The Chaos Mommy

30 Days of Pinterest- Day 10: My Own Pin

2012-01-27T22:28:00.007-06:00

I thought I'd take a little break from making other people's projects, and Pin my own today. Partly because I've been busy this week with the start of school, and partly because the project I am working on isn't turning out right, and partly because I'm being lazy :)

Drew is in an after school program called MAP, which stands for Middle School Achievement Program. They help the kids do homework, play games, and have various clubs for them to join like Cooking Club, French Club, and Arts and Crafts Club. I really enjoy it, and best of all I work with most of the MAP staff because it's run by the local YMCA, so I get updates as to how Drew is behaving ;) Luckily for him everyone in the staff loves him and thinks he's hilarious.

Today was the last day of the semester, so the fella who runs MAP asked if I would whip up a batch of cupcakes as a special treat for the kids.

Um... is my name Chaos Mommy?! Of course! And better yet, there's no flavor preference, so I get to go crazy!

I instantly decided on 24 Chocolate Oreo Cupcakes, and 24 Nilla Wafer Cupcakes.

I went back and forth a bit about how to make the Oreo cupcakes. Do I put the whole Oreo in the bottom of the cupcake, or chop up cookies and add the crumbs to my batter? I chose the latter and the batter looked great. :) Then for the frosting I made a Cookies and Cream buttercream.

For the Nilla Wafer Cupcakes I put a Nilla Wafer in the bottom of the cupcake, and I added some crushed up Nilla Wafers to the top of the vanilla buttercream.

I hope they were awesome! I hate when I don't get to taste test my cupcakes before they go out. However, I had a teensy bit of the vanilla batter leftover, and it was YUM! I will admit I licked the beater. And the spatula. And the bowl. And my fingers.

Also, while I was making these, I was giving Husband a little lesson in cupcake decorating. But don't tell anyone because I'm sure he'll deny it! He tried his hand at piping frosting on some of the Oreo cupcakes. I told him to make "dog poop piles". He said, "Why are you making them look like dog poop? What kind of party is this?" He obviously didn't see my "figurative" sign that was turned on.

When I walked into school, after school, with these bad boys, I was stopped by various teachers who insisted I stop and show them what was in my mystery boxes. They were jealous they didn't get to eat them! Where are my business cards when I need them?!! I also forgot to bring business cards to MAP because the lead fella said he'd pass them out to parents for me. Oh well. Next time maybe I'll have my act together!

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My Numbers:
694 Pins
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30 Days of Pinterest - Day 9: Corn Dogs + Intergalactic Space Slime = Mommy and Hunter Day!

2012-01-23T02:47:00.006-06:00

On Friday Hunter asked for a Mommy and Hunter day. I said I had too much homework.

On Saturday Hunter asked for a Mommy and Hunter day. I said I had too much homework.

~*~ BUT ~*~

I offered a Mommy and Hunter "Half-Day" on Sunday, and he could choose what he wanted to do as long as we stayed home (because Mommy is tired :).

He decided he wanted to choose some activities off that website. You know, the one that Mom goes on all the time... that has, like, fun stuff. But not Facebook. The other one.

~*~ SMILE ~*~

I've been taking a winter-term class to make up for a class that, um, didn't go so well. That means I'm taking a class that would normally take a full 16 week semester to complete, in 4 short and condensed weeks. But with all the normal homework you would have in a 16 week class. Luckily, it's a topic I'm extremely interested in, environmental biology. So at the very least, it kept my attention. However, all this means I haven't had the spare time over the last month that I thought I'd have. {Especially for crafting, baking, and writing.} It also means the kids start to feel when they've been pushed to the wayside. At least it's nice to know when they miss my attention :)

This all brings us to Day NINE: Mommy and Hunter Day!

I told Hunter to pick one food item to make, and one craft to make. He asked why we couldn't pick, like 5, or 6, or even 10? I said because it's a Mommy and Hunter "Half-Day" (because Mommy, by the absolute grace of God, and a power outage on the school's website for 5 hours during the last day of winter classes, got an extension on her biology class and was still allowed to turn in homework up until NOON on Sunday, and by goodness she was going to take advantage of that!). I kind of steered Hunter a little bit in deciding what we were going to bake because he was choosing things that I didn't have all the ingredients for. I explained to him we needed to choose a snack that we already had all the ingredients for. Mommy was taking one day to not step a foot outside the house. Or spend money.

He was excited when we chose Corn Dogs, and even more excited when we chose Slime for our craft. Or better yet, Intergalactic Space Slime with Space Dust (because Mommy likes to use glitter in everything, so this is Mommy's way to get her boys to use glitter! {{Smile}} ) Also, because we had all the same ingredients for our Slime that Th e Idea Room had on her blog, except the cool glow-in-the-dark-paint. So Mommy had to do some quick thinking as to how else we can make our slime awesome. Because for some reason, just making slime by itself isn't awesome enough.

{The corn dogs were quite simple. I used one of my favorite corn bread recipes (although I feel there's nothing wrong with using a box mix, too), and Lil Smokies, in this case the turkey kind. I had Hunter scoop the corn bread mixture into the cupcake liners with an ice cream scoop. He did all of them himself. He said, "Isn't this great, Mom? You get to sit back and relax while I do all the work!"}

{Here's how delicious they turned out! I liked the ones where the corn bread rolled over the "dog". I added a pinch more sugar to the second batch, so they were sweeter. However, the first batch was yum! My sweet tooth prefers corn bread a little more on the sweeter side. Also, from my large stash of cupcake liners, Hunter chose the football ones because Daddy was watching Playoffs.}

{tA-dA! Hunter's so proud he made these by himself. While Mommy got to sit back and relax ;) }

While Hunter was eating... NINE.... corn dogs, he sang, "It's a Corn, it's a Dog... it's a Corn Dog MUFFINNNN!"

Then we took a short break because Mommy promised Daddy she'd whip up a big batch of Venison Chili for him to take to work for lunch all week. Hunter had no problems playing on the computer. After all, "We do need computer breaks you know, Mom."

Then it was Slime Time! Like I said earlier, with no Glow-In-The-Dark-Paint, like The Idea Room had, Mommy needed to think quick ;) AKA, use glitter! Hunter was quite impressed that all our other ingredients matched up exactly to the picture on The Idea Room's post. We had the same Borax, same clear Elmer's glue, and same Neon McCormick food coloring. Wow. Am I good or what?

I usually can't get slime to work out as well as it should. And my Borax hasn't been used since the last time we made slime, almost 2 years ago. It was a bit lumpy and I ended up having to strain the lumps out. We made two slimes, one wasn't as clear because of the lumpy Borax solution, and the other one turned out nice and clear, but it's more Flubber than Slime. Which is funny because we watched Flubber on tv this morning, so Hunter was quite familiar with it. Except disappointed that his Flubber didn't stick to his feet ;)

{I had to be in the picture this time. But unbeknownst to him, I get to crop my fat head out ;) }

The directions for slime are on The Idea Room website that I've linked to a few times. Great directions, I'm just a bad Intergalactic Slime maker :)

Now that Spring Semester is starting, and God willing, my 2nd to last semester, I'm going to make a sort of schedule for my 30 Days of Pinterest project. I have in-school classes on Tuesday and Thursday, and I also work Tuesday and Thursday evenings, so those days are cut short as to amount of time I have to make projects. Those are going to be my 30 Minute Project days. It will be fun to to challenge myself with some quick and easy projects, as well as lengthier ones on the days I have more time.

I try to make time for the kids when I can. Louisa and I have our Saturday mornings at gymnastics. We can fit a LOT of much needed conversation in on those 3o minute drives to and from work. And also we get to work as a team for three hours while coaching (and doing) gymnastics. Hunter and I get a quite a bit of time together as he's my companion at work, and since Drew and Louisa both have after school activities and don't get home until 5:30, Hunter and I get all that after school time together. Fitting in alone time with Drew can be a bit more difficult and I have to work harder at it. It does get done, though. I feel it's extremely important to give each child time, even if it's not always convenient for me to do.

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633 Pins
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30 Days of Pinterest- Day 8: When life gives you lemons... make lemon ricotta cookies!

2012-01-18T21:14:00.006-06:00

Yes, I really had to use one of the world's most overused sayings :)

Meyer Lemons! Yum! I drank 2 of them in warm lemon water with a touch of honey tonight because I couldn't get enough of them. Plus I have a cold. I saw this cute little package of Meyer Lemons at the store and had to buy them. Wasn't sure yet what I wanted to make with them, I just wanted them. They were so cute and bright yellow, I couldn't resist! A Meyer Lemon is a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange. It's still got the tart lemon flavor, with a bit of sweetness. You can use them as substitute for any lemon recipe, although the final result might be a tad different. It won't be so different that the dish will be ruined.

I saw these Lemon Ricotta Cookies on Pinterest, originally posted on Tracey's Culinary Adventures. TCA got it from Giada. Of course Giada would pair ricotta cheese and lemon, and make a cookie out of it!

I love ricotta cheese (I'm saying it how Giada says it in my head!) But I'll warn you, if you are NOT a fan of ricotta, don't try this cookie. Because you can taste it. I love how versatile ricotta is. You can use it in savory dishes, and sweet dishes, for cooking or baking. Louisa and I even saw Ricotta Fritters made on Chow Ciao!. (**Note: PLEASE watch him if you haven't watched him before. HIL-AR-I-OUS!) Louisa's been nagging me to make ricotta fritters ever since!

I chose not to make the lemon glaze, partially out of laziness, partially because I really needed to get back to homework after my short stop baking in the kitchen, and partially because I thought the cookies tasted good with just a sprinkling of powdered sugar. I will make these again, and I'll try the lemon glaze next time. With the stuffed up nose and bad head cold I have right now, it's not like all my taste buds are working properly anyway :)

{{Speaking of "lemons", go check out Louisa's new blog, Weezie Peezie Lemon Squeezie. She's a funny gal, and I guarantee that if you follow her, you'll like it! }}

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564 Pins
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30 Days of Pinterest- Day 7: Chalk Paint and Organizing Jars

2012-01-16T20:05:00.005-06:00

{Supplies: Glass jars, chalk board paint}

I love jars. I don't know why. They don't have to be anything special, or expensive, or old. I just like glass and filling glass jars with things I can see. I have many shelves in my kitchen, instead of cabinets, so my dream is to fill the shelves with labeled glass jars. Pretty, and functional.

I found these chalk board painted jars on Pinterest, originally from up by First Lady of the House (wow the organization is out of this world!!!!)

I have had Folk Art chalk board paint sitting around the house for a year, at least. I had all sorts of plans, but never came through with any of them. This pin on Pinterest gave me motivation to use the paint, and get a little organizing done, and make my dream of jar filled shelves start to come true.

I have some spare Mason jars that I will definitely use with the chalk board paint later, but I went to Family Dollar to find some different jars. I got those jars with the snap shut lids for $2.50 for the big ones, and $1.50 for the little ones. I thought they were very cute.

I also have an old key holder/mail holder thingy that hangs on my wall. I figured some chalk board paint on that, and a few fun messages or reminders now and then, would work good.
There's day seven! It took me two days to complete this because you need a few (I did three) coats of paint on the jars, and drying and chalk board curing time. Plus homework for a crazy hard class, work, and spending time with the Chaos Peeps, it turned into a two day project.

Here's a little preview of supplies for two (separate) upcoming Pinterest projects!

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527 Pins
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30 Days of Pinterest- Days 5 & 6: Sick Day, and "Are those really pancakes!??"

2012-01-13T22:27:00.008-06:00

Thursday was a strange day. Our school district had a 2 hour delay in the morning because of inclement weather (still not quite sure what was inclement about it). Everyone was confused, including school staff. Louisa and Drew leave an hour and a half before Hunter does, so they got up at 8:00, got ready, and left the house at 9:00. It was a nice morning for them. Hunter's bus was due here about 10:30, but Hunter was moving so slow and his eyes were watery from congestion. I decided to keep him at home, since I had nothing much to do Thursday anyway.

For my 30 Days of Pinterest project, I thought I'd look up some Sight Word activities for Hunter to do while he was home. He's in first grade and struggles with reading a bit more than Louisa or Drew ever did. I found this really cute game that was similar to Cootie. You have a "Love Bug" outline on a piece of paper, and a key that tells you what number equals what body part. Instead of physically building your Cootie, or Love Bug in this case, you draw it. So we played that a few times, and then I sent in a blank copy for his teacher :) She has that Smart Board, so she can let the whole class play it one day. The awesome site this game comes from is Teaching Heart Blog, and they also have a Turkey and Snowman version of the game.

The next activity we pulled off Pinterest is from one of my favorite activity/craft/DIY blogs, Tip Junkie. There are not only sight word flash cards to print off, but 25 sight word game and activity ideas. We played a few games, had a little fun, and Hunter *finally* conquered the word "our" and remembered the difference between 'our', 'are', and 'or'.

So those were my Thursday, Day 5 Pinterest activities, but Louisa thought they were too boring for me to make a single post out of ;) She said I needed something more exciting than that for my Pinterest project! Oh, teenagers. They don't understand! Other moms helping their little ones learn to read will find it interesting! I think.... I hope....

Today's project was my attempt at making the perfect shaped pancakes. And failing. Miserably. I followed the instructions, even got the *same* bottle as shown on the blog (pure coincidence, but still), and they turned out..... funky. For lack of a better word. I guess the key to perfect shaped pancakes, is perfect flipping. The skill of which I do not possess. Not even a smidge! My husband flips pancakes like a madman, but alas, God didn't equip me with pancake flipping wrists, I'm afraid.

