the hellhole diaries

PAR-TAY!!

2011-10-26T08:31:00.000-05:00

hidey ho neighbors!!

t.willie turned 4 earlier this month. we had to postpone his party to this past saturday. he was very certain from the first mention of his birthday that he wanted a road construction theme. he is ALL boy, so trucks and all things with wheels are everything to him!

kaye and i created an invitation design using one we found on the internet. it features a blonde boy in a hard hat.

kaye gave an invite to every kid in t's headstart class and several friends were also invited. kaye, bilbo and i put a lot of time and effort into making it a great day for t.willie. we put up construction caution tape everywhere and made "road work" signs for along the driveway.

since the party was being held in the back yard, luckily, it turned out to be a gorgeous day. we hung a sign on the fence to show guests where to enter.

bilbo brought home several construction cones to rope off buster's large doggie area. it worked great but buster would rather have joined the party!

we set up a table and backdrop that turned out really well. utilizing shepherd hooks to hang the backdrop was a stroke of genius (MY genius)!!

please make special note of the banner i made from paint chips!

we used white tape to make the tablecloth look like a road.

every kid got a hard hat with their name on it.

the party treats.

my favorite feature was the dump truck cake with crushed oreo "dirt"!

i can't take credit for it, though, saw it online...!

here is t.w. when everyone was singing "happy birthday". he's so cute! i just love that boy!

although only one kid from school came, we had 9 kids attending. there was a lot of fun going on. the back yard was a flurry of activity:

must.eat.cupcakes!

it was a wonderful, funfilled day. t.w had a great time and is looking forward to next year's party already!!

grateful that :
1. the weather was perfect
2. children actually came!
3. t.willie was happy

this is why i plant fennel

2011-08-31T11:17:00.003-05:00

hello again! i am finally back here in blogland after a long summer off. i hope you missed me!

i just wanted to tell ya about my very small herb garden, it did not do well this summer, as we have been in a drought. dry dry dry-that's been our summer. oh, and hot hot HOT!! the gardens and lawns have surely suffered. however, my fennel did survive, and earlier, served the red wasp population in our yard.

click on images to enlarge

but now, the black swallowtails have taken over! i just love those green and black caterpillars! they are very cool, not to mention that they turn into beautiful butterflies! this is mainly the reason i planted bronze fennel. it is a beautiful plant but i like that it feeds these pretty creatures!

yes, and the wasps are sharing! i hate those creatures! they are aggressive and nasty. they seem to have taken over our yard. just the latest scourge of the hellhole!

but we also get these guys: orbweaver spiders. these are good guys, they eat insects. i like that! and they are also pretty and spin the most awesome webs! this one has attached his web to my cherry tomato plant. i hate to bother him when i harvest the tomatoes. but he just moves up the web away from me, and it's cool. we respect each other. just as mother nature intended...but, although i do respect the red wasps, it's for an entirely different reason!

grateful today:
1. for all that i have, and also for what i don't have
2. for interesting creatures in my life- both human and non-human
3. for the approaching fall season...LOVE it!

so lovin' this!!!

2011-06-25T10:22:00.000-05:00

this is t.willie's new favorite music video...hope you like it too!
(hint: click on the icon to the right of the youtube icon to view in full screen )

happy MAY-MORIAL day!!

2011-05-30T23:08:00.001-05:00

highlights of the month of may in pictures-

t.willie in the back yard

t.w's croc stuck fast in the mud from SO.MUCH.RAIN!

first sprinkler fun of the season

still more rain...

chocolate cupcakes

some unexpected cold weather
and t.w. gets a hold of my camera..."say cheese gammie"

a goofy boy

the sign at t.willie's preschool (church) ha!

elle baking for a bake sale

me baking for the wedding (see last post)

mom's pond

t.w's last day of preschool
and the "forget-me-not" pot we made for his teacher

gettin silly on the porch

this cat loves this boy (and vice versa)

fresh blueberry rum lemonade :)

learning new tricks

hanging in the "hangnick"

helping pop mow...sorta

first time in the pool this season

the end

grateful for a great month.

"bout time!

2011-05-25T21:58:00.001-05:00

hello. my brother, rich, recently got married, in front of the courthouse in town. we had a reception party at my parent's house on saturday, two days later. his new wife, mary, had been his girlfriend for some few years, so it was about time!!

saturday was a beautiful, warm (ok, hot) day, perfect for an outside shindig. my mom made some salads and fixed a cold cut platter. mary made italian sausages and onions and peppers. and i made fruit skewers and two kinds of cupcakes- tiramisu and chocolate oreo. we had a pretty good spread!

the party was attended by about 23 close family members...close, as in here in tennessee! we had set up three small tables on mom's porch as well as the big picnic table and another table on the deck. mom had asked me to come up with some simple decorations, as she knows i like to do crafty things. i made three doily garlands and a (coffee filter) flower garland. for the dessert table, i brought my two cupcake towers and made a cake banner. i also shirred natural colored paper streamers with my sewing machine.

mom had the great idea to present mary and rich with a shower of cards. we put them into a pretty tabletop greenhouse that i had. they received about 25 cards. it took them quite a while to open and read each one.

it was a very nice occasion and i wish the newly weds the best of everything. welcome to our crazy family, mary!

not a laughing matter ?

2011-05-18T21:19:00.001-05:00

t.w.'s preschool held their end-of-year program. he sat and yawned through most of it, while the other children stood and sang and did all the hand motions. later, on the way home, we realized he had been getting sick. i apologize for the quality of these pics, bad lighting and zoom lens is to blame. enjoy anyway...

here he is...still standing.

now, he's down and doing some open-close leg action.

about to try a somersault here...

it looks like blake is about to go also!

yup, there he goes!

and finally, receiving his faux diploma from his teacher-the courageous and valiant miss fannie. (get that kid off the stage!) seriously, the other parents(and teachers) may have thought he was a distraction, but we thought it was pretty funny! wish we had a video.

grateful for:

1. fresh cut grass

2. honeysuckle

3. freshly washed little boys

mum's the word...sort of

2011-05-11T14:00:00.001-05:00

this is t.willie's new favorite music video...enjoy
mumford & sons- the cave

grateful today:
1. for french toast for breakfast
2. less aches & pains
3. t.w. taking a nap-YAY!

views from the car...

2011-05-05T22:19:00.000-05:00

...moving FAST!
one day, a week or so ago, bilbo and i were out driving, since it was such a gorgeous day. i had my camera with me and just started taking random pictures from the window of the car. bilbo would just shake his head at the strangeness that is me, but i was really impressed at how well my camera focused from a moving car. i just kept taking pictures, not even knowing what would end up in them. when we got home and i uploaded them, i was very happy with the outcome. maybe you will be also.
click on any image to enlarge.

oh yeah, this is where we live. all these shots were taken within twelve miles of our house! jealous, aren't ya?!

the stuff of spring

2011-04-26T14:28:00.000-05:00

besides the beautiful transformation of our countryside, spring has brought us:

*a new swing set for t.willie

a BIG thank you to all of you who contributed!!!

*easter and its goodies

it would seem the easter bunny knows just what t.w. likes!

these are very addictive!

my experiment with cake balls...YUM!
made these for t.w's class party.

* a new hammock for the back yard- t.willie calls it a" hangnick"
love it!!

*new friends for t.w.

grateful today:

*for all of the above!*

oh BLOODY HELL!!!!!!

2011-04-18T20:44:00.000-05:00

image courtesy of speedbump.com

why why WHY do i DO these things????????? i mean, isn't life tough enough without the universe messing with us? here's what i mean...

...one day last week, i decided to break down and do some cleaning. i know, i know, you're thinking "hey, that's not like her. is it a full moon? is the world coming to an end? will life as we know it, fail to exist??" well, i blame the old "spring cleaning" mentality. it's our mothers and grandmothers who are to blame. i mean, they know not what they have done! we feel the pressure this time of year to do CRAZY things like clean cobwebs and dust ceiling fan blades and stuff. it's just not right!

so, there i was washing up a few dishes at the kitchen sink and i thought "hey, maybe i should wipe down the stove a bit. that thick layer of crud just might come off with a little elbow grease!" so i dipped the cloth in some hot ammonia water and commenced to scrubbing. the cook top was looking good, even the back of the stove was free of greasy gunk. so i stretched down over the oven door surface and was wiping away at that when i heard this "SNAP" sound and there i was, holding the door handle in my hand. just the door handle, like, with NO door attached! apparently, as i reached farther down the oven surface, i grabbed onto the door handle for support. BIG mistake.

oh man!!!! it just serves me right for thinking that cleaning was a good idea!! i am sorry to tell ya, that, at that precise moment, there was such a string of bad words issuing forth from my pie hole, it woulda made a sailor blush!

now i know, you are thinking "yes, that sounds like her!" so, my day thus far had not been going well and now i broke my stove. broke it REAL good. so i did what i always do when life hands me a crap muffin, i went and cried on my bed. but only for maybe five minutes. then i put my big girl panties on and went back out to the kitchen to finish cleaning up. and maybe there was some feeling-sorry-for-myself mumbling going on and maybe not...

when bilbo came home, i showed him the stove. he immediately looked around for t.willie, as if to yell at him for what he'd done. it was at that moment that i thought "YES! i can blame it on t.w!!!" but i didn't, i fessed up. bilbo went right onto the internet and found the part he needed to replace the part that the handle attached to. YAY!! and it was fairly cheap too! cheaper anyway, than a new stove.

notice anything missing?

impressive, i know!

B is for broken stove.

so the moral of this story, my friends, is: don't go crazy and clean.
no good can come from it.
i know you'll thank me.

grateful for:
1. my hubby
2. the internet
3. cheap replacement parts

spring has sprung in middle tennessee!

2011-04-13T17:27:00.000-05:00

ah spring!

t.willie loves dandelions. he likes them when they're yellow. he likes them when they're gray and fuzzy. he often brings me bouquets of them. the yellow ones are nice, the gray- not so much! and, apparently, he likes rubbing them on his face. he said he was smelling them, but with his mouth?? don't ask me....he's weird but we like him!

the weather has been mostly beautiful here in the last few weeks. our daffodils bloomed in late february, now we have redbud and dogwood and tulips- oh my!!

my parents live more out in the country than we do. it's beautiful in their valley. here are some pics:

this is definately THE BEST time of year to visit tennessee. it's gorgeous!
so if any of you are planning a visit, come in the spring! ya'll come!!

grateful today for:
1. the sunshine
2. the blue sky
3. dandelion bouquets brought by little blonde boys

the world's BIGGEST tree house...

