My Husband "Subvet" says that when our first son "Sonshine" was born the sun rose on our world, when our second son "Gator" was born the sun laughed and when our daughter "Sugars" was born all the flowers bloomed. That says it all.

"Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass...
It's about learning how to dance in the rain."
Anonymous

Your mind is the garden, your
thoughts are the seeds, the harvest can either be flowers or weeds. — William
Wordsworth

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Fun and Funny

Well, we handed out candy again tonight. Sonshine was so excited!

He kept a piece of candy in his hand at all times so he would "be ready" when the kids came by.

Here are some videos and pictures I took. It's the first time I used the video option on my camera, I didn't realize the flash didn't work when filming so the videos are quite dark, but you can hear his enthusiasm anyway!!

In one you're looking at Sonshine who just spotted another group of trick-or-treaters, and the other video shows Gator-boy pacing. Sonshine called the skull masks "monkeys" and the "Scream" masks (from that awful movie, remember?) "black ghossttssstssstssstssstss" I didn't bother to correct him.
And whenever blogger finishes processing these two videos I will add a picture of my Pumpkin Patch Kids in group, there will be better pics on Friday for show and tell.

I have no idea in what order these videos and pictures are going to show up and I'm all out of patience so you'll just have to figure out what you're looking at.

turn your sound on!







Blame Pen of Jen!

Due to repeated urging from PenofJen,
I've decided to start a new weekly posting activity. I am not going to try and figure out how to do the Mr. Linky thing-a-ma-bob...however, if you'd like to join in then just let me know in the comments cause I'd really like to learn too!


Sarah's Simple Sewing Secrets

OK, they're not secrets...but tips just didn't have the same alliteration! Hey, maybe I should call it "Simple Sarah's Sewing Secrets"????

Oh well, it all amounts to the same thing in the end.

I grew up under the sewing machine. I mean that quite literally, I sat on the floor under the machine or right next to it while either my mother or grandmother sewed. As I got older they would give me any tasks that I could handle...probably just to shut me up for 3.5 min! Thanks to this piece of my heritage I have amassed certain tricks of the trade so to speak...most of these are very basic, but Jen has pointed out to me that "the basics" are no longer taught as they once were....and many of the folks who sew now picked it up catch as catch can rather than being taught by a veteran seamstresses as I was.

So, here's my rules!

If anything is in any way unclear, LEAVE ME A COMMENT SAYING SO and I will come back and restate. If I use any terms or phrases that you don't know, assume that it is just a family shorthand and TELL ME I AM NOT MAKING SENSE. I know very few actual sewing terms...just what we always called things.

Today I am going to tell you a trick for putting elastic in a garmet. I am telling you this because it is what I spent my entire UFO meeting on Saturday doing as well as the last hour and a half.

My boys' sweatpants are too long for them and Subvet is terrified that they will trip over the hems and break their lovely little noses. So I turned up the bottom of the pants leg and sewed it to the inside, leaving room for elastic, and leaving a hole to put the elastic in. So far as I know this is called making a casing. The casing being where you put the elastic.

So, here's the tip/secret thingy.

When you go to thread the elastic into the garmet first get out two safety pins.

Pin one to one end of the elastic and leave free. Pin the other to the other end of the elastic and to the garmet just above the hole you'll be feeding the elastic into.



Then feed the free safety pin through the garmet's casing till it comes out the other side. The free safety pin will make it tons easier to feed the elastic as you can feel the pin to guide it through and the anchored pin will keep you from losing your other end in the casing. (When that happens it is called a "teach your kid to cuss activity")

Then, once the elastic is fed through the casing overlap the ends and sew together. (it's always a good idea to safety pin the overlapping ends in place first, and try on garmet as then you can make adjustments as needed)

When you go to sew the elastic. Regardless of if you sew by hand or machine always make a box with your stitches. Don't stop and start, turn the corners without breaking the thread. If the area you are stitching will be getting a lot of pulling on it then sew an X inside the stitched box for added strength. I do this when reinforcing handles on bags that I always shove too much stuff into!

Well, I hope this helps someone. If you have any questions just put it in the comments and I will answer either in the comments or in another post...

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

It's time for something NEW!

For kids like my Sonshine transitions are rough, so we develop ways of letting him know a change is coming. One of those ways is the title of this post.

I'm going to try and join in something new here.

I've been cruising by Tiny Talk Tuesday for awhile but haven't joined in. Mainly because it seems like the stuff my kids say that cracks me up is really hard to type. And sometimes it's hard on me to spotlight their delays.

But, man oh man I wish you'd been in my house this week!! (well, not really as then I'd have to CLEAN)....

There is a house we pass going in and out of town that has a couple of those inflatable lawn ornaments. I'm talking big suckers. There is a giant pumpkin, 2 ghosts and various straw scarecrows...oh and a huge inflated spider

Sonshine is just taken with this house's decorations! (He actually cried almost all the way to school this morning because they were turned off!) He tells me many times a day about the BIG pumpkin (he practically screams the word "big") and the scarecrows and the ghosssssttttsssstttssstttsstttsssttssssst. OK, that's the best I can do at typing this.. it takes about 20 seconds of sst sst sst I think he likes how it feels....so I'll be busy with something else and all of a sudden I wondering if a snake has decided to wander in from the cold....nope, just my boy sssstt sssttt sssstt

Too Funny!!

Monday, October 29, 2007

feeling pretty, for a change.

well, I've been kinda down here lately. I finally broke down and decided I'd better go on and buy myself some clothes that fit. I was not happy about getting the clothes (I HATE shopping! and trying on clothes with a 7 month old in tow is tricky at best)....or the size I needed to get...or the department I had to go to in order to find that size....(you know what I mean, right?) But, I no longer fit into my maternity jeans and it's getting cooler so it was necessary.

While I was browsing Walmart I saw a top that I thought was very pretty and decided to go on and get it...even though I'd planned on not buying any tops. But, I mean the thing SPARKLES with GOLD GLITTER! So how could I pass it up?

Well, I found this top AFTER I'd been in and out of the fitting room and had no desire to go back so I just guessed on a size and went with it.

I put the top on for the first time yesterday to discover, it fit terrific!! Turned out to be very flattering. Didn't gape or stretch or bulge in any of the wrong places (again...you know!)

