Jon Quixote, also known as "The Defoliater"...

Jon...
A Toy Sword...
A small Fruit Tree...

It was a draw.

Whole Wheat Bread...

I make three loaves of this bread every Saturday. Cutting is best done when bread is cold from the fridge.

In a bowl put warm water, yeast and honey. Set aside about 5-10 minutes. Next in large bowl mix wheat flour, bread flour and salt. Mix dry ingredients together. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients, add oil and water/yeast. Mix until dough. Flour a flat surface and kneed dough about 7-10 minutes. Set dough in bowl and cover. Place in warm dark place to rise, 20 minutes or until doubled in size. When risen, punch down center to release air pockets. Grease bread pan and place dough in pan. Cover and let rise 20 minutes or until doubled. Preheat oven to 350, and bake for 30-40 minutes. Bread is done when you hear a hollow sound when tapped.

I loaf
1 1/4 cup warm water
2 Tablespoons honey
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 cup wheat flour
2 1/4 cup bread flour
2 1/2 teaspoons yeast (or one packet)

Double the ingredients to get 3 loaves or 2 Large loaves

Betsy Wetsy, or a Doll that can Pee...

Katie: "Why does this doll have a hole on her butt?"
Mother: "So that she can pee."

Umm...I'm sorry, but remind me again why you would want a doll that can pee?

The Game's Afoot...

This past month, I've been trying out the GroceryGame. It's a service that tells you what groceries to buy at which store with what coupon on which day you will save the most money. Here is my take on it so far...

1. You have to pay a fee to use the service. This of course makes sense because someone has to do all the "leg" work.
2. You have to buy the Sunday newspaper, and have it delivered. The paper has coupons that are used to save you money.
3. There is a new shopping list every week. This means that you have to go shopping every week too, to get the best prices.
4. You have to stock up on things while they're cheap. So if you have 4 jars of peanut butter, you need to buy more if it's on the list for .19 cents.
5. You have to buy what you have coupons for. So no special diets here.
6. It takes time. You have to clip and sort coupons, and shop for specific items. No running in an out in a hurry.

So far, I'm not sure if I'm saving any money, but I sure am eating a lot of Crescent Rolls.

The Hole Truth...

I have just discovered that planting a tree, is not an easy thing to do. Did you know that the hole you dig has to be twice as wide as the width of the tree's root ball? Yeah, it does. And then it also has to be as deep as the root ball is tall. In addition to this you have to make the bottom around the root ball deeper so that it looks like the tree is sitting on an island in the middle of the hole. I don't know if you can picture this, but it's quite a lot of work. Oh, and let me suggest that you use a shovel. All I had was a hand spade...

They Came, They Saw, They Went Home...

My parents arrived late Monday night and stayed through Thanksgiving. We had a wonderful visit, celebrating Thanksgiving, my dad's birthday (undisclosed age), and Eddie's 8th birthday. It all passed too quickly, as they had to leave on Friday. I'm not embarrassed to say that I adore my parents, even if and when they drive me nuts. I truly believe myself blessed to have been raised by them, imperfect that they may be. So Mom and Dad, Thanks for stopping by, I'm looking forward to being nuts again soon.

Also, I had an absolutely lovely visit from my friend Katharyn over the weekend. She arrived after my parents left, and stayed through Sunday. Thanks Kat! It was very refreshing to have some girl time.

Oh, and thank you Lana for stopping by earlier this month, it really brightened my day!

The Turkey Wars...

I bought a frozen turkey. Well actually, I bought three frozen turkeys.
This is because of the Turkey Wars. What, you ask, are the Turkey Wars? Well I'll tell you, the Turkey Wars are when all the supermarkets fight to get you to buy their turkey by promising to meet any other store's price.
The end result for me was that on Tuesday, the week before Thanksgiving, I bought a Turkey for .47cents per lb! WOW! That is one cheap turkey (I thought). Until the Sunday before Thanksgiving arrived and I saw that the same turkey was then only .43cents per lb! No Way! I thought to myself, as I bought another turkey. And last of all, on the Tuesday right before Thanksgiving, I found myself at the store yet again, only to see that the Turkeys were now .39cents per lb. So as you can guess, I just had to buy another turkey.
The good news is that because they are all frozen turkeys, they all fit nicely into the bottom of my deep freezer in the garage, so I can now have cheap turkey anytime I want. Which is a good thing because I happen to love turkey.

Now if only I could get the cows to fight...

Snowed in...

..in Phoenix AZ?
Well ok not really, but it sure feels like it. We are entering the RSV season and because the Twins are high risk, we are no longer taking them out. That means no trips to the super market (you can imagine how sad it must be for me to have to shop for groceries alone...), and no trips to the mall (well I didn't really need to spend money there anyway). But seriously, the worst of it is that I am now staying home from church too. If I had a way to keep Jon, Ellie and Maggie in a bubble so that I could go to church I would, because after missing about 6 weeks of church because the kids kept getting sick, this is like the nail in the coffin. So I would ask for all you readers out there to pray for me.

This is going to be a long winter.

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow...