2011-04-03T15:00:00.001-05:00

...and we were there!!

i don't know what you did yesterday, but it could not have been as cool/fun/awesome as what we did. kaye, t.willie, bilbo and i went to crossville, about 35 miles away, to check out an amazing tree house someone had told bilbo about. we were not disappointed, it was really spectacular!!

a swinging lawn chair down the center outside of the house!

it was a gorgeous day for such an adventure and many folks had come out to see the tree house. there is no sign announcing it, folks find it by word-of-mouth, just as we did. it took us maybe an hour and a half to fully climb, explore and goggle at the structure. t.w. had such a great time, although he made kaye and i very anxious. there were some spots with holes in the floor, that i could imagine him slipping through and also, just being so high up with only a railing protecting us was a little nerve-wracking! the way the tree house is constructed- very slap-dash, is so cool.just thinking about the sheer number of single pieces of wood used is mind-boggling! some rooms have furniture, some have a staircase, some don't. the place is like a maze, with more than one way to go from room to room or floor to floor. some staircases have short steps, some have higher ones that really gave my short, lazy legs a workout! there is graffiti everywhere- some more artwork, than ugly.there is an altar room in the center that is pretty neat. it would be awesome to return in a month or so to see the place wearing its new green leaves. all in all, it was a great and unusual experience. if you live in the area, you MUST go see it!

this is kaye and t.w. looking out the top window. above is a chime tower with ten oxygen tanks clanging away in the breeze! the view from there is of a field with "jesus" spelled out in flowers.

the builder, horace burgess

a local man, horace burgess, had built it after having a vision many years ago. for the whole story, follow this link. for many more pictures, go here.

grateful:
1. for the beautiful day
2. for one man's ingenuity that so many can enjoy
3. for a day spent with family

fine! maybe you'll like this better...

2011-03-31T16:29:00.000-05:00

too cute, not to share! twin baby boys have a conversation:

phlegm, you are no friend of mine!

2011-03-29T09:42:00.000-05:00

how did that title reach out and grab ya??!! you may have noticed i have not posted in several days, well, i have been siiiiiick! t.w. had gotten a cold and shared it with me (see, he has learned to share!). it turned into a sinus infection and as, you may have guessed, phlegm has been my constant companion! when i was thinking about my hoarse, croaky voice, it reminded me of that episode of "friends" where phoebe had a cold and thought her phlegm-riddled voice sounded sexy. so, here are some clips from that episode. enjoy!

grateful today:
1. that it's just a sinus infection and not something worse
2. that the recent tornado that touched down a couple miles from our house, missed our house!
3. that ants are the worse problem at the hellhole right now, considering the whole japan mess

twenty-eight years and many of them happy!

2011-03-19T15:01:00.002-05:00

image circa 1981

how awesome is that picture?! we don't still look like that. but yesterday, march 18th, marked the date of our 28th anniversary. wedding anniversary, that is. bilbo and i. together for 28 years. and if you add the three years we were together before we got hitched, well, that's a looooong time!

but i still love the dude and, amazingly, he still loves me! we celebrated by dining out at olive garden, or as i like to call it- "the garden of eatin' ". oh it was soooo good! here was our menu:

we were served a glass of reisling

then the stuffed mushrooms came along

then salad and bread

then our entrees were served- seafood portofino for my honey

and ravioli de portobello for me

OH, it was so good!!!! we were very full at this point, even though we had both managed to save half of our entrees for lunch today. we wanted something sweet (and who wouldn't?!), so we decided on coffee and this

well, actually, you get three of these, your choice. they were quite yummy too. so we rolled home and undid our pants and agreed that was a great way to celebrate ALL our many years together. let's hope there are many more, cuz i can't wait for all those dinners!!!

very grateful for:
1. my ole hubby
2. good health
3. many reasons to be happy
* all food images, except for the wine glass, courtesy of olive garden restaurant*

good laughternoon!!

2011-03-14T16:45:00.000-05:00

time for some funny...

so, as you might know, i am ~~stuck with~~ lucky enough to have my 3 yr old grandson living with me. he had been a perfect dream child up until he turned three. since then, he hath turneth rotten!! stubborn and strong-willed, he is a real trial for my hubby and i. however, the one saving grace he has (besides being adorable) is that he is very funny. here are some examples...enjoy:

looking up at the ceiling fan turning- "that's 'mazing!! how it do that? how it get up there?"

me- "wanna share some cake with me?"
him- yes! good idea!!

i yelled at him for crawling around on the floor and messing up piles(of books and junk). he said " i'm just trying to make myself comfortable."

as i was driving him to preschool i said "have fun at school, okay?" he answered "um...no thanks."

i was watching him put his sneakers on by himself one morning and he told me "don't you keep yer eye on me!"

me- "do you have to go potty again?"
him- with a big sigh he said "i suppose so."

i fixed him a quesadilla for lunch one day. he sat there messing around and not eating. i told him he needed to eat so he could grow big and strong. he picked at it for a few minutes then finally told me "i'm not gonna eat my deesa quea."

and finally-
yesterday while he was coloring with his crayons, he took one and made a blue streak across the carpet. he boldly told me what he'd done, because he was being a stinker and trying to get my attention. i yelled at him, smacked him and took his crayons away. he was crying and carrying on and sobbed " but gammie, crayons are really fascinating!"

grateful today:
1. that 3 yr olds turn four
2. that oxi clean gets crayon out of carpet
3. that it's almost corned beef day! (aka st. patrick's day)

but seriously, folks...

2011-03-11T20:58:00.001-06:00

OPERATION LAYLA

i've just learned about this beautiful woman's predicament. this photo was taken on layla's wedding day, in happier times. since then, she has been inundated with health issues and is in need of some medical procedures to assess her current condition. but without insurance, she will not get the medical attention she needs. i do not know her, but how awful to have to live with such pain and see no hope in sight. this website, Operation Layla, is a place where other bloggers and blog readers can donate money to help. please consider helping if you can. thanks...joanne

click on title or image to go to the website.

marching right along

2011-03-08T21:05:00.001-06:00

well, here it is only march 8th and we have already had a couple special occasions here at the ole hellhole. on saturday, we had a very short birthday party (those of you who were here, just nod and agree) for the six year old daughter of a friend. i made chocolate cupcakes with pale green frosting. tinkerbell picks, which i made at the last minute were on top of a few. and since the whole shindig was planned at the last minute, that was my only choice!they were yummy.

then on sunday, i baked a mardi gras cake for another friend's business party.i will not call it a king cake, since it wasn't actually one, just a bundt cake with the pretty sugar. i had to make the purple sugar since i only had the yellow and green. i had never actually made my own colored sugar before, in fact, had never even thought about making it before. but i was at a blog recently where she suggested you could actually do that and i was like "hey, make my own colored sugar? what a brilliant concept! my life as i know it, will never be the same!" so after my first attempt using regular food color-which made more of a grayish purple (ew!), i tried my gel food color, which actually had a purple. that one made a very purty shade of purple-yay!! that cake was yummy too.

so now we are coming up on st. patrick's day, the 17th and mine and bilbo's wedding anniversary, the 18th. if you have been reading this blog for a year now, then you already know of this family's fondness for corned beef and cabbage.

the traditional dinner will once again be served but we will have some dinner guests who have never had it before. (we're secretly hoping they don't like it, cuz then it's MORE FOR US!!) and i have a dessert planned that i'm hoping will top last year's rainbow cake. it is my own amazing creation so you know ya wanna see it!! i will be sure to take lots of pictures and bore all of you with them here. stay tuned folks...

grateful today:
1. for peace and quiet
2. for mary, our computer genius (forgot to say that last time!)
3. for kaye and t.willie reading in the next room

recovering from a virus

2011-03-03T14:00:00.000-06:00

just been resting and taking it easy after the virus this past week.

oh, not me, my computer!! yeah, apparently, my computer had a virus. but my friend, mary is a genius with computer viruses. so we are up and running again after just a short down time.

it's times like this that remind me how much i love my computer. i know, i know- can a person really love their computer? well, i am here to tell you, that, yes, yes they can!! my computer and i have had many wonderful adventures together. such as:

i remember back when bilbo and i were on the south beach diet, computer and i made many searches for menus, recipes and guidelines. then there was the time i was really interested in herbs, we did much research together. and, another time, i was heavily into downloading fonts (okay, i am still a font fanatic!). computer and i also search for recipes, music, quotes, exercise and other tips. and the amount of time we spend looking at crafts and decorating sites is very very numerous!

oh, the fun times we have had! so many memories! i am happy and grateful to have my computer back and feeling well again. i hope you and your computer are doing fine also...

here's a face for ya:

have a splendiferous weekends folks!

just one word-- ritalin?

2011-02-25T20:52:00.001-06:00

so in love with this kid-three year old jonathan (although, he's probably 4 by now!) conducting a beethoven symphony. how awesome is he!?! wish i had just one iota of his energy!!
turn up the sound and go full screen- *enjoy*

grateful:
1. for my sewing machine
2. for my microwave heated rice bag (neck pain anyone?)
3. for blogs that keep me laughing

my pal val is a talented gal

2011-02-23T14:09:00.000-06:00

i have been hanging out at "paper and cookies", the awesome blog of val for awhile now. she is a paper crafter, like me. but, unlike me, she makes stuff all the time, every week! check out her blog- her cards and scrapbook layouts are beautiful! i like to click on each of her images and enlarge them to really see how amazing her work is.

also, unlike me, val has had her work published in popular crafts magazines and is on the design teams of several online sites and blogs. check out her resume here.she is HUGELY talented, because, not only is she a great paper artist, but she is also a wonderful cookie artist! yes, she decorates cookies beautifully too.

i have gotten to know val a bit through her blog, my blog and facebook. she is a fellow "jersey gal" (yes, i'm in tennessee now) and lives not far from where i grew up. she's friendly and funny and a real busy mom of two. go check out her blog and tell her aurorafedora sent ya!!

grateful today for :
1. my new craft room
2. chocolate
3. internet friends

feelin' the LOVE??

2011-02-20T21:05:00.000-06:00

so, okay...back in november, after our big thanksgiving dinner, someone mentioned that it would be great to have thanksgiving EVERY month. now, we at the hellhole do like eating so there was agreement all around about what a great idea this was. of course, there was a big holiday meal (or two) in december, but we somehow missed january.

with it being february, valentine's day seemed to be the next logical time to have our monthly "thanksgiving" dinner. but, alas, some family members had to work last weekend, so we had our "valentine'sgiving dinner" last night. usually big meals are served at my mom and dad's house. but we felt these milder holiday meals should take place at the hellhole.

there were eight of us, five jensens and three "adopted" family members.kaye and elle and i decorated the table. i had also made cupcake flag picks for the lemon cupcakes (a family favorite). the menu was ham, pineapple casserole (another family favorite passed down from my grandmother), green beans, and the broccoli casserole and dinner rolls that misty brought.

the three kids running around made for some chaos while i was finishing up the cooking. kaye and misty were working on something on the computer in my new craft room (blog post coming up). bilbo had just purchased a flat- screen tv and was focusing on that while the mayhem reigned. nothing comes between a man and his tv, apparently!! needless to say, i was a tad bit harried!!!

but the food was good, the company was good and eventually, the kids were good! just another wild night at the hellhole.
*********************************************************************************
pineapple casserole recipe:

1/2 c softened margarine or butter
1/2 c sugar
4 eggs
1 lb. 4oz. can crushed pineapple
5 slices bread, cubed
cinnamon
* lightly cream the margarine and the sugar. add the eggs and beat well. pour in the pineapple and it's juice, blend well. fold in the cubed bread.sprinkle lightly with cinnamon. bake at 350 F. in a greased casserole dish until golden. YUM!!
*********************************************************************************
lemon cupcake recipe

take a box of white cake mix. prepare as directed on box. bake as cupcakes- makes 24. let cool completely.
prepare a box of lemon pudding and chill. meanwhile, cut a small indentation (hole) out of each cupcake, reserving all the hole tops. spoon in a small amount of pudding and gently place each top back on, don't press down. dust with powdered sugar and serve to grateful guests.

grateful:
1. for good food
2. for the full moon on a clear night
3. for family who loves me

the bees knees

2011-02-15T21:51:00.001-06:00

i know, i know- i haven't been around here lately. i have been sick with a cold and busy moving and rearranging my life- both in my home and in my head!

rooms are changing their purposes and we have been seriously purging and clearing out a LOT of junk from the hellhole. it's all good!

one fun thing we have done this week is to make these paper mache bumblebee valentine boxes. our friend misty and her two children, kaye, t.willie and i worked on these over the weekend. misty's son made his to enter in a class contest and won "most creative". i am very proud since they were my ingenious idea! haha, modest, i know...

grateful today for:
1. misty in our lives
2. the clearing of the junk---WAY overdo
3. the awesomely beautiful sunset this evening

wordless wednesday

2011-02-09T21:30:00.001-06:00

i'm a failure!!!

