procrastination.

You WILL get this one on time!

Without further ado, here it is in no particular order!

1. Ground Flax Seed

Yes, you read that right. I'm a weirdo. I'm sorry.

Put this stuff in your oatmeal, or pancakes, muffins, cakes, whatever.

It's chock full of omega-3's and lignans and tastes mildly nutty.
It makes your body happy AND it's good for you.
Mmmm.

2. My New Dishes

We were down to 4 dinner plates from our original Pier 1 set of dishes from our wedding shower. I have been wanting to replace our old, chipped dishes for the last 5 years. I turned 30 this year and got enough moolah in gifts to splurge on 16-place settings of white dinnerware. They're going to look awesome on my red tablecloth on Christmas Eve!

3. IPad 2

Uh...love IT!

Education? Check!

Movies? Check!

Music? Check!

Web surfing? Check!

Books? Check!

It's amazing. Thanks to my husband for this wonderful gift.

4. Bluebird Farms, Petosky, MI Cinnamon Clove Handmade Soap

It smells heavenly, lasts 3 times as long as regular soap, and is one of the only
things I can use on my face that won't cause a break-out.
We only visit once a year, so I'm going to have to order some by mail because I didn't stock up enough!
Get yours at Grandpa Shorter's!

5. All Recipes Dot Com

Who needs a cookbook? There are tons of recipes in this online database!

You can search by ingredient, meal type, etc., AND you can filter out any allergies you may have.

This website has provided us with some fabulous meals and desserts.

The ones I pick have all been rated and most people add their adjustments to the recipe in the comments section. It's awesome. If you didn't know about it, now you do!

6. Address Plaque

We wanted to redo the facade of our entryway in the coolest, but most inexpensive way possible. When we were looking for address plaques, we couldn't believe what the

hardware stores were charging for the custom-made plaques.

I turned to Etsy and found this wonderful artisan, GeorgieGirl who makes these plaques.

We got this and I LOVE it!

7. $5 Wine

I call this my "kids, go to bed" wine.

2010 Lindeman's Shiraz, Bin 50.

Mmmm.

8. Hattie's Necklace

Do you watch Parenthood? My husband and I really like the show.

I noticed Hattie's necklace during the first season. She wears it every episode.

I think the real thing is sold here, but I found a beautifully made replica made by Luna Cielo on Etsy here.

My MIL got this for me as a Christmas gift, and it's my everyday piece.

9. My MacBook Pro

No explanation needed, but I'll give you one anyhow. I love portable computers.

We'll never buy a desktop again.

Enter the phosphorescent cosmic glow.

Go with it.

Work it.

Once you go Mac, you never go back.

Yeah.

Lion.


Don't try to make sense of that. I can't be held accountable for anything typed after 9:00 pm.

10. Netflix

I know that people were upset about the price increase. I was one of them.

However, we don't have cable and this is a whole heckofalot cheaper than cable,

even with the price increase.

We love Netflix Kids, too!

Masterpiece Theater at my beck and call any time of the day? Yes, please!

Well, there you have it!

I hope you enjoyed my list!

Check out my past favorite things. Tell me some of yours! G'head...do it!

My Favorite Things 2008

My Favorite Things 2009

My Favorite Things 2010

Eye Juice

2011-12-13T20:45:00.001-05:00

3YO inspecting herself in mirror: "Mom, why does my eyes have so much juice in them?"

Mom: "Those are your tears to keep your eyes wet. They have to stay wet all the time.

That's why you blink a lot - to keep them wet."

3YO blinking in mirror: "Yeah, they gotta have a lotta juice, right Mom?"

Me: "Yep."

3YO: "Yep."

Ah, the little things we forget about.

I wish I could slow down enough to be amazed by my tears. :)

Husband of the Year

2011-12-11T21:28:00.001-05:00

My husband is a good example of love.

I'm talking about real love: the giving, unselfish, patient kind of love.

Today, I dropped something in the toilet.

We were on our way out the door so I said I'd get it out as soon as we got home.

I forgot.

It got flushed.

After plunging and snaking the toilet,

driving to my Grandma's to get a toilet auger and trying again,

it was no use.