Here's the run down on how to make great shaped pancakes from Not So Idle Hands.

And here's my failed attempt at pancake shapes :) Louisa made an awesome smiley face, that turned into a taco when I flipped it. We also attempted stars, hearts, everyone's initials, and flowers. Only the initials turned out, everything else was flipped in half.

For my pancakes I used a regular pancake mix, and added 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp vanilla extract, and about 1 tbsp maple syrup to the batter. So at least they tasted good!

Also today, I shoveled about 2 feet of snow on the front sidewalks, took a 20 minute trip to Walmart that actually took me an hour, and saw a gagillion cars slide off the snowy roads as I plowed through in my Dodge Ram 4x4. Because you don't live in Northern New York state if you can't barrel through the snow and get where you need to be going. It was nerve wracking knowing the kids were coming home in the buses, when it was near white-out conditions. They had an early release day due to weather, and they all got home safe. But there's a LOT of snow out there, and I really need my husband to come home and snow blow the driveway!

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492 Pins
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30 Days of Pinterest- Day Four: French Toast BOMB and Hash Browns on Crack

2012-01-11T23:21:00.006-06:00

A few things people should know about me:

I am slightly not right in the head
I do projects at all hours of the day... like 2:30 in the morning
I don't sleep well, so some of my best inspirations come late at night
Sometimes I don't even sit down for the first time until 11:00 pm.
I do *NOT* make my kids breakfast. Getting a hot breakfast like this is a gigantic treat to them. My poor, deprived children...

I was up late doing homework last night. I went to the kitchen for a snack when I noticed that my loaf of sandwich bread had a slit in the bag, from one end to the other. My first thought was to grab a few gallon sized zip locks and put the bread in them. When I went to open the bag of bread, I noticed that half of it was pretty hard and crusty. CRAP! My guess is that the bread had a tear in the bag before I put it in the freezer, because I had just taken the bread out of the freezer yesterday morning.

What else do you do with crusty bread? Bread crumbs? Bread pudding? Ah-ha! French toast! I didn't feel like sitting around this morning making French toast for the kids, so I decided to look on Pinterest for a French toast baked dish. And boy did I find one!! This baked French toast was originally posted on a blog called Mormon Mavens, and they adapted it from The Pioneer Woman herself :) This stuff is seriously the bomb-diggity! I want to eat the whole 9x13 pan :) Would that be bad?!!

My slight adjustments to the two recipes I linked above are:

*I didn't have enough milk, and it being 2:30 a.m. when I assembled this, I wasn't going to the store :) I used about half milk (1%) and half heavy whipping cream, to equal 2 cups total.

* I added about a tsp of cinnamon to the milk/egg mixture.

*I had to get this in the oven by 5:30 a.m. for my two oldest children to really enjoy it, so the French toast sat in the fridge a total of three hours. Both bloggers suggest keeping the French toast in the fridge longer than that. Just letting you know I took a short cut and it turned out just fine :)

* The topping I made was exactly what Mormon Maven's topping is, although she added an icing on top of that after it came out of the oven. Not having any milk left, I opted out of the icing, but I'd love to try it like that! If you would like to make an icing, there's no specific formula. Place about 2 cups of powdered sugar in a bowl, add a few drops of milk at a time until you get the icing slightly runny. Runny enough to drizzle on the French toast, but not like water. You add the icing after the dish comes out of the oven. If you add icing, be sure to store leftovers (psht! HA!!) in the fridge.

I actually had two Pinterest projects today. The first was out of a need to use up that prematurely stale bread, and the second was a need to... eat dinner! :) I had come across these Crack Potatoes, originally posted on a blog called One Good Thing. These potatoes were once a result of someone's mistake, and they are a scrumptious delicious mistake!

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Today's Numbers:
436 Pins
20 Boards

30 Days of Pinterest- Day 3: Shadow Box Monogram

2012-01-10T21:18:00.007-06:00

So, does everyone have a closet full of random craft "crap" that they bought on clearance, without knowing what to do with it, just because it was on clearance? Raise your hand! (And PLEASE tell my husband I'm NOT the only one!)

I've had most of these materials on hand, randomly, for no reason, for quite awhile. The shadow boxes were picked up on sale at Michael's, the letters also were on sale, the paint I've had around just because I love painting, and the paper is because I was once going to be a scrapbook artist, then changed my mind, yet I can't stop buying paper!

We recently remodeled Drew's room, and by "we", I mean Husband :) We're decorating the new bedroom in a Hard Rock Cafe theme. My son is all about rock n roll, and rocker type colors. Eventually I'll paint a guitar on his wall, and he's going to have a real music corner to rock out in.

I saw this shadow box with a monogram on Pinterest, and knew I had the materials on hand to make one for Drew's new room. Louisa had actually asked me once if she could decorate her room with different shadow boxes with an assortment of items in them, so I thought this would be great for her, too. Her room is painted a few shades of teal, and has a lot of black and white accents. Her favorite color is lime green, so I let her go through my paint collection and pick out the shade of green for her "L".

My shadow box looks a bit different than the one I found on Pinterest, but it's all about the inspiration and making an idea your own.

{These are the materials for Louisa's shadow box. The paint is Craft Smart Neon Green, and Folk Art Extreme Glitter Peridot. I'm in love with Extreme Glitter!!}

{These are the materials for Drew's shadow box. I'm using two pieces of paper for his background. I thought this glittery black would look nice under the red with the stars. A little rock n roll-ish. The paint colors are Apple Barrel Black, and Folk Art Extreme Glitter Black. So cool that they have black glitter paint!}

{I started my project by sanding and painting the letters. I didn't want to get *too* glittery with Drew's "A", although it was tempting :) That black glitter is so awesome!}

{While the letters are drying, I cut out and glued the scrapbook paper on the backs of each shadow box.}

{When the letters and backs were dry, I glued the letters onto the paper. Then I let them sit and completely dry.}
{Finished product! Both kids were excited with how their monograms turned out.}

Now I'm off to get homework done. Because I took the day off to craft it up (and go to work), I need to get moving on my environmental biology projects!! (Multiple!)

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Today's Numbers:
376 Pins
18 Boards

30 Days of Pinterest- Day 2: National Apricot Day

2012-01-09T21:37:00.007-06:00

What *is* Pinterest? I had a friend, a little older than myself... maybe like, old enough to be my mom, email me and say "I love all your crafts and goodies, but WHAT IS PINTEREST?!!" :)
If you're a Pinterest Virgin, I highly caution you that it's addictive, and sucks precious hours/days/weeks from your life. So take a peek whenever you have a free minute... or 1000.

I was browsing through Pinterest on my morning run, and saw that today is National Apricot Day. How fortuitous for me, because I wasn't quite sure what to make today. A few more clicks and I found a delicious Apricot Crumbles from Real Simple R ecipes. I'm all about using what I already have in the pantry/fridge, and I happened to have a jar of apricot preserves on hand.

Every Monday night I coach gymnastics, so I had to leave the house at a certain time. I thought I had plenty of time to bake my Apricot Crumble, and get to work. Just after I put the crumble in the oven Louisa said, "Mom, you have 5 minutes before you have to leave." Yikes! The kids have to come with me to work, so I had to stop the oven and leave for work. I finished baking it when I got home and everything was fine. Oops :)

The kids gave this two thumbs up. Or probably would have if I hadn't ushered them to bed the very second the last bite was swallowed. Too many LATE nights doing homework and my body is not pleased with me. So I'm.... *gulp*.... going to bed before midnight! I know. Crazy.

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Today's Numbers:
Pins- 367
Boards- 18

30 Days of Pinterest- Day One: Hootioes and Dandelion Fluff

2012-01-08T21:06:00.006-06:00

PINTEREST!!! Do you "pin"? Are you a "pinner"? "Pin-o-maniac"? I have no idea what the proper verb is for a "pin-artist" is, but I am one. Whatever you call me!

I got my daughter into it too. Oops :) It is fun to have more subjects to chat with your 14-year-old about. Lord knows us teen parents are always on the look out for connection-worthy activities!

A few days ago, after an especially hearty pinning spree, I came across this signage:

Ohh... HAHAHA! YES!!! I first thought. And then, Wait.. but I really *AM* creative!
So here I've been pinning all these ideas for the past few months, and looking at pictures and oohing and ahhing. But I wasn't doing anything more with these new ideas than just looking at them on my "boards" and saying, "ooh, look what I could do."

After a little (and I mean very little) thought, I decided I was going to set aside time in my daily life (bwahahahaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!) to *create*! Also, getting my daughter in on this will give us, you know... more connection! Bonus points!

Day one, I decided to do something food related. I had my eye on something called Spaghetti Dogs, to make for the boys. I thought this was not only FUN, but would sort of knock their socks off. I love to keep them on their toes ;) I haven't been able to find the original Pin on these Spaghetti Dogs, however after doing a little Googling, they're all over the blogosphere (where have I been?).

{To begin, cut hot dogs into 4 pieces. My pieces were about an inch or so long. Note: This was a good way to get rid of two partial packages of hot dogs. I broke all of my spaghetti in half, however it's not necessary. Then, like a good old fashioned game of Kerplunk, stick the uncooked spaghetti noodles through the hot dogs... like so!}

{Next step, boil noodle filled hot dogs in water until noodles are cooked. If you really want to impress the kids, don't let them see HOW it's done. Just walk into the dining room with these on a plate and set it in front of them... hehe... snicker snicker! My boys freaked out! Drew's direct quote was, "What ARE these?!!" with very wide eyes. Hunter, in his unlimited genius, says "It's hot dogs and noodles... duh!"}

We ended up nicknaming these "Hootioes" (as in the word "hoot", and "ioes" like the end of Cheerios). Louisa and I were whispering about making these, and I said, "I hope I have enough H-O-T D-O-G-S to make these." She thought for a moment, looked confused and then replied, "Hootioes??!!" Ah-ha... so funny. That's my honor student!

The next Pinterest project I took on today was more Louisa's fault. She usually paints her nails every Sunday. MaD Manis is one of her absolute fave nail blogs. Louisa pinned these dandelion fluff nails from MaD Manis, and I said I'd like to try painting them for her. We obviously didn't have that shade of China Glaze, so we made due with a blue we have.In all fairness to Louisa, I hastily took this picture before she had time to clean up her nails. I won't do that to her next time ;) She usually over-paints her nails, and then cleans them up afterward. She does have quite a knack for doing some great looking nails, though. I wanted to try my hand at these, but I bet she could do them better.

A few notes about my new project, 30 Days of Pinterest:
I'm trying to link back to either the original Pins, or the original posts and places all of our Pins come from. Bare with me!

Also, my Pin projects should span the creative vastness that is Pinterest. Food, clothing, crafts, jewelry, decorating, etc. There's SO much in that website, that I am only scratching the very surface, but I have the strong need to learn to be creative *every single day*, no matter if it's big or small.

Please visit my Pin Boards: http://pinterest.com/chaosmommy/

Today's numbers:
Pins- 313
Boards- 17

2012?! Did I sleep through 2011?

2012-01-01T20:33:00.005-06:00

I do NOT remember 2011. Was I sleeping? Did I fall into a worm hole?

So I was at this New Year's Eve party last night, and people were yelling, "Hooray! It's 2012!" and I thought, huh? I think school played a big part in why I don't remember much of last year. I had a LOT of classes last year. Some were easy, some were hard, and some, well..... let's just put some of those classes on a dusty old shelf high up in the attic and pretend they never existed. K?! :)

I don't make new years resolutions. I don't keep them, I don't even try to keep them, and it's just not my bag. However, I do usually work toward being a better person in general. More giving, loving, and a better light of God's love than I was the year before. Heck, I strive for that every DAY. But on the 1st of January each year, in addition to wishing my late grandparents a quick "happy anniversary", I think back at a few instances that went well, and a few I could have worked harder at to make better choices. 2011 seemed to be full of the latter, but we're always hard on ourselves, aren't we?

This year I'd like to take better advantage of all my children have to offer. Find the qualities that make them *shine* and enhance them. Louisa's big adventure in the first part of the year will be performing in the school musical, Fiddler on the Roof, as Yente. She was very upset when she first got the role. Who wants to be the old woman with hardly any lines?! Understandable! However, after a few rehearsals, she realized that not only is Yente the comic relief, but she's really the core of the story, after Tevye. She took a situation she wasn't happy with, and found not only the silver lining, but the HEART. Louisa is also working hard on her gymnastics, trying to land that back handspring with no help. She doesn't give up until she gets something. I love that about her!

Drew has found a love of playing musical instruments. I would love to see where this takes him. He's playing my old tenor saxophone (really the entire reason he's alive today... without much exaggeration) and he's doing amazing. He joined a piano club after school, just because, with no prompting from anyone and no friends saying, "Hey, let's do this piano club thing". Just... cause. I'm so proud of him for doing that! He's coming into his own in middle school, and I pray it stays this way. I know how torturous the years of middle school can be. We're currently building him a music corner in the new room his dad built for him. I hope to grow this love of music, both with the music corner, and with the opportunities for him to play his instruments whenever he wants to. Drew, being the middle child, and not quite as "normal" as the others, gets over looked sometimes by family members. He doesn't always get the recognition he deserves. I pray that this year everyone truly understands him for the beautiful soul he is (as his 4th grade teacher once said). He's got so much to offer, and I want everyone to see what I see in him.