2011-02-08T19:59:00.000-06:00

okay, i admit it, i have failed you all! my last post announced a countdown to my blogiversary, then no countdown happened, and now it's THE DAY of my blogiversary and i have NO plan!!! i have been wracking my brain as to what i could offer as a drawing prize but i have come up empty-headed!!! hahaha get it?

anyway, this is to say, i am still working on it. the bleak winter months seem to make me gloomy and addlepated.
please just keep hangin' with me...i'll come up with some great idea, i just KNOW i will!

grateful:
1. for you, you awesome blog readers!
2. for orange circus peanuts that cheer me up
3. for magazines in my mailbox

count down to my blogiversary- 6 days to go!

2011-02-02T20:13:00.001-06:00

i can't believe it! on february 8th, i will have been blogging about the hellhole for one whole year!! who'da thunk i could keep at it that long- not me, that's for sure!! in the beginning, i tried to post EVERY day! silly me. i pooped out after a short while and realized, that is just too often. my life is not that exciting to write about every day! so i started posting more irregularly, whenever i felt the inspiration hit me. that's what seems to work. like the outback steakhouse slogan- no rules, just right!!
so here it is,a year later and time for a celebration. i have been wanting to do a blogiversary give-away, but i don't know what to give! hmmm, will have to think about it and get back to ya....
stay tuned....joanne

he's such a BOY!

2011-02-01T20:26:00.001-06:00

t.willie attended a little friend's 6th birthday party on sunday. the party was at a small community center with a small playground. luckily, the weather was pretty mild because all he wanted to do was play outside.

there were many kids there, of varying ages and sizes. t.w. didn't care much whether anyone paid any attention to him or not. he was content to dig with sticks, pick up handfuls of mulch, stomp in the mud and collect acorns.

he did enjoy the few pieces of playground equipment that were available. and soon, found a little girl about his age to play with. morgan was 4 and much less wild than the older boys who were chasing each other around.

here is the conversation as they were climbing onto a tree stump::

he- can you climb all the way up little girl?
me- t.w., her name is morgan.
she- that's ok, he can call me little girl because i am a little girl actually.

hahaha too funny! i remember when t.w. went through his "actually" phase. every sentence he said was peppered with "actually". apparently, this was where morgan was at, she must have said it ten times!

i was proud to see t.w. playing so well with another kid. he can sometimes be the bully. although, at one point, he was running after morgan with a stick-turned-gun and saying "pow pow pow"! but she was laughing so i guess that's okay!

grateful today :
1. still and again for my massage therapist, jennifer
2. for my hubby-STILL!
3. for the bread i pulled out of the freezer, which came from new jersey this past summer and was delicious with our hot, homemade soup

bahama mama??

2011-01-29T12:30:00.001-06:00

so, we returned thursday from our bahama cruise. five days away from the hellhole. away from the every day stresses. away from t.willie and bilbo baggins and buster the wonder dog...

five days with "the gals"- to be silly and laugh so hard our stomachs hurt. five days to eat and EAT all that bountiful cruise food. five days to breathe sea air and relax and u.n.w.i.n.d .

but here is what i want to say- although all that was nice, i am happy to be back home. what i discovered is, i am not a cruise kinda gal. i was overwhelmed by the crowds and the glitz and lights and shine of the cruise ship. the noise and activity was a bit much for this "home gal".

nassau-was not impressed

my ideal vacation would be a plane ride to a nice hotel and sitting on a beach reading a book (or two)for a few days. yes, now THAT would be a real retreat from the chaos of the hellhole!!

this beach at half moon cay-was INCREDIBLE!! (photo courtesy of grace)

i do thank my mom and grace for the experience. it WAS fun and we DID laugh--a LOT!!
but, alas, the only shipboard romance i had was the one with the dessert display!!

i was here! (photo courtesy of grace)

grateful today for:

1. being back home with my family
2. warmer weather here at home
3. MY OWN BED!!

picture me HERE!!!!

2011-01-21T15:18:00.000-06:00

well, i have had enough of winter, i'm heading out in the morning for a cruise to the bahamas! my mom, her friend, my sister and i will have five (hopefully) glorious, relaxing days on board a carnival cruise ship. we will leave this behind:

for something like this:

so, sorry to tell ya-there won't be a new blog post for a few days...
just picture me HERE!

when the HELLhole freezes over...

2011-01-13T21:28:00.002-06:00

...it looks something like this:

and this

but also like this

and this

yes, sad but true, mr. snow's face is falling off!

grateful today:

1. for the week-long snow

2. for birds at my feeders

3. for warm stew in a warm home

how very unfortunate

2011-01-09T20:21:00.001-06:00

so, a short while ago, i had been to a blog that alerted me to this fun tidbit:
do you know that if you go up to the google search engine and type in the word "unfortunately" and your name- like this- "unfortunately, joanne", it will give you many responses starting with those two words?! i know, i just had to try it. some of the responses are kind of dull but most are pretty funny and some are down right hilarious!

**remember, these are NOT my answers, i have NOT changed anything, this is NOT actually about me and i am JUST fine! what follows are some of the responses i liked best:

ok, here is the bad news:

Unfortunately, Joanne's pre-marital bliss is ended by a devastating earthquake in Florida.

Unfortunately, Joanne's going to have to do it without her Djinn-turned-lover, who remains behind in the hands of her enemies.

Unfortunately Joanne's interest in C&W dancing was way ahead of the rest of us. She was too far ahead of the pack for this group to tolerate. ...

Unfortunately Joanne was forced off the road by a rather large lorry and ploughed through quite a few cones.

Unfortunately, Joanne was the last person to consult with when you were in need of some sound advice, because she was forever going off on these tangents ...

Unfortunately, Joanne & I got carded cause the new lady that worked there has a stick up her ass or something…

Unfortunately, Joanne is right. Here's the deal. Splenda DOES have calories -- four calories per packet!

Unfortunately Joanne did not do her research into the operation which has caused a lot of other patients a number of complications and has even caused some ...

Unfortunately, Joanne had not gotten enough Spanish lessons, and realized much later that loco was the masculine form of crazy, and that the screen name was ...

Unfortunately, Joanne has moved to Arizona, so I had to find another blonde to fill her place. (You've seen one blonde, you've seen 'em all ~smirk~)

what the...??

Unfortunately Joanne, with a fish that old it is hard to tell if you can fix it.

Unfortunately Joanne said the statistics were much worse for cats, with 408 cats impounded, 44 reclaimed and 17 rehoused. ...

Unfortunately, Joanne doesn't let her more frisky self out very often. She likes to keep her kittens caged. To those who don't know her, ...

Unfortunately Joanne was hanging onto the the nearest object that would hold her, which was a bystander's hiking boot. ...

But unfortunately , Joanne's camera is spoilt because she left it on the floor and someone stepped on it when we were playing.

Unfortunately, Joanne has been neglecting her shamanic studies for many months, so now that she needs them, she's on a crash course

Unfortunately, JoAnne and I forgot the fact that most anime fans are all-nighters and end up stuck in their beds until 11 am or so. ...

Unfortunately, Joanne had to witness all of the gooey stuff. “Ugh, I think I will be leaving now. Don't need to see my own nephew trying to get it on!

my decline:

Unfortunately, Joanne's bullying demands verge on the unbelievable.

Unfortunately, Joanne was heading in the opposite direction. She began drinking, which tore apart our relationship. The divorce hit hard. ...

Unfortunately, Joanne hit a rut and took a tumble. Thank god there weren't any cliffs at that part. She got quite a nasty cut on her right knee, ...

Unfortunately, Joanne's mobility had declined rapidly and she needed to use a wheelchair

Unfortunately, Joanne learned the hard way that keeping a tan at all costs can end up costing a person their life.

Unfortunately, Joanne is injured in a bombing masterminded by a group of white supremacists led by Tim Porter

and finally, my demise:

Unfortunately, Joanne passed away in March 2009. The book club participants pooled their money together and purchased a selection of ...

Unfortunately, Joanne died only a few weeks later. This gave Jean-Paul the idea to publicly announce his homosexuality, hoping that as a former Olympic ...

Unfortunately, Joanne passed away on 29 November, 2009. She now is watching us wistfully from Valhalla

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

i have to say, i had way too much fun with this! and i know, you're all saying "boy that gal has way too much time on her hands!" but if you find yourself with some time to kill, try it yourself. you may find that your Djinn-turned lover remains behind in the hands of your enemies or that your bullying demands verge on the unbelievable or that, even now, you are watching wistfully from valhalla!!

have fun!

i know but i don't know

2011-01-07T19:58:00.007-06:00

so, in monday's post, i asked those of you who visited my blog to leave a comment. in the comment, you were to tell me how you found me and, for fun, to count the "subliminal" messages in the text. well, i have to say, i am somewhat disappointed. those of you who did leave comments (and i LOVE ya for it!) are the same friends and family who i already knew about, who i know how you found me and who comment regularly.

i am still very much in the dark about how all the other folks who supposedly visit, find me. maybe maploco really is loco and it tells me i have more visitors than i do!!! so, fine.........i'm taking a cleansing breath here............i'm letting it go. i am just going to be grateful for those of you who take the time to check out my blog every day or so, and to leave a comment to tell me what you think. it really means a lot to me. a LOT. because, as you guys know, i have no life. this blog is it!

okay, 'nuff said. i've made ya wait through all my ramblings and now it's time to tell ya who t.willie chose as the winners of the three necklaces. (yes mom, i did put your name in!)
and just remember- you are ALL winners to me!

1. val
2. emily
3. gail (who left me an email)

and also, i have a fourth necklace that is going to my friend jerd, who was the ONLY commenter to count up the subliminal messages!! woo hoo, good for you, jerd, you followed directions and had all the fun! ha!

YAY! so happy for you gals, they really are neat pieces of jewelry with a great message to "cultivate peace" in our world. please send me an email aurorafedora01@yahoo.com with your mailing addresses and i will get these right out to you.

grateful today:

1. for YOU guys!
2. for the chance to do something creative and make a poster
3. for children's tylenol, that takes away t.w's fever (wish him well, he's got the crud!)

how in the WORLD did you find my blog??