The toilet wasn't draining.

My husband had to take the entire thing off the floor,

tip it over, and get the lid from the bottom.

He had to go to the store to get a wax ring and

he offered to pick up pizza for the family in the midst of all the craziness.

As soon as he cleared the stuff out of the bottom of the commode,

he got paged to go into work.

He hurried up and went in.

He called me from work and offered to go to the grocery store when he was done.

He's currently on the phone with me asking what kind of Pantene to buy.

I know.

He's the best.

Not once did he get upset with me.

He didn't roll his eyes, or make any comments.

He didn't even act upset.

I felt horrible.

A couple hours into this 4 hour ordeal, he stopped what he was doing,

came downstairs to find me while I was doing laundry

and gave me a big hug.

He said, "Aren't you glad we have a marriage like this?"

Yes, I am.

What love.

He gives me proof every day.

I am one lucky lady.

The toilet, however...I'm done with toilet problems for the year.

A Toddler's Christmas Song

2011-12-11T08:35:00.001-05:00

My 3 kids (in car): Mom! Put on a Christmas song!

3YO: Yeah!! Mama put on "Elise Mommy Hot!"

Me: What?

3YO: Elise Mommy Hot!

Me: Elise Mommy Hot?

3YO: YESSS!!!

(((older 2 children exploding with laughter)))

7YO: You mean Feliz Navidad?

3YO: Yesssss.

"Merry Christmas" in Spanish will forever hold another meaning!

Handmade Ornaments and Uncle Gary

2011-12-09T10:41:00.001-05:00

I saw an idea for cute, homemade ornaments on one of the money saving blogs I follow.

I wish I could remember which one so I could link it up here!

I thought they were the perfect craft for my 7YO who loves to sew.

I had some felt lying around from a previous project.

We used a cup to trace two circles and cut them out with craft scissors.

I put dots with a marker where the thread needed to go in or out.

She used her embroidery floss to stitch the details.

It was a lot of fun to work on it together and

she had a blast making a few ornaments for the special people in her life. :)

Didn't they turn out cute?!

Today, it's snowing and the kids have a day off.

I got to wake up at 8, which will make the rest of this day fantastic!

If I could wake up at 8 every day, I'd be one happy lady!

This morning, I took my Grandma and Great Aunt to get their hair done.

We're going out to McDonald's when I pick them up and to the

Catholic gift shop to buy my Uncle a rosary.

My Grandma isn't driving any more and I know this was important to her,

so I think it will be a special time.
My Uncle (who has multiple myeloma cancer) is doing well.

He pushes himself every day to walk and eat healthy.

He's currently on chemo and we're hoping and praying that with some further treatment,

this cancer will go into remission.

If you have a minute and could stop by his Caring Bridge page we set up

and leave a comment in the guestbook with any encouragement,

I would greatly appreciate it!

Thanks!

You're the best!

Have a great weekend!!!

Take Your Lights and...

2011-11-30T21:21:00.001-05:00

We put up Christmas lights.

I'm the anal matchy-matchy kind of house.

Red and white.

My kids hate it.

It's pretty, but I think we're going to add to it next year.

I found this on FB and had to share it here.

This cracks me up.

Our neighbor across the street has awesome lights.

This would be totally appropriate for us!

Do you put up Christmas lights?

Whatcha got?

Achoo Buying Too Many Toys???

2011-11-29T23:45:00.001-05:00

I'm alive!

Life has been super busy around these parts!

Viral nast has spread its way through our household, one-by-one.

Why never all at once?!

I guess that could be bad.

Anyways, we've all been hacking up our lungs for about a month.
I was the last one to get it and I'm finally getting better.

Oh, and everyone got pink eye. Good times.

I hope your Thanksgiving went splendidly!

My DH and the kids went to my SIL's for dinner.

It was lonely without them, but they had a great time and a wonderful dinner.

If you have small kids, I hope the tryptophan did its thing!

Where did you go? What did you do?

In other news, my husband has been off this week which has been fabulous.

I have the type of husband I could spend every day with.

I love him to pieces.

It's been so nice staying up too late and getting little projects done around the house.

Oh, and Christmas shopping together is soo much fun!