Hunter has had trouble getting a solid start in first grade, however, I know he has the supreme smartness his brother and sister have. He adores having books read to him, and I think once he finally gets a grasp on reading by himself, he'll be a book lover for life. But we're struggling a little to find that inner self-reader. He's in there! In know it and I won't give up till he comes out! The major wow-factor in Hunter comes from his math skills. He's going to knock some socks off some day with his impressive math knowledge. He took to his addition and subtraction facts like they were M&M's. I'm excited to see where this is going to go!

As for me, I finally graduate college this year with an associates degree in Culinary Arts. What I do with that degree is up in the air. I have my home business that I plan to advertise and grow, but what else? A restaurant? Bakery? Do I want to work for someone else? I do need more experience in both baking and decorating. I know it'll all come with time, but it'd be nice to get that experience while being paid for it, not while paying for my own supplies ;)

2012 will be a year of growth for us, but everyone says that every year. Right? Every year we say, "This is a big year, I can feel it!"

For now I just say, GET ME THROUGH SCHOOL!!! It'll take me more than 10 semesters to get nothing but a little ole associates degree. It's time to move on to the next stage in my life. The "college graduate" part!

P.S. Please, please, double triple please..... Go LIKE my business Facebook page, and SHARE it with your friends list. Because even if you don't live here in Northern New York, you might know someone who does. And even if your friends don't, maybe one of their friends does! See how this works?! :) http://www.facebook.com/chaoscupcakes
It's easy... Click, LIKE, and SHARE ;)

I pray you all have a Chaos year, in the best Chaos way imaginable! Because without Chaos, all rules of physics are null and void.

Save the Date! {Cookies Across America Day: December 10}

2011-12-02T12:53:00.008-06:00

It's a quiet, cold, snowy day here in Northern New York. The kind of day where I grab myself a cup of hot chocolate laced with pumpkin pie spice, start a fire in my wood burning stove (you do NOT want to see my heating bill in the winter months!), and check out all the cookie recipes I'm planning for Cookies Across America Day.

Once a year, usually, we pause and reflect on what we've been blessed with. Health, family, love, a job, a house, food, warmth... you know... the usuals. It's around this time of year that we not only count our own blessings, but we try to share those blessings with those less fortunate. I have my specific charities that I must give to every year, but it's fun to add a new one!

The Cookies Across America movement was started by Allrecipes.com last year, and this year Taste of Home and Nestle have gotten in on the fun! The idea behind Cookies Across America is to share your love of baking with anyone less fortunate. A county children's home, a women's shelter, local Ronald McDonald House, people at church who need a hug, etc. Think big, or think small. There are so many ways you can participate in this, and all it takes is You, a batch of cookies, and a desire to warm someone's heart :)

On December 10, my teenage daughter, Louisa and I are planning a cookie baking party with several of her friends. Luckily for my husband, he'll be off on a hunting trip that weekend ;) Each of the boys get to invite a friend over as well, to help keep them occupied in case they get bored of 6 hours worth of baking and girl-talk!

We sent out invitations that look like chocolate chip cookies, and we asked each person to bring one baking supply. I realize some people might not show up, so I have back-up supplies just in case.

Because we're a military family, and we almost always have friends deployed overseas, Louisa and I chose to mail our cookies to a few of our friends who are spending the holidays far away from home. Having gone through a handful of Christmases without our daddy (husband), we know that those deployed soldiers absolutely LOVE getting packages of homemade goodies (and sharing them with everyone else!)

We narrowed our large, overambitious list of cookies down to 4 must-have Christmas cookies:

Snowballs

Gingerbread Cut-Outs (Louisa didn't want to limit it to "boys", she wants to use all of our Christmas cookie cutters)

Peppermint Bark

Jumbo Dark Chocolate Cookies

The last cookie is a new recipe that we recently discovered on tasteofhome.com, and I'm about to bake some up today for Husband to take to work tomorrow. I made some the other day and the soldiers keep asking for more!

If you need any more ideas or information on how to get started with your own Cookies Across America day, you can check out Taste Of Home's page HERE for recipes, and HERE for ideas on where/how to donate. If you are doing the Facebook thing, then you must go LIKE the Cookies Across America page :)

I'd love to hear about your project! Be sure to come back and tell me :)

I'm off to bake cookies, armed with my Nestle Toll House apron, Cookies Across America {I baked!} button, and other assorted essentials :)

**~Have a scrumptious time baking, and give with open hearts~**

A day of dads

2011-11-12T19:26:00.003-06:00

Today is November 12.
My dad's birthday.
The day we laid my father-in-law to rest last year.
And Louisa and Husband's Adoption Anniversary.

What a day. I consider it the "day of dads". I was happy to finally get to see my dad on his birthday last year, yet it wasn't under the best circumstances. I am happy to be able to celebrate my husband's special day, but it will probably be bittersweet to him now.

I was thinking today about all the dads that have affected my life. I have my Grandad (dad's dad), my Grandpa (mom's dad), my dad, my father-in-law. And also, my own husband. He's a dad who is in my life, even if he's not mine. I entrust him with the single most important job I have to give anyone, so he plays a big role as a dad in my life.

My two grandpa's meant the world to me. They were both special in their own ways. My Grandad was funny, and always had a crazy far-fetched story to tell. He'd get me, hook, line, and sinker every time. I have no clue how many of those stories were true, false, or exaggerated, but I believed 'em all. My Grandad taught me that hard work could lead to a life of relaxing leisure if you took care of your finances right.

My Grandpa and I were best buddies my entire childhood. I did say good-bye to him earlier this year, but the things he taught me, and how he helped raise me, and how he was always there for me no matter what, will always stay with me. My grandpa was a difficult person to get along with. He wasn't always nice to everyone around him, and he didn't always take care of his family right, but he was my grandpa and I loved him.

My dad and I worked at finding things in common, like a good father and daughter will do. Music, some sports, some academics or world happenings, etc. We can talk about anything. He's taught me a lot about being a grown up and dealing with things in grown up ways.

My father-in-law taught me a little about family, and how it's always worth fighting for. He never gave up on his kids, even at times when they gave up on him.

My husband has taught me tremendous amounts about family, love, friendship, sacrifice, and forgiveness. I haven't always been the best wife, and his forgiveness exceeds anything I've ever known.

I think that I will always celebrate the dads in my life on this day. It seems fitting to keep them all close to me, and give them all a day where I reflect on a past, and future, where fathers play such a big role in my life.

Halloween Cupcakes

2011-10-28T21:47:00.002-05:00

In the mood for some Halloween cupcakes?!
Come on over to Chaos Cupcakes to check out what I made today for a Halloween party!

Here's a sneak peak..........

Disappointment

2011-10-26T21:20:00.002-05:00

This is my disappointment:

I have many, but this was a big one.
I bounced back, like I always do. I may even get another chance.
Good-bye disappointment.

Dear God,

2011-10-04T15:46:00.000-05:00

Dear God,

So many people are weighing on my heart.

I feel that prayer is the only place to start.

Giving up the burdens I feel it necessary to bare,

Lord, I’m sending these prayers because I know how much you care.

You care about the mother, about to go to court,

To face her former husband, who has fallen short.

His lies will be open for all to see,

Because there’s nowhere to hide for men like he.

There is another mother who feels afraid,

For all of the serious mistakes she’s made.

Sadly standing by for better or worse,

As a husband she trusted turns into a curse.

A single mom who is fighting cancer each day,

She has such a big reason to fight to stay.

Her family surrounds her with support and love,

Just as You are shining on her from above.

There’s a family I know who’s torn apart.

So much sadness in their lives they have hardened their hearts.

They should show love instead of animosity,

Working on being a family in unity.

A daughter who has to take care of her mother,

A mother who misses her daughter,

A son who feels left behind,

And a wife who is so lonely she’s blind.

For a mother who’s spent every night for weeks,

Sleeping by her son’s hospital bed listening to doctors speak.

Something about his brain and surgery and more,

Filling her head, she can’t take anymore!

Give us this day our daily bread,

And please take this stress from our heads.

I pray, O Lord, for tests and surgeries,

As your ways, for me, are always a mystery.

So many trials going on with loved ones,

Lord, I pray you will not leave them on their own.

~Amen~

Did someone say... wood?!

2011-10-01T19:56:00.005-05:00

Here in Northern New York, it gets cold in the winter. Darn cold. Unless you want your heating bill to be $500 a month, a wood burning stove, or pellet stove, comes in handy. Our house has a wood burning stove. Last winter we had wood that was left here by the previous owners because it was our first winter here. We used that up fast. This year I nagged (ahem... I mean, asked nicely) for us to be well prepared. =)

On our army post, Fort Drum, we can get firewood practically for free. A permit to cut up felled trees costs $10 for one week, and you can take up to three loads of wood. Thank goodness for A) the truck, B) the chainsaw, and C) a husband who never shies away from hard labor no matter how tired he is.

After a very long week at work, and 2 weeks solid of being outside and sleeping outside, he came home Thursday ready to get this wood gathering over with. He went out in the woods on post twice by himself, then implored the family to please help him today.

In the brisk 40 degree, rainy weather, we obliged. How can we not?!

We did gather 1 cord of wood total, which if we bought from someone locally would be approximately $100. A cord of wood is equivalent to three truck bed-fulls, or 4 ft high by 4 ft wide by 8 ft tall.

Hopefully this lasts us all winter and we stay nice and toasty warm. Because having to pay that heating bill without the extra luxury of using the wood burning stove is hard imagine.

Louisa's birthday cupcakes

2011-09-25T12:53:00.004-05:00

Yesterday was Louisa's friend birthday party. We had 5 teenage girls spending the night. Whew! The giggling and high pitched screaming was.... interesting ;) But really, it makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside knowing how blessed your children are with nice, happy friends who enjoy each other's company. (I know, I know, "enjoy each other's company"?! Lame! ;)

I had a hard time coming up with cupcakes for her. I needed something that really wowed her and her friends. We didn't have a theme, since, well, 14-year-old's parties don't generally have themes as far as I know. I could be wrong. Her favorite color is green, but I chose a variety of colors for her decorations. She likes the combination of green, black, pink, and purple.

In the end, I decided on the banana cupcakes she asked for, decorated with large roses in multiple colors. She loved them, I'm pleased to report!

Sugarland~ Little Miss

2011-09-17T20:17:00.009-05:00

Louisa and I went to her first concert on September 3 at the NY State Fair. I took her to see Sugarland. We LOVE them and it was so fitting that this was our first concert together. We have every song of every CD memorized.

As we know, the Sugarland band and crew dealt with a big loss this summer. Having your stage collapse, killing and injuring your fans, is a performers worst nightmare. Even if... they had nothing to do with it. Even if... it could have been prevented. Even if... the fans hold some liability for taking the risk (?). It's something the band and crew will always have to live with knowing they were a part of.

However, they need to move on and continue their tour. Many more shows, many thousands of fans to perform to.

I have to admit that I was very nervous about the show. Not about a stage collapsing on me, but about the level of performance we'd receive. So close to the tragedy, would Sugarland still perform at top notch levels? I mean, I did pay $60 a ticket to take my daughter to her first show, row 14, center stage. I deserved just as good a show as the people before the incident got.

My fears were silly! Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush haven't risen this high because they are bad businessmen. Right?! They not only put on an amazing show, but they gave me my money's worth, and I rarely say that.

I was also introduced to another young lady who I now can't get enough of. Sara Bareilles is on tour with them, and she's amazing!

At the show we got to be a part of two special events~

Surprise one was that Amnesty International is recording a Bob Dylan tribute CD and Sugarland recorded one of my favorites, Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You, live in Syracuse, for inclusion on the CD. You may hear me screaming ;) I did try to purposely scream during a quiet part. Don't you hate those people?!

Surprise number two: I came across this video tonight. I was hoping someone had taped this, because it was amazing and brought tears to my eyes when it happened. Sugarland has a song called "Little Miss". It's a song about how we know that no matter how tough life gets, we'll "be okay again". Always. This song, like SO many of theirs that have come before, is an inspiration to everything I do in my life right now. The song has also created a whole movement across the country, called the Little Miss Project.

Two local school teachers contacted the Syracuse country radio station for help with this. They handed out 6,000 signs right before the show. Our instructions were to hold them up during Little Miss. The signs had words, lines, from the song. Things like, "You Are Loved", and "Brand New Start". Many signs also said, "Remember Indy".
The band knew nothing about this little surprise, so it was amazing to watch their faces as we held up our signs and sang along. I fought tears the whole time. Enlarge the screen when you watch this so you can see Jennifer's face. It's so awesome to watch her shock as she is trying to sing, perform, yet also read all the signs!

I pray that you all know that
A) You ARE loved.
B) It'll Be Alright Again.

I promise.

Chaos Cupcakes

2011-09-14T15:20:00.002-05:00

Do you like cupcakes?!

Do you like blogs?!

Do you like alligators with really big teeth that wear pink shimmery tutus?!

I can help you with the first two. The third one, well... you're on your own and you need help.

I'm starting a small business out of my house called Chaos Cupcakes. I have had a few orders, ordered some business cards, and really began experimenting with my baked goods.

Also, I thought a blog would be fun. Blogginess of the cupcake kind. Yum.

~Chaos Cupcakes~
Come take a peek and click that cute little "follow" button. :)

New School Year

2011-09-07T22:51:00.003-05:00

The Chaos Kids constantly amaze me. Day in and day out, they find ways to get over obstacles, and they keep right on moving. I get a complaint here and there, but for the most part they deal with issues well.