2011-01-03T19:27:00.007-06:00

today, with the approach of my one year blogiversary (next month), i would like to ask you- my loyal visitors- how you managed to find my blog. according to my maploco map (in the side bar), i have had 6,425 all time visitors since i added the map to my blog. that number astounds and amazes me!

now, if you have ever clicked on my map, you will see that just over 1000 of those are from sparta, my town. ok, so even if ya throw them out, that's STILL over 5000 visitors! hoo-wee, that still impresses me.

but, as happy as i am to think that that many folks have been to/read my silly stuff, i have to wonder HOW IN THE WORLD did they find me?

so, here is the favor i want to ask all of you who read this particular post-----
PLEASE leave a comment or send me an email (aurorafedora01@yahoo.com), and tell me how you found my blog.

as an added bit of fun, tell me how many subliminal messages you found.
hint: count up all the bold print words

make sure you leave an email address where i can contact you. and in my next blog post, i will put all the names into a hat and have t.willie choose three names. those lucky people will

win one of these pretty little necklaces. these were purchased from the hunger site. they depict the world with a peace sign on one side and say "cultivate peace" on the other. they hang from a silver-tone chain.

i will announce the winners friday night.

so please please please leave me a message and spread the word...
thanks...joanne

2010-- BE GONE!!

2010-12-29T20:24:00.003-06:00

all things considered, this past year was not so bad. that is, if ya don't consider the complete meltdown of just about all our appliances (most recently-my printer), that the ants are STILL residing in our home, that i'm still cleaning up cat and dog messes on a regular basis, that i'm still fighting it out between food and my body and that the hellhole is no more organized than it was a year ago.

but....on the other hand, i have five more fingers!

ha! no, really, on the other hand, my life is pretty good. for instance:

1. no more diapers at the hellhole

2. t.willie no longer takes a nap every day but when he does, he no longer strips naked or demolishes his room

3. kaye's health/life is getting straightened out

4. elle has settled in to her new hours and position at work

5. bilbo's job is secure, as opposed to many many folks who have been laid off

6. i will be going on a cruise to the bahamas next month

7. replaced hated bagless vacuum with a bagged vacuum that i love, and if you vacuumed every day, this would be a biggie for you too!

8. i have pets who give me companionship and unconditional love

9. i have gotten reacquainted with old friends via facebook

10. and most importantly, i have the love and support of my family

so, yes, things could be better, but- they could be worse, much worse! i am lucky and i know it.
good bye 2010--hello 2011!!
i hope this new year brings us all amazing things.

happy new year to all of you, my faithful bloggy friends!

all about him

2010-12-27T11:51:00.012-06:00

no, i don't mean the baby jesus, although, i know he's
the "reason for the season".

this is what OUR christmas was about...

click on the image to view larger

i hope you have had a wonderful holiday filled with great surprises.
have a happy new year too!!

the elf on the shelf---AS IF!!!!

2010-12-22T20:18:00.008-06:00

so, in the past few months (and for years and years), there has been much hoo ha over the book "elf on the shelf". if you don't know the story, it's about an elf who is sent down from the north pole every night to watch the children of a household and to report back to santa on their behavior. now, i know, there may be some easily intimidated children out there who will think twice before misbehaving knowing that an elf is on the lookout. but t.willie is not one of them. oh no, he would soon realize that he is bigger than that silly little elf and, he is smart enough to misbehave in a room other than the one said elf is occupying.

no, it would take more than that elf to make t.w. be good. i was pondering on just what creature would be intimidating enough to keep him in line and i think i have it......

introducing: the OGRE at KROGER

yes, the elf may be the spy of toddlers, but the ogre is the informant for unruly preschoolers everywhere! and i'm not talking about a lovable shrek-type ogre. no, i am thinking mean and nasty, an ogre of nightmarish proportions! just imagine, you are busily strolling along the aisles of your grocery store, scanning your list, looking for the best buys, when that kid in the seat of your cart starts whining and carrying on for ________________(insert whatever your kids whine or beg for).

haha! no problem! you just calmly point over to the frozen food section, where, standing there picking his giant, warty nose, is the biggest, ugliest looking ogre you have ever seen. you say, in your sweetest voice, "hmm, i wonder if that ogre has eaten today?" the big gulp coming from your child is music to your ears, as you know the whining will cease at once.

or imagine this scene: you are strolling down the grocery aisle when your little darling wets himself and smugly says "oops", while smiling at you because he did it on purpose. "hey, don't worry", you tell him, "there's mister ogre to take you to the bathroom to get cleaned up." oh, those "accidents" will never happen again!

so, moms everywhere, check out your nearest swamp or bridge (for that is where ogres live), and see if you can find an ogre looking for some seasonal work. set him up at your neighborhood grocery store and i promise, the next time the check-out clerk asks your kid if she wants a sticker, she will sit right up straight and answer "no thank you, mam!"

grateful:
1. that t.w. is really actually quite a good boy when we're shopping
2. that he has never wet himself since being out of diapers
3. that the ogre i know is really very nice and answers to the name of bilbo(hee hee)

the elves strike again!

2010-12-20T15:26:00.006-06:00

when i saw this cartoon, i had to laugh, it looks a LOT like our tree!

although our elves were three and five years old, named t.willie and haley. and very cute. and quick. and pushy. and giddy with the power of "tree expression".

yeah, i let them just do what they wanted. unfortunately, i have no pictures of the little elves because i was exhausted at the time. do you see that spot at the middle (about half way up) the tree? where there is some ornament congestion? that's because they dragged a chair over and took turns adding ornaments RIGHT THERE!

look very closely here, at the bottom branches of the tree....LOTS of ornaments!!!!

i am usually very picky about my tree but this way was a lot more relaxing for ME! at one point, haley decided to move away from the tree and was hanging things randomly around the room.

oh, but they had fun and it was fun to watch them. kids and christmas- it doesn't get any better than that.

naughty or nice??

2010-12-16T20:56:00.005-06:00

ok, let's talk three year olds. i had a three year old once, who was lucky to survive her third year. she was such a trial to her mother, that, i am not ashamed to admit it, she literally brought me to tears on more than one occasion. yes, she was stubborn and strong-willed and already, in her third year of life, was sure she knew more than me.

now there is another three year old in my life- the first one's son, who makes his mom seem like a meek and mild piece of cake! if she was able to bring me to tears, he will most assuredly cause my undoing by a) leading me to drink excessively b) causing me to repeatedly bang my head against a brick wall until i am senseless c) cause me to run away and join the foreign legion or d) all of the above.

t.willie is stubborn, strong-willed, ABSOLUTELY sure he knows more than me, full of cocky attitude, mean, insolent, determined, and obstinate. he talks back, he is mean to his pets, kicks his teacher and pokes his classmates in their eyes. he daily tells one of us to "shut up" and, just yesterday, told me "i don't want to and i don't care!" he exasperates me on a daily basis and will not listen to me when i am telling him to do (or NOT to do) something.

yes! all of this is true! but the thing is, he can also be the opposite of all those things. at times, he is sweet, loving, funny, helpful, compliant and fun. he will ask to help me wash dishes, will beg his pop to help work in the yard, will listen intently when you explain how something works and will kiss and hug his pets...when he feels like it. he is intelligent, inquisitive, witty, clever and the best hugger around. he is like a celebrity at our local wal-mart because none of the checkers have ever seen him being other than happy and smiling and friendly.

so, how can one small boy be all these things? i'm sure i don't know but santa is going to be hard-pressed to decide between coal or toys. i can just see him, standing in front of the tree on christmas eve, scratching his head in indecision. "hmm", he'll say, "naughty? nice? naughty? nice?" and then he'll just flip a coin and see where it lands. i sure don't envy the guy!

grateful:
1. that three year olds eventually become four year olds
2. that stubbornness and determination can be attributes later on
3. that santa has to make the tough decision and not me!

fisher and price

2010-12-13T19:48:00.009-06:00

many moons ago, when i was in 4th grade, i met a little gal named nancy jane. now, nancy jane was nice and sweet but best of all, she was an only child (cue the hallelujah chorus). i was the third child in a family of four children and what i really wanted to be was ALONE! ok, not all the time, but mostly when the others were teasing me or when i wanted mom to myself or when i wanted more than my share of devil dogs or when i was tired of sharing a bedroom.

so, yeah, nancy had the whole shebang to herself- her parents, her room, all the devil dogs, all the toys and even a really cool playhouse in the back yard. oh, and no siblings to tease her. so, needless to say, i thought nancy was SO lucky and pretty much wanted to be her.

but the best thing about nancy jane, besides being nancy jane, were her toys. she seemed to have a LOT of toys, all the toys i wanted anyway. (see this blog post) the best of the best were her fisher-price little people toys. she had 'em all- the camper, the house, the houseboat, the ferris wheel, the farm, the jet, the school, whatever- a whole fisher-price village!!!

and i know, right about now, you are thinking "wait, didn't she say they met in 4th grade? isn't that, like, too old for fisher-price little people?" and, okay, ordinarily i would agree, but in this case, since we are talking about me, i would say "no, no it is not!" because for some reason, nance and i just clicked when it came to the fisher-price thing. it also was kind of fate because my last name was fis(c)her and hers was, okay, not price but she maybe wished it was! so when we played, i was fisher (go figure) and she was price and that's how we addressed each other while we were playing. and this did not seem weird or strange to us, although i do remember getting some teasing about the whole fisher-price thing when my older sis found out.

me(on the left with freckles) and nancy jane

fast forward many years to our 20 year high school reunion. when joanne fischer and nancy jane (not price) met up again, what did they talk about? their fond memories of that long ago time of innocence and the hours spent playing fisher and price. and it still did not seem weird or strange.

here's to ya, nance!!

merry christmas from the jensens
bilbo, joanne, kaye, elle, t.willie and buster

grateful today for:
1. snow!
2. fond memories
3. once again having a chance to play with those fisher-price friends

visions of sugar plum

2010-12-10T19:16:00.006-06:00

no, not that kind!

i'm talking about this kinda sugar plum-funny, sweet, clever food blogger emily hobbs. i have been following em's blog for some time now and she is a hoot! still in her early twenties, she creates her own recipes and some have even gotten her recognition. she competed on food network's ultimate recipe showdown, as well as many other contests. she wins some, she does not win others, but she is a real winner when it comes to personality. she shares more than just her recipes, she shares her life- which includes boyfriend, eric.

recently, emily was chosen as a finalist in midwest living's "best of the midwest" recipe contest. emily will be representing her home state of missouri. she is a wonderful baker and she has a real chance of winning the $10,000 grand prize. the competition is tonight and i just want you all to send her some positive vibes.

please, if you like cooking and especially baking, (and even if ya don't) check out emily's blog, you will thank me for it!

grateful:
1. for humor
2. for internet friends
3. for the aroma of warm baked goods

my childhood christmas list

2010-12-07T20:21:00.009-06:00

my childhood christmas list was a mile long. no kidding. i wanted it all. i waited around in early november for the sears catalog wish book to arrive. i'd quickly sneak it away to my room like an addict with his next hit. oh, i'd be drooling before i even turned back the cover, just anticipating all the wonders inside. i'd pore over the slick pages with a pen at the ready, circling all the treasures i wanted santa to bring.

when mom finally got around to asking for our lists to santa, somewhere in early december, i was READY!! my list was the picture of organization. each item was written down with item number, page number and full description. i didn't want santa to mess up and bring me the wrong toys.

