about face!

ok, i give up!
today is a sad, sad day. today, i joined facebook. well, actually, i joined a few months ago, only so i could enter a contest on a blog. but i didn't DO facebook until today. oh, yeah, i'm in deep! i searched old friends, i added friends, i posted on my wall, i added photos, i even chatted with my best friend from high school. oh, i am hooked!

but it's cool. it's like a walk down memory lane (no pun intended, lisa!). i saw pictures of friends i grew up with, pictures of high school classmates and pictures of their siblings and family members i also knew.

so, yeah, i resisted- i scoffed at the facebook groupies. but now...well, now...i am one!

hey, look for me on facebook. maybe i'll even "friend" ya!

grateful for:
1. old friends
2. new friends
3. new obsessions

the wreck of the hellhole fitzgerald

ok, so that is not our last name. and ok, so the hellhole is not all that wrecked. but we did have a pretty powerful storm two days ago and our yard is a mess.

tuesday, there were severe storm and tornado warnings all day. late afternoon, the wind had started to pick up and the rain came down hard. well, down does not aptly describe the direction of the rain- it was actually horizontal, as was the wind. when the hail stones joined in, it was pretty intense. i was home alone, so i ran around frantically closing windows, since the temps had been 80 degrees.

i usually love a good storm, but this had me a bit worried. it was coming straight at the front of the house and it did run through my mind that it could break the picture window glass. the trees whipped wildly about and the patio umbrella above t.w's sandbox was trashed and my butterfly bush was laying flat on the ground. as i looked out to check on buster, he was sitting in his doghouse with nothing but his nose poking out, as if to say "what's all this?

i was worried about kaye and t.willie because, last i knew, they had been on their way home. i was afraid they were in the car in the midst of it. (later found out, they hadn't left town yet and were safe) i knew my mom had been to town and called dad to check on her. when i called bilbo to check on him, he said he had been stuck on the interstate for 45 minutes because there had been a bad wreck. i knew elle was okay because she had been busy moving her stuff to a new apartment and was checking in with me every few minutes!

it is always at times like these, when we worry and get concerned for our loved ones. then, it's always a relief to have everyone back home safely, where you can see them and hug 'em and say "don't scare me like that!". so, just wishing you all the security of knowing where your loved ones are and hoping you're all okay. now, call your mother, she's worried about you!

**********************************************

a very tuckered out t.w. after he finally made it home.

grateful:
1. that storms pass
2. that my loved ones are close...sometimes a little too close!
3. that my trees have been thoroughly pruned

amazin' acres of fun, ya'll!

right down the road from us is a family-run farm. years ago, this family started having a corn maze, hay rides and such every fall. they call their farm "amazin' acres of fun", cuz it is.

and each year, it has been getting bigger and better. schools and church groups take trips to the farm and it is pretty popular 'round these parts.
so, saturday me, mom, elle, family friend jared and t.willie spent about two and a half hours there. we went on the hay ride to the pumpkin patch, petted and aw'd at all the cute animals, and watched as t.w. had lotsa farm kid fun.

there were a couple slides, one in a barn:

there was a "corn crib", this was t.w.'s favorite thing:

there were some nice animals:

and t.w. even got to milk a cow!

he really enjoyed the hay ride, although he wasn't so sure about it at the beginning. after the tractor started up and the ride got moving, he said re-assuredly "it's fun, it's not scary!" although, i'm not sure who exactly he was reassuring!

the kid's pumpkin patch was not so much a growing patch, but more of a let's-throw-the-small-pumpkins-out-here-so-kids-can-pick-them-up patch. t.w. had a difficult time narrowing down his choices.

it was a long and exhaustive search.

but finally, a winner was chosen.

and i can't tell you how hard it was for me to resist taking this little punkin home!

much fun was had by all. it was a beautiful day for some outdoor fall-ish fun.

jared and elle

me, t.w. and g.g (mom)

thing 1 and thing 2

thing 1-
meet max. he is the strong silent type. max is the new addition to my kitchen counter. i have had a thing for max for quite some time now. i have been trying to win max (or one of his lovely friends) on pioneer woman's blog. but finally, kaye found someone who was trying to sell their brand new one and she bought it for me since tomorrow is my birthday. she's sometimes the best daughter! it was quite a bargain too, she does her mother proud.