So, I had my mom take my picture after church. It was a beautiful sunny day (little too sunny for the photo op actually), clear and a breezy 65 or so degrees.





Sure is nice to feel pretty in clothes that fit again.

Hubby told me I looked real pretty too!! (Of course, he ALWAYS says that)

Question of the day....
What makes you feel pretty/handsome?

Saturday, October 27, 2007

hee hee

You Are Midnight

You are more than a little eccentric, and you're apt to keep very unusual habits.
Whether you're a nightowl, living in a commune, or taking a vow of silence - you like to experiment with your lifestyle.
Expressing your individuality is important to you, and you often lie awake in bed thinking about the world and your place in it.
You enjoy staying home, but that doesn't mean you're a hermit. You also appreciate quality time with family and close friends.


About 10 years ago my old AOL profile used to say "I'm eclectic and eccentric!"

Winners, Answers and Chitchat!

In reverse order! (just cause I like to break the rules every now and again.)

If any of you folk know a blogger from the continent of Africa...please ask them to come over so that I can get a little red dot on every continent over there on my map! That thing just makes me smile...don't ask me why. But I am brushing up on my Geography wanting to know where every dot is! This is a very good thing as Subvet will tell you Geography is my A #1 WORST subject!

Thanks to the many wonderful folk (especially all the newbies to my site) who commented on my show and tell. I think I hit a personal high of not only comments per post, but also hits per day. Just warmed my little fingers to the bone!

Now, folks, you who know me.....plllleeeaseeee.....I did not let the cat in the crib with the sleeping baby!! The pic with the cat was the 1 good one that I already had of the bumper pads. I'd intended a cutesy post about the cat in the crib...then Friday snuck up on me so I had to take more pics to really show more of the bumper pad.

Diana, I don't have that silver ware yet...just dream about it. It is actually a set that a family I used to (part-time) nanny for had and I fell in love with it. They kept a Kosher kitchen and the colorful set of dishes and silverware were for dairy. They had lovely white dishes and plain stainless steel silverware for meat. I found pictures of what I call "Harlequin" dishes. Made by Fiesta-ware. Here you can get an idea what I mean





Oh and yes, you were all right!
I don't know how you guessed because I'm not sure I could, but the top pic is Gator-boy at Christmas 2005 (9 months), the middle pic is Sonshine at July 4th 2004 (8 1/2 months), and the bottom pic is Sugars yesterday (almost 8 months)...just love that smile!!


Now...let's see....OH YEAH!!

I need to pick this week's winners huh?

Well, as always, competition was fierce and selection was tough...but here you have it!

Apparently I stumped all of my brilliant readers this week! Which is a first!!
So I'm taking the Smarty Pants Award for myself! HAHA!



or'-dure n. dung; manure; excrement.

tre-ha'-la n. a sugary substance secreted by certain Asian beetles of the genus Larinus, forming their pupal covering.


You have to take the ordure with the trehala.....to reword one of Subvet's favorite sayings.

Silly Goose Award Winners are:



Quill of Bill (via Pen of Jen)
Ordure-little itty bitty party treats...'I love to eat the little treats at the party'

Stephanie
trehala--low spot in the landscape where trees hide from tornadoes. "Quick, take cover over there in that trehala!"

Now y'all come on back next Thursday and bring a friend!

Friday, October 26, 2007

Show and Tell

Well, I'm cruising the internet and looking at all the beautiful pictures over at The Happy Wonderer, when all of a sudden I see a post titled "Show and Tell".....

Oh good grief, it's FRIDAY again isn't it??

So, I go to my draft post of s&t topics that I've brainstormed and come up with something to tell you about...except I only have 1 picture of it......and it is nap-time!

So, these pics are dark cause if I'd used the flash and woken the baby then I wouldn't have been able to put up a post at all! (if you enlarge them they're easier to see) As it was I came awful close when I backed into a rather noisome toy trying to get a good shot. Fortunately she's really tired out from Grandma's visit and dropped back off to dream land!

(Yes, the MIL was here for lunch again and things are going well, really.)

So, when I was pregnant with Sonshine I decided not to find out his sex ahead of time. This is why the boys' room is painted green....and why his quilt has quite a bit of pink in it.

I also have an aversion to pastel baby stuff (I could gag on all the baby blue clothes we had!)....as well as those nurserys where it looks like you just walked into a commercial for some stupid show...you know the ones...everything you look at has pooh on it or elmo or such.....

I'm just not a matchy-matchy person. To give you an idea...the tableware that I dream of are the Harlequin ones. Every place setting is in a different bright solid color. Down to the handles on the silverware. I once told Subvet my vision for our rather large back deck. (which is covered). I want it screened in...Then I want to start buying wood rocking chairs. Each one in a different style and each painted a different color...maybe even with things like polka dots or splatter paint. Then tie it all together with an indoor/outdoor area rug that is very abstract and colorful. He said I was a little too Bohemian for him sometimes...then got really uncomfortable when I took that as a compliment!

I tell you all this as an intro to my babies' nursery. I made all of this for Sonshine and have reused it with Gator and Sugars.
I made a crib skirt and curtains that were 2 half window panels and a valence out of this fabric.




Then I took left over fabric from the curtains, his quilt, and some fabric that seemed to go with it and made the bumper pad cover.





I had been given the crib, changing table, playpen and a bunch of linens (including the bumper pad) by a friend who'd made a nursery in her house for her first grandchild...only to discover she went to them more than they came to her. I cannot tell you what a collosally huge blessing this was! (God is soooo good that when Gator was born and we needed a second crib another friend just happened to have one in their barn we could borrow for a couple of years!!)

The bumper pad I was given was terribly boring. It was Elmo, sitting at a drum, on a denim blue background....Like 6 Elmos per crib side....just blah. So, I took that pad and basically "slip covered" it with the patchwork one I made.

If you look at the white squares you can see what looks like dots. These are tiny letters, the alphabet is printed on the fabric in white. It's the same fabric as is in his quilt, but easier to see in the low light.