Starting school up again in the fall is never an easy process. You worry about who will be in your class(es), who to sit with at lunch, what to wear, what clubs to join, what teachers you'll have... Sometimes it all works out well and we glide through the year smoothly. Sometimes. Not.

I've had years in my youth that were peppered with bullies and harassment. A few years in particular really stick out in mind. 6th grade, 8th & 9th grades, and believe it or not... kindergarten. 6th grade had to of, by far, been the worst for me, though. The harassment and bullying was so severe that I had to go for weekly counseling sessions with the school counselor, and the principal had the whole lot of us in his office several times trying to sort it all out. My mom was likely at her wit's end trying to understand the situation as kids who had just recently spent much time at our house as friends began to harass me on a pretty severe level.

Well, like my Chaos Kids, I overcame. I made new friends, found ways to avoid the bullies, and moved on with my life.

I pray the Chaos Kids never have to worry about bullies.
Louisa is a spitfire. I'd like to see a bully try to mess with her. Well, I wouldn't... but if one did they'd get quite an earful. She's witty, sarcastic, passive aggressive, and highly intelligent. She'll twist you up in words you don't understand, and spit you out with sarcasm so dripping that you'll think you just took a shower.

Drew has had a few teensy run-ins on his 2nd day of school. He is a bit worried about "being surrounded by a pack of bullies". Hey, who isn't?! We talk a lot about rational and irrational fears, so he knows the difference. I'm not really sure which one that is, though.

So as we truck through yet another school year, and we try to maintain a non-bully zone around our children, all we can really do is the best for our kids that we can. We can work to prepare them for let downs and disappointments. We can cheer on their every single accomplishment.
Mostly, though, we can pray that everything we're doing is on the one right path that God is leading us, and our kids, on.

Ingenuity

2011-09-05T21:59:00.008-05:00

When I was a little girl, I didn't always get what I wanted, right when I wanted it. The result, I learned to get creative. My Cabbage Patch Dolls had homemade clothes, made by me. My Barbie swam in a homemade pool, made by me. When I wanted $25 Keds with neon splatter paint, my mom got me $5 knock-offs and we used puffy paint we had around the house. I used ingenuity, and learned that if I wanted something, I could have it, with some brain juice and leftover supplies lying around the house.

Louisa has always been creative. She's always been interested in making things with whatever medium we have available. Her textiles skills, sewing and crocheting, are really taking off. I'm proud, but best of all she's proud.

I didn't think she needed a new bag for school this year. As anyone who is buying school supplies for multiple children knows, not everyone gets everything they want. Hunter needed a new backpack more than the other CK's this year, and even he got only a $15 bag from Walmart. I don't feel bad when the kids can't have something. Children don't always need everything they want. We've never bought them new school bags every year, and we won't start now.

So, all this mommy-meanness led to Louisa feeling the need to get creative. She asked if we could go to Joann's so that she could buy some fabric with her allowance. Hey... why not? I'm a reasonable mommy.

She picked a really cute green with white polka-dots. It's a tad retro, yet very hip.

Sunday morning we cut and pinned the bag form. The inside liner is a pillow case, inspired by my cousin Sue who made a bag similar to it for my mom. Louisa spent Sunday sewing the basic bag and strap.

Monday she added embellishments. She's been wanting to try out making a ruffle, so she added ruffle to the mid-section and strap. She has learned how to make fabric flowers this summer, so she added two flowers to the area in the middle where the ruffle comes together. I think her favorite accomplishment is the pocket on the inside. That gave her a lot of trouble, but she was glad she did it.

{Inside of the bag viewing troublesome pocket.
She did great and learned some good lessons.}

Yes she's taking orders... $35 each ;)

For people who don't know her, she's just a few weeks shy of her 14th birthday...
What were you doing when you were 13? :)

Louisa, the sewing machine, and using up old clothes

2011-07-26T23:00:00.004-05:00

Recently Louisa got her very own sewing machine. I didn't even realize she had an interest in sewing, but one day we got some amazing tween/teen craft books from the library and she immediately set to work sewing all sorts of handbags, t-shirt bags, etc. It was great watching her go. I kept loading her up with t-shirts and jeans that I couldn't use anymore.

She has since slowed down with the book crafts. She went to spend a few weeks with her grandparents and they have a sewing machine. She had used one in Home Ec this past school year, but I didn't know how serious her interest was. Apparently, it was big, and serious.

She made herself and her brothers real authentic sock monkeys. They are so cute! She did great.

Now that she's back home she has a sewing machine of her own. She's been busy learning how to sew straight lines (not as easy as it looks!) and create one of a kind pieces. Her first projects were these draw-string t-shirt bags. She used an old shirt of mine for her own bag, and Drew picked out a too small shirt of his for his bag. Hunter kept picking out shirts that were still very wearable, so he finally settled on a Hershey Niagara Falls shirt. It's wearable, but he inherited two from his older siblings, so we could sacrifice one for the sake of a bag and a happy Hunter.

Louisa's next project is a gold and red striped Harry Potter Gryffindor scarf for Hunter. He has a Harry Potter costume robe that he wears all the time, so of course he needs a scarf in the house colors! This will take her a little more time, but she's getting there.

She is also teaching herself how to crochet. She's very excited with a, um... "hat" she's making ;) I'm glad she's having so much fun being creative! We'll see where all this leads.

Gymnastics Recital- Take Two: Level 1

2011-06-16T07:16:00.003-05:00

Level 1 is typically beginners over the age of 5. Some kids fly through level 1 so fast that it's just a quick stepping stone for them. And other children spend a year or more there. It's tough to make a kid stay in level 1 if they feel they should move up. Typically parents feel a child should move up after a year/season. I've had quite a few parents get upset with me because I don't feel comfortable moving their child up to level 2. In order to move up, a child needs to have a good, solid cartwheel. In my completely unprofessional opinion, a child shouldn't move to Level 2 unless they can do a straight-legged cartwheel. The problem when you move them too soon is that in Level 2 you're no longer working on cartwheels, you're working on handstands and round-offs. So when a child can't even do a proper cartwheel, they are already behind. It's not fair to them, or to the rest of the class. It's hard to tell a parent, after a year or more, that their child still needs to be in level 1.

I have three level 1 classes this year. They can be fun, and they can be a lot of work. The kids are new in gymnastics, typically, and are excited to learn. Some kids are there because their parents make them and they don't actually want to learn. Luckily, I don't have any of those this year.

My first level 1 class had 10 kids when I started the year, with a long waiting list. I had to open a 2nd class as a result. Now there are 4 sweet little girls, two of them are returning students from last year. I had a hard time choosing a song for them because when we first started our recital rehearsals there were 6 girls in the class, and a big age difference between the youngest and oldest. I needed something that fit them all. I settled on "Naturally" by Selena Gomez because I figured everyone would know who she was. Nope. But that's okay because they all like the song.
I also like this song because there are definite tempo changes in the song that the girls can use for key points in the choreography. It makes it easier for them to remember when to do something when it fits the song.

My second level 1 class was a result of a waiting list of the first. I've had so many children in and out of that class all year long. The 4 girls I have now are not the same kids I started with. At one point I was about to shut down the class because all the students missed several weeks in a row. Then suddenly one night these 4 girls showed up, and here we are!
I originally picked a remixed song by Elvis called "Rubberneckin'" because I had a boy in the class. The boy dropped out and the girls did *not* like that song. Going through my iTunes playlist with the girls one night, they got their heart set on none other than "What Is Love" by Haddaway... of Night at the Roxbury fame. Complete with head bob ala Will & Jimmie, the girls are having a lot of fun with this one. None of the kids can "tumble" too well, so we just went for "fun routine" instead of "show off our skills" routine. It works!

My third level 1 class has also morphed into something completely different than it started out to be. I began the year with a class full of eager beginners. There has been a waiting list for this class at this time slot all year. Eventually I was down to three little girls. Two of them were ready to move up to level 2, so I bumped them up. One little girl was left by herself for a few weeks. Unbeknown to me, there was still a waiting list for the class. No one who had dropped the class, or moved up, went to the front desk to take their name off my roster. So I had one little girl, and a waiting list. Finally we got it all taken care of and admitted three new girls. They were so little, ages 4 and 5. The first girl, who was by herself for awhile, left us, and now we have three really cute little princesses whose big sisters are all in the level 2 class that's taught at the same time by another teacher.
First I picked the song "Dancing Crazy" by Miranda Cosgrove. I thought it would be a fun song for the girls, but it ended up being too fast for their limited skills. Another teacher wanted to use that song for her class so I said "have at it!" One thing about picking these songs is that you have to pick something that fits the class. If the class can handle a fast upbeat song, then go for it. If they can't, then maybe find something slower. Which is exactly what I did! I took my little princesses and found them a princess song. I made little princess wands for them to have during their routine, too. They are so excited! Especially because they get to keep their wands after Saturday.
Our song is "Today Was A Fairytale" by Taylor Swift. (And OMGosh this video is *so* cute!!)

Tonight is our dress rehearsal. I'm very anxious to see how things will play out. Some of the classes really know their stuff and I'm not worried in the least. Other classes have kids that were absent on so many days that they don't know the routine. I had one class where the girl was gone for a month and a half, then just surprised me last week. I had changed the whole routine to exclude her, then had to confuse everyone by changing it back to put her back in. It's such a challenge not only for me, but for the kids. We all have to figure out how to maneuver around these distractions.

Gymnastics Recital- Take One: Tumbling Tigers

2011-06-14T07:57:00.004-05:00

The time is quickly approaching. Back in April, I thought this week would never come! But here we are, Recital Week! We have dress rehearsal, recital, and then the last day of classes.

For gymnastics recitals in our YMCA, each teacher picked out songs for their own classes based on age level, level of skill the classes are, and what's appropriate for that group. Some of us let our students pick and some of us have had ideas since September. I was a mixture of both. A few songs I'd had my eye on for awhile, and a few songs just popped in my head spontaneously as I was trying to think of what would be good for a class. One song the class picked out all by themselves, and it's a little surprising what they chose.

I'll post my Tumbling Tiger songs today. Tumbling Tigers, at our Y, are 3, 4 & 5 year old pre-schoolers. They don't do a lot for recital and we we have to be on the floor helping them most of the time. We set out mats in an obstacle course, teach them a few basic dance moves that go with the song, and let them do their thing.

My first Tumbling Tiger class I solo-teach. There are only three kids in it right now, after having three move away earlier this year, and one little girl's mama decided she was too young and wouldn't understand the recital. At 3 years old, that's a tough call sometimes. Louisa's first ballet recital was when she was 3 and she really got in to it and understood what she was doing. But I agreed with this mom's decision, her daughter really didn't have the maturity to remember the routine from week to week, and I'm guessing she wouldn't have wanted to be on stage in front of an audience.
So for my first song I chose a little ditty from the Disney Channel show Phineas & Ferb. I was working gymnastics birthday parties one day when a parent brought in their own CD of fun kids music. This song was on the CD and I thought it was perfect for a Tumbling Tiger routine. With only three kids, I have a short routine, and this is a short song to match it.

My second Tumbling Tigers is co-taught with another coach. She's a super sweet high school senior who's been doing gymnastics her whole life. She's taught me a *lot* this year. We have a large class of about 10 kids, so we needed a face paced, long song to get us through. She chose a very upbeat song by Mitchel Musso, of Hannah Montana fame. I choreographed the routine by myself because my co-teacher had to miss a bunch of classes in a row. However, after doing this for years, she has told me this is one of her favorites. Since this is my first year choreographing by myself, I take that compliment and run :)

The song is called Let's Make This Last 4Ever, and seriously, if you have a pre-teen or a smaller kid with an iPod, buy this for them! It's such a great dance song. My Tumbling Tigers can't stop dancing when they hear this. It's so cute!

Come on back tomorrow! I've got more songs to post, and more gymnastics classes to brag.... I mean, talk about.

Buckle down, kid!

2011-06-01T08:58:00.005-05:00

Growing up, I had 1000 ideas of what I wanted to do some day when I.... well grew up. My list was long, and well rounded. Teacher, photographer, marine biologist, singer, songwriter, actress (movie and Broadway), veterinarian, comedienne, wedding planner, costume designer, professional basketball player, Peace Corps worker, Playboy Playmate, social worker, psychologist, ghost hunter, psychic, Navy... person, choreographer, editor, dog trainer, painter/artist, journalist, novelist, archeologist, children's minister, astronaut, Princess Leia, Daisy Duke, and/or Madonna. (*Note how "chef", or "baker" is not actually listed in the previous list.)

There isn't exactly a college that caters to all those careers, so my senior year of high school I made the bold decision to NOT GO to college the following year. I can honestly say I was the only one of my friends that didn't go to college. The losers, the drop outs, the wrong-side-of-the-track-better-not-let-mama-catch-you-hanging-out-with-them, everyone, but me, went to a college of some sort. Tech school, art school, university, junior college. If they weren't going in to the service, they hit the books. Me? I decided to work for a year (ha!!) and think about what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.