my younger sister, on the other hand, would ask for a stuffed animal or two. that's it! two silly stuffed animals! what a fool, i thought, she's missing her chance at the riches from santa's wishbook...i mean workshop! what's wrong with her???

my older sister and brother had lists too, i suppose, but i don't remember much about them. because, let's face it, it was all about ME!

but when christmas morning FINALLY came, santa brought all kinds of presents for them and most of what i asked for too. the christmases of my childhood were always magical, always filled with family and toys and fun. just as a child's christmas should be.

when our two girls were young, i tried to bring that special magic to their christmas holidays. they were good girls and i loved playing santa. and now, with t.willie, i'd like that element of enchantment to be his too. but maybe with less of a focus on the material gains and more on the spirit of giving and goodwill.

nah, who am i kidding? it's still all about the toys.
and maybe i'll even let him play with some!

here are some of my faves from way back when:

barbies and all their stuff

coloring books and crayons

play doh

paper dolls
colorforms

dolls

school supplies for playing school

pretty dresses

art supplies

feel free to send this list to santa...

sometimes he drives me crazy

2010-11-30T11:56:00.007-06:00

this guy!

and sometimes he just drives crazy! bilbo that is.

i was thinking about his driving skills this morning as i kissed him good bye. rain was pouring down like crazy and i told him to drive carefully. he answered "i will, i'm not a maniac! well, sex maniac, maybe!" ha! true 'nuff! (wink wink)

but when he said the word maniac, it reminded me of a trip we took to the airport one time. because maniac applied to his driving on this wild ride!! my aunt was going to new jersey and we had volunteered to take her. but for some reason, we were running late. i don't remember why... anyway, bilbo drove like a bat outta hell down the interstate, swerving in and around other cars. speeding up, slowing down suddenly, speeding up again. my aunt and i were hanging on with white knuckles and faces tight with anxiety. it didn't help that there was some sort of detour and we had to drive through a town bilbo was not familiar with. as he was doing his evil knievel driving, he was also on his cell phone with a friend getting alternate directions to the airport.

it was inevitable that, given my peanut-sized bladder and the hour and a half long trip, i would need a rest stop. inevitable. anyone that knows anything about me knows i can be counted on to need the use of the facilities on any and all car trips. but the challenge of getting to the airport in time for auntie's flight and taking an unfamiliar route took it's toll. bilbo zoomed into a seedy gas station. i raced in, did my thing and raced back to the car looking sheepish for my unstable bladder, knowing i had held us back a few minutes.

so after more crazy driving, we arrived at the airport, pulled up front and aunt fran ran in to check on her flight. bilbo ran after her with her luggage and i waited in the car. a few minutes later, here they both come walking slowly and calmly out of the airport doors. bilbo still carrying the luggage. they get back in the car and fran says, "i missed the flight by eight minutes." yes, you guessed it, the exact time my pee stop had taken. it was ALL my fault!

so, driving much more leisurely, we left the airport to go eat somewhere. the next flight was an hour or so later. we felt a little disappointed but fran and i started talking about the "ride from hell" we had just been on. we were laughing and teasing bilbo, and at one point, aunt fran said "i'm not even catholic but i was chanting a rosary!!" and i said "yeah, i was praying to any and all gods that would listen to just let us survive the trip!" bilbo was just shaking his head and reminded us that if it weren't for my bladder, he would have gotten us there on time.

and he was right. he is actually a very skilled and quick-thinking driver, having honed his driving skills growing up at the jersey shore. that, and having to travel long distances at times, for his job. there have been many times while we were traveling on the interstates, that other drivers would have caused an accident if not for bilbo's quick reflexes and road knowledge. i remember one time, a big tractor trailer truck ran us off the road. he had cut right in front of us, obviously not checking his mirrors. bilbo had to swerve sharply onto the tight shoulder and swerve back onto the road after the truck had passed. it was a very terrifying moment and afterwards, it took us some time to get our breath back and for our hearts to beat normally.

it is at times like that, that i thank my lucky stars for the "crazy" driver next to me. he can take me to the airport anytime!

grateful:
1. obviously, for my crazy-driving hubby
2. for the great thanksgiving holiday our family had
3. for friends old and new

good food was had by all

2010-11-26T09:32:00.006-06:00

thanksgiving. what can ya say that hasn't already been said? it is a great american holiday (although i know canada has a thanksgiving). our holiday consisted of LOTS of food and family camaraderie. it was mom, dad, me, bilbo, elle, kaye and her friend misty and her two kids and t.willie.

we have this vintage set of turkey dishes from my mom's aunt and uncle. they had always hosted thanksgiving when we were growing up, and those dishes were something special to me. it would simply not be the same holiday without them! well, as big as those plates are, they were not big enough yesterday!!

here is a shot of my plate before i dug in!

i, myself, had made corn casserole, green beans with mushrooms, crock pot sweet potatoes, pineapple casserole (a family tradition), two pumpkin pies, pecan cranberry pie and a flourless chocolate cake. mom made turkey with stuffing, gravy, ham, a ginormous bowl of mashed potatoes, creamed onions, and cranberry relish. there was also cole slaw, olives, crescent rolls and rye bread. and misty brought an awesome broccoli casserole. oh yeah, we ate BIG TIME!

the three kids had their own table in the living room (in front of the tv). it's safe to say that they were the reason behind the dog having a full bowl after dinner. kids just never seem to eat much at big meals like this. i think all t.w. ate was his roll, the boy loves his bread!

bilbo about to chow down

oh, we were so stuffed! i hope you all had a great day too.

grateful for:
1. family
2. friends
3. dessert

the cheese stands alone.

2010-11-22T21:02:00.003-06:00

you folks that have been following along for at least the last couple months may recall that my daughter, kaye, and i had embarked on a gluten free/dairy free adventure in october. this experiment was to see if maybe some or all of our stomach issues could be helped by avoiding these two food groups.

well, it has been a difficult six weeks, with ups and downs, good times and bad. i have bought grocery items i had never even heard about until i researched alternative grains and gluten free baking options- such as sorghum flour and egg replacer. i have bought the most disgusting ready-made GF bread and $5 GF bread mixes to avoid the aforementioned loaf. kaye and i have sat idly by while the rest of the family has partaken in ice cream, pizza and bagels with cream cheese. sigh...

but, when all is said and done, i have to admit that avoiding gluten was much easier than avoiding dairy. at least, here, in our rural area of middle tennessee, where we don't have a large choice of grocery stores stocking specialty items- gluten free choices win out. i have had far more luck replacing our usual bread/grain items for GF ones than i have replacing dairy for non-dairy/casein free foods.

you may not know this about me, but i LIVE for cheese. melted cheese-even better. any pasta dish covered in melted mozzarella, pizza, cheese sticks, yummy whole grain crackers with little slices of gouda, cheesy broccoli or potato soups, a steaming bowl of french onion soup with melted swiss draped over the edge and a grilled cheese sandwich with tomato and oregano can absolutely make me moan. ask my mom, she'll confirm.

so, i must now confess- i have failed the dairy free portion of this experiment. i kissed a pizza last night and i liked it.

the cheese stands alone.

grateful:
1. for the full moon because it has brought forth some good changes
2. for people who love your children even if they don't have to
3. for crises that bring positive outcomes
the cheese stands alone.

and now, time for your favorite soap opera-

2010-11-17T20:46:00.004-06:00

"how the nose runs"

t.willie has been sick since last thursday night. he has a cold-complete with running nose, watery eyes and a loose gravelly cough. he has had a fever on and off and he is very sad and pitiful. his nose is getting red from wiping and his voice is hoarse and gruff. and did i mention he is very sad and pitiful?

won't you please wish him a speedy recovery?
thanks, i knew you would! :)

indian summer in tennessee

2010-11-12T16:15:00.016-06:00

it has been unseasonably warm here, temps in the high 70's to 80's during the day. the sky has been clear and blue, gorgeous weather. the trees have lost a lot of their leaves and the ground is covered. this afternoon, bilbo went out with the leaf blower to pile them up. and, of course, any time bilbo goes out, he is followed by his little shadow.

after a short while, a BIG pile had been created and it was time for our favorite autumn tradition- throwing t.w. into the leaf pile! ...okay, well, this is only the second year, but it WILL be a tradition!

so, i'll LEAVE you with this:

grateful for:
1. indian summer
2. simple fun
3. meatloaf and mashed potatoes

wordless wednesday

2010-11-10T20:33:00.002-06:00

photo by me
burgess falls state park, tn
click on image for larger view

yes, ANOTHER video!!

2010-11-08T11:07:00.002-06:00

today is my dear hubby's birthday and in honor of this festive occasion- enjoy!

happy birthday, dear bilbo baggins, happy birthday to you!

grateful today:
1. for a husband who has stood by me no matter what craziness i have subjected him to
2. for a husband who has been a wonderful father no matter what craziness we have subjected him to
3. for a husband who is a superior grandfather no matter what craziness he is subjected to

reminder: don't forget to be silly

2010-11-07T17:30:00.004-06:00

stumbled upon this video of the ellen show...love it!

UP-side-down-DATES

2010-11-05T20:30:00.003-05:00

1. i have lost two pounds since kaye and i embarked on our gluten free/dairy free diet. unfortunately, kaye doesn't seem to be feeling any better, but i have had fewer stomach issues.
2. t.willie no longer poops in his diaper in the morning, nor does he even wear a diaper at night.
3. we are STILL getting tomatoes from our amazing plants.
4. i have already gotten bored with facebook.
5. i still haven't eaten fast food since my september 1st resolution.
6. t.w. is doing great at preschool. although he seems to be the "mean kid" of his class!

i am grateful for:
1. no more diapers and no more morning poopage!
2. colder weather and soups and hot chocolate and snow flurries
3. a warm dog at my feet

the appliance reliance defiance alliance

2010-11-02T18:14:00.005-05:00

okay, i know that man has come a long way since the discovery of fire and the cooking of food over a flame. and, yes, i do think we are in a better place than our ancestors, those brave souls who traveled by covered wagon over treacherous terrain, to begin a new life.

like an episode of little house on the prairie, those pioneers had to endure long, tedious days. days on end of cutting wood, making a fire and tending it, growing food, preparing food, cleaning up with water brought from a water source a long distance away, that had to be heated over that same fire. okay, i know all that, i appreciate all the improvements and comforts of modern life. i do.

but ya know, sometimes those modern conveniences can just turn around and kick us in the ass, so to speak. yeah, you KNOW what i mean! like, for instance, since april, we at the ole hellhole have had to replace:

a) our washer
b) our dryer
c) our hot water heater
d) our vacuum
and now
e) our freezer

WTF??!! i feel there is a time we just have to stand up and say "holy mother of elvis, i've had enough and i'm not gonna take it anymore!!!" yeah, yeah, that's right, i'm mad as hell and i'm not gonna take it anymore! can i get a HELL YEAH?? who's with me??

if you would like to join me in the appliance reliance defiance alliance, leave a comment and i will forward it to your congressman. thank you and good day.

i'm aurorafedora and i approve this message.

about face!

2010-10-31T20:47:00.004-05:00

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

2010-10-28T19:56:00.007-05:00

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!

2010-10-25T22:14:00.020-05:00

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

2010-10-23T18:40:00.005-05:00

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!

2010-10-21T20:33:00.008-05:00

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

2010-10-18T18:43:00.011-05:00

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!