When I made the baby quilts I ended up with 3 squares left over. I had made Sonshine's extra squares into throw pillows, but have since decided that once I get a few other UFOs completed I am going to pull out the squares, add to them the left over squares from Gator-boy's quilt and Sugars (whenever I make it). I will then take apart the cover for the bumper pad (as by this time Sugar will probably be in High School!) and put all of these together to make me a "Momma's Quilt". I've kept the scrub tops Subvet wore at each of their births with their footprints on them and I plan to embroider them to make blocks for the Momma's Quilt too.....

Ahhh, I like to dream big. I do hope that I get it done though. I intend for the baby quilts to be used to pieces so this is a way for me to have a keepsake of them....

Anyways, thanks for reading my rambling dreams today. Sorry for the dark pictures.
Go on over to Kelli to see all the other Show and Tells!

Don't forget to scroll down and play Thesaurus Thursday, there's still plenty of time to win one of the awards as the winners won't be chosen till tomorrow afternoon!!

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Game Day!

Well, I guess the Thesaurus Thursday post (below) got me in a gaming mood......

So, now we're gonna play
NAME THAT BABY!!

All 3 of these are mine....each taken when the baby was about 8 or 9 months old....

You've seen relatively recent pictures of all of them...

can you guess who's who??




OK, well it's Thursday

So that means it's time for Thesaurus Thursday.

Your words are:

trehala

ordure



For those who are new here today, the "rules" are as follows:

First and foremost, competition for the coveted Silly Goose Award is getting fierce!

Enter as many funny definitions for either word (or both) as you can think up!! Just leave them in the comments.





Next, if you know (or think you know) the true definitions without looking them up then be sure and leave those in the comments too!!

All definitions that are correct (or close enough for government work and Mighty Mom) will win the even more coveted Smarty Pants Award!

Awards will be given out in Saturday's post, so don't forget to come and see if you won!

As always I must give special thanks to Diane for creating these lovely awards for me.

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Barking Spiders

So, true confessions here at MightyMom's place today!

Do you have barking spiders at your house?

I do....big ones!!

I refuse to let Subvet teach our kids the "pull my finger trick"...just flat put my foot down way back when I was first pregnant...for the first time.

Unbeknownst to me there are a whole host of ways to make flatulence fun.

Now that the hub-bub of "Good Rip, Daddy, Good Rip" has subsided, old Subvet has moved on to the next level of entertainment.

He will let er rip....then start stamping his feet saying...."wow, did you see that big old spider?? Did you hear it bark???"

As if blowing bubbles in the bath tub and running to put ghost poop in the potty weren't enough....I am now under siege by a gang of barking spiders.

This girl better grow up fast...I need reinforcements!

Oh My Goodness!!

It took two hours to snap all those beans!! Wow-ee.

Now to tell you what I plan to do with them.....

I will warn you that this has earned me (yet again) the title of MEAN OLD MOMMY from my darling husband.


I am bound and determined to get vegetables into Gator-boy. He's gotten smart enough now that he spits em out no matter what I hide them in.

SO!

I've been toying with this idea for awhile and now it's going into action...right after payday.

My kids put either ketchup or BBQ sauce on absolutely everything! (even Mac N Cheese!)

I am going to take these beans (which aren't a favorite, even for Sonshine who will eat most veggies) add corn, carrots, squash, spinach, peas, Worchestershire Sauce, and Tomato sauce...maybe some garlic powder too and puree the whole mess till smooth.

It then will be put in a clean ketchup bottle and presented as "Momma's Special Sauce" (McD's eat your heart out!) To be served on whatever the mood strikes.

I'm also thinking about using it as sauce for pasta.....ummm possibilities are endless.

Subvet and I go back and forth about whether or not ketchup counts as a vegetable. This "ketchup" most definitely WILL!!
Of course, it'll probably look like baby puke...but if kids'll eat this cake...they'll eat anything!!

By the way, PenofJen credits me with the cake recipe...I got it from Stephanie, it's part of her Halloween menu.

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Big mug and Fall Harvest

As promised, here's a better picture of that mug. I put in Subvet's other two favorite mugs as size reference. The one in the middle (his Chief Petty Officer's mug) is your standard size coffee mug. Ever since he moved to Texas I'm always on the lookout for the biggest mug I can find as the man likes his coffee. Actually he gave coffee up for Lent one year...I told him if he ever does that again he will be spending Lent at another address!!




Harvest Time!

The best part is someone else did all the work!!
Look what I got for $2.00.



My good friend called me today and said they had a bumper crop of green beans, would I like to make a deal? I said name your price. She said $2 for about 3lbs. SOLD!

Now I didn't put em on a scale cuz I really don't care but just look at all these beans! I'm snapping as I type...

Funny thing is that Subvet and I both have childhood memories of snapping green beans. Him with his mother me with my 2 Grandmothers.....Just the smell of these beans takes me back to Grandma's kitchen table!!

What smell reminds you of a childhood memory?

Greetings Friends andd Neighbors

Well, it's 9:30 in the morning, 48 degrees Fahrenheit. The boys are at Pre-school, Subvet is off to see his mother, and if I can get the computer mouse out of Sugars' mouth, I will attempt to make contact with the outside world today!


Sunday was Subvet's 55th birthday!! We didn't do much, but I did get him a new coffee mug.....


It's quite funny to see this 6'3" man have to hold his mug with both hands!!

I got it because it's supposed to hold 52oz...and keep it hot for 3 hours, which is about a full pot of coffee. As well as about how long it takes Subvet to drink a whole pot!




At any rate, he seems to like it!

As a matter of fact I was going to take a better picture of the mug...but he has it with him. HA!

So I will just have to add that picture later.

Some of you have asked about the kids' Halloween costumes. We decided not to go to the carnival last Saturday so I have a few more days to procrastinate finishing up my Pumpkin Patch Kids. I will be sure and put up pictures after Halloween.

Y'all stay warm today!

Saturday, October 20, 2007

Winners!!

Hooray, I survived this crazy week!

You may remember that our DVD player died during a rather trying day not so long ago. Well the replacement came today and I will be unpacking it tonight! However, in the interim we have re-discovered all of our VHS tapes. In digging through my cabinets of tapes I found 2 Disney Singalong tapes. Which I thought were perfect because in rewatching many of the Disney movies I discovered things that I did not want my kids watching. Even in the Classic ones like Fun and Fancy Free (which has a whole song and dance about showing affection to the woman you love "with a little slap") But don't we all just love the Disney music?? Well, of course all of the songs on these tapes are great, but one song just speaks to me.