thing 2-
we have gone gluten free for two weeks now. (also dairy free for most of that) and i wanted pancakes this morning dammit! i got out my very little box of gluten free bisquick (although it costs the same as the big box of the regular!). i decided i wanted pumpkin pancakes, as i LOVE anything pumpkin-y. i just kinda threw some stuff together and was rewarded with some very yummy, fluffy pumpkin pancakes. you must try these, with whichever bisquick you choose. i also used almond milk instead of regular milk. and i warmed up some maple syrup and butter and dumped in about 2 T of chopped walnuts and poured on top- oh, the yumminess!

here is the recipe:

aurorafedora's pumpkin pancakes

1 cup bisquick
1/2 t pumpkin pie spice
1 T sugar
1 c milk
1/4 cup pumpkin
1 egg
-mix it all together. cook on a greased warm griddle. flip when the top gets dry looking. cook til golden. eat like a pig. it made 8 smallish pancakes. and, no, i did not eat them all myself....yet.

note* the above picture is not an example of the pancakes with the warm, buttery syrup. i ate them too quickly to get a picture. this photo is of the remaining stack. also, i am no food photographer...obviously.

grateful today:
1. for max the mixer YES!!!!
2. for pumpkin pancakes
3. for fun at the pumpkin patch with t.willie (will post monday) (stay tuned) (hold onto your hat)
(cross your eyes and whistle yankee doodle)

hear ye! hear ye!

so, this is how my mornings usually begin:

i'm in bed, it's early, it's dark, i'm sound asleep. suddenly, i am awakened by a cheerfully loud little voice announcing a) "it's sunny!" or b) "it's byooful day out!" or C) "i'm poopy!"

ah, the sounds of morning. t.w. has no reverence for another person's sleep. he has always been a kid who wakes up ready to go. even as an infant, he never cried upon waking. he would just lay in his crib and gurgle. as he got older, he would babble, play and laugh or sing to himself. we'd never know when he woke up until we listened at his door. a truly strange kid!

now, as soon as he gets up, he requests his "special milk"-a cup of (very slightly) chocolate milk. he takes it to the living room where he chills out in the recliner and watches kipper or spot. when he sees me about to take the dog out, he jumps up to "help" me. soon after, he is ready for breakfast. most often he wants oatmeal. he insists on choosing a packet out of the box. he doesn't really know what flavor he is choosing, but it doesn't really matter because he likes 'em all. the boy LOVES his oatmeal!

after breakfast, the day is a blur of little boy activity. he keeps this grandma on her toes. by his bedtime, i am really ready for sleep......sleep....sleep......sleeeeeeep........slee......"GAMMIE, I"M POOPY!!!!!"

grateful:
1. for full moons
2. for gluten free pancake mix
3. for that little boy

miraculous multiplying 'maters

it's october, right? and here in middle tennessee, it is fall. you know fall, where plants begin to die off and leaves change color and fall? when the weather gets cooler and nights are chilly? okay, so we all understand about fall.

but here's the thing-my tomato plants are still producing flowers and tomatoes. and they still taste good and sweet.


just ask this guy:
t.willie will eat all the ripe cherry maters we pull off in a day.

and this dude:yeah, we finally had to block off the tomato portion of the garden because buster will stand there and eat all the tomatoes he can reach! he's a freak.

my little pepper plant is also still growing peppers, it's really weird. my guess is because the garden is enclosed in this sorta courtyard area.

and the plants sit snugly against the shed wall basking in the direct sun most of the day. they are very happy even with all the grass and weeds that i have allowed to grow up around them. i am a very lax gardener once the summer temps get over the mid 80's.

but the plants don't hold it against me.


grateful:
1. for fresh tomatoes in october
2. for my youngest daughter, elle, who turned 24 yesterday
3. for the corned beef and cabbage she requested for her birthday dinner-YUM

the best $25 i ever spent!

warning: gushing and exclamation points ahead. proceed with caution.

i had a massage today. have you ever had a massage? i have, a few times, and they were all pretty good. but now, i have found jennifer-she is hands down(pun intended) the BEST massage therapist i have ever met! she is SO good, that if i weren't already married to bilbo, i'd marry her!! oh, get over it! i didn't say i wanted to sleep with her, i said i'd marry her!!

she does a form of swedish/deep tissue massage, and all i can say is-aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!
aaaaaand, she charges just $25 for a half hour session!!!!!!! unheard of!

i have had bad neck pain since high school (roughly....um....many moons ago). and as the years pass by, my neck just gets worse and worse. but after my last massage with jennifer a couple weeks ago, i have had relief for the first time in YEARS!

