my thoughts on the final "Lost"

This week is going to be stressful, sad and already started off on a bad note, but I want to take a moment to reflect on something that took up a lot of my time for the past 6 years:  LOST.

The very last episode was last night and I will be honest:  At first, I was too wrapped up in "how's this going to end?" to appreciate the actually ending.  Now that I've had a chance to think, look at other people's reflections and watch the ending again, I can say that is was very appropriate, moving and that I am happy about it.

If you haven't watched it yet, please don't read furthur.  And if you have never watched it, then you probably don't want to read anymore, so see you in another post, brotha! (hee hee, I love Desmond!)

What I loved:

That it really was all about love:
Juliet and Sawyer, Jin and Sun, Charlie and Claire, Jack and Kate and Desmond and Penny all ended happy together.  I wished there had been another Desmond and Penny scene because my favorite episode is "Constant" where Desmond calls Penny on the phone and they declare their love to each other and promise to find one another.  That episode made me realize what they show meant for me (love) and carried me through all the low times.  Oh and I didn't forget about Hurley.  Someone in the blog world put it exactly right when they said that Hurley represented Love itself.  Didn't he, though?

It was also about Redemption:
So the island was real and the Sideways World was their "purgatory" or waiting place?  Ok, I'll go with that.  Sideways world seemed a little off anyway.  But how great was it that most of the Losties had a chance to redeem themselves?
When Sideways Locke told Jack, "You don't have a son!", I was mildly confused.  What is going on?  But now I know, with the little help from others, that Jack needed a son in his limbo world to help him resolve any daddy issues he had.  And Locke had to be at fault for his father ending up a vegetative state so he could have a relationship with him.  Also, in Sideways world, he accepted his fate in his wheelchair.  Sayid's love, Nadia, was still alive and even if he couldn't be with her, she had a chance of happiness.  (It was reaching that he ended up with Shannon but I'll go with it because it brought Boone back and I love him). Sawyer was actually the good guy and respected the law.  Kate was still a fugitive, yes, but she said she was innocent and I believed her.  Hurley didn't have the bad luck that plagued him in his real life. Desmond had his father-in-law's respect. Jin and Sun ended up together, happy and pregnant. All of these things happened so they all could break free of their earthly baggage and "let go". 

It could just be the story of Jack and that's okay with me.
Maybe the Sideways world was just Jack's test to see if he could go toward the light...or not.  All the people who showed up at the church all had connections to Jack.  He saved Rose's life. He couldn't save Boone's. These are examples.  All Jack ever wanted to do was save people.  And then he finally realized he couldn't.  And that is when he knew he could.  That the Losties all gathered in the church to help Jack move on was beautiful because even though they all died at different times and in different places and maybe some much later on, Jack is the one who made it possible to move into the light.  He saved the light when he re-corked the evil during his time as Island protector.  

Lost ending=Titanic ending
At the end of Titanic, Jack (huh! same character name) and all the others from the doomed ship gathered in the ship to welcome Rose after she died.  It was the same thing on Lost!  After Jack realized he was dead, he had a reunion with the people that thought the Island was the most important place in their lives or at least the most life-altering. Some people had not resolved all their issues and weren't ready to move on (Ben? Ana Lucia? Daniel?) but connecting to others helped them to move on.

Some last things to ponder:
Juliet, Charile, Boone and Shannon all died on the island.  They didn't have a big part in the Sideways world.  Does that mean that they had already resolved their issues or redeemed themselves before they died or do you think we just didn't see it?

We know Jack died on the island after saving the it and the light.  So I guess it went on: Hurley was protector with Ben as his #2, everyone else went on with their lives...strange to think about how much time passed and how time really had no meaning for the Sideways world.

Do you think anything bad would have happened if the Man In Black would have escaped? Or was that Jacob trying not to be left alone?

Anyway, the creators of this fabulous show have to be happy because guess what? We are still talking about it and probably will for a long time.  Kudos.  I will miss it.

A Tale of Two Wall-E Robots

One day, Big Brother and Little Brother was going to go to a birthday party.  They were very excited about this birthday because it was at a place called Laserquest, where children can run and shoot their friends with lasers.  Awesome.  The brother's less-than-excited Dad was going to take them to the party at 4:30 on a lovely Saturday afternoon. 

At 4:50, the brother's Mom received a phone call from the aforementioned Dad.  What time did the party start was the question.  Mom looked at the invitation and gasped.  The party time was in military time, which means the party started at 1430 hours, which meant 2:30, Dad had to explain to horrified Mom.  Then really-less-than-excited Dad had to explain to crushed brothers that they, gulp, missed the party. 

But heroic Dad came to the rescue.  "We can go to the mall!"  "We can get a treat for you!" As an aside, this is from Dad who doesn't see the Brothers all week because he works in a different city right now.  So keeping the peace and seeing his sons happy is important to him. 

Two hours later, happy-again brothers come home with their treasures.  Big Brother bought baseball cards and proudly showed off his Yankees Mickey Mantle and Derek Jeter.  Little Brother came in with not one, but two Wall-Es. 

Mom looked at frazzled Dad and was about to ask why? but Dad quickly explained that there was a sale.  Two for the price of one and a half or something like that.  Smiling wide, Little Brother explained that he was giving one Wall-E to his soon-to-be-excited Cousin from Canyon.  Mom was touched.  Dad was just glad they were home.

A few days later...

Little Brother decides that he wants to keep both Wall-Es.  They are both cute.  They would miss each other.  They both love Little Brother.  He begins to place them side-by-side whereever he sits: at the breakfast table, on the couch, in the car.  No amount of pleading will convince Little Brother that he doesn't need two robots who look exactly alike. 

And now, Wall-E #1 and Wall-E #2 are apart of the family, evening joining in on family activities:

They even beat us at Sorry. 

Big Brother said, "I can't believe I got beat by a pair of stuffed robots."  Little Brother danced happily away with his Wall-Es in his arms.

The End ?


*If this post seems familar to you, it is. What can I say? My kids love things in multiples. 

OKC Hail Storm on May 16th

Because we have another chance of severe weather today, I thought I would share with you an amazing video of footage from Sunday's hail storm in OKC. There are a lot of youtube videos of the storm, but this one is the best because of the pool.

Luckily, we didn't receive anything but rain where we lived but we barely made it home from the mall in OKC before all "hail" broke loose. Ha.
Living in the OKC area is never boring, weather wise. (I know, Texas is equally as interesting! Don't want to offend any fellow Texans here.) I hope we are lucky today as well and miss all the strong stuff. But if we do have hail or worse, you can bet that I will not be standing by a window, filming it. Seriously.

Just a note: you might want to turn off the volume of this video because all he says is "OMG" over and over and it gets a little annoying after awhile. Also, if you think it is a long video, skip until a minute in.

this post is about my brother

I have mentioned the awesome blog before and I hope you have been reading it because it is just really great.  The other day it mentioned that people who help you parallel park are awesome.  And they are. 

When my brother and I were in driver's ed, we had a very strict teacher as our driving instructor.  Now, we were good kids and she liked us (ok, she liked us because we of our great sisters) but it still made me nervous.  Especially the day we were supposed to parallel park,  I was terrified.