Well, YELLS AT ME is more like it! No matter where I am or what I'm doing I've stopped to watch it every time it plays (which is about twice a day!)

So, I thought since EVERYTHING is on youtube these days, I'd just share this with you.


I DARE YOU TO WATCH IT WITH A STRAIGHT FACE!!




I'm a "can't make up my mind" laugher....how about you??


Now, on to the announcements.....


ANSWERS

onomastics - n. (used with a singular verb) the study of the origin, history, and use of proper names.

pavane - n. 1) a stately dance dating from the 16th century. 2) the music for this dance.


We discussed onomastics while we danced the pavane.

Definitions come from my Random House Webster's College Dictionary, copyright 1992.


WINNERS



Silly Goose Award Winners are:

Diane
Onomastics - ono from "one", and mastics, meaning "to chew".

Usage - She's doing good to be onomastic.....you know, chewing with one tooth.

Karen
Pavane......an instrument utilizing your father's silouhette to indicate wind direction that goes on top of your barn. As in, "hey honey, the Pavane indicates that a storm is blowing in from the east. Sure glad we put that on top of the barn!"


Smarty Pants Award Winners are


Pea
onomastics: ooh oooh ooohhhhh I know what this word means!!! It's something to do with names if I remember correctly. A few years ago I was searching the family tree and that word came up often. I think it was that word anyway! lol

pat
pavane-a stately court dance by couples that was introduced from southern Europe into England in the 16th century

Diane
Pavane - I think I know this one. We did a song in choir in high school called "Pavane For Spring", so I'm thinking it's a poem set to music or a particular style of music

Linda
Pavane - I know this one because I used to read too many romance novels set in the 16th - 17th century! It's a slow dance, sort of like a waltz, that was mostly done by royalty as it's very stately and high-brow.



I must say it was great having so many new folks play this week! Y'all come on back next Thursday and play again! Special thanks to Linda and Jen for the publicity, and Diane for creating the awards.

Friday, October 19, 2007

show and tell

Kelli is hosting show and tell Friday again

So, here's mine...




This is the mounted holster that we got from our friends at Grassburr Leather Works.

Ignore the big nail below the holster as it was there before we moved into this house and does nothing but get in the way. Either that or it is the linchpin that keeps the whole house upright...we're not sure which.



Now, this holster is all leather, lined and hand made, the hardware is all brass with a stainless steel mounting bolt. I chose "saddle tan" but you can also get them in mahogany or black. There are also less expensive nylon holsters available with the same mounting ability.

To make the leather holsters the folks at Grassburr have manufacturers' model handguns in almost every make and model available. These models are exact to an actual firearm, just with a solid barrel (as opposed to hollow). This will ensure that the holster will fit your firearm






These photos show what you will receive when you order your holster. a) the holster b) the stainless steel mounting bolt c) the mounting bracket, these brackets come in either top mount or side mount (side mount is shown).

The holster is mounted by attaching the mounting bracket to any hard surface with 4 screws, then the mounting bolt is screwed through the bracket at the top of the holster and into the bracket that has been mounted.

Now the really cool part about this bracket is that it and the holster's bracket are grooved (which you can't see in my terrible pictures today) and once the bracket is mounted you can attach the holster in any position securely.

You can order extra mounting brackets for $15 a piece and all hardware is interchangeable. This means that I have one bracket mounted in my closet as shown...another in my car. All I have to do is unscrew the bolt from one place and move the holster to another. My gun is always secure and always readily available.

It also means that if you are more of an enthusiast than I am and have more than one handgun you can use any holster with any bracket...feel like carrying the tan holster in the car today, but want to switch to the black one this evening to go with your shoes?? Go right ahead. Want to take your Smith & Wesson on a trip rather than the Beretta that you usually keep in the car....done deal.

I'm telling you that with three small children in the house and a hubby who works nights safety is a primary concern for us. Not only safety from strangers but also keeping the gun safe from the kids. You gun owners out there can probably identify with the "safety versus availability" issue. This was our solution. The gun is mounted well out of their reach, yet still in mine. By the way...if you're wondering why the gun in my closet points virtually at the ground requiring lifting it straight UP to get it out of the holster, this is the answer. It takes more strength and coordination to lift the gun straight up and none of our children are able to do that yet. They also know a big time whompping on their "bare hiney" is in store if they ever touch "mama's holster". (Yes, this .38 is mine, one day we will be able to afford the .45 that Daddy wants, and another Grassburr holster to mount it.)

Now, when you go and peruse their website (as I know you will) be sure and check out their ATV mounting brackets as well as read the write up on how much safer it is to mount your handgun in your car rather than sticking it someplace like in your console...under your seat...or in the glove compartment. Frankly, they explain these things far better than I could!

Thank you for letting me share my new holster. I'm very excited to have it!
MightyMom

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Ain't I sweet??

Linda over at Are We There Yet? must just really like me or something!

She gave me this cuteee award/treat today.

It originated with Hootin' Anni who is a real Texas hoot! She's got some super cool posts up of Halloween nature and spooky places to visit.



Now, I have NO IDEA what a candlied apple is....look close at that word folks.

However, I'm gonna assume it's just as yummy as all the candied apples I've eaten over the last 32-ish years.

So, thanks so much Linda, you're terrrific! As with the Christmas Spirit Award I'll pass this one on a little later....it's so hard to pick cuz I love each of my regular commenters loads!!

I am going to add a little supplementary explanation on the Thesaurus Thursday posts.

If you already know or think you know the real definitions then please leave your guesses in the comments...but for the sake of the game, don't look up the answers then leave em...I'll post the real definitions on Saturday for all to see and save you the trouble!

Thanks
MightyMom

Thesaurus Thursday

Hey, guess what?

It's Thursday!!

I look forward to Thursdays because you folk are downright hilarious AND smart!
Y'all brighten my week every single Thursday, thank you!

MIL is safely ensconced in her new home. The adjustment is difficut for her but she did go to their excercise class yesterday so I feel better. Subvet's vacation is done, he will return to work tonight and our lives will slowly get back into the groove, with this added person. Thanks to each of you for your encouragement, support and prayers.