So, I have this habit of trimming my own hair in the back, whenever it feels too long. Usually, this is not a problem because I follow 1 rule: less is more. This means that however much you think you want to cut off, cut less. Trust me, it works! I usually get just the right amount by cutting less than I think I need to cut.
I bet you all can just guess where this blog is going...I broke my rule. I was in a hurry to cut before the kids all woke up yesterday morning, and I had an idea in my head of what I wanted the back to look like, and I cut. Um...yeah...so after I tried to line up the rest of the "trim" so as to make it even, I had only one thought,..."at least it will grow back". Not the most promising thoughts I can assure you. Well, while my hair was still wet it was a bit short, livable but short. But when my hair dried...uh...not so good. Have you ever seen one of those poodles with the long ears? It kinda looked like that. No, I'm not kidding.
So after trying several different way to "put it up", I finally gave up and went to Great Clips and had them fix it. It was nice to be able to tell them what I wanted and to have them do it. They did a great job, and my hair actually looks like I had wanted it too. Crazy huh?
The moral of this story? Never deviate from rule 1. (yes, I will cut my own hair again, but not today)

Mud, Dirt Cheap...

So Joe has been trying to put a fence in the backyard to separate the kid zone from the garden zone. The problem is that the ground here is rock hard (not to mention the abundance of rocks too). As you can imagine this does not make a fun honey to-do item. But alas, done it must be.
A solution to the back breaking, hand hammering (yes he did hit his hand with the hammer a few times), post driving work is to water the ground first. Yes you read that right. We are watering the dirt, not the garden. When you think about it, it does make sense that wet dirt is softer than dry dirt. So that's what we did (with the last two posts).
Now here comes the good part, the two older kids wanted to help with the last post/dirt watering. Great idea right? Great way to get the kids involved and motivated to help right? Well ok yeah, if you want your kids covered in mud that is. Did you know that a sock can be filled with mud? It can! I cleaned out 4 mud filled socks. I also discovered that mud makes a wonderful brown dye. That's right! You can, for free, dye all your whites a beautiful dingy brown just by dragging them in some homemade mud!
If you're really lucky though, you might just have a good laugh after hosing down two very dirty kids.
And you'll be happy to know that the last post was easy to place in all that mud.

Quiz 7...

In the movies, "Indiana Jones", what is Indiana afraid of?

Answer: Snakes!

The Great Escape, or Tiramisu My Darling...

Last night, I made a mad dash out of the house with the twins (after hours of thinking up reasons why not to go), to attend a women's bible study dinner with ladies from my church. We met at a lovely little Greek/Italian restaurant. I had already eaten dinner with my family, so I only ordered dessert...twice. Well what was I to do with Tiramisu on the menu? (I think that almost rhymes) And no, I didn't order Tiramisu twice (although I was tempted), I ordered Baklava the second time. Ooooo...and they were both soooo good. The trip was worth it for that alone. Of course, I did enjoy the conversation and company too.
I must say, that one of the pluses to nursing twins is that I don't feel as guilty for enjoying a little bit more dessert here and there. Don't I get one dessert per baby? Well maybe not, but I think I should. I suppose I'll have to carry them up and down the stairs twice as many times now, but it was soooo worth it.
Did I mention I love Tiramisu?

Things I don't miss about being a kid...

I don't miss getting shots at the Doctor's office.
I don't miss fighting with my parents.
I don't miss fighting with my brothers.
I don't miss having to do as told.
I don't miss nasty cold medicine.
I don't miss being shy around boys.
I don't miss homework.
I don't miss being grounded.

Things I miss about being a kid...

I miss waking up on Saturday morning to the sound of my dad mowing the lawn.
I miss being able to walk to the corner store without worrying about "bad guys".
I miss sleepovers with my girl friends that involved late night movies and popcorn, but didn't involve much sleeping.
I miss "Thrifty" ice cream, especially "chocolate malted crunch".
I miss waking up after the sleepovers, and not being tired.
I miss giggling at boys, just because they're boys.
I miss watching the old Disney Cartoons on Saturday morning.
I miss being Innocent in knowledge.

The Infectious Disease Ward...

...also know as my house. Yes, that's right, the kids are sick again.
If I look on the bright side, however, even though I didn't sleep last night due to sobbing infants, at least Ellie and Maggie took turns crying instead of screaming in unison.

Happy thought indeed.

Walk Softly and Carry a Big Stick...

While watching a movie about Joseph (of the Bible), Eddie saw all the men walking with staffs and said...

"They're so old, they even have to use sticks, huh?"

Death, the Final Frontier...

So Joe and I were talking last night, and being on the silly side, I told him he couldn't die on me because I didn't want to have to sell and move out of our new house. To which he replied...

Joe: "You can use my life insurance to pay off the house."
Rebecca: "But what about burial costs?"
Joe: "Do whatever is cheapest."
Rebecca: "I think that would be cremation. Are you ok with cremation?"
Joe: "I can live with that."
Rebecca: "You can live with that?" giggle, giggle, giggle
Joe: "Oh, I guess not." (Laughing)

Roses, and Noses...

...And (just in case you wanted to know), yes, my whole house smells like Bath and Bodyworks Peony lotion...

The Water Heater...

So yesterday morning I had a cold shower at 5am. Not fun I can assure you. I figured that my water heater was broken, and that it was just one of those things that happens when you own your own home (well, I think the bank owns the home, but they don't care about the water heater).
In any case, I was wrong. The water heater works just fine. And how did I find out that it works just fine? Well...