And that is when my brother came to the rescue.  He sat right behind the instructor and because of that she couldn't see his sly hand gestures that told me to keep backing up, keep backing up, turn, turn, turn...stop!  I parallel parked perfectly that day.  Thanks to Casey.  He is awesome.  I don't know if I did the same for him but it wasn't for lack of trying. 

Of course, I have not been able to parallel park one time since that day.  But that is okay.  I like parking further away from buildings and walking anyway.

a new story for your enjoyment

A couple of things I need to mention (why did that make me think of Yoda?) before you begin to read Rhett's latest story.  First, these stories must use their spelling words for the week.  That was a big "ahh" moment for me.  Second, we have a neighbor that recently put up a bathouse in her backyard.  You know, for mosquitos.  Uh, yeah.  Anyway, my friend and I were recently talking about how awful of an idea that was and Rhett started listening in.  We ended up discussing bats and vampire bats and everything in between. Noah and Rhett started joking about it how you could become a bat from any little thing. For example: the wind blowing your hair was a sign of batness!  I know, it was totally silly but hilarious to them.  Also, I wasn't planning on putting this on the blog, but Rhett really wanted me to.  Obviously, all your nice comments about his last story went to his head. Anyway, I thought these notes might help. 

Bat People
by Rhett Houston

One day a few famous people named Derek Jeter, Nick Swisher and Alex Rodriguez were in a plane.  They all played for the Yankees.  Above them was a dinosaur. They threw baseballs at it.  But that made it worse.  They were out of the plane when this happened.  The dinosaur sneezed, and they were covered in...well, I probably shouldn't say.
There was a jungle nearby.  They ran into the jungle.  Alex know as A-Rod tripped onto some kind of animal and it bit him. 
Auhhhg! "That hurt!" He said. 
That was a batness bug! It gives you a sickness that has symptoms.  They turn you into a bat!
Huh?
Paper falling from the sky! A sign of batness. 
The next day...
Ahh! A-Rod is a bat!
Open that bottle of coke! I heard that gallons of coke kill them!
"We're talkin' about A-ROD!" said Nick.  We've got to travel back to New York to get a cure.
A-Rod looks afraid. 
There's a circus over there.  "Let's go in," said Derek. 
Hey, we're in New York.  That must have been a portal!
A-Rod found an item and ate it.  Hey! I'm cured!

The End?

a quick look into my week

I think I need glasses.  I am starting to realize that I squint when I look at the tv and computer.  Huh.

The other day the boys and I were driving home from somewhere and they were fighting.

You did not.
Did too.
Did not....
I say, "Wow, look at those beautiful wildflowers."

Rhett said, "Yes. They are pretty."
Noah said, "Mom, are you trying to distract us? Because I guess it worked."

The boys have a talent show in music class at the end of May.  Rhett is going to doing something very funny and talented but I can't really explain it.  But next time you see him, ask him to do his "talent" and he'll crack you up.  Noah can't do it and was sad but I told him that I will teach him to play "Jaws" on the piano.  He was excited.

Seriously, things are really blurry right now.  Has it been like this for awhile?  Or am I just now noticing?

Rhett had his field trip yesterday.  We went to a homestead where there is a house that was built right after the land run of Oklahoma.  The family ordered it from the Sears catalog.  And it was a two-story house!

Speaking of Okies, Dad, your comment really made me laugh hard.  And cringe about the hookworms...

Today I have a Mother's Day Tea with Noah.  I remember two years ago when I had it with Rhett.  It is bittersweet, this last month of school.  I feel so sad that we are leaving that sweet little school.  The teachers are great and I found a lot of friends there.  We are excited to move and look forward to new experiences, but there will be things we will miss.  I had to bring flowers in a vase for the tea.  I picked my own roses and placed them in a square vase.  It looked great.  I would show you a picture, but I upload photos to the laptop and Seth takes that during the week.  So that is why you haven't seen a photo on my blog in awhile!

It is amazing how quickly I reverted back to my old self.  Not having to keep the house clean anymore, I relaxed this week and haven't made the bed in several days.  I thought that if you do something 21 days it would become a habit.  Guess not.

I wish all the wonderful Moms I know a wonderful Mother's Day.  Isn't being a mom great?

things are starting to look up

I really didn't mean to be such a tease yesterday.  I needed to vent but I didn't want to further embarrass my child.  If you really think about it, you'll understand.

Anyway, today is a better day.  Said child is back at school and...

Our house is under contract!!!

Woo-hoo!!

We are so relieved and excited.  Everything is working out.  We'll be out of here by the first of June and in our new home in Tulsa.  I feel so good that it is actually happening now.  May will go by so fast since it is the last of school.  It is so busy during that time.

Have a great day!

And PS- Happy Birthday Melissa!!

this is now my new decree

After staying up until 2 am last night doing something no one should wish on anyone else, I will never take the term "nit-picking" lightly again.  In fact, I think "nit-pickers" are saints.  And so are the "nit-pick-ees."

And that is all I have to say about that.

The Goose written by my son

*This is a short story written by Rhett.  I am changing names in this story because he used his friends names.  But everything else is exactly what he wrote and how he wrote it.

The Goose

One day a few kids named Danny, Rhett, Cole, Joshua and Diego were walking home from school and saw a goose.  David said, "hi", to the goose.  It said hello back, and Danny fainted.  We got Danny back up and the goose said, "do you have fruit?" Joshua had some fruit and gave it to the animal.  We ran away and the goose said, Me WANT more fruit! A cookie flew out of Rhett's backpack and the weird talking animal ate it.  Shoot said Rhett, I payed Diego five bucks for that! 

When the boys got home they sat down on some couch cushions. 
That was freaky.
Yeah, really. 
Ok, Who wants noodles for supper, "said Charles."
"I do" said Rhett and Danny together.
I'm going to read.  AHH! "Where's my Limited edition Chinese bookmark," said Diego.
Let's go outside!
YEAH!
Rhett opened the door and a balloon floated in.  It had a note attached to it.  I am going to get you. Also, I will be wearing a suit because I just got home from work and didn't have time to change, so look out! From Goose. 
Cole said, "On second thought, let's stay in."
Diego said (while chewing) "I have an idea"! We can seal the door with glue! 
To risky. 
On Tuesday, they day they had to use their brains.
We could put a piece of bread in a bushel.  While he's eating we can whap him with a bamboo stick and knock him out. 
The Next day...
It worked!

The End?

my dictionary is equally as awesome

I just recently (and by recently, I mean really just now!) found a website and name of a book that I really want to read.  1000 Awesome Things is the name of the website (book is called The Book of Awesome) and I guess everyday it posts something awesome.  I have only read a few but already love it.

Especially because it is so true!

For example:  #523 When you learn a new word and then suddenly start seeing it everywhere. 

Just this week that has happened to me!  I was reading an article in a magazine and came across a word describing an actor who is now deceased (and I wish I could remember who but that isn't important).  The word: mysogynist.  Now I have heard of masochistic from the Twilight books.  Poor vampire Edward likes to inflict pain upon himself by hanging out with human Bella.  But mysogynist was new.  Looking it up I found it meant hatred of women.  (So I do wish I could remember that guy's name).  Now I have been seeing it everywhere this week!  Which is sad in a way.  Is there really a lot of misogamy going on?  Shame. 