Now, let's have some fun. For those who are new here today, the "rules" are as follows:

First and foremost, competition for the coveted Silly Goose Award is getting fierce!

Enter as many funny definitions for either word (or both) as you can think up!! Just leave them in the comments.







Next, if you know (or think you know) the true definitions then be sure and leave those in the comments too!!

All definitions that are correct (or close enough for government work and Mighty Mom) will win the even more coveted Smarty Pants Award!


As always I must give special thanks to Diane for creating these lovely awards for me.


Oh, yeah!!

I'm supposed to pick words huh?

Here you go

onomastics

pavane


have fun!

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Can I Have Your Attention, Please?

Hey folks,

Sorry for the light blogging this week. I actually was gonna put up something I've pre-written about Halloween,

BUT

my very dearest and most wonderful friend has decided to jump into the deeps of blog-land.

Her name is Pinky and here's what she has to say about herself:

"I'm a tired mom and wife who loves to photo, sew, craft, etc. I try to be true to myself in all things."

So, go on over to Cheese in my Shoe and welcome her into our midst!

thanks!

MightyMom

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Light blogging day.

Last night went fairly well. Subvet's still pretty nervous, but I think we're gonna work all this out just fine. I'm also grateful that he has this opportunity to be close to his mother. She's 78.

So, here are two things (I keep having The Cat in the Hat going through my head!) that I stole from Cookie. I think they'll give you cause to smile today....and go shopping.......

Thing 1
Marine Corps General Reinwald was interviewed on the Radio the other day and you'll love his reply to the lady who interviewed him Concerning guns and children. Regardless of how you Feel about Gun Laws you gotta love this!!!! This is one of the best Comeback lines Of All time. It is a portion of a National PublicRadio (NPR) interview, which is a nationally funded, left wing, liberal radio station...... Between a female broadcaster and US Marine Corps General Reinwald who was about to sponsor a Boy Scout Troop visiting His military installation.



FEMALE INTERVIEWER: So, General Reinwald, what things are you going to teach these young boys when they visit your base?



GENERAL REINWALD: We're going to teach them climbing,canoeing, archery, and shooting.



FEMALE INTERVIEWER: Shooting! That's a bit irresponsible,isn't it?



GENERAL REINWALD: I don't see why, they'll be properly supervised on the rifle range.



FEMALE INTERVIEWER: Don't you admit that this is a terribly dangerous activity to be teaching children?







GENERAL REINWALD: I don't see how. We will be teaching them proper rifle discipline before they even touch a firearm.



FEMALE INTERVIEWER: But you're equipping them to become violent killers.







GENERAL REINWALD: Well, ma'am, you're equipped to be a prostitute, but you're not one, are you?







The radio went silent and the interview ended. You gotta love the Marines!



AMERICA , THE HOME OF THE FREE BECAUSE OFTHE BRAVE!!



Thing 2

Well Sir...as most of ya know, there be alot of negative stuff in the news and on the net regarding the war and anything connected with it....so here be sumthin positive that I think folks should be aware of.......

I know I needed this reminder since Sears isn't always my first choice. Amazing when you think of how long the war has lasted and they haven't withdrawn from their commitment. Could we each buy at least one thing at Sears this year?

How does Sears treat its employees who are called up for military duty? By law, they are required to hold their jobs open and available, but nothing more. Usually, people take a big pay cut and lose benefits as a result of being called up.

Sears is voluntarily paying the difference in salaries and maintaining all benefits, including medical insurance and bonus programs, for all called up reservist employees for up to two years.

I submit that Sears is an exemplary corporate citizen and should be recognized for its contribution. I suggest we all shop at Sears, and be sure to find a manager to tell them why we are there so the company gets the positive reinforcement it well deserves.

Pass it on.

I Decided to check this before I posted it.

A letter sent to the Sears Customer Service Department was answered this way:

Dear Customer: Thank you for contacting Sears. The information is factual. We appreciate your positive feedback.

Sears regards service to our country as one of greatest sacrifices our young men and women can make. We are happy to do our part to lessen the burden they bear at this time.

Bill Thorn Sears Customer Care >>webcenter@sears.com 1-800-349-4358

Please pass this on to all your friends. Sears needs to be recognized for this outstanding contribution and we need to show them as Americans, we do appreciate what they are doing for our military!!!

I verified this by Snopes.com at: http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/sears.asp (shows the entire article)

Monday, October 15, 2007

my day

OK, I'm a little busy and kinda stressed. Subvet is at the airport awaiting his mother's plane. We've got a Halloween Carnival for special needs kids to go to on Sat so I need to get my Pumpkin Patch Kids' outfits made and (of course) because I REALLY want my darlings to be happy this evenig and thereby make a good impression...they are again boycotting their naps!

SO, I'll just leave you with this funny I was emailed today.

Remember to smile today!




A minister decided to do something a little different one Sunday morning.


He said "Today, in church, I am going to say a single word and you are going to help me preach.


Whatever single word I say, I want you to sing whatever hymn that comes to your mind."The pastor shouted out "CROSS."

Immediately the congregation started singing in unison, "THE OLD RUGGED CROSS."

The pastor hollered out "GRACE." The congregation began to sing "AMAZING GRACE, how sweet the sound."

The pastor said "POWER." The congregation sang "THERE IS POWER IN THE BLOOD."

The Pastor said "SEX" The congregation fell into total silence.

Everyone was in shock. They all nervously began to look around at each other afraid to say anything.

Then all of a sudden, way from in the back of the church,
a little old 87 year old grandmother stood up and began to sing "PRECIOUS MEMORIES."

Saturday, October 13, 2007

answers and winners

ANSWERS

okapi - The okapi (Okapia johnstoni) is a mammal of the Ituri Rainforest in central Africa. Although it bears striped markings reminiscent of the zebra, it is most closely related to the giraffe. Native just to the Ituri forests situated in the north east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, it was known only to the local people until 1901.



Okapis have dark backs, with striking horizontal white stripes on the front and back legs, making them resemble zebras from a distance. These markings are thought to help young follow their mothers through the dense rain forest; they also serve as camouflage.

The body shape is similar to that of the giraffe, except that okapis have much shorter necks. Both species have very long (approx. 30 cm or 12 inch), flexible, blue tongues that they use to strip leaves and buds from trees.