I had to give Jon a 20 minute shower last night. Why, you ask? Well, because the Poison Control Man said to. Why did I call Poison Control? Because Jon had covered himself in body lotion. He had rubbed it on every inch of skin, put it in his ears, up his nose, in his mouth, and had started to scream when he rubbed it in his eyes. Yeah. Fun times, huh? So I put him in the kitchen sink and rinsed, called Poison Control, and took him up to shower. Oh, yeah, did I mention that he had a dirty diaper? You can imagine my surprise when I started to strip him in the bathroom (which has carpet) and found an unexpected gift. This resulted in getting a "dirty" bathroom floor (don't ask).
But all in all, not a bad evening if you look at the positive...

I had a hot shower this morning at 5am.

Reality, when you're almost 6...

Conversation I just had with Katie...

Katie: "Jon just turned 2 a while ago."
Mommy: "That's right, his birthday was last week."
Katie: "But Jon doesn't look two."
Mommy: "He doesn't?"
Katie: "No, He looks bigger than 2 like maybe 3."
Mommy: "Do you think so?"
Katie: "Yes. I know that when he is grown up he is going to be small like this." She squats down, and puts her hand on her head to show me how small.
Mommy: "You think he's going to be that small huh?"
Katie: "Yes." she said this very directly. "I know, because Hannah is bigger." Hannah is her cousin.
Mommy: "Do you know how old Hannah is? Hannah's 5."
Katie: "Yes. But she was bigger when she was 2, I know, I remember."
Mommy: "Ok." Just can't argue with that.

Stalkers...

Ok, so it's Laura's fault...She did it on her blog, and I couldn't stop thinking about it.
So I did it too, I added the "Followers" ability to my blog. It's a pretty cool addition to blogger if you ask me.
So, thank you Laura for your unknowing encouragement. And remember, "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery" right? Well, at least you know your sphere of influence.

And no, I would not jump off a bridge if my friends did it. I'm afraid of heights.

Stealth Poop...

...Ok, your asking yourself,..."What?!?"
To those of you out there that don't know, I use cloth diapers. This means that after removing a used diaper it must be placed in a bucket.
Well, after changing several dozen diapers, it has become common place to "chuck" a wet one at the bucket. Of course, this would never do if the diaper was dirty right?
So last night Joe did exactly that, he chucked what he though was a wet diaper at the bucket. Only to hear me shriek and question his sanity.
His response was that he didn't see it, he though it was just wet. And then he said it,..."stealth poop".
I laughed so hard!

It's the little things in life that bring a family together...

Quiz 6...

In the Movie, "Mary Poppins", what is suggested to improve your life?


Answer: All of the above.

Facing My Fears...

I have a friend who likes to tell me that I need to face my fears. My response has always been that my fears and I have been such good company these long years that I could not imagine changing them. Well, in honor of my friend, I would like to share how I faced one of my fears yesterday.

Have you ever watched one of those car chases? You know, the ones where one car bumps into the other trying to knock it from the road? Well I have watched those, and been "concerned" about the possibility of it happening to me in real life. I know what you're thinking...a bit on the dramatic side aren't I? Never the less, I have often seen cars inch a little too close for comfort on the road and those scenes are the first thing I think of.
Now, it just so happens, that this very thing happened to me yesterday on the freeway while driving 60mph. A tan truck was driving parallel to me and decided that he liked my lane better. So over he did glide, right into my van. Scared the living daylights out of me!!! I screamed, each time he bumped me. By the grace and mercy of my Lord and Savior, I was not pushed out of my lane, nor were we hurt (all 5 kids were with me). Eddie later told me that he thought I had a spider on me and that was why I was screaming (at my house, screaming and spiders go hand in hand).
So here's to you my fearless friend. I have faced a fear and won. Now the rest of my fears and I are going to have some tea, would you like to join us?

In the Trenches...

About three weeks ago, the twins started to crawl (Maggie was first by a day or two). It's the funniest thing to watch, because they don't crawl on their hands and knees, but on their forearms and knees.
Picture this
...the floor is layered with toys to the right and to the left, but if only Maggie could get to that one "special" toy that Ellie has. So she moves through the trenches, inching her way through the thicket. Low to the ground she silently approaches Ellie, who is unaware. At the last possible moment, when Maggie is ready to snatch the toy, Ellie rolls over and then away. Maggie must move on. The battle may be lost, but not yet the war.

Sick kids...

Enough said.

The Adventures of Mr. Stinkbottoms and Miss Crankypants...

Now, Miss Henrietta Crankypants was very different than Mr. Stinkbottoms. She liked to wear shorts with stripes, socks with polka dots, and she always wore very fancy shoes wherever she went. Henrietta didn't like to walk either, but would skip and hop to where she wanted to go. The most unusual thing about her, however, was her wish to become a trapeze artist in the circus. She liked to sit and daydream about how wonderful it would feel to go flying through the air. In fact, Henri (that is what she liked to be called) just knew, that some day, she would join the circus and "wow" the crowds with her grace and magnificent trapezing ability. Of course, she had never really been to the circus, or on a trapeze, but she had seen pictures and knew right away that it was what she really wanted to do.

...to be continued...

The Adventures of Mr. Stinkbottoms and Miss Crankypants...

There once was a very normal house, on a very normal looking street, in a very normal town, next to a very normal city. And in that house lived a man named Mr. Eugene Stinkbottoms. Now Mr. Stinkbottoms (only his closest friends called him Eugene), was a very normal man. In fact, there never seemed to be anything out of the ordinary about him. He wore all the current style clothing, and drove a very normal car to his very normal job, and ate very normal food (which you all know to be things like hamburgers and such).
And so our story would be done in a very normal, if not short, sort of way, if not for the arrival of Mr. Stinkbottoms new neighbour, a Miss Henrietta Crankypants.