~Wanna hear God laugh? Tell Him your plans!~

Isn't that how the saying goes? Oh He laughed at me alright! He said, "Girl, you don't need to go to college right now cause I'm gonna make you a MAMA!" And poof, there I was, 18 years old and pregnant. I no longer needed to worry about which of those 50 careers I had picked out I would choose. I had to worry about getting *any* job that would support my new baby girl because I had just been thrown in the middle of single-mom-hood. Forget college, girl! Raise this baby!
15 years ago I was less than two weeks from graduation. Who knew what lay in store for me? I knew I was scared to enter the real world, and looking back I'm glad God gave me that crash course at the school of hard knocks. I wouldn't have made it if He hadn't. I'd have been stuck in my parent's house until I was 30, STILL trying to decide what to do with my life.

I look back at high school and it's just one big mess in my mind. There's no beginning or end, there was no one friend that got me through, there wasn't any sort of particular "social class" that I fit in. I was just there. Invisible. Annoyed. Trapped. Very wrapped up in myself. How could I have ever focused on college when I was that young? These kids I go to school with now, they are 18, 19, 20 years old and so many of them are focused and ready to hit the ground running as soon as they can. It amazes me! I'm still not like that and I'm 33! Not saying I don't have ambitions, I just have quiet humble ones.

Now teaching my children to have loud, strong ambitions, that's a whole 'nother story. I want them out there, singing, dancing, getting noticed. They are going to change the world and make some noise. I want them to shake things up and get people's attention. Whatever it is they want to do, they need to *do* it with as much spunk as they can. Get on stage, wow a crowd, take the punches, learns the lessons, give until it hurts, wear your heart on your sleeve, and love what you are doing.

I have one child who makes these empowering speeches a tad difficult, though. He's more like me than either of us care to admit. Every week he comes to me with another "This is what I *REALLY* want to be when I grow up" story. I want to sit him down and say, "Look, I don't care if you're only in 4th grade. You need to buckle down, kid! Pick something for crying out loud!" Every single week it's a new thing.
"Mom! Guess what? I have FINALLY found what I'm going to be when I grow up! Isn't that great?! I'm going to be a....
professional hockey player
geologist
archeologist
historian
comic book writer
illustrator
artist
astronaut
teacher
video game maker
Pokemon... person
actor
singer
air force... person."
This week, or rather, today, it's video game maker living in Japan. Great. I'll visit you at Christmas.

Not that I have anything against kids having dreams, but I would like for my kids to be traditional college students and not have their minds filled with SO many possibilities that they can't even narrow it down to a handful of, say five. Like me.

I'm in college, for the second time around, with a new degree program since last time, and I *STILL* don't know what I want to be when I grow up. I mean, how can I know? There are so many things to do in life. I would love to bake for a living, but is it feasible? My ultimate dreams are these:
~own a bakery/bookstore. A small local one in some cute little southern Wisconsin town (when we are done with the army).
~Work in a bakery just baking and maybe learning decorating as I go, but mainly concentrating on baking artisan breads and such.
~pursuing my writing dream full-time (already got one foot in the door, it can't hurt to keep trying).
~just giving up on all of it and moving to Tahiti. I'll spend the rest of my days living in a hut on the beach, catching/growing my food, never worrying about money again.

There is a lesson to be learned in all this. The lesson, I think, is to buckle down while you're young. There's no reason a 4th grader can't pick one career goal and work his tail off to achieve it. All this dreaming about 200 different job choices just creates confusion. That confusion can lead you to where I am today. A 33 year old college student who STILL can't just decide on a flippin' career already and be done with it!

**Thanks to high school friend Amanda for reminding me of my once HS ambition to get a boob job and be a Playmate.

Last day of the semester ~or~ (Sniff, sniff) Good-bye to cooking class

2011-05-11T14:51:00.003-05:00

For a culinary program, my school sure doesn't have a lot of "cooking" classes. In two semesters, I've taken them all. Kind of. There's one more, but I don't need to take it because I took the equivalent this semester, from what I understand. I do still need to take an internship somewhere. I'd love to do my internship at a bakery. There aren't many around these parts, so hopefully I'll get in somewhere. My ultimate goal is to just bake. I don't care where, or how, or with who. I don't need my own business, I don't need glory or to be important. I don't need to be the best decorator on the block. I just. Want. To. Bake.

Today was the last day of classes, and then finals are next week. I'm a little on the sad side. I'd like to have more cooking classes, as I don't feel I'm prepared for the culinary world yet. But, it is what it is, and I'm just beyond blessed to get this opportunity in the first place. I know many places around these parts will hire graduates of the culinary program, so I don't see a problem with finding a job in a restaurant.

So, here's to the end of my first year in school, and on to what lays ahead of me!

If he doesn't post it on Facebook, does my husband still love me?

2011-05-05T15:05:00.002-05:00

It's a valid question in today's social network based society. If my husband doesn't post it on Facebook, does he still love me?

I have many couple-friends on FB. Some of them are cute and mushy, some of them are a leetle too over-the-top, and some (like Husband and I) don't communicate at all. Sure when we both had our laptops we thought it was fun to play Scrabble together on FB instead of getting out the board. We'd sit and watch a movie and play Scrabble, it was nice. But we don't use Facebook to communicate. Like, ever. I think maybe I say "Happy Birthday" on his birthday, but he doesn't do it back to me. Do I need him to? Is this something I really spend all day thinking about?

No.

Sometimes I joke with him when he gives me a compliment, telling him to post it so *everyone* can see it! In reality, I don't need him to. His compliments mean a lot to me, in private. I don't need my parents, and daughter, and nephew, and.... you get the idea, seeing that my husband thinks I'm bootylicious or any sort of strange thing I've seen husbands post.

Another oddity in the social network world: hacking in to eachother's accounts to write said compliments. Really?? You can't take that compliment and keep it in your heart? You have to now log on to your husband's account, write the compliment as if he were saying it on Facebook for the first time, and then let your friends ooh and ahh over it? Interesting.

You can find out a lot about a person by how they behave online.

I think that I can tell how much my husband loves me by the large amount of small things he does for me. On a daily basis. How he takes time in his busy morning to unload the dishwasher quick. How he stops to pick up milk on his way home from an exhausting day, even when I don't ask. How he takes the kids out to play so I can get homework done, even without me saying anything. How he gets done with work a few minutes early so that I can go someplace without taking the kids. Little, every day things, that for some would go unnoticed. I notice it all. I ooh and ahh over it all. And I keep it all to myself. He makes little sacrifices for the family all the time. He goes without, when others wouldn't. He takes his lunch to work instead of eating out with *all* the rest of the guys. He doesn't need alone time, or "me" time. He just likes to be at home with us. He encourages me to be ME, and no one else. He doesn't limit or restrict me in any way. I'm my own person, and he likes that.

We may be at total opposite ends of the astrological spectrum (big warning sign next to Taurus and Aquarius say "Do Not Get Married!" ) but we are a good team. And even without an official statement on Facebook, I think he loves me :)

~Gilbert Buege~ Dec. 29, 1921- April 16, 2011

2011-04-17T21:38:00.004-05:00

Finally getting a chance to sit down and write this. It's been a long day of getting ready for my departure. Tomorrow I get on a plane, by myself, to go close one of the biggest chapters of my life.

But how do you close a chapter that has been such an enormous part of your existence? How do you say good-bye to the last living person that represented four of the most amazing people you knew?

Not making sense? It does to me.

For several months now we've been saying, "Get ready, Grandpa won't be with us much longer". I have put everyone I know on alert and on emergency prayer duty. Last night the call came. I will be frankly honest here, I did feel relieved. Relief alongside sadness is not unusual when dealing with the death of an 89-year-old grandparent who's been sitting in an assisted living unit for 4+ years. He has lived a full, long life. I pray, with my entire heart and soul, that my grandfather finally has peace. It's been a very long time coming. I pray God found goodness in his soul, and that my grandfather was welcomed with open arms in to His kingdom. But mostly, I pray my mom can finally find peace.

Now I'm off to say good-bye to the last of the four souls that not only grandparented me, but were *essential* in raising me. If not for them, I would not be the person I am today.

Thank you, Lord, for giving me 4 angels. Only You know how much I need them watching over me.

Good-bye my grumpy Grandpa Gil.

Pretty spring cake

2011-04-11T14:37:00.004-05:00

Today in baking class, we had a very welcome visitor. The local Wilton class instructor led us on different flower techniques using both butter cream and royal icing. I made much more than what shows in the picture, but this is how I decided to start my cake. I am just experimenting, as I'm still learning.

We finally hit almost 75 degrees here in Northern New York! It's a beautiful day, and I am stuck in school and work all day. Hopefully tomorrow, my day off, I can enjoy some nice weather.

Sticky pursy mess

2011-04-10T08:46:00.002-05:00

So my life all seems to come down to a syrup coating inside my purse. Oh yes, covering. everything. And the fortune only gets better as it was completely my fault. I hate that. It's ok when the kids do it because then I can just go "oh my goodness, what did you guys do to my purse?!!" But no, I did it. A purse full of syrup is how I feel sometimes. Sticky, icky, and no conceivable way to clean it up!

Roses and a ceremony

2011-04-07T06:28:00.008-05:00

To all the people who have been decorating cakes for years, and who assume I should already know how to do this stuff.... turn away. To everyone else... read on :)
In baking class we are learning how to bake and decorate cakes. Yes, easy peasy. Everyone should know how to bake a cake, right? Open a box, mix in some oil and water and eggs, and wallah! You have a cake! Not the baking class way, though. We have specific cakes we have to learn to make, from a book made by real bakers in the industry. It's not just a package cake, or a quick and simple yellow cake. It's a classic genoise, and a complicated (but very rich!) devil's food, and the proper way to make an angel food, sponge, and chiffon cake. There are mixing techniques to learn, and weighing the batter to get the exact amount in your pan. Get the idea? I do enjoy baking cakes from scratch. It's more economical, and they taste better. The part I'm *not* good at, is decorating. My baking teacher, although she bakes and sells pastries for a living, isn't the best at the decorating part either. She doesn't add flowers to her cakes, or dress them up with complicated piping. And even though she doesn't do that, her cakes sell like... well... hotcakes.
Yesterday we learned a few basic flower techniques, along with leaves, and basket weave. I tried my hand at a couple of the flowers while decorating the thousand cupcakes we made. Some of them didn't turn out quite like flowers, but they were colorful! The only flower I seemed to "get" was the rose. It wasn't as complicated as I thought it would be. I obviously need more practice because making four roses didn't make me an expert, but they were fairly basic in structure. (Next week the local Wilton class lady is coming in and we'll get more practice.)
We sell our goods in the cafeteria of the school, so as soon as I made my four rose cupcakes, I ran over and bought them. Yes. Really. We're not allowed to just "take" food out of the instructional kitchen, but we *can* buy our baked goods from the cafeteria like any other student.
Louisa was being inducted in to the National Junior Honor Society last night, so I thought this would be a nice after ceremony treat. Until, on the way home, one container tipped upside down in the car, and then at home Hunter knocked the other container out of the fridge! The cupcakes were a little worse for wear by the time we finally ate them. But still delicious! Especially with my chocolate butter cream (another thing I've found I'm good at making!)

The induction ceremony last night was a proud moment for me. Not having excelled in school, I love watching the kids take the opposite path of me and really enjoy school. They enjoy learning, they enjoy doing well, and they (the older two mostly... for now) are reaping the rewards of hard work done well. This is another one of those moments.
As Louisa was called to receive her award and sign her name in the official NJHS register, I asked Drew to go up to the stage and take pictures for me. Hunter felt he needed to go up there as well. I've found, through many similar episodes, that if I just let Hunter walk up there, he'll come back without incident. He might wave or say "hi", but there won't be too much distraction. If I chase him down and bring him back to sit, then there will be a ruckus. So usually I just let him do his thing, knowing he'll come back. Sure enough, he stood by the stage waving and saying "Hi, Louisha" the whole time she was doing her thing. Her teacher (and NJHS adviser) whispers "Say hi to your brother". So Louisa waved hello, and the audience giggled. Oh, leave it to the Chaos Kids to give people entertainment during any event!

A snowy crocus, and my new love

2011-04-05T10:05:00.004-05:00

So it's only a tiny bit of snow. Right? I mean, it's definitely snowed much worse here. But when I get this teeny bit of Spring in my yard, it hurts my heart to see it get snowed on!

Don't worry pretty little crocus. I promise it's Spring. Just hang on a little longer!

On a much warmer, and yummier, and gooier note... I introduce you to my new obsession.

**The Brookie**

That's right, kids, brownie on bottom, chocolate chip cookie on top. I saw a picture of a brookie on a blog one day and thought, "I can do that!" So I did!
I used the Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe (don't knock it! It's a good one!), and the Fudgy Brownies I recipe from Allrecipes.com (and please, please, I beg of you, no matter what a brownie recipe says *do NOT* mix with a mixer. mix by *hand* only! you'll be glad you did!)
The brownie recipe was made as is, according to directions, with just a pinch more cocoa. I spread it in the bottom of a 9x13 baking pan and baked it at 375 (F) for about 20 minutes. While that was baking I mixed together the chocolate chip cookie dough, as is, no alterations to the recipe. When the brownies are done baking, I let them cool enough to spread the cookie dough on top. I baked the whole thing in a 375 oven for 20-24 more minutes (I don't remember!) However, after the 20 minute mark, keep an eye on them. They over brown quickly.

I think this is a fun treat that can be totally customizable. Use boxed brownies and refrigerated cookie dough for a quicker version, use different kinds of cookie dough (as long as it's a similar consistency like peanut butter cookies), sandwich something between the layers such as nuts, coconut (ooh... toasted coconut!), little candy bars (M&Ms)... be creative. I'll have to play around a little bit to find other fun ways to make this.