The tongue of an okapi is long enough for the animal to wash its eyelids and clean its ears: it is one of the few mammals that can lick its own ears. Male okapis have short, skin-covered horns called "ossicones". They have large ears, which help them detect their predator, the leopard.

Okapis are 1.9 to 2.5 m (8.1 ft) long and stand 1.5 to 2.0 m (6.5 ft) high at the shoulder. They have a 30 to 42 cm (12 to 17 in) long tail. Their weight ranges from 200 to 250 kg (465 to 550 lb).

Okapis are largely diurnal and essentially solitary, coming together only to breed.

Okapis forage along fixed, well-trodden paths through the forest. They live alone or in mother-offspring pairs. They have overlapping home ranges of several square kilometers and typically occur at densities of about 0.6 animals per square kilometer.


A young okapi calf with its mother at Brookfield Zoo, Illinois.


gramineous (grÉ™ min′Ä“ É™s) put the schwa e or upside down e in the boxes...sounds like a soft "uh"
- adj. of the grass family; of or like grass; grassy
Etymology: L gramineus < gramen, grass


My okapi chia pet is starting to look rather gramineous!


WINNERS



Silly Goose Award Winners are:


Linda
Okapi - that would be a pie indigenous to the State of Oklahoma!
Stephanie
And gratitude is always gramineous.

Smarty Pants Award Winner is


Diane:
I know what "okapi" is: It's a strange looking mammal, kind like a cross between a giraffe and an antelope or buffalo. It's a grazing animal, white stripes and just altogether funky looking. Doesn't fit in most of the the mammal categories.

Have I mentioned that I'm a science and biology nut?

OK, so there you have the winners. Thank you all for playing! It was very hard to choose this week cause you ALL crack me up!! No more science/biology/strange animals for Ms Smarty Pants!! I'll have to dig deeper into Webster next week!

As for the MIL situation. I greatly appreciate what each of you said thank you for your support and suggestions.

Shortly after I put up the show and tell post where God got me with the unexpected "Expect a Miracle"....I read Ellen's comment on the MIL issue. It was another zinger for me because if I'd read this post on one of YOUR blogs...this is what (almost word for word) I'd say to you.

"As far as your MIL goes... I'm going out on a limb here and I'm going to suggest you honor her in any way you can. I think in the long run you will be blessed for that and when she dies your conscience will be free..."

She won't spend the rest of her life fretting about whether or not my house was super clean when she got here.....but I will...however, I do have 3 kids uder the age of 4, so I will slowly make my way down the massive to-do list (Subvet saw the list and started doing stuff on it himself...a nice surprise for me!!) and I will do as much as I can without going nuts and skip the rest.

As always I am blessed by the care and support my blogging buddies give me.

THANK YOU!

The Spirit of Christmas Award



According to Santa, the Spirit of Christmas Award:

"Quite simply it is those that have a generous and giving nature. Those who care about others. Those who have a kind word to say or a broad shoulder to lean on in the times that others need that. Those who display the "Spirit of Christmas".
To that end, I am passing this lovely little award on to Mighty Mom from Texas who has a wonderful blog that shows off her giving nature.


OK, I read it three times and it really does say Mighty Mom there, and that really is my name so I guess Linda was really talking about me. Although I have to say that is really really hard to believe.

Especially after the last few days when I've been anything but generous. But PMS hits the best of us huh?

;-)

I will pass this lovely piece of code along...but you'll have to wait till next week, I'm just too fried to do it right now.

Thank you Linda, you're a very wonderful gal.

by the way folks. Stop and say a prayer for Linda for me please, she's having a few health issues and undergoing some testing that is going to strain the pocketbook.

Might put in a prayer for myself while you're at it...my mother in law's move will be a stressful transition for our family.

Thanks.

Sarah.

Friday, October 12, 2007

show and tell

Kelli is hosting show and tell Friday again

So, here's mine...
Better late than never I guess.

OK, I know that I have told a couple of you that I have a new holster and will be putting it up for show and tell. I do have it and will tell all about it and its makers next week, promise. Here's the proof.



However, for this week I came across something that was more timely. {See previous post}



This is one of my music boxes that Subvet has given me. As a matter of fact it is the last one he gave me. Since we've had kids we have more important things to spend money on!!

He gave this to me for Christmas our first Chrsitmas in our own home. 2002.

Inside the bottom half of the hour glass is an unicorn, the top half holds a castle in the clouds.


As I was DUSTING tonight (yes, I listened to all of you!) I saw the top of it for the first time in (ahem) years.



What you can't read in this pic is that in the center of the top it says

"Expect a miracle"

It's moments like this that I stop, and say,

"Hi God! Love you too!! Thanks!!"

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Thesaurus Thursday

Well, it's Thursday again....see I didn't forget!

While this week has been exciting I am glad to see it draw to a close, simply because Subvet is taking his vacation time Mon, Tues, and Wed next week. I shall have to get used to his snoring all over again weeheee!!

I must, however, admit that the reason for the vacation is causing me great trepidation.

His mother (whom I've never met) is moving from California into an Assisted Living Facility about 2 miles from our home. So, after 8.5 YEARS of marriage, I will get to meet my mother-in-law, and introduce her to our children. This brings on a feeling of ambivalence. Truly a simultaneous desire to do two opposite things.

Thing 1 - run around like the Tasmanian Devil on speed and really clean my house to pass inspection (even dust!!)

Thing 2 - blow her off completely and say since she repeatedly turned us down for visits before now she can take me and my house and my children as we are.

So, while I'm deciding on a plan of action for the weekend you can work on this week's words. {And feel free to place your vote for Things 1 or 2.} If I don't blog much between now and next Wed then you know the reason...or I may have a whole lot to talk about...we'll have to see.

On to our words of the week!


okapi

gramineous



First and foremost, competition for the coveted Silly Goose Award is getting fierce!

Enter as many funny definitions for either word (or both) as you can think up!! Just leave them in the comments.







Next, if you know (or think you know) the true definitions then be sure and leave those in the comments too!!

All definitions that are correct (or close enough for government work and Mighty Mom) will win the even more coveted Smarty Pants Award!


As always I must give special thanks to Diane for creating these lovely awards for me.

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

it's a circle

Well, the song running through my head all day today is

Great is Thy Faithfulness.