...to be continued...

Quiz 5...

In the Movie, "The Princess Bride", the six fingered man says, "..if you haven't got...you haven't got anything".

Answer: Your Health

Would You Like Butter With That...

Jon was quiet. Jon was very quiet. This could only mean one of two things: 1-Jon is asleep, 2-Jon is getting into trouble. 1=good, 2=bad. It was 2.
I made the mistake of leaving the stick of butter out on the counter after breakfast this morning. Taking advantage of my forgetfulness, Jon took the butter and sat on the kitchen floor just out of sight. He then proceeded to squeeze butter into the water bottle Joe takes to work. He also squished it between his fingers, and rubbed it on his face. I won't even comment on the kitchen floor.
Later, this afternoon, he was quiet again. This time he was attempting to tear open the bag of Cheerios with his teeth. He left two holes behind, so that the little imprisoned cereal rings could escape.

The Tooth Olympics...

Katie has won the Gold Medal for losing her first tooth (the bottom left)! She also has another one ready to fall out any day (the bottom right). She of course wanted to throw a party, and kept saying, "Today is my lucky day!"
Ellie came in second, winning the Silver Medal, with her first tooth (the bottom left).
Maggie received the Bronze Medal, for coming in third with her first tooth (the bottom right).
Eddie gave a good try with one iffy tooth (the top right), but failed to complete the extraction.
Jon continued to work on those molars.
What an exciting event it was!
Next up, "Potty Training", and what an event that will be!

Life in the Fast Lane, or at least the constantly moving one...

It has been challenging to find time to blog. I have been teaching 2nd grade and Kindergarten, hugging a toddler and two babies, and trying to keep up with the house work. I've been a bit busy.
However, I have discovered that I like having a full life. At the end of everyday, I just don't have the energy to think up some utterly fabulous blog, and my ego doesn't want me to write a low caliber one. After years of struggling to write English papers, I finally feel like I could write anything. I can't, but it's nice to feel like I could.
So here is my less then humble try at a blog that is not too remarkable, but at least it exists.

Quiz 4...

In the Movie "The Chipmunk Adventure", what did Alvin give to Theodore for helping him edit a phone call to fool Mrs. Miller?

Answer: 2 packs of Tuti-Fruiti

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A Ringing in My Ears...

I was cleaning the kitchen, when I heard a very faint phone ringing. Hmm...not the TV...not my cell phones...was it the house phone? I looked and saw a vacant phone holder. Ok...so it must be my phone, but where could it be? Luckily for me, I don't have an answering machine hooked up, so the phone could ring forever. So I followed the ringing, until I was standing before the couch. And in between the cushions, there I found my phone, still ringing. I answered it, feeling grateful that the person on the other line had the patience to wait for me, only to find out that it was a wrong number. The only thing left for me then, was to ponder why my phone was in the couch.
Some questions are too deep for the human mind.

Thank You, Grandma Chris...

I would like to take a moment and write a thank you note to Grandma Chris, who has spent the last three months working her socks off helping our family.


Dear Grandma Chris,

Thank you for listening to Eddie and his endless stories and details about his favorite computer games.
Thank you for letting Katie help you cook, clean house, and do other "fun" chores around the house.
Thank you for sitting with Jon and reading the same book 20 times in a row, and running after him when he couldn't sit still.
Thank you for holding and changing and loving Ellie and Maggie when they needed it.
Thank you for cleaning my house, doing laundry, and the dishes, so that I could spend more time with my children, for listening to me talk endlessly about who knows what, and for loving my children.
Thank you for helping with Fitz (our dog), by pooper-scooping, walking him, brushing him, feeding him, and just being his buddy.
But most of all, thank you for raising a wonderful, godly man for me to love, cherish, and care for, for the rest of my days.

May you be filled with the Spirit, and have great joy on your next path. We have been privileged to have shared our path with you these past three months.

Quiz 3...

In the movie "Galaxy Quest" what is Guy's last name?

Answer: Fleegman

You find this out at the end of the movie, when they show the opening scene to the new show, and Guy is the security guard "Roc".

Modesty...the Elusive Art...

There is nothing like having children to give you a deep reverence for privacy. No longer can I escape to the restroom to "powder my nose", without hearing a shriek, or a bang. Someone is always looking for me (no I'm not paranoid, just a mother), to ask just one more question, one more time, even though the answer was no 2 minutes ago. I have to get up early just to shower, so that no one comes and peeks around the shower curtain, and hide in the closet to get dressed, all the while saying in a loud voice that I am doing just that.
This is the price I pay as a mother. It is truly a small price, and well worth it, but I have to wonder,...when will the tables turn? At what age will they discover their own modesty?

Quiz 2...

In the movie, "The Fifth Element", how many people claimed to be Corbin Dallas?

Answer: 4

The Quizzes...

Ok, so some of you out there may be wondering about the addition of the quiz to my blog. As much as I like to keep suspense going (what little there might be), I've decided to explain why the quiz is there, and also, more importantly, to give the correct answers to the quizzes.
So the quiz exists because I figured out how to put one in my blog. Yep, that's it. Not that exciting.
As a secondary reason to leave it, I decided it would be nice if people would vote so that I'd know that you're reading my blog. When I read other people's blogs, I don't always have something to say, so here is your chance to leave your footprint on mine without having to be witty.
So please vote, even if you have no clue what the answer is. Guessing is fun.