I have to add how scrumptious this was. If you're a huge cookie AND brownie fan like we are here in the Chaos house, this will be a dream treat to bake.

The. Groundhog. Lied.

2011-03-31T08:00:00.003-05:00

Plain and simple, he lied. I will never trust Phil again, I'm afraid. I'm sorry, Phil, but you're a horrible weather predictor.It may be difficult to see in this picture, but behind Hunter there are big, fat, fluffy snowflakes falling. March 31, 2011. Eleven days after the Spring Equinox, and more than three weeks after Phil said spring would begin. Granted I do have teeny tiny crocuses peeping up, a sure sign that spring has to... just *Has To* be around the corner. However, two days this week so far we've woken up to snow. And all the rest have been a thick layer of frost. I'm putting my foot down right here! April, in case no one has noticed, is tomorrow. The official "month" of spring! Easter, Passover, Spring!!!

I'm off to think springy thoughts and work on the Mario room. After all, it won't paint itself. Even when it's snowing.

Mario Theme Room

2011-03-30T09:59:00.011-05:00

I look at theme rooms in magazines and online and I think, "I want one". I got tired of "wanting" one, and decided to Make one! The Mario theme room has become more than I thought it would be. Hunter has asked for a Mario room for a year now, ever since we moved in to this house. His room had pink flower wall paper, and he was a good sport for putting up with it. Taking down wall paper in this house isn't easy because it's a 100 year old house and the walls are made of plaster. Even if you use a steamer, wall paper doesn't come down nicely and often times the plaster crumbles. It's best to take down the plaster walls and put up dry wall. At least, in Husband's mind it is. He has dry walled the living room, dining room, and now Hunter's room. He has plans to do Drew's room some day as well. In my opinion, there's nothing like having the blank canvas of dry wall to slap fresh paint on.

{Picture of Hunter helping tear down the walls. He got to make the first hole with a hammer.}

The Mario room didn't take a lot of planning. We took Hunter to Lowe's to pick out paint, and Husband already had an idea of what he wanted to do. Conveying it to Hunter (and Mom) was a little difficult, but after we saw his vision (versus Hunter's vision of a fiery Mario world complete with Bowser castle) we picked out shades of blue, green, and brown to bring this Mario world to life.
Back at home, Husband slathered a layer of primer on his dry wall, and we were ready to go.Husband taped the different levels of the ground. The very bottom is brown, the little middle area is green, then the big top area is blue.
Husband did most of the painting. I am better at edging because I can paint a straight line easily enough. I don't like using tape on edges since I can free hand it. I took advantage of the Picnik photo editing website to map out how I want each wall to look. These are all rough drafts (mostly because Husband came home for lunch and saw these and said "oh, and don't forget to add this, and how about we change this to that!"). The window wall is the side of the room where Hunter's big slide bed is. I would like to do a green pipe on both sides with a Piranha Plant coming out. Maybe one with mouth open and one with mouth closed. I think that will give a nice balanced look when you first enter the room.

To the left of the bed (when facing it) is the wall with his closet. The slide comes down this side, so I don't want to put too much detail in that corner. I will keep the pictures high, such as some clouds with maybe a flying Koopa (turtle), and a few Goombas (mushroom guys) down low. We will also hang a pegboard on this wall. I made a pegboard for Louisa's room last summer and she uses it a lot. Husband thinks he can cut the pegboard in to a cloud shape. That would blend in well if he can. (Note, clouds and vine are photoshopped, the wall is actually blank right now.)

The next wall has Hunter's door. I don't think I'll paint anything on either door, but we'll see. Husband thought maybe vines going around each of the door and window trims would look nice. I also have to keep in mind that A) we won't be in this house forever, and B) Hunter won't want a Mario theme forever.
So here we have a wall that I will put some Blocks and Coins on. I will also put two Koopas on the bottom, not a Goomba and a Koopa since, as Husband pointed out, Koopas travel in pairs. He also suggested I put the coins in an arch. Notice above the door, Hunter asked us to make sure we added a "score" and "lives" somewhere in the room.

The last wall I didn't add any pictures to so you can see how nicely it's painted. Hunter wanted what he called "stairs". We need to add black lines on the foremost level of the "stairs" so you can tell it's in the foreground. I think I will do Mario on this wall, jumping from the ground to the upper level. I promised Hunter he could paint a Yoshi Egg on one of the two platforms.
Again, Husband did all the planning and taping to make these lines and levels possible. I was so impressed when I'd seen the final result. I had my doubts, to be honest. I will never doubt his painting skills again! He's done me proud. Hunter is one lucky little boy, and I hope this is a room that will give him years of fun and imaginative playtime.

I will update as I begin my contributions to Hunter's Mario theme room.

It's Parent/Teacher Conference Time!

2011-03-24T19:07:00.003-05:00

I believe that one of the most significant things a teacher can do in a P/T conference is relate a story to the parent in which the parent gets the sense the teacher *really* knows the child. For example, Hunter's teacher told me how they recently got a new student in class and Hunter (being the ultra sociable Hunter that he is) was upset and crying because he wanted the new student to be placed in *his* group. The teacher told Hunter that she was placing the boy in another group, but Hunter would have plenty of opportunity to play with his new friend throughout the day. She said that she loves how Hunter wears his heart on his sleeve, and really works his hardest to make sure the other kids in the class feel like a welcome part of the group. That sums up Hunter. He loves to be in school, around friends working toward a similar goal. That's because I worked on social skills more with Hunter when he was a toddler and a preschooler. The many advantages of playgroup, Kindermusik, and sports (like gymnastics and soccer).

Drew's teacher absolutely adores him. I don't think I've ever seen a teacher love a child this much before. And not to brag.... well yes, I'll brag ;) She says he's hands down *the* smartest child she has ever taught. (And she's no spring chicken!) I'm, well, flattered. I mean, I did teach him everything he knows! Ok, not everything, but a lot! However, Drew is just a natural sponge. Not the type of cheap generic sponge that lasts maybe a day and then falls apart. The type of strong, expensive sponge that just keeps working and working. He does not stop soaking up, and remembering, information. My brain is so tired and full that when I learn new things, old unimportant (or at least my subconscious thinks it's unimportant at the time, but I usually end up needing it later on) information gets shoved out the back door.

I am not shy about my love for the boys' school. We've been through a lot in our years of schooling the children. It's about time we were able to just relax and leave teaching up to true professionals.

A little gymnastics, and a whole lotta Indian cuisine

2011-03-20T09:31:00.006-05:00

I wish I could write about all the Chaos that has happened over the last week. I am choosing not to write about work related issues, because I work with children and I don't want any information that could affect them online. But I will say that gymnastics recital time is approaching again, and I'm getting freaked out! Last year I didn't choreograph any of my routines, a cute little teenaged cheerleader did it for me. But this year, I'm on my own! Yikes! I just relinquished 4 classes, so I will have 7 classes to prepare routines for as well as one class to assist with.
So far the songs I've picked for routines are:
~Dynamite
~Firework
~Dancing Crazy
~Ain't Got Rhythm (Phineas and Ferb show)
~Remix of Love Story
~Rubberneckin' (Elvis remix)

I need to come up with one more song for an all-little-little-girl class. They are 4, 5, and 6 and *so* cute! But I had to wait until my roster was final, and I knew there would be no new additions. That class has given me a few gray hairs lately, part of my ongoing Chaos. Now we're settled with my 4 little cutie pies and I need to pick a nice song for them. I'm thinking something princess-y/tinker bell-y.

School has also been a source of Chaos lately. Last week Friday, the 11th, in cooking class we began learning about Indian cuisine. I'm not a fan, sorry to say. My body, and all it's issues, cannot tolerate "hot" or "spicy" cuisine in any amount. I took a tiny bite of some lamb with curry last week, and my body went in to overload mode and I felt ill all night, in to the next day (while working!). Wasn't going to make that mistake again this week. I had to be part of the team that makes samosas last week, a pocket of dough made with turmeric and filled with veggies (and possibly lamb), then fried. The veggies are infused with an intense blend of Indian seasonings called garam masala (spices vary in different parts of India, but can include black pepper, different types of cumin, mace, corriander, cardamon, etc). The pockets (also called turnover) *have* to be a specific shape in order to be "authentic", according to my teacher. I wished I had my Indian friend's opinion on this, but she is on Facebook and I am not allowing myself to access Facebook right now so I'll have to wait to ask her! (Unless she reads this... Anj?!) As the teacher was staring over our shoulders (the entire time) making sure we got his samosas exactly right, I wanted to turn around and stick a samosa in his nose! I was praying I wouldn't be picked for this job on the 18th, when we actually prepared food to serve to the public!

Fast forward to the 18th, and I did not, in fact, have to make samosas! Yay! I assisted in making the Lamb in Coconut Curry sauce (whew, hot!) and I made rice pilaf by myself. Funny thing about the rice, of ALL the food in the kitchen that day... and there was a *lot*... everyone went ga-ga over the rice! haha! Rice pilaf, people! But hey, folks love their starches, and they really love their rice, I guess. I had a much more relaxed day this past Friday. I had to serve the lamb in the buffet line, trying to remember everything that went in to it so I could tell the costumers what they were getting. It is fun serving the dish you personally made, and watching them ooh and ahh over it. I definitely think I could get used to that!

Today, Sunday, is a day off for me and I'm taking it easy all day. Not going anywhere, and not doing much more than basic chores. Just hanging with the fam, and enjoying the first (cold) day of spring! I have also stopped working Fridays, so that opens up time in my schedule. I prayed a lot over the last two months for some extra time with the kids because I work when they are home, and I am home when they are in school. I'm so happy to have an answer to my prayer, and to have very able people to take over my Friday evening classes

**Side note about taking time off Facebook. I have received emails, phone calls, texts, and most notably a *hand written letter* giving me much support in taking time off. I am grateful for everyone supporting me. I don't actually miss Facebook all that much. Not saying I will never go back, but I do see the advantages in taking a break now and then. Although I haven't gotten even halfway through my ambitious list, I am enjoying my computer-free time.

A story, a muffin, and a prayer

2011-03-17T17:34:00.010-05:00

I am so blessed. There, I said it. I feel blessed, and I *am* blessed.

I think today is as good a day as any to reflect on my past year, and look forward to the coming year. I've recently had a hard time at both school and work. Nothing big, but big enough to rattle and unnerve me. I have to pause and pray that God will settle my soul after my shake ups. And not only do I pray, but my friends pray for me. I can feel a prayer from half a country away, and that in itself amazes me. As I'm in class, having a hard day, I can text a friend and she will pray with and for me. I almost instantly feel a relief. The girls in my baking class are sweet and supportive to me, always. That is like having my friend here with me, and not states away. So yes, I am blessed.

Today I felt God's love strongly as I went to Drew's 4th grade class to (finally) read my published story to the kids. His teacher and I have been trying to coordinate this since December! I'm glad she's patient with me (and my son!)

I entered Drew's room to a class full of eager faces all sitting on "the carpet" in front of "the chair". Everyone was excited to hear what I had to say. I felt calm for the most part. I had one shot to get my message across to this class and I wanted to take full advantage of it. As shy as I am, I *can* speak publicly... quite well... when I need to. Since my story is about saying good-bye to a deploying daddy, I took the time to acknowledge everyone whose parents might be gone right now. Some children's dads just came home, some are gone, and some are leaving next month. I hope this story touched those children especially, as it's for them.

They all enjoyed hearing my story, and learning how and why I wrote it. I brought some items that had inspired me to write the story, and I think they liked that also. To me, as a writer, it's interesting to see how and why authors write what they write. I know there are budding writers in this class, because the teacher has told me so.

The coup de grâce of the day was the treat I had prepared especially for the students. Drew has been asking me to bring a homemade treat in to class, so I figured today was as good a day as any. I am hesitant to bring anything in to class because there is a child with egg and peanut/tree nut allergies. I know her, and I know what she can and can't have, but I hate leaving her out of things. Drew asked me to make muffins, so I chose to make blueberry muffins. However, I tinkered with my recipe and ended up making blueberry banana muffins with blueberry cream cheese drizzle on top. Let's just say... *everyone* loved them! Well, except for my food allergy friend, she loved the rice crispie treat I brought for her. It happened to be her birthday, so she enjoyed sharing an eggless cupcake with me. I *am* currently researching eggless baked goods, as well as some other food allergen free goodies, so I'm glad she shared her treat with me. I told her as much, and she was proud of herself.

As I left the class, I felt such a swelling in my heart. I'm proud of my middle man and how far he has come in his schooling. We've had such a long road with him, and he's finally comfortable and secure in a classroom of kids who like him, and a teacher who adores him. A teacher, who, by the way, told the principal of the school that Drew is hands down light years smarter than any other child she's ever met. Yep.

I will share my muffin recipe... just because I love you all so much. But please, don't tell anyone because it's my own family secret. Deal?