We're almost done.

Are you?
Will your tree look like this?!?!?

Oh how I love public domain photos from Germany from the 70s!

My 5YO thought a DS was going to appear under the tree,
to which I replied that it would literally be the only thing under the tree,
to which he replied that he wouldn't mind not getting it.

The biggest thing I want our kids to get excited about is Jesus' birthday.

While they can't wait to get that ceramic pasty-white baby into the nativity next to Mary and "Jofess"

on Christmas morning, I think they're probably still more excited about the toys.

Of course they are.

So my idea is to try to get them things they are excited about without going overboard.

Every year we end up with more than we pledged to get at the beginning of buying season.

I would say compared to most of their friends, the amount is still pretty meager, but still, it's a lot.

Anyways, inquiring minds want to know (ok, just my inquiring mind) how much do you spend?

Do you buy a certain number of gifts?

Practical items...all toys?

Do you have to spend the same amount on each kid?

Is it the one time of the year you splurge and get everything you've wanted to?

Are you a family who does not gift?

I'm just curious.

I hear all kinds of "Janie got this..." "Joey got that..." things after Christmas break.

My kids tend not to really know what they're missing out on.

They're generally pretty happy with anything, thankfully.

But, I know that may not last forever!

Parent Tax

2011-10-30T23:03:00.002-04:00

K-Dogg to Me: Is it bad that I steal our children's candy?

Me: No. It's the parent tax.

Haven't you noticed all Reese's are gone?

K-Dogg: Y e s.

How do you weigh in?

Do you sneak when they're not looking?

Oreohmygoshyou'reamazing

2011-10-25T18:36:00.000-04:00

Halloween is almost here.

I just finished purchasing the odds and ends for Cleopatra, Red Samurai Power Ranger, and a bawawina.

I did not buy Halloween candy yet, though.

Why?

Because refined sugar is my weakness.

I will eat it all before Halloween.

Truly.

Images of little children crying in front of my empty bowl flash before my eyes

as I devour their Reese's Cups, Milky Ways, and Snickers.

I know I'm supposed to buy the kind of candy that I do not like,

but that would consist of Laffy Taffy, and I just cannot bring myself to buy those,

because secretly I want something I want.

Anyhow, I thought the kids would like it if I bought them some strategically-placed-on-the-endcap

Double Stuffed Halloween Oreos for their lunches.

Now, as I bought these, I thought to myself, "Self, you can have one of these at night. Just one."

So that was my plan.

My whole plan.

My Mission Impossible plan.

The kids got a couple after dinner.

I got...well, let's just say more than my fair share.

Darn you, Oreos.

Why you gotta be sooo good?

You are like crack to me.

I will never buy you again.

What's your Halloween guilty pleasure?

Do you eat the candy before Halloween, or are you one of those strange I don't like sweets types?

(It's okay if you are. I still like you.)

My Houseplants...Living!

2011-10-23T22:02:00.000-04:00

Some of you may remember my "Surrender to Fitonia" post some time ago.

If you don't, you need to read it because it will help you see how far I've come.

The following pictures may be shocking.

I'm still in disbelief.

These are my current houseplants.

No, they're not plastic.

No, I do not have a gardener.

Yes, I kept them alive.

There are many houseplants, but these are by far the easiest I have maintained.

Trust me, if I can keep them alive, you can too!

Poinsettia

This is my poinsettia from CHRISTMAS 2010!

I repotted it myself and it's doubled in size! Woot, woot!

Did you know that the leaves turn green? Me neither!

I looked it up. It needs a period of rest before they turn red.

Gonna try to get them red by December.

It's actually a very pretty plant when it is mostly green.

I think I'll probably transfer this into a larger pot and try to get it to grow some more.

I water this about every 3 days or so. It hasn't been very hard to keep.

It likes light, but not direct.

Pretty, huh?

Be careful if you have kids who eat plants.

They don't want to eat this one!

Kalanchoe

This is my Kalanchoe plant I received from a friend for Mother's Day, 2011.

It's been cut down, repotted, flowered again and it's still doing great!

Success feels good.

I made the mistake of overwatering this plant before I knew what it was.