Especially, All I have needed Thy hand hath provided.......


remember a few days back when I wrote about life being a cycle? Well, today was a genuinely good day....minus DVDs.

I"m tired tonight so I'm not going to write much or take the time to find all those links that make the post more fun.

Forgive me?


I will remember that tomorrow is Thursday and will put up Thesaurus Thursday while the boys are at school....promise!

One tired, but very happy mommy---over and out.

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Precious Youngun's

I would like to wish a very Happy Birthday to a very lovely young lady. Each day that we are given with our children is a precious gift and I know that Fourth's parents don't take a single minute of the last 12 years for granted!

To Fourth, your Mama talks about you ALL THE TIME! And (what's more) it's all the wonderful things you are doing!

Happy Birthday Dear, from that crazy lady in Texas your Mama's always emailing!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Well, if you know anything about kids like my Sonshine you know that routine to them is everything. When their routine is disrupted their world crumbles around them and life becomes hard. Today my poor boy had a hard day.

For starters, Daddy had to go in to work early tonight so he wasn't up playing with the kids and helping Mom this morning like he usually does and the boys definitely missed him...so did Mom!!! (He helps A LOT!!)

Then we were about 45 min late getting to school. This meant that all the kids were in Chapel when we got there....well on Tues they go to Chapel at 9:30 and on Thurs they go to Spanish. I don't know if it's due to him having been home sick last Thurs or what but he had his little heart set on going to Spanish today!!

Wow, what a fit. It probably would have been fine if I hadn't been late, I don't know. At any rate he finally calmed down and went on with his class. His teacher told me at pickup that he'd been very cranky/grumpy off and on all day "not himself". He also didn't nap. *sigh* Nor did he eat **double sigh**

Sure enough he falls asleep about 10 min before we hit our driveway. ***triple sigh*** Well, frankly folks I'd have stayed in the car till he woke up but I don't have the money for all that gas. So, up we get and on we go.

OK, by this point his routine has gone completely to Hell in a handbasket that's been placed atop that snowball......as in we have about a snowball's chance in Hell of re-establishing equilibrium anytime before bed.

Mom discovers there is no water pressure in the house....there IS (thankfully) water...at a trickle. Patiently waiting for a sippy cup to be refilled was not high on his list of fun things to do......

In order for Mom to get a sanity break I turn on the tube. This works fairly well....up until our DVD Player dies half-way (literally) through Moe and the Big Exit. *********way past sighs and close to tears by now*********

I said a prayer asking God to hold off on the electricity going out till AFTER I'd fed them supper!! PLEEEEEEASEE!! (I kinda figured that was next, ya know)

So, I turn on NEW MUSIC! Now, this kid devours music like I do chocolate so usually this would be a great thing.....but, alas, too many things had not gone according to plan and by this point we were just counting seconds till supper was ready and bedtime.

As I sat in Daddy's recliner rocking all three whimpering children waiting on the timer to ding, the song It Is Well With My Soul came on that new CD. I was reminded of the story behind that song being written as I listened to every word and thought "How do I teach this to my children???"

Because that's what struck me:
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

This acceptance of the hardships in life does not come naturally to any of us.
We must be taught how.

We must learn how to teach this to our children.

I shall start the same way I was taught.

I shall start by teaching them this song.
I shall follow with ensuring that the example I provide daily maintains as positive an attitude as I can muster at that moment.
I shall implement a LOT of prayer.

After dinner things started evening out. I got a smile and wave through the door accompanied with "Bye bye Momma!" when I went out to get the mail. In my mailbox is a small package that says on every side "From the Pen to the Superhero"

Now I ask you...how cool is it to be called a "superhero" at the end of a day like this??!!

Well, one of my two favorite sayings is "Full bellies make for good naps." and true enough the kids are all happily in dreamland. Probably dreaming of days that are more predictable than today.

I am now going to avail myself of the recently restored water pressure and enjoy my precious gift from my precious blogging buddy. After waiting for a week, (I knew something was coming, just not what) it came on just the right day!

Thank you Jen!!

"God is good!"
and the people said:
"EVERYDAY!"

Monday, October 8, 2007

new friends!

Well, now, anyone who tells me they "love, love, love, [my] blog" is pretty much gonna be my new favorite person! So, I go visit this new found friend and find a post so funny I immediately steal it!

Everyone needs to go and say Hiya to Gabby who is new (brand-new) to blogging. The 5 posts she has up, however are all wonderfully funny and entertaining.

19 Ways to Maintain A Healthy Level Of Insanity .

1. At Lunch Time, Sit In Your Parked Car With Sunglasses on and point a Hair Dryer At Passing Cars. See If They Slow Down.
2. Page Yourself Over The Intercom. Don't Disguise Your Voice.
3. Every Time Someone Asks You To Do Something, Ask If They Want Fries with that.
4. Put Your Garbage Can On Your Desk And Label It "In."
5. Put Decaf In The Coffee Maker For 3 Weeks .. Once Everyone has Gotten Over Their Caffeine Addictions, Switch to Espresso.
6. In The Memo Field Of All Your Checks, Write " For Smuggling Diamonds"
7. Finish All Your sentences with "Mr. Brown can moo can you?"
8. Don't use any punctuation
9. As Often As Possible, Skip Rather Than Walk.
10. Order a Diet Water whenever you go out to eat, with a serious face.
11. Specify That Your Drive-through Order Is "To Go."
12. Sing Along At The Opera.
13. Go To A Poetry Recital And Ask Why The Poems Don't Rhyme?
14. Put Mosquito Netting Around Your Work Area And Play tropical Sounds All Day.
15 Five Days In Advance, Tell Your Friends You Can't Attend Their Party Because You're Not In The Mood.
16. Have Your Co-workers Address You By Your Wrestling Name, Rock Bottom.
17. When The Money Comes Out The ATM, Scream "I Won!, I Won!"
18. When Leaving The Zoo, Start Running Towards The Parking lot, Yelling "Run For Your Lives, They're Loose!!"
19. Tell Your Children Over Dinner. "Due To The Economy, We Are Going To Have To Let One Of You Go."

I will add one more (I like round numbers)

20. Randomly go up behind people and start singing the Twilight Zone theme song!!

Saturday, October 6, 2007

WINNERS!!