Anyway, my point is that is weird.  And awesome in a strange way because now I know how to say it correctly (not miss o gom me its mi saw ga me) and now I can offended when I read it or hear it in discussion.  :)

You want to know something else that is awesome?  Well, I think we found a house in Tulsa!  I'm no misoneist (hatred or fear of change) so I am very excited.  I am already planning on what I want to do to decorate.  Yes, my dictionary is open to the miso- words and I found that one.  Am I misleading you to think I knew that word from the top of my mommy brain?  I think I want to make some miso someday but thinking of miso makes me miss my friend Cathy, who probably would tell me that if I made miso, it would be a misplay. :)  This is fun.  You should try it! It is...awesome.

10 things I like about Noah

• The other day when Rhett was talking about the girl he likes, he wondered aloud if she liked him.  Noah answered quickly, "Of course she does!"  Rhett asked, "How do you know?"  Noah said, "You're handsome!"
• Noah can imitate the boy from the movie "Up" so spot on.  Especially when the boy says, "I'm tired. My feet hurt. I have to go to the bathroom."  So hilarious.
• When Noah is happy, he is so happy.  When he is not, he definitely is not.  There is no in-between with this fella.
• He still loves cheese more than any other food.  Except when it is on broccoli.  Then he will go without it. 
• Noah likes a girl too but when hasn't he?  Such a charmer. 
• When he wants something, he doesn't forget it.  Right now, he really wants a Yorkie webkinz.  Everyday he asks for it and then he says, "I just really miss Raider!" (Nana and Pop's yorkie) and cries. 
• His best friend spent the night with us the other night and they probably said 10 words to each other the whole time.  Not because they were fighting-but because they playing video games.  They both love the Wii and the DS so much, which is probably why they are best friends.
• Noah has stopped wanting to go to Sunday School, instead wanting to just stay with Seth and me during church.  Then we proceed to play hang-man the entire time.  That is bad to admit, isn't it?
• Noah hates to lose.  He hates not getting his way.  He is lovable but if you get on his bad side, watch out. He gives the best hugs and he will always be my baby. 

ten things I like about Rhett

Rhett is almost 9 and a half and is growing up in every way.  Somedays he sounds like a teenager, which is a little scary.  Here are some more things about my oldest son:

• He loves the Yankees and doesn't care what those who love to hate them think about that.
• He has apparently gotten over his "Girls? Who cares?" stage and has admitted to liking one that is in his class.  But, I've already said too much so that is all you get.
• Ok, one more thing.  He does push-ups before seeing this girl. 
• He talks about how he and one of his friends thinksSelena Gomez is "hot" but doesn't think Miranda Cosgrove is.  Why? I ask.  Carly (from iCarly) is so cute and on a better show in my opinion.  (Wizards of Waverly Place? Really?)
• He has a way of making Noah so mad.  I don't know how he does it but he has that special knack.
• He is a good friend.  Very loyal and kind and caring.  He makes them feel good about themselves, even if it is just by laughing at their jokes. 
• He loves baseball.  So glad we found out that Tulsa has a summer league too, otherwise we would have been in hot water.
• He loves steak.  Everytime we go out to eat he says "I want steak."  Or "Orange Chicken from Panda Express."  But mostly steak.
• He will argue with you and not let things go and is very stubborn.  Now you all can go, "I know where he gets that from" and even if you are thinking of different people, you still would probably be right.
• He is considerate and tells me thank you, all the time.

Come back tomorrow.  I can't leave Noah out.  He doesn't like that...

it's just one of those days

Joshua Radin sings a wonderful song called "One of Those Days".

It's chorus goes like this:

So I crawl underneath my blanket

Where I can hide away

I know I can't take it

'Cause I see now

It's just one of those days.

I like this song, especially on days like this.  (I know, already? Yes)

• I woke up this morning and had to say good-bye to my husband again.  This week-long absence from him is getting old.
• While making a smoothie for the boys, my blender begins smoking. 
• I pour the hot water from my kettle to my cup and out comes a fly.
• I am going to make eggs for myself and I drop one on the floor.
• I had to tell the boys that the fish were going to a new home today.  Cries ensue.

Still,

I am sitting here now, drinking a cold cup of tea (new water! new cup!), listening to Joshua Radin's "Brand New Day" and laughing about how sometimes a Monday is a Monday.  I am remembering that we had a great weekend: looking at houses, watching "Diary of a Wimpy Kid," enjoying the sunshine and friends yesterday, and having Seth here.  And after writing this, I am going to attempt to make myself breakfast and exercise before cleaning out the fish tank.  I guess the day goes on...

It's a brand new day

The sun is shining

It's a brand new day

For the first time in such a long, long time

I know I'll be okay

the howling wind, broken eggs, Noah

Oh, how I hate the wind.  Last night, it blew so hard.  My neighbor's wind chimes were out of control and the wind carried the sound of the trains going by right to my window.  We have a lot of trains going through Edmond in the middle of the night.  Most of the time I can barely hear it. 

Yesterday, the boys and I dyed Easter eggs.  These eggs were hard boiled, until I realized they really weren't.  Never fun finding that out.  FYI: Soft-boiled eggs are just as messy as raw eggs.  Rhett was disappointed because he really wanted to eat a hard-boiled egg.  I am the one who broke them.  One on the floor.  Eww. 

This morning, I woke Noah up.  He said, "Mom, how am I going to get through 7 hours of school?"  Poor kid.  Doesn't realize how good he has it in first grade.

That is all I have. 

don't tell my kids about this

Saturday, our church held their Easter Egg Hunt.  We didn't go.

Look, I am all for having Easter Egg Hunts early.  Well, not really.  Seriously, I wasn't ready.  We went to church yesterday and during Children's Moment, the lovely children's minister asked what next week was and my kids probably had no clue.  What?  Easter is here?  Already?

At least that is what I thought.  So when a friend at our soccer game on Saturday asked if we were going to hunt Easter Eggs that day, I balked.  First, it was just awful outside.  Windy, cold and rainy.  Baa.  Second, it wasn't Easter yet! 

Am I making too big of deal out of this?  Maybe.  I said to my friend that I wish they could have it on Easter or even the day before.  She said, "Oh.  I guess.  But I am sure they have a hard time fitting it all in."  I don't see.

Luckily, our neighborhood is having an Easter Egg Hunt this coming Saturday.  The day before Easter.  And if we happen to miss that, I will hide Easter eggs in our backyard filled with goodies.  Unless it is cold. Then it will be inside.

sharing six things, mostly random things

• I'm missing my spellcheck on my blogger.  Did you realize I misspelled typo-ed "statement" in my title from yesterday? 
• I'm eating jellybeans and my teeth will pay for it later, but oh well.
• I have my hair in a bun styled like Jessica Alba:

 

 

Except that it isn't that fabulous.  Mine is less fancy, thinner headband, more disheveled (meaning: windblown).  Yes, I had to look up disheveled to make sure I spelled it right.  Stupid non-existent spell checker.