I did some research online to find out how I was killing it.

Come to find out, it's part of the succulent family, so it doesn't need much water at all.

I probably water it once a week or less, so if you're someone who doesn't like or remember to water frequently,

this would be a great plant to start with!

The flowers come in all sorts of colors, but I even like it when it is dormant (not flowering).

Be careful if you have pets who like to eat random things.

These plants can be very dangerous to pets!
Of course, if you have one you hate, this may be just the thing.
Just kidding.

Coleus

These are a variety of coleus from my outside porch planters.

I loved them so much that I decided to try to save them through the cold winter by propagating them indoors.

I rooted them and put them in little clay pots to get them going.

We shall see how it goes, but so far, so good!

There are sooo many varieties of these plants and they are gorgeous together.

They add such nice color in various places of our home.

They come in pale greens, burgundy, purples, variegated pink, and so many more.

Here are some of the varieties we have.

Devil's Ivy

This is Devil's Ivy, a vine I received from my friend 3 years ago.

This is the ONLY plant I haven't managed to practically kill within months of getting it.

It probably needs holy water to kill it.

It is super easy to grow.

You can grow it as a vine from a hanging pot, wind it up a trellis as you see here, let it grow in a vase of water, or let it fall in bunches.

These root very easy and very fast.

You can pinch off a piece of the vine and set the tip in a glass of water.

Within a week, you should have pretty good roots going.

This plant turns the light green in a spotty fashion when it's exposed to light.

The leaves stay dark green in a darker spot.

This is a great plant for low-light situations.

Sorry for the crappy lighting!

www.bhg.com

Lucky Bamboo

Last but not least, my bamboo plant.

I got one of these for my husband when we were dating, and it didn't fare too well.

Probably because it never got watered.

My sweet neighbor brought this one to us a couple months ago.

Isn't the vase cool?

Bamboo is super easy to keep. You just need to change the water every week.

That's about all they require!

I've been letting tap water sit out overnight so that the chemicals evaporate out.

Too much chlorine will eventually kill these plants.

I trimmed this one already, so they grow pretty fast.

Well, there you have it...

very easy-to-grow common but beautiful houseplants.

Do you have houseplants?

I'd love to know what your favorite are!

I'm in the mood to try something new!

4 Words

2011-10-21T10:44:00.003-04:00

Saw this on FB and thought it was cute!

What are your 4 words?

Do they really describe you?

My Favorite Things 2010

2011-10-19T20:08:00.002-04:00

I totally forgot to finish this post back in December of 2010.
Since we'll be at December 2011 soon, I figured I'd finish it!

For as long as I've had this blog, I've had my favorite things list at the end of each year.

It seems crazy to me, but this is the 3rd year I get to write out my list!

Too bad I'm not giving many of these things out for free like Oprah does!

Anyways, every year I usually write about material items, but I

just couldn't help but sneak in a couple of things about my girlfriends.

Obviously, my family means the world to me, and I write about them in almost every blog,

so I thought I'd dedicate some space to the other things in life that make me happy.

1. The Loft

Approaching my 30s with 3 kids has left me wondering where I fit at the mall.

My hips reached child-bearing size when I turned about 16, and my weight hasn't changed

too much since then (except for my giganticness during pregnancy),
but obviously you won't catch me shopping at anything containing the words

Wet or Seal in them anymore. I discovered Loft this year...a much more affordable and

younger version of Ann Taylor and it has become my new favorite store!

I haven't bought clothes in a LONG time because my kids are incessantly growing, but my

hubby treated me to some new ones this winter and I feel so good in them.

Almost everything I owned before this year was from Target (and I still shop there) but there's just something great about a few nice pieces!

2. Socks

http://foodforlaughter.blogspot.com

I'm not sure what happened but after I had Newbie, a bunch of weird

hormones that I have never before experienced makes me frigidly cold almost all of the time.

I hated sock. Hated socks.

I used to walk around all winter like a hick with bare feet

or ballet flats if I had to leave the house.

I carried slippers with me to friends' houses. No joke.

Then all of the sudden, I cannot NOT wear socks!

When people tell you everything changes after kids, they aren't kidding...

right down to your sock-wearing habits.