Blueberry Banana Muffin with Blueberry Cream Cheese Drizzle

Ingredients for muffin:
2 cups Heart Healthy Bisquick (no, it's not cheating!)
3/4 cup sugar (but please feel free to use less, or experiment because they are sweet!)
1 cup Light N Fit Vanilla Yogurt (you don't have to use name brands, I'm just showing the name brands I used)
2 eggs
1 very ripe banana, smashed
1 cup frozen or fresh blueberries

Directions:
The "Muffin Method" of mixing is to mix dry ingredients together and wet ingredients together, then combine. So if you want to make up your own muffin, this is key to remember. In this recipe you combine the Bisquick and sugar together in one bowl, and the eggs and yogurt in another. Once you have each mixture combined separately, you mix them together. You do not want to over beat muffins. That is a common mistake. You can mix by hand to avoid over mixing, or just watch your mixer so that you mix only until moist. Mix in the smashed bananas until just combined, then fold in the blueberries.
This makes 12 muffins, so prepare a muffin pan with 12 liners that are sprayed with cooking spray. Spoon muffin batter in to the pan, and bake at 375 (F) for 20 minutes. Let cool before drizzling with topping.

Ingredients for topping:
1/2 Package Philadelphia Neufchatel Cheese (or cream cheese)
1/2 cup powdered sugar (play with amount to get consistency you want)
1/2 cup pureed blueberries

Directions:
To puree the blueberries, I thawed them, then stuck them in the blender until smooth.
I mixed all the ingredients together until smooth and creamy, and then piped the topping on to the cooled muffins. You can use the topping any way you want, spread it on, make cute little stars or decorations... whatever. When you make these, they'll be your muffins!

Please, enjoy :)

What? No Facebook?

2011-03-09T19:38:00.002-06:00

I know, it's hard to believe. But yes, I have given up Facebook for my Lenten Sacrifice. How will I survive?!!! I don't know. I do have a list of things I'd like to accomplish in the next 40 days with my free time, though. The little free time I have! Here's my list:

End World Hunger
Begin World Peace
Finish all craft projects (and start a few new ones)
Catch up on homework (yikes! just a leeetle bit behind)
Organize bedroom (cause... uh... it's officially been a year since we moved in to this house and Husband is getting a little antsy that his bedroom is the *only* room not unpacked)
Work on all writing projects and polish off at least one for submission
Spend as much time with the CK's as I can
Create new recipe that's MINE all MINE!
Perfect homemade bread
Spend more time with Husband
Work on obedience training with doggy
Work on Hunter's readin' and writin'
Get a little further down in my "to be read" pile

I think that's pretty ambitious for 40 days. However, I'm in the "bring it on" mood lately. I'm tired of winter, ready for spring, and feel like tackling whatever comes my way. A perfect time to give the all-consuming Facebook a little rest and get moving with my life!

Louisa has chosen to give up texting, and Drew is giving up junk food. Pray for us as we make our humble sacrifices. Very humble considering the sacrifice Christ made for us!

(**Note to Facepeeps, if you comment on Facebook, I won't be able to see it. Just a little hint!)

Dear Winter

2011-02-27T09:05:00.004-06:00

Dearest Winter,

I am writing to officially inform you that you only have two days left to deliver your goods. You see, March is the official start of the season called Spring. And although the calendar likes to get picky with details of a specific date (March 20), we here on the planet Earth in the Northern Hemisphere associate all of March with Spring. Thus comes the issue that February is almost over, and your reign of cold and icy terror shall come to an end. Immediately.

Now, I do realize that Northern New York borders the sub-arctic climate, but I will remind you of what our good friend Punxsutawney Phil had to say. When he peeked out from his little hole on February 2 he, in fact, did *not* see his shadow. That means winter will be shortened this year, for everyone! I believe by way of the Superstitions and Imaginary Beliefs Act of A.D. 99, you Mr. Winter are contractually binded to terminate yourself "early" in this year of our Lord, 2011. Enough is enough, as far as most of the United States of America is concerned.

Yours truly (but not *too* truly),
The Chaos Mommy

Locked Out!

2011-02-16T20:43:00.003-06:00

If someone had told me when I woke up this morning that I'd spend two hours wandering around outside because I was locked out.... well I probably would have stuck a key in my pocket. But that's what I did. Not the key in my pocket part, the locking myself out part. I went out the front door to walk the boys to the bus stop and in my haste (because the bus was driving by *as* we were walking out the door), I must have closed the self-locking door behind me. Either that or Holly (the dog) jumped up on the door after I walked out and shut it on me. After I realized the door was closed, and locked, I ran around to the back of the house. Every morning Louisa takes the dog outside because she's the first one up. She goes out the back door, and 99.9% of the time she doesn't lock the back door again when she comes in. Except this morning. Back. Door. Locked. Thanks, Louisa. *Now* you listen to me when I repeatedly ask you to lock the back door again.

Now what?

I checked both doors again.... you know.... just in case it was a fluke. Just in case one door can be opened if I push hard enough. Just in case one door would open if I pounded on it hard enough. Just in case the dog grew thumbs and was able to open a door for me! Nope.

I have a neighbor who does shift work. He's almost always home in the mornings, tinkering around outside or snow blowing the driveway. Of course he wasn't home this morning. I walked to a few neighbor's houses, but no one was home. The sidewalks are pure ice right now because it's been 35 degrees during the day, and 15 degrees at night. All the snow that's melting during the day, is freezing at night. I was wearing my non-skid "kitchen" shoes that I wear in the kitchen at school. They have no traction on them and walking on all those icy sidewalks was getting treacherous. Oh, and did I mention I had school this morning? My baking class starts at 9:05 am. By this point I had no clue what time it was, but I was sure I was late for school.

I thought maybe I could break in, so I checked to see if any windows were unlocked (no, thanks to my detail oriented husband), and tried to jimmy the deadbolt on the backdoor with a piece of wire I found in the garage. No surprise that I didn't get anywhere with that! I was near-tears and had to figure something out. Instead of crying I decided to pray. Crying would get me no where, and then I'd end up running in to someone who could help me with a tear stained face.

After standing in the garage and praying for a little bit, I felt like my head was clearer. I'm not good in stressful situations. I don't think well on my feet, or make split second decisions. Prayer is the best way I know how to handle these types of situations. I feel a calm come over me, I can think a little more rationally and less emotionally.

I decided to walk to the YMCA I work at to see if there was someone there who could give me a ride to Louisa's middle school because she has a house key. I slipped and slided the whole way there. The YMCA is so small that usually only one person is on staff at a time. He couldn't do much more than let me use a phone! I have one friend here in town (sad, yes, I know). I had to look her number up on my Yahoo contact list since I didn't have my cell phone with me. Thankfully she was home, and the biggest inconvenience was making her get dressed to come pick me up!

I went in to the middle school and asked the secretary to page my daughter because I'd locked myself out and I needed her key. She didn't even skip a beat as she called down to Louisa's classroom and asked to have Louisa come to the office with her house key! When Louisa came down the hall the first thing she said was, "Did you lock yourself out?!" Gee. How'd she guess? I got a hug from my sweet baby girl, and the key, and all was right with the world again. Two long hours after being locked out, I was back in.

When I finally got to school, my teacher had a good chuckle over my ordeal. She finds all my "chaos mommy" moments amusing. I'm glad my stress can tickle people's funny bones.

New rule... House key goes in my coat pocket before I take boys to the bus stop.

St. Valentine's Day

2011-02-15T08:13:00.008-06:00

Yesterday, Valentine's Day. Not really sure what to do with it. It's not a religious holiday unless you celebrate the Feast Day of Patron Saint Valentine (of which there were several), nor is it anti-religious like Halloween. It's just... sorta... there. Not as insignificant as President's Day, but not as important as Easter. Many people call it a "Hallmark Holiday". I tend to agree. Husband and I don't do much for the big V-day. We say "Happy Valentine's Day" to eachother, and I call him "my Valentine". Sometimes I get some chocolates, or maybe a card, though most years it's not in the monthly budget so I don't worry about it. Since my birthday is also in February, I'd much rather him spend our "fun money" on my birthday! :-)

This is how I spent my Valentine's Day... and coincidentally the same exact way I spent my birthday this year. (With the exception of the rice crispie treat fiasco.)

~Woke up extra early to make rice crispie treats for one of the boys' classroom parties. I had made one batch Sunday night, and wanted to make another batch so both boys could take treats to school. I used the pink strawberry flavored marshmallows. Drew has a girl in his class with several food allergies, so he is very concious about taking treats she can eat. She's allergic to egg and peanut and that makes a lot of treats out of the question.
I mixed up the melted marshmallows and rice crispies, then molded them in to a mini-muffin pan so I could have individual bite sized servings. (Learning about equal, individual servings in baking class.) I kept coming across these big lumps of hard white stuff. I had no clue what it was, but it was frustrating me. I used pink marshmallows, so it's not like it was unmelted marshmallow. I finished putting the mixture in the muffin pan and had some leftover that I was going to put in a small pan for the kids to eat after school. That's when I noticed my spatula! It was completely melted away! The hot marshmallow melted my spatula! That's what the big white chunks were. And I had eaten some of it. yuck. I threw everything away and went to wake the boys. I told them what happened, but I had a solution. I had bought a bag of conversation hearts for my gymnastics students, so I let the boys choose who took the candy and who took the rice crispies for their parties. Luckily there was no issue as Hunter was excited to take the candy instead.

~Baking class went very well. I made a cinnamon swirl raisin bread. It was tiring, though. Being in a cooking/baking class for 5 hours three days a week, then going to work afterwards is tiring. But it's no more than full-time working moms do.
There was an incident where a girl stormed out of class because she found something she's not naturally good at. I'm not good at a LOT of things. I'm lucky that I found a talent in baking, and a love for it. I hope I get to do it for a living some day. However, I'd like to think that if I wasn't good at it, I wouldn't storm out in tears every time something didn't go right for me.

~After class I had to go shopping. I had 45 minutes to get it done, get out of there, and get home. I got home at the very last possible minute. Just enough time to change and get to work. I felt bad because the boys had their Valentine's out and were waiting to show me what they got. I would have loved nothing more than to sit and look at their cards, make them dinner, play with them, and spend a nice Valentine's evening at home. But... that's not where I am at this point in my life. So off to work I went!

~I have four gymnastics classes on Monday nights. I'm the only teacher at my gym because it's a small YMCA and there isn't need for a large gymnastics program. I had Valentine candy for my students, and several of my kids had brought me boxes of chocolates. I love this job! Sometimes it's frustrating, but the kids make it so rewarding. I feel blessed that I get to do nothing but work with children. I was, however, very happy when no one showed up for my 7:00 class! (It was "icing" out, so not very drivable weather.) I got to go home a little early to see my munchkins.
Louisa had made the boys dinner for me. I finally taught her how to use the oven, or rather she had a crash course in it because she was babysitting one day (for other kids) and their mom had left a frozen pizza for Louisa to make them. She didn't want to tell the mom she didn't know how, so she called me! At the store I found DiGiorno Pizza & Cookies! So cool! Louisa was excited to make it.

~When I got home I was greeted with, "MOM!! Come here! I have a surprise for you!" Drew made me a scavenger hunt. I had to read each note and follow the clues to find the next note. At the end of the scavenger hunt I found a card. The card says:

Dear Mom, I am writing you a poem
I hope that we are both always in a nice warm home
I wish you a very, very happy Valentine's Day
I don't just love you on your Birthday.

Now *that* is just what I needed to end a long day.

Wait.... one more thing! Did I mention that my "Valentine" wasn't home? He's on a trip out of state. So the last thing I really needed? To finally sit and talk with him on the phone.
Ahh..... now that I've done that, I have everything I needed to end my long day.

I.

2011-01-13T15:10:00.003-06:00

I am not a liberal, or a conservative.
I do not like being labeled.
I have strengths and weaknesses that I easily admit to.
I rarely share my opinion and I never assume my opinion is higher than anyone else's.
I dislike when people have to prove they are better than others.
I believe we are all equal and no one should be treated better than anyone else.
I respect authority only when it respects me.
I believe in God the father.
I believe Jesus is my savior.
I believe that I was put on Earth to be meek and humble, and full of God's grace.
I do not think I have the right to expect that of anyone else.
I do not think anyone else has the right to expect any more of me.
I am easily intimidated.
I am what I am.
I am simply me.
I am nothing more, and nothing less.
I do not have layers, what you see is what you get.
I don't understand why I jump through hoops for so many others, yet very few do it for me.
I have made peace with all my past mistakes.
I have forgiven all who have hurt me.
I walk on eggshells so that I never hurt anyone again.
I don't always win.
I am not perfect.
I acknowledge that I am not perfect.
I love fully and deeply, but sometimes with caution.
I dream many dreams and wish many wishes.
I know my limitations and accept them.
I push myself too hard sometimes.
I can be very lazy sometimes.
I am not naive.
I have a past full of mistakes and letdowns.
I am grateful for those mistakes and letdowns because they led me here.
I am happy in the here and now.
I do not believe living for the here and now is settling.
I don't need anything more than what I have now.
I don't need to constantly wish for more.
I do not have what if's and should've/could've's.
I am not an open book, but I will let you in.
I do not trust many people, but I trust those I've let in.
I like to make people happy.
I like to be happy.
I don't like doing things that don't have a meaning.
I need to be purposeful in my actions.
I am a proactive person.
I am not destructive in my actions.
I am strong of mind.
I am strong of soul.
I am weak of body.
I love chaos.
I need noise.
I choose to be messy and nonsensical.
I crave creativity in all mediums.
I enjoy surrounding myself with creative people.
I feel music as if it were tangible.
I see written word as if it were a movie.
I can daydream an entire novel, and then forget every word when I try to write it down.
I can be in two places at once.
I can multitask 20 things at the same time.
I can have 8 arms.
I can do anything I put my mind to.
I am a mother, a wife, a daughter, a sister, an aunt, a friend, an artist, a writer, a leader, a follower, a student, a teacher.
I contradict myself.
I am just me.
I am nothing more.
I am nothing less.