2010-10-15T19:19:00.003-05:00

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?

2010-10-13T15:50:00.003-05:00

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!

2010-10-11T19:30:00.006-05:00

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!!

2010-10-08T16:09:00.008-05:00

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

2010-10-06T18:37:00.003-05:00

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

2010-10-05T19:54:00.008-05:00

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

fire up the family fun

2010-10-03T19:07:00.017-05:00

saturday, we cleared some stuff out of the shed and sold most of it in an impromptu yard sale on the front lawn. gone went t.willie's crib, stroller, car seat, high chair and some toys. gone went an old desk and chair, a dog kennel, an animal trap, a set of old, used book cases bilbo had gotten from someone and a few more things.

later, bilbo dug out a tent he had bought from a friend last year. we had never opened it and looked at it. so, with the "help" of t.willie, we set it up out back. it's a great coleman tent that had never been used. t.w. LOVED it! he had to go inside and check it out right away. he liked all the zippers on the windows and door. he spent some time rolling back and forth across the floor. he also spent some time running around the outside and looking in each window at us. having the tent up inspired us to have a bonfire, so we planned one for the next day.

soooo, last night, we had a good old-fashioned wienie roast here at the hellhole. i had gotten the provisions earlier in the day- hot dogs, buns, long-handles forks and the makins' for smores. bilbo came home with a surprise fire pit. we'd been wanting one for a long time. the whole fam was psyched, already tasting those fire roasted hot dogs in our minds.

please note all the flattering mid-chewing shots! (not sure what kaye is doing-shooing away a bug or maybe practicing her miss america wave- you decide)

the sky all day had been clear and blue, so we knew it was going to be a beautiful evening. we had all gotten our plates full and sat down to eat, just as clouds starting moving over and the wind picked up! ugh! the fire flitted and sparked, but it was very cozy. before we could finish eating, the clouds had moved on and a million starts came out-yay!

the food, tasted so good and even though we were full, we had to have smores to finish off the meal. (i had two!) elle suddenly said she saw a shooting star and so we started looking for them. soon bilbo said he had seen one too. then elle got the idea to lay a sleeping bag out on the grass and lie down to stargaze. picture me, bilbo, t.w and elle all laying there(kaye had gone in) like sardines with another sleeping bag spread out over us. it was very cozy! t.w. kept saying, "this is too much fun!" it was really great to have a family evening together, spending time outside, laughing and having a good time. we rarely do that. and if t.willie has anything to say about it, i think we will be having more evenings like that one in the months to come.

it WAS too much fun!!
(i apologize for the poor quality of some of the pics. it was hard to get my camera to adjust to the dusk light and some pics were taken with bilbo's camera)

grateful:
1. for family
2. for fallish evenings
3. for food eaten outdoors

it's a wrap!

2010-09-30T19:45:00.008-05:00

photo source

hey, have you heard about yarn bombing?!

apparently it's all the rage all around the world. wikipedia describes the practice as : a type of graffiti or street art that employs colorful displays of knitted or crocheted cloth rather than paint or chalk.

here is a news video about a group in denver called the ladies fancywork society:

photo source

the idea is that, while painted graffiti is damaging and permanent, yarn bombing is non-damaging and temporary. some projects are large, such as this bus:

photo source

but most are small, like this pole:

photo source

a group of texas bloggers claim to have started the craze when trying to find creative ways to use their leftover and unfinished projects.

photo source

no matter where it came from, i think it's pretty cool!! check out each link to learn more.

copy CAT

2010-09-27T21:16:00.006-05:00

the other morning, t.willie tipped this chair over, climbed into the legs and said "take my picture gammie".

a short while later, i came into the room and found this:

too funny

grateful:
1. for the return of soup weather- we had split pea with ham tonight
2. for warranties on appliances- have to get a replacement part for my washing machine (that we bought in APRIL!)
3. for a husband with which to be goofy

the pain, oh the pain

2010-09-22T20:35:00.003-05:00

i woke up this morning totally unable to move my head without a whole lotta bad bad bad pain. it hurt, it really hurt! kaye called her chiropractor and got me in. the doctor assessed the situation and declared "wow! i haven't seen a neck this bad in a long time." yeah, i am an overachiever. anyway, i came home and had still been in about the same condition until five o'clock, when i remembered i had percocet left over from my recent oral surgery. i took one and laid down for a couple hours. here it is 8:40 and i feel A LOT better! i have quite a bit more movement and quite a bit less pain. YAY percocet!!!! man, i wished i had thought of it hours ago! anyhoo, i plan on feeling much better by tomorrow, and crossing "stiff neck" off my to-do list.

grateful:
1. for prescription drugs (sometimes!)
2. for kaye and bilbo in picking up the slack
3. for homemade 'smores, which have NOTHING to do with the above story, but i'm thankful for them, nontheless

wish this lady a happy birthday

2010-09-20T12:49:00.004-05:00

today, september 20th, is my mom's (susan's) birthday!

please visit her blog and wish her a happy one.

have a great day mom!

he's a trip, but he's no vacation!!

2010-09-15T11:21:00.004-05:00

trips:
1) so the other day, i had put t.willie down for a nap and settled in to snooze, myself. after a few minutes, i heard him playing. i went in and put him back in bed and told him firmly to go to sleep. a few minutes later, i heard him again. i repeated my instructions and told him if he got out of bed again, he would get a spanking. all was quiet for about 25 minutes and i assumed he was sleeping. suddenly, i heard his door opening and i was getting ready to get real mad, when he said, "gammie, it's bue-full day out! get up, get up!" oh my freakin' heck, how can you be mad at that??!!

2) we put up a baby gate at the end of our hallway every night, to keep the dog out of trouble. this morning, t.w. was standing at it, planning to crawl under it but buster was on the other side in his way. i heard him say "hup, two, free, four-go away buster!" he kills me.

3) this morning,t.w. emptied his toy box and put his pillow and a blanket down in it. he called me to his room and as he climbed in and curled up, he told me to cover him. so i got a blanket and started to tuck him in. "no, no gammie", he said "make me poof!" so then i realized he wanted me to cover the toy box itself. i said "poof, you're gone!!" and a little boy giggle came from under the blanket.

no vacation:
just before lunch, kaye told t.willie to pick up all his toys and put them back in his toy box. she gave him 10 minutes and i set the timer. he went in his room but didn't seem to be in any hurry to do the job. so kaye told him that when the timer went off, any toys left on the floor would go to another little boy. this did seem to worry t.w. a bit and he picked up a toy fishing net and started putting small items into it. he then dumped them into a container. then he filled the net again and before he could dump it in the toy box, he noticed some waffle blocks and started building with them. kaye impressed on him the need to hurry as the clock was ticking. he said "stop ticking clock", but still didn't put anything else away. meanwhile, i noticed the timer was on three minutes, so i added three more. there was still a huge pile of toys in the middle of the floor.

needless to say, after adding more minutes to the timer many times, it did finally beep and kaye put all the toys into a box, all the while t.w. was bawling and pleading and carrying on. as she attempted to go out the door to put it in her car, t.w. was clinging to her pant leg and screaming "no, mama, i'm sorry, no NOOOOOOOOO!" well, you get the idea. i took him and wiped his snotty nose and reminded him that he had plenty of time to do the job and plenty of warning of the consequences. he did eventually calm down and i thought he had forgotten all about it. i was at the sink washing dishes when he came over and hugged me. looking up he said, "gammie, will you help me get my toys out of mama's car?" oh, holy moly! somebody help me!!

grateful today:
1. for that crazy little boy who sometimes drives me crazy!
2. for the really cool spider who made his web just outside my window
3. that my vow to not eat any fast food this month has not been a problem and i don't even miss it

a FAIRly great time

2010-09-13T07:41:00.019-05:00

we took t.willie to the fair friday night. he was entranced! he looked all around him as we entered the gate and a big smile lit up his face.

we walked around for awhile, checking out the classic cars, motorcycles and tractors, the petting zoo, the steam engine and the poultry house.

the petting zoo was fun, lotsa cute little animals and t.w. had to pet each one.

(oh yeah, bilbo and t.w. had matching tee shirts)

t.w. loved the roosters and chickens! ( i have to admit, i like them too!)

i would think a young kid would think they were kinda scary. they were very LOUD and very active, sticking their heads out of their cages. but he was really interested in them and asked us all kinds of questions. we had to watch him closely because he wanted to pet them!

there were also many rabbits that had t.w. all excited, as some of them resembled cats.

the steam engine also interested him and bilbo had to explain what it was doing and what it was for. t.w. took it all in. after that, we ate at the rescue squad booth, then headed over to the rides.

we did a loop, just looking at what was there and showing t.willie what he could ride. to say he was excited is a big understatement! he was just gazing all around him at the lights and the people and all the activity. it was really fun to watch him.

(no, he's not picking his nose! he's studying the helicopter.)
the most fun was when we came upon a helicopter on the ground. they were giving rides and as we watched, a man and his son got in and the helicopter went up.

as it started moving over us, t.w. started running as if to chase it and he was shouting "guys, you see dat? guys, hey guys!!!" something like that, he was REALLY excited!!!!

as for the other rides, he finally decided he would ride the merry-go-round if i would go with him. we gave our tickets and picked out our horse. t.w. was smiling at first as we were waiting for it to start. but the longer it took, the more unsure he became. he tried to bail out but i held on to him, telling him just wait, he'd love it. as the ride started moving, he got a little concerned. but when he realized the horse just went up and down as the merry-go-round turned, he relaxed and really got into it. he'd wave to kaye and bilbo as we whizzed by and was grinning and giggling happily. he said "gammie, this is fun!" we went on the ride two more times, and each time, he insisted i go with him, no one else. i guess it's our signature ride! at one point, as the ride went faster, he turned around to the other riders and yelled "guys, it's windy! it's windy guys!!" he kills me!

there were other rides t.w. wanted to go on, but when he realized he'd have to go alone, he decided not to. he had a ball just walking around and watching the other kids having fun. my mom and dad joined us at one point and we had ice cream and funnel cake. soon after that, it was time to go. even though he was exhausted, t.w. left unwillingly! he LOVED the fair! and so did we! nothing like seeing the world through the eyes of a child.

grateful:
1. for simple pleasures
2. for family
3. for funnel cake

squeaky clean

2010-09-07T16:56:00.008-05:00

so, today, after grocery shopping, i was sitting at the table eating lunch. i hadn't finished putting things away, and there on the table in front of me was this bottle of dish soap*. what caught my eye were the words "drug facts". wait...drug facts?? on dish soap???

this had my attention. apparently triclosan .10 % is the heavy drug in this particular bottle of dish soap. (ah, triclosan, i think i remember getting high on that in high school.) according to wikipedia, triclosan is a potent wide spectrum antibacterial and antifungal agent. It is a polychloro phenoxy phenol.

polychloro phenoxy phenol? i LOVE that!!! try saying that three times fast.

so, i read more. the warnings reminded the consumer to use for external use only and to get medical help if swallowed...or follow with a dirty dish chaser. hahaha i kill me!

the directions said- "wash hands and rinse." wait wait wait!!!! wash HANDS?? i thought this was dish soap*!! so i turned the bottle around and read "for sparkling dishes!" ok, nothing unusual here. but, no wait, down below all the labeled words, in very small, hard-to-see, white print, it says "hand soap". WTF??!!

now, i knew you could use dish soap as hand soap, but i didn't know that hand soap was also considered dish soap. i'm so confused. but you can bet i will look more closely at my groceries from now on! who knows what amazing facts i will uncover.

grateful:
1. for time spent ALOOOONE!!!
2. for the awesomeness that is netflix
3. for dark chocolate

good tidings of great joy...