• I am, oh, so excited, for Lost tonight.  Lots of answers await.  Including, how old is Richard Alpert? 
• I just finished reading Beautiful Creatures by Kari Garcia and Margaret Stohl.  It was right up my alley:  supernatural forces, love, drama, oh and southern roots thrown in.  Awesome.  Can't wait for the sequel in October. 
• It looks like we are staying here until end of school year.  I have mixed feelings about this.  On one hand, I am happy the boys will get to finish out their year here.  On another hand, we miss Seth.  Only 2 more months, only 2 more months...

making a statemtent with my shoes

Have you heard about TOMS shoes?  "With every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need.  One for One."?  I bought some today.  I have wanted some for a long time because they are perfect casual shoes to wear with jeans or capris or skirts. (Although, I don't wear skirts much).  And they are comfortable which is big when your feet are used to Ugg boots but aren't quite ready for open-toed shoes.  And they come in all different styles and colors.  I went in thinking I was going to get black but saw these (above) and knew those were the ones.  They actually have statistics about the world as a village: 

if the world was a village of 100 people
3 are slaves
23 drink polluted water
43 live on less than $2 a day
40 have no shoes

and so on.

What a statement.  These shoes are made from hemp and recycled plastic bottles. 

To be fair to myself, I have always had a wacky taste in shoes.  I had yellow converse high-tops.  I wore light brown suede ankle boots with shorts.  I even owned a pair of plaid, canvas shoes with chunky heels.  Those were not comfortable.  So to buy plain black Toms wasn't in the cards for me.  Not when I saw these.  What can I say? 

Does this mean I will give up my sheepskin and wool-lined boots that are not good for the environment?

Of course not, you silly!

But I think I just made my-Ugg-boot-wearing-self a little less guilty about it.

We all have to start somewhere.

And these were just so cute...

a short note on family fun

Last night, the boys and I played Monopoly (not the junior kind) and it was actually fun.  No having to count out their money-both made change like math whizzes! No need to read the cards (although I have to say that Community Chest and Chance are a little outdated...guess that is why they have a new Monopoly game out there).  Heck, they even made sure to pay rent on the space they landed on, even if Rhett we weren't paying attention (I can't say I did the same every time).  This was the first time playing that game didn't seem like a chore.  (No offense to my two offspring).

I don't know how it will go once their dad plays with them.  He is a shark and has bankrupted me quickly before.  Until I played with Seth, I had no idea that the game could end.  :)

Have a good day!

it's time for a catch up

We still haven't moved.

Rhett is having a Hippy Party today in his honor in his class.  Although we keep pushing the move date back, his teacher says she still is having the party for him and she is glad to keep him for a while longer.

Noah has started soccer and loves it.  Really loves it.  Noah doesn't like physical activity, so I am super excited.  It only took 3 years.

Speaking of physical activity, today the boys are getting roller blades.  I promised.  It is Spring Break next week and that seems like a good time to learn roller blading.  They really want to play Ice Hockey, so I told them they must learn how to skate first.  First step: Learn how to roller blading.  Second step:  See if we get past the first step.  Third step:  If they are successful and still love it and still want to play ice hockey, we will start going to the ice rink and practice ice skating.  If after all of that they still want to play ice hockey, the rinks offer Ice Hockey camps and lessons, so that would be step 4.  If they are committed, then I am willing. But we are not repeating another "I want to do this!" and four weeks later, after signing up for guitar lessons and buying an age appropriate guitar want to quit because it is too hard and we just don't like it!  I know, I should have made Rhett continue on but it got to be a battle every day.  I don't know how my mom did it.  (Piano lessons for all of us.  I do remember her threatening to ground me if I missed one more lesson, the only time I remember her threatening to do that).  This has turned into something not about ice hockey so moving on...

My house is pretty and clean and freshly painted. Now please somebody buy it.

We have stopped going to Boy Scouts.  Not because the boys stopped wanting to go, because I just don't want to take them.  Is that sending a great message or what?  Maybe I am the one with the problem and not the boys after all.  See above rant about guitar lessons.

My mom and dad and my nephew are coming for a visit.  It may be their last visit to this home.  I am glad they are coming.  Seth is coming home today too.  Yay!

I have to go feed the dogs now. I think I have said pretty much all I wanted to say.  Have a great weekend!

32 going on 12, maybe 13

Yesterday, my son, Rhett, brought home a surprise for me.  It actually made me laugh at loud and then marvel at how much he must love to make me happy.

It was this. 

He said he won it at his class auction that they have every month.  They use "Buffalo Bucks" that they earn throughout the month for turning in their homework on time or keeping their desk neat, ect. 

He dropped 70 Buffalo Bucks on it.

Of course, my poster is a little worse for wear.  It has creases from being folded into the size of a sheet of paper.  It has pin holes from being hung up on a wall.  There is even a slight tear near the bottom. 

Which makes me wonder:

What girl decided she no longer liked Edward aka Robert Pattinson enough to hang on her wall?
Who took his place?
Was it Jacob?
Or maybe the heartthrob from Dear John or maybe it was Justin Bieber?
Or maybe she just redecorated her room when she decided she was too old to have posters of cute guys on her wall.

I remember who was on my walls when I was younger. 

Mike aka Kirk Cameron
Michael J. Fox in his Back to the Future Days

Sigh

I have strayed from my original thought.  Which is that Rhett beat out a third grade girl for this poster just for me.  I asked him why.  He said, "I knew Twilight makes you happy."

I will keep this poster (not on a wall, darn it) as a reminder that my son will stand teasing from other kids in his class to buy a poster for his mom.  And I won't think too hard about what this actually says about me.  :)

He is going to be a great boyfriend someday.

Fun Question:  If you were in my position, who would you wish were on your poster?

mornings aren't my cup of tea

Note: Initially, I was going to write, "mornings ain't my cup of tea" but then remembered I don't like the word 'ain't' so I didn't use it, although it would have given my title more oomph.  Is that how you spell 'oomph'?  I am not sure.

The past two mornings have been rough for this household.  Oh, who am I kidding?  Mornings are always rough.  I am not a morning person and although I realize this is not a valid reason for being grumpy, I still use it as a reason.

But yesterday and today have been doozies. 

Yesterday, I yelled at my kids because they were ignoring me.  Actually, I said, "Why are you ignoring me?  Am I not important enough for you?"

I thought about it later and realized that may have been a tad dramatic. 

When I dropped the kids off at school, Rhett had forgiven me but Noah had not.  I gave them a kiss and Noah wiped his off, grunted a good-bye (really, he grunted in response to my good-bye) and slammed the door.  Talk about dramatic. I have no idea where he gets that from.  Oh, wait, yes I do.

This morning, I asked Rhett a simple question.  He answered.  I told him that I didn't think he did what he said he did.  Oh, this is getting confusing.  Anyway, we started arguing and I told him he was stubborn, which he denied.  He then yelled, "You are just making me so mad! And I don't like it when you make me mad!" To his credit, he yelled with such control.

He didn't say anything to me when he got out of the car, except, "Are we bus or car today?"  I wanted to say, "Definitely bus mister, because you just yelled at me!" but I figured that would be too dramatic so I just said, "Bus." Then I smiled my best smile and drove off. 

small reflections while I am waiting

Hi there.  I am waiting for a realtor to get here, so I decided to blog!  Aren't you excited?  Aren't you glad?  Hee. Hee.