Last week's Quiz: In Mr Smith Goes To Washington, what was the name of the Dam?

Answer: Willow Creek

My kingdom for a Name...

It was hard won, but Joe and I finally agreed on a name for each kitten. Ok, so it was more like Joe knew exactly what he wanted to name his kitten, I just didn't like it. After several unproductive hours of trying to talk Joe into changing his chosen name, I caved and pick a name that would go with his. All in all, the names are cute, and I can live with them.
So, I bet you'd like to know what the names are, right? Well let me be the first to introduce (drum roll please),
Holly and Winter, the Kilcoyne Kittens.

Good Cop, Bad Cop...

Ok, so Joe and I were just arriving in the Walmart parking lot, when I saw a sign that said "Kittens". I, of course, remarked that I saw the sign, and Joe, jokingly asked if I wanted one. So I told him I just wanted to look. Just a look right? I knew Joe would say we couldn't get one, so I felt safe looking, and maybe even begging a little. I knew the answer would be no.
I guess I forgot to read the script today, because it turns out that I was suppose to be the bad cop. So there we were in Walmart, buying cat supplies for the "one" kitten, and I said, "I'm going to ask you a question and you need to say no. Do you want to get both of them"?
"No" Joe answered. Only he really didn't mean it, and I knew he didn't mean it because I can read him like the Sunday paper! Not only did Joe want to get one, he wanted two!
The only problem I have now is what to name them.

Spiritual Corner...Made possible by the Contributions of Katie...

"Tell me something I don't know about Jesus" can be heard every night at my house. It is the greatest ruse to stay up and not go to bed. Most kids ask for water, or need to go to the bathroom, but not my Katie. She's figured it out. She knows that water won't be gotten more than once, and potty breaks are taken right before bed. So she does the one thing I can't turn down, she wants to talk about Jesus. Now don't get me wrong, I love to talk to her about Jesus. She is a vault of knowledge about Him already, and is so excited about learning new information, that I can't help but get excited too. But now that I know, that she knows how to use it as a ruse, I will have to limit it to a 5 minute dialog. So sad.

Just for fun, I will share one of the things she and I talked about a week or so ago.
Katie: "Tell me something I don't know about Jesus".
Mommy: "Ok, did you know that Jesus started doing His miracles at the age of 30?"
Katie: "Ok, now I'm going to tell you something that you don't know".
Mommy: "Ok".
Katie: "Did you know that Jesus didn't have a stick?" This is said while pointing to the lower region of the body.
Mommy: "Hmm...What do you mean?" At this point I was very confused, not quite sure what she was talking about.
Katie: "Like Eddie has a stick, Jesus didn't have one." Ok, now I understand.
Mommy: "Oh,...yes he did. He was just like us." Now I'm wondering why in the world would she think of something like that. And then she says...
Katie: "But the bible says He has not a body like man?"

To Post, or Not To Post...

...that is the question (but it's not a very good one). It seems to me that everyday something happens and I think to myself, "I should blog about that".
But I don't.
And then a day or two later, I think, "I should have blogged about that".
But I didn't.
Did I mention that I have five kids? I suppose I really shouldn't blame them for my absentmindedness (boy, that was a long word), but hey why not! It does seem to me, that with each additional child I have, the more brain cells I seem to lose. There is definitely a correlation there, I just can't prove it.

A Long Awaited Apology...

While I was nursing the twins one last time before bed tonight, the most endearing thing happened. They held each other's hands. It's ok, you can say it,..."Awwww, how cute". I know I did, and I like to pride myself on my lack of gooeyness.
But being a parent has definitely ruined my stoic self. I now find myself tearing up while watching "A Baby Story" on TLC, or just about anytime anything wonderful happens between a mother and child. It's bad.
So I would like to apologize to my Mother. I'm sorry for all those years I rolled my eyes at you when you needed a tissue after watching a TV show, or when you cried over a movie. You were right. It's just so Beautiful!

A Silver Lining...

So late last night, because everything dramatic in my life happens at night, the upstairs tub overflowed and flooded the bathroom, hallway, and one bedroom. While Joe and his mother tried to dry it up with every towel we own, I drove to Walmart and bought a shop vac and 4 fans.
This morning I called the insurance company and they sent over some guys to clean it up. The guys tore up all the floor in the bathroom, peeled back the carpet in the hall and the bedroom so they could remove the pad underneath, and ripped the baseboards off the walls.
So right about now you are probably wondering what is up with the title of this blog.
Well here it is...
The Silver lining is that all the toothpaste that I couldn't get out of the carpet (i.e. the really big plate sized spot right outside the bathroom) is gone!

Toothpaste...Not for the Faint of Heart...

As my kids get older, I find I have more and more use for my poker face. Take tonight for an example.
I neither laughed nor cried while one of my progeny told me that while brushing their teeth with another sibling, that other sibling squeezed all the toothpaste onto the bathroom floor and then stepped in it (stepped being used lightly, I think danced would have been more appropriate myself). This was, of course, being explained to me downstairs (the offending bathroom was upstairs) with both of the children included in the story standing in front of me.
After hearing and seeing all this, I asked to see the feet of the child in question. Yup...blue toothpaste between the toes confirmed. Check!
Blue toothpaste encrusted footprints on the stairs. Check!
And last but not least, "stepped" in blue toothpaste on the bathroom floor. Check!
Well, my poker face lasted until my wonderful husband finished cleaning it up. I looked him in the eyes,...and started to giggle. I just couldn't keep a straight face any longer.