OK folks, it's Saturday night and time to once again hand out the awards from my Thesaurus Thursday post.

Guess what!

I actually have AWARDS to pass out now!! Thanks to diane!!

She did a great job on these and I'm thrilled to have em on my little blog!

So winners, feel free to show off your prizes (and Diane's abilities) on your blogs.


DRUM ROLL PLEASE......................................




THE WINNERS ARE:






stephanie
Dippy--Just a small dab of French onion on your plate for your chips.

chief
drndl: Obviously, what a female redneck doll sez when her man doll runs off with Barbie!

"That cheatin' man a mine done runned off with that drndl...."






diane
Dippy - silly, ridiculous


the dictionary definitions are:

dippy - foolish or somewhat crazy.

dirndl - A Dirndl is a type of traditional dress worn in southern Germany and Austria, based on the historical costume of Alpine peasants. It has a tight bodice, low neck, full skirt, lacy blouse, and apron. While appearing to be simple and plain, a properly-made, modern dirndl might be quite expensive.



In the south german dialects (bairisch), 'dirndl' originally referred to a young woman or a girl. Nowadays, 'dirndl' may equally refer to either a young woman, or to the dress as described in this article.

Dirndl is loosely based on Trachten, the traditional dress of Bavaria and Austria. Trachten is much older, and is very highly crafted and expensive. It has a different style and crest for each village, along with unusual hats and accessories.

Dirndl originated as a simplified form of Trachten, for Austrian servants uniforms in the 19th century (dirndlegewand means "maid's dress"). Simple forms were also worn commonly by working women in plain colours or a simple check.

The Austrian upper classes adopted it as high fashion in the 1870s.

The winter style has heavy, warm skirts and aprons made of heavy cotton, linen, velvet or wool, and long sleeves. The colors are usually rich and dark.

The summer style is lighter and more frivolous, has short sleeves, and is often made of lightweight cotton, silk or satin in brighter, summery colours.

Styles worn as national dress or to annual festivals can be highly ornamented with patterns and frills.

Accessories may include a long apron tied round the waist (mimicking the original form of a maid or peasant), a waistcoat or a wool shawl. For colder weather there are heavy dirndl coats in the same cut as the dresses, with a high neck and front buttons, thick mittens and wool hats.

The dirndl is generally restricted to Bavaria and Austria, but is also seen in these regions by women in the folk music business (which often targets an older conservative audience in Germany).


In Bavaria, it may often be seen on women working in tourism-related businesses, and sometimes waitresses in traditional-style restaurants or biergartens. However, despite being far from an everyday dress, a common woman in southern Bavaria may sometimes wear it at formal occasions (much like a Scotsman wearing a kilt) and certain traditional events. Surprisingly, it is hugely popular even among young women at the time of the Oktoberfest in Munich (and similar festivals in southern Germany), although most young women will only wear dirndl-style dresses (called Landhausmode), which may deviate by numerous ways and are often much cheaper.


(A typical Oktoberfest Dirndl)


Popular designs are often less plain and much more revealing and provocative (e.g. having a short skirt and/or displaying significant cleavage). A true dirndl at the Oktoberfest is usually a good way of distinguishing between a native Bavarian, and non-native visitors or residents in Bavaria.

Where the knot on the apron is an indicator of the woman's matial status. A knot tied on the woman's left side indicates she is single, a knot tied on the right means she is married, and a knot tied in back means the woman is widowed.

[Wikipedia]


I may be rather dippy, but you'll never convince me to wear a drindl in this Texas heat!


I must say it was quite hard to pick winners this week! If I get more than 10 comments I'm gonna pull in a guest judge!!

So, until next Thursday, keep learning and spreading smiles!

Friday, October 5, 2007

our Halloween costume....

Ahh, a Picture of baby sister wearing a boys rule bib! Priceless!!







OK, so what happens when you meet one weird mom with a bottle of baby lotion and just enough newborn hair left to play with?







See, now I'm thinking that for Halloween she should go as Vir Cotto from Babylon 5....




What do you think??

show and tell

Kelli is hosting show and tell Friday again

So, here's mine.


I'm hitting 2 fer 1 here.

Remember that name meme I tagged y'all with awhile ago?????

Well, in addition to Ms PEA, Kitty at Kitty's Korner did my name for me. The rest of you good folk (I assume) are still working on yours..... :-)

Kitty "snail" mailed me this lovely bookmark. I thought it was adorable! Thanks so much!!


boy am I in trouble!!

OK, well, here's the deal.

I was tired last night. Or as Diane would say TARD! My first attempt to jump in bed was at 7:30pm...alas little miss princess would have none of that! I finally made it in bed for good about 8:30pm...which means that I was SLEEPING instead of putting up my Thesaurus Thursday post.

mea culpa.....

soooo sorry for my tardiness!!!

So, without further ado, here you go.

dippy

dirndl


put your silly definitions and guesses at the real definitions in the comments and winners will be announced tomorrow (honest!)

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

The Biggest Kid I've Ever Seen!!

Stole this un from Cookie!

No beverages warning folks!

new sport.





You are looking at the runway for a new sport that will be all the rage in our next Olympics...

Demolition Derby, Boys-style.

You'll notice that there aren't nearly as many toys off the shelves as usual...

Apparently at some point they learned that if you leave the stuff on the shelves you have ALL THIS ROOM!!

And can then use it for even better and more entertaining activities!

These activities are currently topped by the Living Room Demolition Derby, Boys-Style...

They get hyper when they get tired...which is most evenings since they've decided there are better things to do than nap.

As they wind up they start running from one end of my living room to the other. You'll notice the room is specially designed for this activity as it is long and narrow...all furniture is along the sidewalls and there is nothing (like a coffee table) to impede maximum speed attainment.

Of course the height of the thrill comes in the demolition part...that would be when they run into each other as hard as possible..to see how far back they bounce.

Dear Sweet Brilliant Sonshine has taken to telling me "Oh, I fall down." each time....(DUH!!!)

And, (also, of course), the absolute best most wonderful time to play this new game is after dinner and before we start getting ready for bed. (i.e. While Mom is busy cleaning up the kitchen!)

However, I just smile and think of how proud I will feel when they take home the gold medals at the next Olympic Games!

**sigh**