2010-09-06T13:45:00.004-05:00

...on this most auspicious of labor day holidays!

it is a beautiful day here at the hellhole and a cook-out is planned for later. that, followed by the gift exchange and an egg hunt, the usual labor day festivities, i guess. hahaha

i wanted to take this time to tell ya'll about my september month resolution. i have vowed to go the whole month- 30 days- fast-food free. yes, i know there are some of you who do not partake in such junky eating, but i do. oh, i do!

this summer, sonic drive-in had a buy one get one free shake special. we did indeed take advantage of this phenomenon...many times! i LOVE their peanut butter fudge shake, mmmmmmmmm!

and mcdonald's bacon egg and cheese (death) biscuit is another favorite. and it's also just too easy to grab some quick dollar menu junk when out shopping and running around.

i know, i know, i should know better! and i DO. i am actually quite knowledgeable about health and nutrition AND i am also overweight. so, yeah, i should know better!

starting NOW- well, starting september first-
i did/do hearby vow and swear that i, aurorafedora/joannadanna, will not partake of and will turn down all items of food categorized as fast food til death we will part, for liberty and justice for all. amen. so mote it be!

there. i said it. now you all know and maybe after these thirty days, i will
a) save money
b) feel better
c) lose weight
d) want to continue into the next month and the next month and so on

so...wish me luck and willpower!!

grateful:
1. that food is so bountiful as to make me overweight
2. that my stomach issues can be the motivation to eat more healthfully
3. that i have the knowledge to help me stop a bad habit
* how's that for turning negatives into positives?!!*

little red

2010-09-03T14:06:00.008-05:00

this is a youtube video of tomas nilssonse of sweden. it's of his school project to reinterpret a fairy tale. he chose little red riding hood.
he surely ACED this assignment! i absolutely loved this-so creative!!
(click on the youtube link or the van image, could not embed video) i hope you enjoy it too.

here is his personal website

grateful today for:
1. a bathroom near by...don't ask!
2. the possibility of rain
3. fall is in the air!

communication gap

2010-08-31T12:38:00.004-05:00

you may have noticed a lack of posts in the last week. sorry 'bout that. just have been very busy-

a) getting t.willie settled into preschool
b) getting bilbo ready for his vacation
c) getting around to those pesky house cleaning jobs that are not easy to do with a small "helper"
and also
d) just not much to blog about

but i did want to share with you a short conversation between t.w. and i.

he: gammie?

me: t.willie?

he: yes, gammie?

hahahahahaha he kills me!! such a short attention span, he forgot he started the conversation!

grateful:
1. for the beautiful weather
2. that when the "check engine" light lit up on my car, it didn't mean anything except that my gas cap was loose-yay!
3. that t.w seems to like school pretty well, although he says "there's too much kids!"

underwear acrobat

2010-08-23T20:43:00.006-05:00

ta da!!!

look ma, no hands!
the flying dutchman!

grateful for:
1. unconventional photo ops
2. cooler weather cooler weather cooler weather
3. have i mentioned cooler weather?

her new dress

2010-08-19T20:17:00.013-05:00

365 Days. 365 New Outfits. 365 Dollars.

that's the idea behind this chica's very cool blog, "new dress a day". several months ago, marisa lost her job. to help herself out of a rut, she decided to challenge herself with spending $1 a day, every day for a year to buy and remake a dress.

day 245

she's cute, she's perky and her accompanying anecdotes are really funny.

she is currently on day 263 and her upcycled frocks are pretty amazing!

check this out:

huge dress before
huge dress after
pink dress before
pink dress after
last example-
red, white and blue before
red, white and blue after so, check her out, she will inspire you to go ahead and keep that old bride's maid dress!!

oh, and one last thing, take a gander at these two pics- the first one is my niece, kip and the second one is miss marisa above....they are possibly twin sisters of different mothers!!

grateful today:
1. that the rain stopped
2. that i get to torture my daughters any time i want
3. that t.willie's bedtime is EARLY!

they grow up so fast (sniff sniff)

2010-08-17T18:55:00.007-05:00

big day today- t.willie's first day of preschool. he was pretty excited but nothing like i was! seriously, this grandma needed some time off!

we bought all the supplies the school requested, the nap mat, the lunch box and he was ready to go...several weeks ago. it took him a while to understand "school would start SOON."

he'd ask "when i go to school, gammie?"

last night, he saw me packing up his set of extra clothes for "emergencies", and asked me what i was doing. i told him they were his extra clothes for school. he thought about that for a few seconds then started running down the hallway as he said "i better get my mat and bwanket!"

so you would think the excitement would have carried over to this morning, but NOOOOO!

first, he woke up too early, so that he was whiney about an hour after he got up. then, he refused to actually eat his breakfast, refused to wear what had been chosen for him- choosing instead, this bathing suit and ball cap ensemble. then he stalled when i said it was time to go.

so i get him in the car, we arrive at school, and he sees all the other kids. he did look pretty interested...until we were about to go through the gate to the preschool area. he stopped short and told me "i'm not going in dare." well, it was early, i didn't push it. i let him walk around a bit and peek into the windows that looked into the basement-level rooms. when it was time to go in, i actually had to carry him because he was quickly moving in the opposite direction.

once inside his room, he realized that was the window we had looked into. he didn't pay any attention to his teacher, ms. fannie, just checked out all the toys. as a couple more kids arrived, i thought he seemed to be relaxing a bit. so i took my cue from a mom who was kissing her boy good bye, to go. he kissed me, barely even looking at me, and that was it! he was totally fine- that's our boy!

grateful:
1. that t.w.'s first day went smoothly
2. that you can still find a preschool for $10 a day
3. that i will have two days a week to do what i want

friday funny

2010-08-13T20:35:00.005-05:00

a cartoon, a joke and a story

cartoon-

joke- What did the fish say when he swam into the wall?
Dam

story- t.willie was taking a bath yesterday. he was having a great time playing with lots of cups and scoops and a watering can. i was across the hallway checking email but would go check on him every few minutes, as he has strong urges to dump water on the floor.

at one point, he called me in there. i went in and asked him what he wanted. he pointed to a little cup of water setting on the side of the tub and said, "dat's my pee dare." i repeated, "that's your pee there?" "yeah", he proudly answered. i looked closer and saw that, indeed, the "water" was yellow. as i was reprimanding him and dumping the offending liquid into the toilet, i could not help but picture him and the accuracy it took to execute the crime.....boys, ya gotta love 'em!!!

grateful:
1. for gentle summer storms
2. magazines in my mailbox
3. boxed flavored noodles

fireflies in my stomach

2010-08-11T21:51:00.005-05:00

so, my online pal, yael, wanted to know what new music i had discovered. i will, again, remind you all that i am not quite up with current trends and such. so this "new" music is actually a year old but it's new to me!!

here is fireflies by owl city...love the song, love the video...enjoy!

check out his other songs too...

grateful for:
1. air conditioning in my house
2. air conditioning in my car
3. air conditioning in the stores

the lowe's fairy returns

2010-08-09T16:39:00.005-05:00

yes, it's a bee-you-ti-full day in the neighborhood when the lowe's truck pulls into my driveway! as you may recall, our old, decrepit washing machine died in april and the lowe's fairy brought us a new one. since the dryer held on a bit longer, it has not been replaced until today. and what a happy day it is!

other random news-

t.willie has finally realized he can climb out of his crib. i knew this day would come, but i have been dreading it. when you can no longer control kids, they start controlling you! yes, you can put them into bed but they can take themselves back out...damn! okay, he's almost three, i guess we'll just have to deal with it.

here is a picture of a visitor who came to the door:

say hello to mr. cicada...yikes! i hate those things!

grateful for:
1. my new dryer
2. discovering new bands(music) to love
3. restful(read "boring") weekends

the things he says

2010-08-04T20:09:00.003-05:00

t.willie, like most preschoolers, says a lot of funny things. he is smart and he is observant and he hears everything!

the other day, he and i were throwing a pillow at each other, just being silly. after a short while, he started throwing things off his mother's bed. when she asked him what he was doing, he laid down and said "clearing a spot, gammie wore me out!"

a couple days ago, t.w was whining and carrying on about something (or nothing!) and it was getting on my nerves. so i told him to stop his fake crying. he whined back at me "i can't stop my fake crying!"

today, he and i went to the hospital to visit bilbo who is currently working there (doing construction). so i explained that this was a hospital and we were going to meet pop there. as t.w. and i were approaching the automatic glass doors, he looked upward and said with assurance, "this is the airport!"

and the best one:

we were at my parents' house and animal planet was on tv. the story was about a three legged dog who had been taken in by a caring family. i said to t.w. "see, that dog is missing a leg. but he doesn't mind."
and he thought for a few seconds and said "let's find him a leg."

grateful:
1. that the long, hot summer is coming to an end...i hope!
2. for fresh corn on the cob
3. that a funny little guy lives with me- i mean t.willie, not my honey, bilbo baggins! although i am glad he lives with me too!

it's about TIME

2010-08-02T13:34:00.003-05:00

so one time, a long long time ago, bilbo, the gals and i went to michigan at thanksgiving time. bilbo's mom was living there at this time, and we had never been. it was winter time, of course, and there was snow on the ground. when it came time for dinner, my mother-in-law had done the whole deal-thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings.

now, i forgot to mention, that we had left thanksgiving day, after first eating dinner at my parents' house. we drove however many hours(i forget the time) it took us to get to michigan, and the very next day ate that big dinner at my mother-in-law's! i gotta tell ya, i did not need another big meal at that time! but it was yummy. she was, at that time, as now, a very good cook.

so where this story is heading, is this... bilbo's mom had, at that time, a clock/radio/phone on her bedside table. i had said that i liked it and she said so did she. and she told us where she had gotten it and said that she thought they still had them. well, at that time, i was in the market for a new clock radio and i liked the idea of one with a phone attached. heck, you could tell the time, listen to music AND talk on the phone all at the same time!

so we went and bought one and took it home.

fast forward in time twenty one years and we are now talking current time.

the other evening, bilbo was getting ready for bed and was reaching for his sudoku book when he heard the radio on my clock/radio/phone come on. at this time, he called me into the room. he said it came on, played two lines of a song and then went off. i didn't believe him, as he has been known to bullshit from time to time. but i turned the radio on and it was playing the song he said he heard.

yeah, weird, i know! but it got me thinking and i remembered that time, so long ago, that we had gone to michigan at thanksgiving time and gotten it.

so i said, "remember that time we went to your mom's for thanksgiving?" he said "yeah." so i mentioned that the girls had been 5 and 3 at that time, so it was like, 21 years ago. a good ripe age for a clock/radio/phone!

well, at my bedtime that night, i set my alarm and went to bed. the next morning, the alarm came on at the correct time and i turned it off. i laid back in bed to wake up a bit more and ten seconds later-BOOM! on came the radio again! i just laid there and giggled at that time, thinking about our conversation the night before.

well, i thought, i guess it's my clock/radio/phone's time.
time for a new alarm clock!

grateful:
1. for appliances that stand the test of time
2. for time to reflect on the past
3. for good times with my honey

and speaking of weddings...