I'm stocking up slowly! :)

3. Book Club...W/Out the Book

"Book club" started last year with a group of women whose daughters

were in my daughter's class. They all knew each other from preschool,

but I was the outsider and they graciously invited me to a little book club.

We actually all got the book, some of us read the first chapter,

some only the first page or two, we discussed it once for 5 minutes (if that)

and haven't discussed another book since!

We do discuss all kinds of other things and our time together has become

something all of us look forward to every week.
Book club is also lovingly referred to as "therapy!"

Even the first grade teacher laughs when we all can't volunteer because we have "book club!"

(One of us still has the book from the library and never returned it. I'll never tell who. She's a rebel.)

4. Girls' Night

allieiswired.com

My girlfriends since 3rd and 4th grade and I still meet

together every other month or so to hang out. I love these girls!
These girls have been around through sleepovers, dance parties, hair crimpers, big bangs,
NKOTB, MASH, boys and heartbreaks, homecomings and proms, and band.

We were all so close and I love every minute we get to hang out.

It's always a fun time and usually ends with one of us laughing so hard we might actually pee our pants!

Next girls' night is a chick flick and dinner and the week after we're celebrating Beck's of our 30ths!

5. Stainless Steel Travel Mug

blogs.starbucks.com

Picture this: getting 3 kids plus yourself ready for the day by 8:00,

sloppily pouring the coffee into an oversized cup and running out the door.

That was what I did every morning, and every morning I spilled coffee on my hands or jeans,

or porch or car, etc, and cursed my cup without a lid!
I'm too cheap to buy myself a travel mug because I really wanted a good

one - particularly one that keeps the coffee hot and one that will not kill me from BPA

poisoning or whatever the new death chemical is.

My awesome sister got me a gift card to Starbucks and I totally love this mug.

Laura got us another gift card, so I got to buy one for the hubster too!

6. Detroit Tigers Fitted Hat

Not for me. Bought one of these for my husband recently, and I gotta tell you,

I cannot keep my hands off him when he's got it on. HOTT. Smokin' hott. That's all I gotta say.

(that was for you babe.)

(and our parents who also follow my blog.)

7. Owl Necklace

Betsey Johnson is one sassy little chick when it comes to her clothing line,

but she does make some pretty sweet jewelry.

My good friend Natalie has been buying me cool things designed by her for the last couple years.

This year for my birthday she sent me this owl necklace.

I wasn't quite sure what I could put it with at first,

but I've been wearing it with just about everything lately.

It's one of those things that turns into a conversation piece because it's so different.

Anyways, I like it, so there you go. Hoot, hoot.

8. Robe

tarmetblog.com

My mom totally regifted a robe to me. Totally.

Maybe I'll stop talking like a valley girl when I turn 30, too.

Anyways, it's an obnoxious hot pink, super fluffy, and I love it.

I wear it during the day over regular clothes all the time,

because as I mentioned, I'm freezing all the time.

My neighbors and mail lady probably call me "The Giant Pink Flamingo"

behind my back, but I just don't care. Nothing can warm a girl up like a good robe.

9. Luxury Suites w/Early Check-in

belameresuites.com

Ok. Don't judge me, but my husband and I dropped a big chunk of

change on a luxury suite complete with our own garage, jacuzzi, big screen, pool room

(as in swimming), and fireplace.

I have to tell you, we have never been away overnight from the kids to go do

anything fun and this was an amazing trip.

We don't usually buy things for each other for Christmas.

I'm not one to get myself a massage or manicures,

but this kind of pampering and time away was exactly what we both needed

and we're sure to do it every year.

10. Ducky Movie

Many of you know that Newbie likes a lot of attention and does not watch anything on TV.
Now, I'm not the type of parent who puts my kids in front of the TV.
In fact, most days go by and they haven't even watched anything, however,
when the kids turned 2, I was able to put on Elmo and hop in the shower & get ready for the day
knowing they were safely in front of the TV.
Not Newbie.
Then came the "ducky movie."
We know the words to this movie by heart because she pleads to watch it every day.
I use it when I need to get something done for a half an hour and it has become 30 minutes I look
forward to every day, especially because she doesn't take a nap anymore!