Anyway, I think I am going to reflect today. 

This is me, a little more than 3 years ago.  I wanted to show off my beautiful newly painted bathroom.  (I actually can't believe its been that long since I painted that bathroom).  The reason is because I am about to have to repaint my beautiful bathroom a more "neutral" color.  Sad face.  Seth says that I can paint our new bathroom the same color.  I know.  But still sad face.  This was my first color adventure.  And every morning I walked into the bathroom and smiled.  I loved it.

I look at myself now.  Funny enough, I am wearing the exact same necklace I was wearing in the picture.  It is a $12 necklace I found at an after Christmas sale at Dillards, but it is my favorite.  Simple and easy to forget it is on-my favorite kind of jewelry. My hair is much, much longer now and I am loving it long and have no desire to cut it short again.  That must mean I past the yucky "why am I growing my hair long again? I hate it" stage. Yay.

I have a new camera. One with a better zoom.  Although I guess I don't need a better zoom with this particular shot.

I think of where we were three years ago.  My kids still had their baby teeth.  Rhett was in kindergarten and Noah home with me most days.  I hadn't even met some of my closest friends in the neighborhood yet.  The school the kids are going to now wasn't even finished being built yet. My mom and I hadn't pulled out the ugly bushes in the front garden bed yet.  That would come a couple of months later.

I think of all these things to remind myself that a lot can change in three years. A lot can happen in three years. Kids grow up, hair grows out, friendships bloom.  It is as if I am saying to myself,

"I remember what is was like three years ago, in a new place.  It was scary, not knowing many people.  It was challenging, fitting in to a new routine. 

We found friends.  We found a good school.  We found a place to call home. 


And we will again."

moving on, moving up highway 44

This is a picture of Tulsa, OK.  Isn't it beautiful?  Honestly, I haven't seen it like this yet.  When we went a couple of weekends ago, it was cold, not sunny and no leaves were on the trees.  People weren't out on the lake either, but I am sure that doesn't have to be said.

This is where we are moving in a few weeks.  Seth got a new job and he is moving us 100 miles north-eastish.  Which makes this the easiest move ever.  At least that is what I am hoping. :)

Edmond, OK has been good to us.  When we moved three and a half years ago, I never thought I would call Oklahoma home.  And now I do.  (I am whispering this part because my kids are still Texans to the core and Rhett, although excited about the move, was disappointed we weren't moving to Lubbock, home of Texas Tech University, his favorite university.)  Don't get me wrong, I love Texas...I just don't not love Oklahoma anymore.  And I have heard Tulsa is even better.  We are looking forward to it. Change is good.  It isn't always easy but it sometimes brings amazing things.

You may not see me much on the ole' blog between now and when we move.  I just wanted to tell you why. You never know though, I may feel like procrastinating and write.  This blog is a product of procrastination. And tell me if I mispelled procrastination.  For some reason, my blog no longer has spell check and I am too lazy to look it up. 

Back to cleaning...(see, I was putting off cleaning to blog!  I told you that is when I do my best blogging.)

i, apparently, can't handle the heat...

The Pineapple Upside Down Cake that I made didn't turn out quite like I had hoped. 

It was pretty good.  Just not pretty:

Yes, my cake totally broke my cake plate

In many pieces!

What happened? 

Well, the cake was baked in a cast-iron skillet, as per instructions.

I removed the cake from the skillet and placed it on a plate, four minutes after removing it from the oven, as per instructions.

15 minutes later, I heard a loud crack, looked over at the cake and found it in two levels.

That was not in the instructions.

Let this be a warning to you in case you decide to fix that particular recipe.

***
I want to take the time and tell my mother-in-law happy birthday today.  Have a wonderful day Sandy!

This week has been full of celebrations and here is one I haven't mentioned yet:  My friend Christy delivered a heatlhy baby girl on Monday!  Congratulations!  I am so happy for you!

a birthday, the derby and wishes

It's Seth's birthday today.  I made the boys get up earlier than usual to give him a present.  Noah was more grumpy than usual.  But Seth smiled. 

I'm thinking of making a pineapple upside down cake for him.  It doesn't have any frosting, but Seth's favorite cakes usually don't.  As long as there is ice cream, I am sure he'll be happy. 

Last night was the Pinewood Derby for cub scouts.  The boys' cars both came in 2nd place for their dens.  Yay. The Den Leaders' sons' cars came in first.  Is that fair?  I don't know.  What I do know is that Rhett was disappointed because his car came off the track once.  And if it weren't for the fact that only two kids in his den, including him, showed up, he probably wouldn't have gotten a trophy.  Is that fair for the dens that had 20 kids show up?  Probably not.  So I guess the unfairness all evens out in the end.

I wish I had pictures for you but I only took a couple with my phone. I wish it was sunny so I wouldn't feel so tired and sick of the cold.  I wish I could have gotten Seth something cooler for his birthday than work-out gear but I didn't.  And I wish pineapple upside down cake had frosting.

Mostly, I wish that my sweet husband has a wonderful day and a fantastic year.  That is more important than frosting. 

Happy Birthday Seth!  I love you!

my date with three perfect gentlemen

Saturday night, we took the boys to a steakhouse because we had a gift certificate.  It was pretty fancy.  I say this because my children were the only children there.  But they were so wonderfully polite!  We were so impressed.

When we first were seated, Rhett looked at all the silverware and folded cloth napkin (which we use all the time but ours are never folded nice and are also wrinkled because I don't iron napkins) and fancy water glass and just got so nervous.  He played with his forks and then played with his napkin.  I told him to relax and he put his hands to his face and said, "I'm sorry!  There is just so much pressure!"  He recovered enough to order a filet mignon and was, at first, disappointed by the size.  Too small he thought.  He ate the whole thing and then realized it was exactly the right size.  He was so happy.

Noah, on the other hand, was cool as a cucumber.  He listened intently to the server as she told us the specials and he even nodded once and awhile as if to say, "Oh, yes, those sound wonderful."  Too bad he really doesn't like steak (too chewy) or seafood (too gross, except the kind that tastes like chicken) and the only chicken dish they had was supposed to be slathered with a mushroom sauce.  They offered to go next door to a neighboring restaraunt to get chicken strips, but we said no thank you.  He took the chicken sans the sauce and mostly ate the complimentary bread they brought out to the table.  But he didn't complain once. 

I think steakhouses are wasted on me because you could just give me pasta and I would be happy.  But I ordered the steak because I always hear my dad's voice in my head:  You ordered that when we are at a steakhouse?  (that being pasta or chicken or anything but steak).  So steak is what I had and it was good.  I had the bearnaise sauce with it which was just delicious in every way.

Seth also had a steak, but his was huge and he enjoyed every bite. He is a steak and potatoes man through and through.  I feel bad that I hardly fix meat for him.  And never potatoes.  But I don't make him watch the vampire shows on tv with me, so it balances out.  (Did you see that commercial last night?  Dodge Charger's Man's Last Stand was pretty funny).