2010-07-29T20:29:00.005-05:00

... here is an *etsy article about a handmade wedding. not only did golriz and devon use many handmade and vintage items, but they have to be the happiest couple i have ever seen!! their wedding was the most unique, meaningful and joyous celebration i have ever witnessed (through their video)!!! it is twelve minutes and twenty seconds long, but watch it, you won't be sorry. i could watch it every day and not get tired of this couple's obvious zest for life.

they're young

they're cute

they're silly

they are "doomed" to be happy!!

*for those of you who do not know what etsy is, it's a website where artists and crafters can sell their stuff. and also where you can find really cool vintage items.

grateful:
1. for brief glimpses into the happiness of others
2. for laughter after tears
3. for ice cream cones on a hot summer day

the hottest wedding photos EVER- conclusion

2010-07-28T19:00:00.019-05:00

oh, a-wedding we will go!!!

i know, it must seem to you that this wedding goes on and on, but really, it was only one afternoon. last post ended at the end of the ceremony. there was a newly married couple, smiles all around, much congratulations and, of course, profuse sweating.

as the guests drove over to the church where the reception was being held, the bride, groom and i drove over to the groom's dad's house. he had just built a house on the edge of a bluff and the view was amazing. because of that, mel and erica wanted some pictures taken there.

here are a few:

i have to tell ya, i kept getting the urge to say "please don't lose your balance!" especially when they took this pose:

apparently they are captain morgan fans.

then we walked over to the pond on the property for a few more shots:

after that, we went on to the reception. there were not many chances for good photos, but i did get this:

and this...LOVE it!!:

outside, we took more family pictures and some "gal pal" shots, such as:

so, ok, i've tortured you enough. but...but....oh, just one more!

awwww!!

the end.

the hottest wedding photos EVER- part 2

2010-07-27T15:16:00.035-05:00

so, ok, where was i? oh yeah, i was busy bossing around parents and grandparents at a wedding. here are erica and her parents:

about this time, the guys were going to put their boutonnieres on, when they realized there were no pins attached. a mad search for some kind of pins ensued, to no avail.

here is a shot of mel holding the boutonniere bouquet:

he looked very pretty, don't you think?! ok, on with the ceremony...

it took so long for the little flower girl, tina, to do her thing, that i was not prepared for the rest of the procession. everyone was busy looking at tina, they didn't turn around to see the rest.

there was no music or announcement- they just started coming. i did the best i could. but unfortunately, i didn't get very good shots of anyone!

here is an unflattering picture of elle (shh, don't tell her) :

and here came erica and her dad:

her dad and her son walked her down the aisle, very sweet:

the before ceremony prayer:

who gives this purty gal's hand in marriage? her mama and her daddy do, ya'll. yeah, that's not really how it went, but this is tennessee, it was something like that!

yes, that's a tiger on my baby girl's back:

this picture is just too cute- curt holding best man, sam's, hand:

now, these next shots (and i'm not too proud to say it) were taken from the ground where i was crouching down at the bride's dad's feet. at one point, i was actually crawling along the ground to the other side of the aisle. i am that good.

do you mel? i do.
do you erica? i do.

ok, here comes the kiss. i love this shot. notice the smiles on elle and sam at the sides of the picture:

folks, here are mr. and mrs. married people!

yay!

the bridal party:

i know this post was long and image heavy. but here is one more:

i'm sorry, but i am proud of my pictures, so i will conclude tomorrow with one more wedding photo post....promise!

the hottest wedding photos EVER- part 1

2010-07-26T14:57:00.037-05:00

ok, ok, the weather was HOT, not so much the photos. as i stated on my last post, i was photographing a wedding this past saturday. i am not a photographer, just a serial picture taker. i was asked by elle's friends, mel and erica, to take pics at their wedding. they offered to pay me, so i said i would. (duh!) i was prepared, i did my research, i charged my batteries.

well..........i gotta tell ya, i earned every bit of that money!!! it was HOT! maybe the hottest day of summer so far. the outside wedding took place at the groom's grandparents' home. the ceremony was to take place in a partially shady spot under some trees, with a pond and a pasture of cows in the background. very picturesque.

i started taking shots inside as the bride-to-be was getting dressed. her mom and bridesmaid, (my elle), and two friends assisting. (the bad lighting and close quarters made photos a challenge)

lacing up the back of the gown proved to be quite a challenge and also time-consuming. here is elle giving it her best effort:

the bridal party chose to all wear converse high top sneakers...gotta love the look!

so after taking a few shots in "the dressing room", i went out into the living room and, in a roomful of people, asked for all the wedding guys (including two little ones) to follow me out back. it was really a rush to be bossing people around and having them listen unquestioningly!! i took a few decent shots of the guys and sent them back into the air conditioning to rest.

here is mel in the front, erica's dad to the left and best man to the right:

here is mel, his 8 month old son and erica's son, curt:

after erica was all dressed, i pulled her and the gals outside for a couple shots. here are erica, elle and their friend dee:

and here is erica's son, cute curt!

i continued to drink massive amounts of water, as i started pulling moms, dads and grandparents from the crowd. i was on a roll, playing the role, man! i would just say, i need you now and, boom, they were there ready to do my bidding!

here is erica and her grandparents:

erica and mel's grandparents:

mel and his mom:

i guess that's enough for today's post. you can click on any image to enlarge. i will have part two tomorrow.

for now, i will leave you with this photo of erica and her son:

dearly beloved

2010-07-23T20:14:00.005-05:00

so, i am going to a wedding tomorrow. actually, i was asked to be the photographer at the wedding tomorrow. i am just an amateur with a very amateur digital camera, but the bride and groom said they'd PAY me so...hey, tomorrow, i'm a wedding photographer!! my mama didn't raise no fool! well, actually, she did. have ya met my brother? hahaha kidding! just kidding!! no fools in our family tree. just monkeys....

anyhoo, it will be another scorcher tomorrow. 97 degrees again, lovely weather for an OUTSIDE wedding. and the ceremony is at 1:00 in the afternoon, peak baking hour!! i plan on wearing my dressiest bathing suit and sunhat. okay, not really but i wish i could! me and heat don't like each other so wish me luck at not passing out long enough to take a few food pictures. hopefully, i will have some to show you next week.

have a great weekend......

(click on photo to purchase that beautiful shabby chic bird cage)

grateful:
1. for my digital camera
2. bottled water
3. shade trees

all's well

2010-07-22T19:08:00.003-05:00

hello.
i have had my oral surgery, my mother has had her "female" surgery and we are fine and dandy. i am very tired, i have nothing else to say tonight...
but...
i love ya!!

grateful:
1. for positive outcomes
2. for beautiful orange skies
3. for my hubby...he's a keeper

bike wreck

2010-07-19T20:02:00.002-05:00

ha! but really, no cats were injured in the filming of this stunt! he just happened to lie down under the fallen bike. in fact, before i took the picture, his head was resting on the handle bars! goofy kitty....

in other news, there will be no post tomorrow as i will be having oral surgery and probably won't feel much like talking. blog talking, that is...or any talking, but you know what i mean!! i do hope to be back in action on wednesday with another riveting post for all my loyal readers. don't worry, it won't be a play by play of my surgery!!

grateful:
1. for easy summer suppers
2. for friends made in the blogging world
3. and also for friends made elsewhere!

they read minds

2010-07-18T16:05:00.005-05:00

if you have children, did you ever think they read your mind? when i was a young mother with a husband who was in the navy and seldom home, kaye and i had a special bond. this was before elle was born( and life got more hectic).

i would just be thinking a random thought, like "hmm, we haven't been to the library in awhile, maybe we'll go today." and within minutes, little two year old kaye would say "mama, we go libewy? i want lotsa books." it would blow me away. or i would be thinking i could really go for having grilled cheese and tomato soup for lunch. and then she would ask for it. there was not any rational explanation for it, she just felt my vibe, man!!

this happened over and over. after elle came along, she would read my mind too, but not as often as kaye.

now one morning recently, i took the dog out and noticed the first big tomato in my garden was ready to pick. i thought i'd wait til later when t.willie awoke and let him pick it. i went back inside and into t.w.'s room. he sat up and the very first words out of his mouth were "i pick a mato?" i said "what?!" and he repeated "i pick a mato, gammie?" so i repeated after him "you wanna pick a tomato?" he answered "yes." i just stood there amazed. how could you explain it? we were not in the habit of picking tomatoes yet, and certainly not first thing in the morning! freaky!!

and a couple nights ago, bilbo told me this story... he and t.w. were riding over to my parent's house. bilbo saw a box turtle in the road and thought about stopping to show it to t.w. but then he noticed a car was right behind him so, he didn't say anything and just drove on. then, as they were returning home, at that spot in the road, bilbo thought about the turtle and was glad to see it was not dead in the road. at that moment, t.willie said "wanna see turtle, pop." bilbo just looked at him and said "you wanna see a turtle?" "yeah", said t.w.

how do they do it? you tell me.

i am grateful:
1. that they can't seem to read "dirty" minds!
2. for sonic's two-for-one shakes
3. tv shows that play online

the hellhole diaries

PAR-TAY!!

this is why i plant fennel

so lovin' this!!!

happy MAY-MORIAL day!!

"bout time!

not a laughing matter ?

mum's the word...sort of

views from the car...

the stuff of spring

oh BLOODY HELL!!!!!!

spring has sprung in middle tennessee!

the world's BIGGEST tree house...

fine! maybe you'll like this better...

phlegm, you are no friend of mine!

twenty-eight years and many of them happy!

good laughternoon!!

but seriously, folks...

*marching right along*

recovering from a virus

just one word-- ritalin?

my pal val is a talented gal

feelin' the LOVE??

the bees knees

wordless wednesday

i'm a failure!!!

count down to my blogiversary- 6 days to go!

he's such a BOY!

bahama mama??

picture me HERE!!!!

when the HELLhole freezes over...

how very unfortunate

i know but i don't know

how in the WORLD did you find my blog??

2010-- BE GONE!!

all about him

the elf on the shelf---AS IF!!!!

the elves strike again!

naughty or nice??

fisher and price

visions of sugar plum

my childhood christmas list

sometimes he drives me crazy

good food was had by all

the cheese stands alone.

and now, time for your favorite soap opera-

indian summer in tennessee

wordless wednesday

yes, ANOTHER video!!

reminder: don't forget to be silly

UP-side-down-DATES

the appliance reliance defiance alliance

about face!

the wreck of the hellhole fitzgerald

amazin' acres of fun, ya'll!

thing 1 and thing 2

hear ye! hear ye!

miraculous multiplying 'maters

the best $25 i ever spent!

which hazel?

gluten- we won't tolerate it!

heaven help us, he's three!!

now he knows his abc's

he's bloody brilliant

fire up the family fun

it's a wrap!

copy CAT

the pain, oh the pain

wish this lady a happy birthday

he's a trip, but he's no vacation!!

a FAIRly great time

squeaky clean

good tidings of great joy...

little red

communication gap

underwear acrobat

her new dress

they grow up so fast (sniff sniff)

friday funny

fireflies in my stomach

marching right along