Never Tickle a Sleeping Dragon

2011-10-19T09:31:00.000-04:00

www.wikimedia.com

Been watching the Harry Potter movies with my husband the past couple months.

The past couple months, you ask?

Aren't there only 7 movies?

Yes.

It usually takes us 2 nights minimum to get through a movie.

Mostly because we're too tired to stay up through the whole thing,

mostly because Newbie won't stay in her own bed,

mostly because she wants to grind her devil chompers in our ears all night long.

Forget a pit of fire.

Just put people in Hell with one person gnashing their teeth.

Just one.

24/7.

That's enough.

Anyways, I know there was a whole lot of uproar out there from the Christian community

about letting their kids ingest the words from these "evil" books.

I don't really have a problem with them.

We've actually really enjoyed them.
I understand that sorcery is not something the Christian community is supposed to embrace,
but this is completely fictional, and the spells are basically in Latin, from what I can tell.
Seems harmless to me.
Of course, what's harmless to me may not be to someone else,
so I can understand if that's not something you want to expose yourself to.

The themes echo what you would see in Star Wars I - VI

or the Lord of the Rings Trilogy.

It is a battle...a spiritual battle between good an evil.
Granted, they aren't as deep as Lord of the Rings, but they do relate some spiritual truths, I think.

In my opinion, they're very well done.

My friend laughed about us watching them because they were geared more toward the juvenile

audience, but to that I say, we're pretty juvenile.

Have you watched them or read the books?

What do you think?

Do you have a fav? Books or movies better?

Amazing Technicolor

2011-10-18T19:30:00.000-04:00

Words of wisdom from our 3YO:

Nobody shouldn't take nobody's sweater and teared it.

And nobody should throwed nobody in a well.

That was not vewy nice.

Can you tell which Bible story my 3YO learned this week?!

I'll give you a hint. Here's the rare breed of sheep used to make the guy's tunic.

haha

Ahhh....time to get some sleep.

Overtired.

Slap happy.

Again.

Updating

2011-10-13T08:28:00.000-04:00

Sorry about the weirdness that is currently my blog.
I was going for a new look, but KDogg had need of the computer.
It will look better soon...promise.

Hola, Soy Burrito

2011-10-11T17:48:00.000-04:00

7YO (while eating Taco Bell): Dad, there's a kid in my class named Burrito, and also he has a younger brother.

K: Is his name Taco?

7YO: I don't know, but they're twins.

There's just so many ways to comment on this, I don't know where to start.

The Fainting Game

2011-10-04T10:33:00.001-04:00

Abigaille Nicole Giampocaro went home to be with the LORD last week.

She was 14 years old.

Her parents were very close friends with my brother-in-law.

Her mother posted this link about the "choking game" or "fainting game,"

which is how Abby was believe to have died.

The video is a bit heavy, but if you have teenagers, you should talk about this with them.

Please pray for their family during this difficult time.

This Little Piggy Ran All the Way Home

2011-09-27T22:04:00.000-04:00

So, I don't usually do this, but I have to weigh in on a little product I've seen walking its way all over town.

Let me preface by saying that I do not have any kind of foot phobias.

Some people do.

My husband has told me that if I had bad feet, he may not have been able to marry me.

I really don't think he was kidding.

That being said, there is something absolutely vile and disgusting about spread out toes.

Right?

Do y'all hear me?

G'head. Do it. Spread them, then tell someone to come over and comment on what you're doing.

They will say, "Gross. What are you doing? Stop it now!"

I promise.

Unfortunately, we've all seen the foam toe spreaders on women gettin' their toes did.

http://www.hivehealthmedia.com

I love a great pedicure just as much as the next gal, but I'm sorry, the toe separators are just unnecessary.

If you have a wide toenail that literally touches the toenail on the toe next door,

just don't even bother painting them.

It will attract more attention, and you don't want any of that with your condition.

I have to say, in 29 years, I've never seen anyone with this problem.

It is therefore my not-so-humble opinion that the foam toe spreaders

are an unnecessary evil and should be forbidden production for retail sale.