It was a nice date. 

warning: random, mostly useless information ahead

So, I am sitting here in our lovely guest bedroom/office (Hee, I almost spelled out the word "slash" as I was thinking it in my head), freezing.  This room is cold to me.  Even my toes that are in my toasty warm Ugg boots, are cold.  That means my hands are rather cold too.  Hence, I am wearing a pair of gloves.

You know the kind- the cheap $1 pair at the store that supposedly fit any hand? I doubt that but that is not what this post is about.  It is about the things you can't do well while wearing gloves.  (You were warned).

• Type.  Do you know how hard it is to type with gloves on?  You should totally try it sometime.  No telling how long this post will take me to write.  I have to constantly go back and delete mistyped words.  It makes your fingers seem big.  But I have noticed the longer I type, the better it is getting. 
• Blow your nose.  Because, eww.
• Read a book.  It is nearly impossible to turn the pages with gloves on.
• Make a sandwich.  Not that I have ever tried, I am just thinking that it would be difficult.
• Wash dishes.  Your hands would get wet and then wearing gloves would prove pointless.  Unless you wear rubber gloves over your gloves. That almost seems silly.

There you have it.  In case you were wondering, I do have things to do today, but aren't you glad I took the time out to post this blog?  I hope I saved someone who was wearing a pair of $1 gloves that don't quite fit from wondering if they can blow their nose without taking their gloves off. Now they know they could do it, but they could not do it well.

:)

Have a great day!

groundhog predicts six more wintery weeks

Today is Tuesday.  This is the fourth day of school that has been called off due to icy conditions on the road.  4 snow days.  That is 6 days that we have been stuck in the house.  Sure, we could go out.  But that would just irritate me when I realize that the streets, aside from the neighborhood roads, are fine, just fine.  So here in our house we stay while trying not to go stir crazy. 

It has been nice.  We sleep in, we eat a late breakfast, we watch tv, play video games, Noah gets mad when I force him outside where he proceeds to have fun for 45 minutes with his brother, the boys talk about going into football card selling business (they don't want two of the same card!) where they talk about selling the cards for $1 a piece.  Maybe $2 for the good ones.  (Maybe I should have not given them my 1991 Joe Montana card yesterday.  Hmmm)

We have also read books and wrote thank you cards (long overdue), cleaned out some closets, stayed up late, watched the Winter X games (go Shaun White and Bobby Brown!), played vollyball with a small beach ball (the large one kept knocking things over), done some laundry (drying winter wear over and over), tried to get over our colds and planned some plans.

Six more weeks of winter. 

Here is a peek of what our day will be like: 

Rhett:  Ow, stop punching me!

Noah: Sorry.

Rhett:  That hurt!  You really have to stop doing that.  I have feelings you know.

Noah:  I already say sorry.

Rhett:  But you don't have to always punch me.

Noah: Okay! Sorry!

Sigh.  I wish the sun would shine.

love, affairs & roads less traveled

These past two weeks, I have been reading.  Winter is a great time to read.  When it is cold and windy outside, it is so nice to curl up in a chair with a book.  Of course, I could say that summer is a great time to read as well.  Laying by the pool with a book--nothing better.  Anyway, I have read all my library books, which is a shame because it is about to be really cold and snowy and now I have nothing to read.  (Krista, I guess I have stupid problems too. :) )

The first book I read was Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Famous and Obscure Writers.  I loved reading this.  Some memoirs were quite sad: Time heals all wounds? Not quite. and some were so funny: Should have learned to count.   And here is one of my favorites: We were each other's favorite person.  Aww.   This book inspired me to challenge myself and so I am going to try to do all my post titles in six words. 

Then I read Lucy by Ellen Feldman.  This was the book club selection.  I really liked this book.  I went into it without knowing that Franklin Roosevelt had affairs or that his affairs helped shape who Eleanor Roosevelt would become.  As the author writes in her note at the end of the book: 

If Eleanor Roosevelt had not known betrayal, she might have lived out her life as dutiful wife and mother rather than as a force for peace and social justice throughout the world.

She wrote this as a fictional story with historical facts and real people, which is facinating to me.  I go to my first book club meeting tonight and I am excited. 

The Road by Cormac McCarthy is described as "the searing, postapocalyptic novel destined to become Comrac McCarthy's masterpiece" in the front flap of the book.  And it was emotional.  So much so that I had to skip the middle of the book and just read the last quarter of the book.  Because it was almost too much to bear.  This book about a father and son's journey through a burned, empty America to the coast is terribly heart-wrenching, all throughout the book.  (I think, like I said, I couldn't read all of it. Well, I could have.  I just chose not too.)  His writing is beautiful though.  I loved how he describes the father and son's relationship: 

each the other's world entire.

Isn't that tender and beautiful? 

Last night, I finished Bel-Ami by Guy De Maupassant.  The sentence from the book that describes it perfectly is "

My dear woman, love doesn't last for ever.  Easy come, easy go.

Maupassant himself was one for easy come, easy go love affairs it seems and he sure knew how to write about a man that is moves ahead in life by seducing women who have money.  This book was written in 1885 and set in Paris. I enjoyed it because the main character was very likable.  Even though he was a master manipulator and seducer.  I even fell for his lies.  Only toward the end, did I think, "You know, I don't really think he loves any of these women!" 

can you whittle away your dreams?

Tuesday is Cub Scout night.  We went to Rhett's den meeting where he was supposed to work on his whittling badge. 

{Did you know that Whittling has its own webpage?  It says:  Welcome to the World of Whittling.  A hobby for some, an obsession for others, a joy for all.  This is important for later.}

Before we leave the house, I turn to Noah and tell him to bring something to do because he is not to be working with knives. 

Crying and why not?s ensue.

Five minutes later, we are in the car headed toward our first stop for the night.  (I really thought I would be making a stop at the ER tonight too because visions of sliced fingers danced in my head.  Seriously, all I could picture was my brother's hand bleeding when he sliced his hand open with a knife one Christmas morning when we were younger.)  Just so you know,  we did not go to the ER.  Whew.

The poor Den Leader spends 40 minutes talking about knife safety before handing each boy a bar of Ivory soap.  My heart beat fast as I watched Rhett carve a shape out of soap.  I relaxed when I saw that he was being careful.  Then a boy across from him sliced his finger.

Oy.

Just a slight cut.  Nothing a band-aid couldn't fix.

By then I was done.  I was done listening to my youngest son's sighs beside me.  I never did let him near those things.  I was done holding my breath, waiting for an accident that never really happened, thank God.  I was just done.

Noah then gets a bright idea:  Mom, I know!  I can get a bar of soap and carve something out with a butter knife!  See that isn't sharp, right?

In the car, Rhett tells me his bright idea.  Remember when I told you to remember the little blurb about whittling?  This is why:

Rhett:  Mom, I am really good at carving with a knife.  I think after I finish playing pro football, my job will be to carve things with my knife!

me: Uh, no it won't.

(Usually, I let my kids dream.  I let them think they can do whatever with their lives.  But not this.  Oh no.)

Rhett:  Why not?  I am good at it!

me:  Rhett, you can do that as a hobby.  Or when you retire when you are an old man.  This can't be your career.  (Remember, it says hobby.  Even obsession.  But not career!)

Rhett:  Well, I think I can do whatever I want.