Moving...The Sport of Champions...

So, my great plans to have my house unpacked, painted, and organized have been torn to shreds, and lay in a heap. Here I am into my third week here and the house is still full of unpacked boxes, and only one room has been painted. As for organization, what's that? There are few times in my life that I am totally wrong, and even fewer times that I would admit to. But here I am, ready and willing to admit defeat. I was wrong. There I said it, it wasn't that hard. I thought that moving would be done in a week. I thought that I could paint in a day (ha!). I thought that putting everything away would make it organized. I was soooo wrong! So my hat is off to all of you who smiled slyly when I spoke my plans. I nod to those who have moved before and come out the other side singed but not burned. As for me, I will recover. Perhaps a bit more humble for the experience, definitely a lot more respectful of this great American pastime, moving.

The Usefulness of Health Insurance for Kids...

It's July, time to start this months Doctor visits...

Monday- regular Pediatrician, whom I LOVE!!!

Thursday- EEG test at the Phoenix Children's Hospital

Friday- First visit with the Pediatric Neurologist

All this, just because little Maggie-Moo had a Seizure or two...

HAHA! It rhymed!

Going, going, gone...

...gone is the California Sun shine, gone are the beaches and cool ocean breeze, gone are the busy freeways...

Hello...Lovely Arizona with desert oasis and cacti, to stars in the night sky, and to air conditioned homes...

Ahh...wonderful are the seasons of life...

Gone are the old, welcome the new.

The Joy of being a Kid...

Today we are getting everything ready to move.
After my brothers moved and took down the outside play equipment I heard Eddie and Katie say...

Eddie "Look! A big grassy area!"
Katie "Let's step in it!"

A visit to the Mall...

So a little while ago, a thought came to me. I thought, "if I pierce the twins ears with different earrings, then no one will ever wonder who is who." Now this was not an easy decision to make, and it took me about a month to make it, but low and behold...

Cordy

Cordy goes first!

First Ear.
Very mad!
Second Ear.
Still mad.

Katie and Hannah

Having fun.

Katie and Hannah NOT getting they're ears pierced.

Maggie

What's going on here?
First Ear.
Very, Very, mad.

Second Ear.
Giving the Evil Eye.

Ellie

Still Sleeping.

Who are You?First Ear.

Ouch!
Second Ear.
Very mad!
All Done!
All in all...

more difficult for the mommies.

Innocence not yet lost...

You know how you can watch some movies when you're a kid, and then re-watch them as an adult and realize that what was going on was actually more "adult" then you thought? Well...the same "child vs adult" understanding can occasionally pop up in real life.

Mother "Eddie is the barn door closed?"
Eddie "Ahh! No it's open. The animals are escaping!"
Mother now giggling.


{No "animals" were hurt or seen escaping during the making of this blog}

My New House...

This is as close as I have ever been...

Doctors, and Starbucks...

The two most expensive things you can't live without when you're a mom.

I called the Doctors office to get a same day appointment for my son (he had a cut on his little toe) and this is what I heard...
"Weren't you just in here a few days ago?"
"Yes, I was. I have 5 kids."
"Wow! No wonder we see you so often...you must be busy."
"Yup."

I have, in fact, been to the Doctors office at least 4 times this month. And the month isn't even over yet... I can't even count how many times my kids have seen Doctors since the beginning of the year!
Here's how I see it:
Doctor=Coffee
More Doctor=More Coffee...
So...I think they should open a Starbucks in the Doctors office. Saves time, even if it won't save money...maybe they could even make a discount per cup or child...hmmm...

Once Upon a Time...(A Katie Story)...

...There was a little princess that was in the kingdom, and she was beautiful. And one day a prince came and he climbed up her hair. And there was a bunch of giraffes out of the castle. And there was a wicked witch that was making some poisonous soup, and she was going to give it to the princess. The princess almost ate the soup, but the prince took the pot of soup and poured it on the wicked witch. The wicked witch died, and they lived happily ever after.

The End

Once Upon a Time...(An Eddie Story)...

...There was a courageous Knight named, Edward. He, like all knights before him, would seek out quests to complete, and rewards to earn. One day, when he had gone to kill an evil King, he found some people. There were three people, a young girl named Jamie, a young boy named Myrin, and an old man named Syrus. His new companions decided to help Edward kill the evil King. After they killed the evil King, Edward and his new friends, Jamie, Myrin, and Syrus, returned to Edward's kingdom to live happily ever after.

The End

The countdown has begun...

Moving day is near,
The boxes aren't packed.
Not ready, I fear.
Movers should be sacked.

Oh wait, guess that's me,
time is running out.
pack a box, or three,
I'll be done, I shout!

I just need more time,
A moment to think.
Not a silly rhyme.
Not a wily wink.

A dozen or so,
Boxes I will need.
Tape and pens you know,
Moving truck to lead.

Friends, and family near,
helping with the move,
Seeing makes it clear,
Help is good, they'll prove.

When done, done, are we,
My new house I'll see.
Content shall we be,
To live, in A Z.

Little known facts...

Katie has more shoes than an Elephant.


Or as my mother likes to say:

"Time flies like an arrow...Fruit flies like a banana."