A cousin to spread out toes, and quite possibly equally disgusting,

are products that get shoved in between your toes.

People! We do not have webbed feet for a reason!

We have no need for anything between our toes but air!

However, some "fashion forward" people decided to market toe socks.

((cringe))

http://www.baronbob.com/toe-socks.htm

((cringe again))
These were all the rage when I was a senior year in high school.

Not only were these atrocities worn in public, but they had to be knitted in bright, striped patterns

and were sometimes daringly paired with the ever popular two strapped Birkenstocks,

because Birkenstocks with a wooly, heathered-knit sock wasn't fashionable enough.

And then of course, there's toe lint.

Toe lint is gross, in case you weren't aware.

We've all opened up that new package of socks...you know, the extra plush

ones that look like they'd be really good with to wear with your running shoes that you never use for running.

At the end of the day, all that "plush" is rolled up into 8 nicely wound balls of linty globules.

This, my friends, is just another convincing example that nothing should ever go between your toes.

My question is, "Who enjoys anything between their toes?"

The answer of course is NO ONE.

EXCEPT, that is not true.

No, my friends.

I have seen something so atrocious, so disturbing, so freakishly freakish that I want to jump

out of my skin and run away screaming whenever I see it.

You all know what is coming, right?

The

Toe

SHOE.

www.vibramfingers.com

But the strange thing is...

I kind of want to try one on.

Or two, if I could handle it.

Except, if you did try one on, you could not wear socks.

You could not even wear the nude cut off nylon footie.

You'd have to take a chance and try one on in the slim chance that you would actually

love it and wouldn't score athlete's foot or planter's warts despite your curiosity.

So, I have to ask: yay or nay? Would you wear them?

This is a whole new level of toe wedgies.

A whole new level.

Toes.

Wedgies.

Tedgies.

Woes.

You just think about that.

Mandalorian Battle

2011-09-26T20:47:00.002-04:00

This is what happens when K-Dogg gets the camera.

His brother would be proud.

This is What Our Anniversary Looks Like

2011-09-25T20:25:00.001-04:00

This is what $24 in gourmet taffy looks like.

With flavors like boysenberry, dulce de leche, kona mocha, pomegranate, buttered popcorn,
key lime pie, carmel apple, and chocolate peppermint, you'd do it too.

This is what my favorite boutique looks like.

This is what the coolest "hobbit house" looks like. Awesome, right?!

This is what gourmet Michigan-made food looks like.

K already got started on his fresh planked whitefish.
Those were the best piped mashed potatoes ever!

Mmm...delicious chicken wellington with Michigan
pears, cherries, brie, and shoestring potatoes!

This is what deliciously melty homemade ice cream in a waffle cone right out of the oven looks like.

This is what an elderly gentleman swinging looks like.

This is what K-Dogg Grylls scaling the wall of an enormous mountain looks like.

This is what "the vertebrate of some gigantic BEAST" looks like.

This is what "pensive with a legally blonde flair" looks like.

This is what the perfect spot on the beach looks like.

This is what the prettiest gray looks like.

This is what the Keweenaw Star looks like.

This is what a cloudy Lake Michigan sunset looks like.

This is what 8 years of wedded bliss (and 5 hours without the kids) looks like.

I can't imagine a better anniversary.

Even though we were arguing all weekend, it didn't seem to matter.

This is the man I will always love.

This is the man I can be silly with, lay my head down next to, pig out by, and do nothing with.

This is the man of my dreams.

We are in love.

Truly.

Madly.

Deeply.

Word Scramble

2011-09-21T21:09:00.001-04:00

We've recently been working on letters with our 3YO.

By now, our other children knew all their letter sounds and numbers up to 20 in English and Spanish.

Newbie works at her own pace.

I'm certain she finds it more important to focus on things like tormenting her brother, and, tormenting her brother.

Anyhow, it was bath night and my DH was going to give her a bath.

I asked him to grab the 'E' and 'S' foam letters and about four more to work on while she was getting cleaned up.

Here's what I found at the bottom of the tub later.

Scramble time!

He SWEARS he did not grab these letters intentionally, which I do actually believe.

He also swore those letters were an omen from the Almighty, which I'm just not so sure about.