Noah:  I want to be an artist.  But I am afraid that after my football career, I'll be too buff.  I don't see many buff artists.

They said more but after that comment, I was laughing too hard.  To myself.  I can't crush all their dreams in one night after all.

PS-I hope I didn't offend anyone saying whittling is not a career.  I am sure people do this as their careers and they are quite good at it.  :)

krista's birthday

Happy Birthday sis!  I hope today you have whatever you want for lunch or dinner (or both), have a piece of yummy cake, and get a surprise or two. 

More importantly, I hope you have a wonderful year.  Full of happiness.

We all love you!

thanks to all for playing along

I loved all the discussion on the six-word memoirs.  It is funny, Michelle mentioned she couldn't stop thinking about it (in six words mind you!) and I have to say I agree.  All throughout the day, I would try to think of six words for my life:

I'll even iron for my husband.

Chocolate is good for the soul.

Mom-at-home; best job ever.

Laundry is the bane of life.


Thanks for sharing all of yours.  I loved them all-especially Mom is the destroyer of fun.  That makes me laugh everytime I think of it.  If you think of more, feel free to share them.  I enjoy reading them!

Here is something along those same lines:  New Year's Resolutions.  Not mine and I am not asking you to share yours.  Actually, I am sharing one of Rhett's.  He had to write some at school and he was asked, "If you could make one New Year's resolution for our country or the world, what would it be?"

His answer:

To end Gossip and make peace to the world.

Edited to six words, his would be:

Ending gossip would bring world peace.

"Wow" is all I can say.


I can't leave Noah out.  He had to write sentences the other day and my favorite was one that had six words:

Some girls think I am cute.

:)

Laughter really is the best medicine.

simply put

I am sure my literary friends and family have heard of the bet between Ernest Heminway and his friend. The author claimed he could write a short story in six words and he did: "For sale: baby shoes, never worn."

Well, did you know that Smith Magazine has six-word memoirs? There are books that have been published with celebrities and unknowns' six-word memoirs. I actually have never heard of this until yesterday but do remember the poignant short story of Heminway's.

Isn't it a great concept? Your life in six words. Here is a video with some catchy music, telling you more about it. The newest book is It All Changed in an Instant and after watching this, I immediately reserved a copy at the library.



So, could you do it? Tell your life story in six words? It is harder than it seems.  !  Hey, that is a good one:  It is harder than it seems.  I like that.  Or maybe:  Find the beauty in all things.

Those are pretty generic though.  Almost like a fortune cookie.  Back to the blank page for me...

Can you come up with your own six-word memoir?  If so, please share!  I would love to read it.  If I can come up with mine, I'll share it too.

2010-year of the movies

that I want to see anyway.  There are so many movies coming out this year that I am excited about watching. 

The Percy Jackson movie is coming in February and Rhett can hardly wait.  I, too, read the books and have to say that I am way excited for this one too.  This book series was so good that Rhett had trouble finding a book afterward to read that he liked.  (I know exactly how he feels.  Percy is to Rhett as Harry is to me).

If you don't know the story, Percy Jackson is the son of god, Poseidon and has to fight mythical creatures and gods of all kinds in all sorts of adventures. 

Alice in Wonderland, coming March 5, I admit, looks a little creepy (and obviously because it is from Tim Burton) but I think that is part of the charm.  Isn't the story supposed to be a little creepy?  Isn't it supposed to be ... mad? 

Johnny Depp is always at his best when he plays strange characters.

 The third movie in the Twilight Saga is Eclipse and since this is my favorite book of the series, I am most looking forward to the movie version. 

Most of you know already my love for these books, so I won't go on and on.  But I will say that I may wait a week or two after it comes out so maybe the teenage fans will thin out.  Being in the theater with a bunch of hormonal teenage girls, squealing with delight everytime Jacob was on screen without a shirt was almost too much for me.  :)

So the new Harry Potter movie, Part 1 of the final book, doesn't come to theaters until November so there isn't even a movie poster for it yet. I am sure these two films will be the best yet.  I have to hope that it is better than the last one.














There are other movies too:

• Diary of a Wimpy Kid (a favorite book series of my kids, this film will sure be the on our list to see in April)
• Valentine's Day (I may have to go see this with girlfriends, but I hoping this movie will be a lot like Love Actually, one of my favorite romance films of all time)
• Date Night  (I actually know nothing about this movie except that it has Steve Carell and Tina Fey but enough said, right?)
• Avatar (I keep changing my mind, but this movie is still going strong.  Are all those people wrong?)
• The Road (I don't know if I really want to see this because I like the lighter fare, but I figure that I need to write in at least one film that Seth might see with me.  And I think he would like this apocalyptic film with Viggo Mortenson.  Ahh, Viggo, I loved you in Lord of the Rings.  For that, I would give any movie with you a chance.)

And one movie I did see over the weekend:

What an amazing movie.  Sandra Bullock should win an oscar for this one.  The story was beautiful.  I took Rhett with me to watch this one and you should have seen him.  He absolutely loved it.  He said it was the best movie he has ever seen.  He sat at the edge of his seat for most of the movie. 

I think I have found my movie soul-mate.

Any movies that you want to see this year that are not on my list?

just finished reading

Pride and Prejudice
Ok, no.  I started that.  And then I skipped to the end.  I don't know.  Classics are hard to read.  Especially when you have been reading "young adult" novels, like:

Impossible by Nancy Werlin

which is what I really just finished reading.

I wanted to read this because it was inspired by the ballad "Scarborough Fair."  Simon & Garfunkel sang this song but it is an old ballad with much history apparently. I like the tune of the song and any book that is inspired by a song sounds interesting to me, so there you go.

It was a fast read, much faster than Pride & Prejudice will ever be.  I liked the idea of the story so much.  Some elements of the story were too rushed but I guess that isn't fair for me to say since I like fast reads and then say it was too rushed.  But all in all, a good story.

It has won many awards like "Best for Teens" and my favorite: "Best Novel for Young Adults That Adults Would Love If They Knew About It."  (from Publishers Weekly "Cuffie" awards).  That made me feel better that I was reading a teen novel.

Will I finish P&P?  I'll try but now I know why they make people read books like that in high school and college.  Because I don't have to write a paper about a certain theme or take a test about it later, I feel like I don't have to finish the book at all.  I don't have the will.

The next book will be Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.  This one will be interesting because I actually did read it in high school and wrote a paper about it.  And I really did like it.  Plus, I am so loving the fantasy themes and monster themes right now.  I hope that I will like it as much and not be annoyed by all of the footnotes at the bottom of the pages, explaining what the author meant.  That is what happened with P&P.  Did you know that book is almost 200 years old?  Wow.  Sadly, that fact still doesn't make me want to finish it.

Oh and I also joined a bookclub that my neighborhood started.  I had to order that book so I am waiting for it to come in the mail.  It is called Lucy by Ellen Feldman.  I think it is about FDR and his mistress, Lucy.  I did not know he had a mistress so I have already learned something.  I'll let you know how that book goes.

And I know that I am no book reviewer. But I just wrote a post for each day this week and that hasn't happened in a long time.  I thought I needed to write one for today and so I wrote about the books I am reading, not reading and yet to read. 