Or as I like to ask:

"What was the dog carrying in it's mouth?"


It's just so deep...

The moment between two heartbeats...

...the moment before fear, when panic starts to rise.
I picked her up to calm her down, but it didn't work. She wouldn't relax, she didn't know me. Her face mirrored the panic that I was beginning to feel. The voice came, you know, the one that says, "what if?" What if something is really wrong? And then you move, you look for help because the moment has stretched, and the "what ifs" are screaming in your ear. I went to my parents room, to their door. I pounded on it, before opening it. "There's something wrong with Maggie" I said. They had been getting ready for bed, but stopped immediately after hearing my demand. They listened to me as I told them what had happened, what was happening. Maggie had now begun to foam at the mouth. I told them that I had been changing Maggie's diaper while she was asleep, when she suddenly arched her back and her eyes flung open wide. The sound I had heard from her was a choking sort of gasp. Thinking that she had maybe spit up and was gagging, I had picked her up to calm her down. But it hadn't worked. She had been ridged in my arms.
Maggie was calming down now, but she still seemed wrong, off. My mother asked if I wanted her to call 911, and I didn't know. Was she ok and I had just startled her? Did I want to bother the paramedics at this time of night? Yes, I did. So mom called, and the ambulance arrived. By this point, Maggie was back to her old self, smiling and cooing at everyone. Nothing makes you feel more like a deranged liar than a child who at home is on his death bed, but before the Doctor is in perfect health. The EMT asked how long it had lasted, and I said 5 minutes, than 5 more when she was coming back to normal. As I said this though, I thought, how did I know how long? Did I ever look at the clock? No, time had just passed and I was left to guess. They took us to the ER and Maggie was sent to have a CT scan. As I stood outside the CT room waiting for my baby to be done, I heard the "what ifs" grow up again in my ear. They grabbed at me, pulling me, tearing at my soul. Then I heard it. It was a strong gentle voice, not like the "what ifs". It simply said, "I am". "I am peace, I am love, I am mercy, I am faithful". And I knew, in that small space of time, in that moment, that whatever happened, He would be with me, and His strength would be enough.
Maggie is fine. The Doctor thinks she had a seizure. The tests all came back clear.
This was not my first reminder of God's sovereign grace, and I know it won't be my last.

Here she comes to save the day!...

On Tuesday, my mother-in-law arrived by airplane from the UP (for those of you who are geographically challenged like me, that would be the Upper Peninsula of Michigan). She arrived prepared to enter full Grandma status, and has already begun to "lighten" my load one twin at a time. I have been impressed at how quickly she got to work, and now I wish I had gotten a "Grandma" sooner.

(what would it be like if a Grandma came with every baby...?)

Hospital room, fade in...
Nurse enters room
Nurse: "What a beautiful baby girl you have. Here is the Grandma menu. Feel free to order your Grandma anytime before 7pm tonight, when the Grandma shop closes. It usually takes about 45minutes to an hour to have your Grandma delivered, so don't wait too long."
Nurse exits room
Happy parents smile at each other and pick up the phone...
Operator: "Grandma Shop, how can I help you?"
Father: "Hi, yes, we just had a baby and would like to order our Grandma now."
Operator: "Sure, I can help you with that. Do you know what kind you want? Do you have a menu?"
Father: "Yes we do, right here. Umm..we were thinking about ordering the "Gold Model". Can we get that with the "Bronze Model" laundry help"?
Operator: "I sorry Sir, but unfortunately we can't mix the attributes because all the Grandmas are pre-made".
Father: "Oh,..ok, I understand. In that case we would like to order the "Silver Model". Will you be able to deliver that tonight"?
Operator: "Yes, I can have the Grandma there within the hour".
Father: "Perfect. Thank you".
Operator: "Your welcome Sir. Will there be anything else"?
Father: "Nope. That's it".
Operator: "Good-Bye".
Father: "Bye".
Father hangs up phone.
Fade out...

A semi-educated observation from a sleep-deprived mother...

Most mothers can remember a time when their babies didn't understand the societal rules of Night and Day. For some strange reason, mothers are asked to not just loose sleep during their pregnancy, but after the birth of their babies, and then again when their children become teens. This means that if you were to have 4 kids spaced 3 years apart, than you would miss out on a good night sleep for about 30 years. 30 years ladies! Now add that to your own age and no wonder sleep comes so easily after middle age. That's a lot of catching up to do!

Farewell to my good friend Mickey...

4 o'clock am...I had just fed the twins and was settling back down to sleep, when...WHACK! Scritch, scratch, scritch, scratch,...silence. Hats off ladies and gentlemen as the dirge plays....

A mouse by any other name...

Help.....I was reading in bed, when out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw some black mass move across my floor. This was one of those moments when you pause and stare, and think about your sanity. I was sitting and staring, thinking that I must have imagined it, when there, running across my bedroom floor is a MOUSE!!!!! "Dad....Dad....there's a mouse in my room" I firmly said in a not so quiet voice. In comes my dad to save the day, or night as this happened to be. He looks around and leaves only to return a few moments later with a mouse trap and newspaper for under the mouse trap. And there I was, thinking how well thought out it was to use newspaper under the trap to save the floor from any mess, when I realized that I was now alone with the mouse because my dad had gone back to bed. He was obviously less fazed about the mouse than I was. Now I'm not saying that I'm afraid of mice, not at all. The problem is that I can't wear steal toed boots to bed, and I think the chain mail would chafe a bit against my skin while I slept. Mice are wondrous creatures...in cages...in pet stores...just not in my room, not in my house, not where I sleep. Praise the Lord for cats.