after today's session, i decided i am making an appointment with her twice a month. my health and my sanity NEED this! if you are local to the hellhole and need the services of jennifer-the-amazingly-awesome-massage-chick, email me and i will give you the details. you won't be sorry.

grateful:
1. for jennifer
2. in my life-
3. i just LOVE that girl!

which hazel?

so, as i've stated, the mosquitoes here have been hellishly awful. every time t.willie and i would go outside, we'd both end up with numerous bites. t.ws' were most impressive because they would turn red and swell up to giant-size. to help with the itching, i would apply witch hazel.

one day recently, t.w. and i were in the bathroom dabbing at our bites when we had this conversation:

he: "what that stuff is gammie?"

me: "witch hazel."

he: "right there."

me: "witch hazel."

he: "which one?"

me (catching on): "this one right here?" pointing to the bottle

he: "yeah, gammie, what's that?"

me: "witch hazel."

he: "gammie! gammie! that one right there!?"

me (laughing very much): "wiiiiiiiitch haaaaaazel!"

he: "which one?"

me (holding up the bottle): "this is called witch hazel. get it?"

he: "what gammie? hazel?"

me (just laughing..........)

it was just like an abbott & costello "who's on first" skit-oh, the fun and merriment! you had to be there.

grateful:
1. for the laughter
2. that mosquito madness will be over soon
3. for my ole pal, hazel

gluten- we won't tolerate it!

now, i know tolerance is usually a good thing. but i have suspected for some time now, that kaye's stomach/nausea problems stem from a food allergy-possibly gluten. she has been checked for EVERY other stomach and digestive disorder by many doctors. they have basically found no reason for her problems besides anxiety.

that said, we are now embarking on a gluten free adventure. the more i read about celiac disease and gluten intolerance, the more i found that i had many of the symptoms as well. so kaye and i are both going gluten free for one month to see if it makes any difference. i suspect that we may have to cut out dairy products also. sad faces here, we both LOVE cheese!!!

but if that's what it takes for my oldest gal to live a normal life free of pain, then that's what it takes! i would be most grateful for any tips, advice and information that anyone may have for this lifestyle. i know this will be difficult, but in the words of the little engine that could-
i think i can, i think i can, i think i can.....

grateful:
1. that there are many naturally gluten free foods
2. that gluten free pretzels exist- not bad, not bad at all!
3. that a change in diet may possibly cure kaye

heaven help us, he's three!!

so, today is t.willie's birthday. he's three. i just hope his third year goes better than his mother's third year. she was the most difficult, headstrong, stubborn, strong-willed, obstinate, determined, cantankerous, persistent, intelligent, clever and independent child that ever was in the history of EVER!


i still say, she was lucky to survive that third year. she was awful. she made me cry. she made me pull out my hair. she made me bang my head on hard surfaces. she made me forget my name and dribble my soup.

however, she is still a lot of those adjectives, but in a good way. in fact, i am pretty darn proud to be her mother. and now, t.w. shows signs of being even more so of all those things than her. pray for us. pray long and hard, cuz we're gonna need all the help we can get!

grateful:
1. for all the wonderful, awful kids on the face of the earth. amen.

now he knows his abc's

t.willie singing his abc's. he knows the whole thing!
(you will have to turn up your computer volume, as the sound is very low...)



i'm so proud!

he's bloody brilliant

have i told you all about my british grandson? yes, well, t.willie has been strongly influenced by the kipper the dog program. it is a children's program based on a children's book series. t.w. LOVES this show! and as far as kid's shows go, it is great. it's quiet, gentle and teaches about friendship in a fun way. he has several of the videos but has never seen it as a book.

it just warms my heart when i hear t.w giggling while watching it. but a strange side-effect of his kipper habit is the use of british terms and words. like, he'll be using a toy-maybe a ball, and he'll hand it over to me and say "you have a go, gammie." or when he's about to race the dog down the hallway, he'll say "ready, steady, GO!!" or "that's brilliant, pop!" when he sees bilbo sharpen a stick for marshmallows. he also likes to use the british words for items- such as saying torch instead of flashlight, or spade instead of shovel. the kid cracks us up!

oh, and if you ask him a question that he doesn't know the answer to, he says "i dunno" with a really great british accent. too funny. hey, maybe i could teach him to say "pip pip cheerio"! hmm......... :)


grateful today:
1. for blue skies
2. for another campfire this evening
3. for my wacky wonderful grandson- t.willie