I also know that I sound, oh what is the word?... well, like I am not trying very hard to read what could be a wonderful book.  I have had this problem before.  I tried reading another Jane Austen book and just couldn't get past the words to see the story, do you know what I mean? Anyway...

Have a great weekend and I'll see you on Monday!

brrrr

I am about to tell you something that hardly anyone knows about me. I may embarrass myself completely, but here it goes:

If I had to do college over again, I think I would want to major in meteorology or something that has to do with weather.  I took a class my freshman year in Atmospheric Science and loved it so much.  But because I really didn't know how to follow that path (and let's face it-I really didn't make much of an effort to find that path to follow), I didn't go any further. 

But ever since then, I love the subject of weather.  When there is a big storm coming and all the local stations talk about the approaching storm instead of regular programming, I usually don't even mind. 

So this winter, that has been breaking all sorts of records, is really interesting to me.  I mean, look at this map (courtesy of weather.com):

Everything in our continental United States (save the south tip of Texas) is in a freeze!  And the records this cold winter is breaking!

• International Falls, Minnesota: Saturday and Sunday temps were 37 degrees below zero, breaking records from 1979.
• Sioux Falls, South Dakota:  Breaking a record set in 1974, it was 30 degrees below zero Saturday.
• Burlington, Vermont: A record-breaking snowfall blanketed this town with nearly 32 inches of snow.  They haven't seen that much snow in 120 years.
• Oklahoma City, OK:  Our White Christmas broke a record set in 1924, with over 13 inches of snow falling in a 24 hour period.

And I am sure there are many, many more.

So now you know, if I ask you about the weather, you know I am genuinely interested in the weather, not just making small talk.  :)

Stay warm today.  Our schools were cancelled.  How about yours?

what to do with kids' art

Christy asked a good question yesterday in my comments.  What do we do with all the precious artwork our children make?  Do we secretly throw it away a few days later when they have forgotten about it? (Guilty).  Do we put it into an ever-growing pile of precious artwork we can't bear to throw out? (Been there).  Do we make the kids pick their favorites to save and the rest we throw away? (Done that-although I have to say that wasn't the best idea.  Rhett and Noah thought everything was their favorite).

Truth is, you have to throw it away somehow and sometime or you will be overrun with turkey craft projects and coloring pages.  But I finally have come up with something that the boys and I can live with. 

First, the artwork is displayed throughout the house.

I made a clothesline in their hallway that holds their newest art and wonderful stories:

This makes it easy to change it out and adds color to an otherwise boring hallway.

Then, a few of their favorites are displayed in frames throughout the house.  This one is in their bathroom on the counter.  One of Rhett's hangs on the wall.  These frames are cheap and easy to change once they tire of their picture.

The ones I like the best are placed on black foam board and displayed in the nook above the tv cabinet. I found the foamboard at Hobby Lobby and there is always a chance it will be on sale because it is Hobby Lobby.  I just gluesticked the picture onto the board and it makes it stand out more.

These are the pictures I can't imagine ever throwing away.  They are too beautiful.

Second, I take pictures of the rest.

I know that sounds silly, but actually it works for me.  After I change out the clothesline, I take pictures of the ones I just took down.  Then I throw (or recycle) the old art away because I still have a picture of it.  Someday, I imagine I'll want to do somesort of "coffee table" book or album or their art.  I may have to do several but I doubt they will always bring this many pictures home.  But right now, the pictures sit on my computer.  Yes, I need to save them on a cd.  As I do all my pictures. 

Anyway, that option erases all the guilt I have for throwing away anything of theirs.  If they complain, I say, "I've got a picture of it!"  And my house is less cluttered. 

I apologize if I went on and on.  But I am glad you asked, Christy.  And I hope I gave you some ideas. 

By the way, thanks for your comments about my art project.  I am glad everyone liked it!  I think I want to do that for all my mementos for New York.  That may take awhile to think up though. 

Have a great day!

memories made into art

Yesterday, while the boys went back to school...
I was wondering what to do with all of our ticket stubs and memorabilia from Washington D.C., so I was playing around and came up with this:

I made a picture of the Washington Monument out of an area map (Rhett:  Is the Washington Monument really crooked?) and then made the clouds out of the ticket stubs.  I also added the business card of Noah's dentist that we had to find on the spur of the moment. :)  Good times, now on our wall for all to see.

new year, new things

It is cold this morning.  It will be cold all week.  This is going to be a long winter, I can tell. 

That is okay, I have many things I want to do inside.  Many projects, many want-to-dos.

I have started reading Pride and Prejudice.  It is going to be slow going.  But I am determined.

I have started a new journal.  Lots of empty pages to be filled.  Hoping it will be filled by year's end.

I have a lot of work-out dvds to choose from.  I hope to start playing those and actually doing what they are instructing me to do.  Ha. ha.

I have pillows that need to be recovered and walls that need repainted.  Chairs that need to be a different color and papers that need to be organized.

It seems like I have lots to do.  Better get started...

looking back part 2

Continuing the recap...
July:

I absolutely loved Washington D.C. and I would go back anytime.  It had so much history, so many beautiful things to see, so much to do and we also got to see my sister, Krista and her family, so that was an added bonus.  The weather was just perfect when we went in the middle of July which was good, because we walked and rode the subway everywhere. It was here I rediscovered my brain, which sounds funny but it is true.  There is so much I want to learn about what happened here, especially during the Civil War.  I have many books that I have just started to get through, thanks to my dad, the history buff.

August:

The boys were on the swim team and it was actually so much fun to watch.  Well, the last meet was way too long but the races were fun.  I never got to do anything like this when I was a child (living in a small town had a few disadvantages) so it is cool to see my kids swimming so well. 

September:

I turned 32 this month.  And Seth sent me flowers. Love him!

October and November:

These two months I am going to lump together.  They weren't the best months for us.  We were struck with the flu and for two to three weeks, we were stuck in the house.  It was also when I found out two of my good friends were moving away and taking their children, my kid's friends, with them.  We were all down in the dumps.  I think this picture of Noah says it all.

I do have to mention that we went to Longview for Thanksgiving to see Seth's brother and his family and that was fun.  Especially the night of Thankgiving when some of us went to the midnight Toys R Us sale.  What were we thinking?  I don't know, especially now, because what we waiting 2 and a half hours in line for to get, will ultimately be returned because Rhett changed his mind on what he wanted.  But we will always have IHOP.  Good times.

I do also have to mention that I have been actively green this year, at least when it comes to trying to get our school to be a little more green.  I think the magazine drive really helped get more people to recycle paper at least.  I am happy to say that part of my goal was realized. 

December:

Mile of Magazines! Happy Birthday!  Happy Birthday! Water slides! Snow sledding!  Hellos! Good-byes! Merry Christmas! We have had it all this month! It has been busy but good.  My favorite part was seeing my family.  The White Christmas was nice although a blizzard was a bit much I thought.  :)

It has been quite a year.  I don't think I will choose a word for the next year.  I think I just want to see what this next year holds.  All the surprises, all the changes that may come, all the good and even the not so good.  I wish for health for us and all our loved ones, happiness and awesome adventures. 

Happy New Year everyone!