Why I love my daughter more each and everyday...

Katie says the cutest things that make me want to smile and hug her silly. Here is an example, the conversation went something like this...
"Where's Eddie, is he playing on the computer?" I ask.
"He's suppose to play with me now." Katie answers in a very matter of fact tone.
"Eddie can play the computer now, because I'm going to take you and the twins shopping with me." I replied
"Mommy, don't you remember, that you're not suppose to tell me that because I get too excited?" Katie states in a very dramatic, excited sort of way.
She continued to reminisce for the next 2 minutes about all the other times I have made her excited with similar news.

Why I had to marry a guy like my brothers...

DING!!!
My first toon to reach level 40 in WOW!

Before Joe left today, to return to AZ, he helped Quinterria my World Of Warcraft character reach the very high level (very high only to me) of 40! Level 40 is a big deal because it means that I can use a mount (in other words, I can ride a horse, or a circus elephant, or a tiger, or a robotic chicken, etc.) which is important because you run faster with a mount. It was his parting gift to me:) Ah....what a romantic he is....why give flowers when you can give raid support that helps with XP....

Double vision...

Picture of Paster Ted after he baptized the twins:)

Whatever happened to writing something everyday...?

What has happened since "Banana Bread"...

1. Thursday night-Joe arrived late.
2. Friday-spent with Joe doing errands (we both love to talk, so driving and shopping work well as "communication time").
3. Saturday-Bible study lunch with my mother. Birthday party for Katie. And best of all, picking out paint colors for the walls in my new house (Yeah!).
4. Sunday morning before church included-making breakfast, cutting Eddie and Jon's hair, bathing the twins, making sure everyone was ready to go including myself.
5. Sunday at church included-the twins being baptized, in which they both cried. Along with becoming members again, and having our picture taken for the directory.
6. Sunday afternoon included-Having David (my brother) over for a BBQ, and having a wonderful time with his family.
7. Sunday evening included-relaxing after a very busy day. And of course, updating my blog.

Barefoot, Not Pregnant, and in the Kitchen....

My mother found this really yummy Banana Bread recipe online:) Yum! The kids love it!

Moist Banana Bread

1 1/4 c. Flour
1 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 c. shortening
2 small bananas or 1 c. puree
2 eggs, well beaten

Mix dry ingredients and shortening. Puree bananas and add to flour mixture. Add well beaten eggs. Bake in greased loaf pan at 350 degrees for 40-60 minutes or until done. Nuts can be added.

If my life was a movie...

Earth date: 5.18.2008

The place: Eddie's room

(cue theme music)

Enter Mother.

Mother looks at Eddie, Katie, and Jon, all of whom are wearing underwear on their heads.

"Ahhhh" yells Jon.

Katie laughs and shrieks!

"We're the Mass Intruders!" says Eddie proudly.

Mother giggles.

Eddie looks at Mother, and asks..."what are intruders?"

"Umm...(giggle, giggle,giggle)...people who intrude,...people who get into other people's space and stuff." answers Mother.

Eddie, Katie, and Jon, return to "intruding."

Mother exits.

(cue credit music)

Scrabble for the strong minded...

My mother and I took Katie and Jon out to do some shopping this morning. We happen to be out around lunch time, and I was getting quite hungry as were the kids. So we went to the McDonald's drive-thru to fix our dilemma. Now other than the fact that I try not to buy fast food too often, this event really wouldn't be worth writing about if not for my darling daughter and her made-up words. See when ever she can't remember the name of something, or if she can't think of a way to describe something, she makes up a new word or words to use in its place. Now, this may be common place for 5 year olds, but Eddie never did it, so it fascinates me.
Back to this morning...
Because I had a coupon, I bought her a new southern style chicken biscuit (Jon and I had one too). She loved the biscuit, but told me that the chicken was "too spicy", that it was "pig-treeish", and that she didn't want to eat it, but thought that Jon or I should. Since Jon and I had already eaten ours (being that, pig-treeish things don't really bother us) Katie gave it to Eddie when we got home. Eddie loved it.

Softly whispered tire squealling......

You know, I wish I could bottle up all the whine in my house and sell it on ebay.....I could use it to pay for their college tuition.

The Adventure's of a 19 month old......

Today, Jon tried to simultaneously break our new School House Rock DVD, and my parents DVD/VCR combo player by taking the DVD out of the DVD side and shoving it into the VCR side. Not once, but twice!

Now upon hearing the term "toddler" one's first thought would be a slow "toddling" child. This however, is not the case, as anyone with a toddler can attest too. Toddlers seem to have the inherent ability to move undercover at the speed of light. One minute you see them sitting looking at a board book, the next....Smack! They are across the room hitting their sister over the head with such said book. Or, after cleaning up every ounce of jello that has seeped into crevasses otherwise unknown, you let them free only to notice that there is a small red sticky hand print on the wall in the next room.

Day 2.....

So, I told my dear sweet hubbie about my new blog, and he said that the key to blogging is to write something everyday.

SOMETHING EVERYDAY

Hmm.....somehow I don't think that is going to work.....pretty boring don't you think?

My First Blog.....

Well here it is....my first blog...not that exciting....