Snowy Days in Northern New York

2010-12-17T07:58:00.003-06:00

The snow here in this part of the country is legendary. Stories of the the hardships of the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 are common in the history lessons at school. When anyone in the military hears they are being assigned to Fort Drum, New York their first fear is... The Snow! But here we are, in the middle of it all. It's a bit exciting, and already exhausting. The almost daily shoveling can be a bit much.

Why so much snow, people ask? Yes, lots of states in the country get snow. But when you live in an area where it rains for much of the spring, summer and fall, it only makes sense that it snows the entire winter. There isn't a dry season here. There isn't even a week in the year where there's no precipitation of some kind. Well, unless those historic below freezing temps kick in, and then it's just too cold to snow. That's a whole different kind of suffering. The constant precipitation comes from the "lake effect" weather systems off Lake Ontario. So the most common phrase on the news right now is... "there's another 'lake effect' storm watch for the following counties..."

The snow can be beautiful. It's soft, fluffy, sparkly, and when there is no wind it sits so nicely on the trees. It can also be trouble. Like last night when I agreed to substitute for another gymnastics teacher who couldn't make it to work. I drive a half hour up and down a pretty windy, hilly country road to work. It was especially fun when I slid the entire length down a rather large hill. A small mountain, I'd venture to say. My 4x4 truck didn't take that hill as well as I'd hoped. It barrels through the city streets like mad, though! My half hour trip took more than 45 minutes. Not too bad, but I was still late. Coming home was even less of a picnic. After being at work for 3 hours, none of the roads had been plowed. All that snow just kept piling up.

Northern New Yorkers all seem to take this in stride. This is their life. For 5 months out of the year it *is* going to be colder than, well... you know. And for those 5 months there *is* going to be so much snow that you will likely lose your small dogs and children in it. The schools rarely close for even a foot of snow. Our town got about 8 to 10 inches last night, and the buses were right on time this morning. The plows work double over time, and the bus drivers know how to get around in this stuff. That comes with the (sometimes) burden of living here.

This is what we woke up to this morning. Here is a picture of the boys down at the bus stop.
Across the street there is an old church that someone has converted in to a house. And I like taking pictures of Husband doing all the work!
The little candy canes I have in the front yard are almost covered up. Poor little guys! I wondered why NO ONE up here puts outdoor Christmas decorations in their front yards. Now I know! You never see it!
They do look pretty all covered with snow, though :) This picture was taken last week from my front door. We got a lot of snow, and then it got very very cold so the moisture was sucked from the snow. I'd rather have the fluffy stuff!

Being a published author is cool!

2010-12-02T20:24:00.004-06:00

Actually, I don't know if it's cool or not yet. I'm a newbie. But I assume there's all sorts of awesome somewhere in the experience of being a published author!

And here.... is my *official* press release!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Elva Resa PR, 651-357-8770, pr@elvaresa.com
Local Author is Published in New Picture Book Anthology

Peggie Brott writes story "Saying Goodbye" in Military Life: Stories and poems for children,
a collection of original stories and poems about the joys and challenges of military life.

Book: Military Life: Stories and poems for children

Local Author: Peggie Brott
Publisher: Elva Resa Publishing
www.elvaresa.com/pressML.html
ISBN: 978-1-934617-09-0
Publication Date: December 2010
Retail Price: $12.95
Format: 8"x10" Paperback, 48 pages

(St. Paul, MN) Award-winning independent publisher Elva Resa Publishing is pleased to announce the
publication of local author Peggie Brott's story "Saying Goodbye" in its December 1, 2010 release of
Military Life: Stories and poems for children. Brott's story was one of thirteen original stories and poems
selected for this anthology about military life from a child's point of view.

In "Saying Goodbye," a young girl helps her dad pack for his deployment and, along with her mom and
brother, says goodbye to her dad as he boards the bus to deploy. Brott captures tender details of an
emotional parting, including special gifts exchanged between Squirt and her dad.
Military Life gives a glimpse of the many joys and challenges military children experience, from moving
to making new friends, deployment, homecoming, patriotism, and tender family moments.

About Peggie Brott
An army wife for ten years, Peggie Brott believes in helping her three children find the silver lining in any
situation and enjoys all the adventures army life brings. She was inspired to write “Saying Goodbye,” a
story in Military Life: Stories and poems for children, during her husband’s second deployment.
Peggie has been a stay-at-home-mom, Girl Scout and FRG volunteer, gymnastics teacher, and a student
in the culinary arts program. Her husband is currently stationed at Fort Drum, New York.

Elva Resa Publishing is based in St. Paul, Minnesota. Its mission is to make a positive difference in
people’s lives. For more information, visit www.elvaresa.com.

To arrange an interview with Peggie, please contact 651-357-8770 or pr@elvaresa.com.
For more information about this book and its other authors, please visit
www.elvaresa.com/pressML.html.

If you are interested in purchasing this book, it's available on Amazon.com- Military Life: Stories and Poems for Children, for $12.95. I'm more than happy to sign something and send it to you after you've purchased the book. I cannot get book plates from Elva Resa at this time.
Here is my Author Page on the Elva Resa website.

So if I've done nothing else in life to fullfill my dreams, I'm a published author and that's all I've wanted. Prayer and patience have brought me here. I will continue to put myself, and my books, out there. I just pray this isn't the last one. But if it is, I'm ok with that, too.

Thanksgiving Dinner, Weekend, and Kicking Off Christmas!

2010-11-28T09:48:00.011-06:00

I started my Thanksgiving feast on Wednesday night. I was trying out a new pie crust recipe for the pumpkin pie, so I wanted to make sure I made it early enough in case it didn't work out. It did! Even the dough tasted yummy! (Shhh.... no, I was *not* eating pie crust dough!)

Thursday (aka T-day), I'd like to say I woke up early and made a big breakfast and was cooking away from the crack of dawn. But then my entire family would laugh their butts off and call me a liar! So the truth is, I slept in until about 10:00.... *then* woke up and began my cooking for the day :) I made the pumpkin pie first because my oh-so-strange husband likes his pumpkin pie cold. As in, has been refrigerated for a few hours before he eats it. Anything to make him happy! I only made one pie this year because last year I made two and no one ate the second one. At all. Not even for leftovers. I did, however, buy (*gasp*) a Sara Lee apple pie.... "just in case".

I prepped for my stuffing early in the day as well. This is a granddaddy of stuffings, I must say. Although no, there's no sausage in it. Next year I'll add that. I used 5 kinds of breads, though: pumpernickel, white, wheat, bagel, and rye. I bought them all on the discount bakery rack. In the past I've bought them several weeks out and frozen them. I dice all the bread in to 1 in. x 1 in. bite size pieces. The recipe says to "tear" the breads, but I like how diced bread looks better. I have tons of bread leftover to make another stuffing, and bread crumbs. The recipe is from the Taste of Home- October/November 2009 issue (by far one of my most favorite issues), and was submitted by April Greenwood. So first the recipe from the magazine, and then I'll write what I changed or substituted.

~Scarborough Fair Stuffing~

10 cups (torn or diced) assorted breads. - such as what I mentioned above
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1/4 cup minced fresh sage
2 tbsp. minced fresh rosemary
2 tbsp. minced fresh thyme
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 eggs, beaten
1 can (14.5 oz.) reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup butter, melted

Directions: In a large (**my note: very large!) bowl, combine the breads, herbs, salt and pepper. Combine the eggs, broth, and butter; add to bread mixture and stir until moistened. Transfer to a greased 13"x 9" baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350* F for 25-30 minutes or until a thermometer reads 160*.

My changes: I did not have any fresh herbs. I used all dried herbs and didn't measure them, just eyeballed it. When using dry herbs versus fresh, you don't use the same amount as in the recipe. You have to convert the measurement. I also didn't use rosemary because I don't like it. I mixed it all *in* the baking pan instead of a bowl. My large bowl was being used for something else, and 10 cups of bread is a lot!

My turkey, for those who are wondering, is cooked in this. Yes, really. I even found an ad for a 1951 Westinghouse Roaster. The one I have was my Granny's. She always used it to roast turkeys, hams, etc. And so do we! It still works great.

The food was delish, the family all loved it, and I even got sweet Husband to clean up after me. As per tradition, we rounded off our T-Day evening with a family viewing of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. Yes. Really.

Husband and I woke up at 1:45 am to get ready for some Black Friday shopping. He wanted to get to Wal-Mart by midnight to check out the cheap-o movies, but I wanted a little sleep. We got to Wal-Mart around 3:00 am, but the movies were mostly picked over. Shucks! That's really what I went out so early for. We *could* have waited for 5:00 am at Wal-Mart to see what movies they were bringing out, but had other stores to hit. The only one we really wanted that we didn't get was How to Train Your Dragon for $9. We finally got home around 10:00. We'd hit up about 7 stores and ventured in to the mall. We didn't see any big fights or fun stuff that makes going out on Black Friday worth it! Got some really good deals on things we'd either been needing for awhile, or wanted to get the kids for Christmas anyway. I don't mind shopping in the crowds. It doesn't bother me a whole lot. And when I got home I took a long nap!

The rest of the weekend has flown by far too quickly. Being the only weekend I've had off (with father-in-law's funeral being an exception as it wasn't a "fun" weekend) since I started working full weekends in the beginning of September. Not getting that down time with the kids and my husband every weekend has made me appreciate this time with them even more.

We were fairly productive in getting most of our Christmas decorations up, too. Both inside and out. We got a lot of cleaning done, played games together, made decorations, decorated cut-out cookies, went to a Christmas parade, and the boys had hockey practice. I got to sleep in three out of the five days! Now that, in itself, is huge!

Oh, and did I mention the snow?! Ya, it snowed. A LOT! Though it could be worse, I realize. This picture was just the beginning...

A year of thanks

2010-11-22T07:33:00.003-06:00

This year I have a lot to be thankful for. Some down times, too, but those don't slow me down. They help me grow. A few times along the way I complained instead of being thankful. I didn't thank God for His blessings, I questioned Him. He sees my heart, though. He knows I will come around and see the blessing eventually.

My year of thankfulness:

JANUARY: Finally got our official orders out of Fort Polk and headed to Fort Drum.

FEBRUARY: Left an empty house behind us. The longest we've ever dwelled in one residence since Husband and I were married. Thankful for the memories we had there.
Saying Hello to New York and thankful for the new adventure.
But one of the greatest parts of this month was meeting my sweet Melissa (and children) for the first time. I've "known" her since about 2006-ish. If not before. We chat online and text almost every single day. Meeting her in real life on our drive from Louisiana to New York, even for just a few hours, was one of the best parts of my year. Thank you, Lord, for that opportunity.
Also, getting an accepted offer on the amazing house we live in was a huge high point for this month.

MARCH: Spending a month in a vacation house where the St. Lawrence River meets Lake Ontario. My soul is always so complete when I'm near water. (Probably having something to do with being an Aquarius!) Watching the thick winter ice slowly melt, seeing gorgeous sunsets every night, living carefree from all of our "stuff" since everything we owned was in storage.
The very last week of this month we stepped in to the second house we will own, and began making it ours.

APRIL: Started working at the YMCA in our town. Was originally hired to be a gymnastics coach "helper", and ended up taking over the program!

MAY: I always love May. Two of my favorite boys have birthdays in May (Drew and Husband), and the month between spring and summer makes my heart happy. God is visible in so many ways with new life all around us!

JUNE: I'm so grateful my parents were able to take a trip out to see our new house and new town and new state! We really had a lot of adventures in the week they were here. Also thankful they were in a position to take Louisa back with them for a few weeks. I fondly remember all the time I spent with my grandparents over summer and winter and spring breaks.

JULY: Getting the entire Brott family together, minus one, was a huge blessing! All the cousins playing and having fun for one weekend was a beautiful sight. Thank you, Lord, for bringing us together for one last big family weekend with Dave.

AUGUST: Blessed with the courage, strength, and ability to go back to school! And not just school, but the Culinary Arts program! Thanking the Lord for the chance to use Husband's GI Bill, and for a husband who wants to see me succeed!
Loving my big boy 5-year-old and so proud of all the things he can do now that he's so big!

SEPTEMBER: So grateful all three children got a very good start to school this year. All three have great teachers, are doing extremely well, and are happy. Couldn't ask for more.
A 13-year-old who is well behaved, knows who she is and doesn't let people change her, and is a wonderful big sister. Thank you, Lord, for my sunshine!

OCTOBER: Thankful for the amazing show of colors God gave me. Fall in Nothern New York did not disappoint. My drive to school and work every day made me slow down and just pray, think, and be grateful.

NOVEMBER: Dear Lord, thank you for all the time I've had to spend with my father-in-law. Thank you for letting me help out where and when I was needed. Also, thank you for the chance to see my own dad on his birthday.
Grateful that Husband has the chance to hunt again. He's missed it on the years he couldn't go with his dad.

DECEMBER: (I know it's not here yet, but I have a huge thanks when it gets here.)
Beyond thankful for my story that's being published. I talk about it a lot, but it's my dream come true. Also thankful for the gift of humility that God has given me.

All year long I'm thankful for the people God puts in my life. Everyone has a purpose, a reason for being around me. Everyone helps me grow, makes me think, prays for me when my faith is low, holds me up when I'm feeling down, and gives me high fives when I'm feeling well.
As always, thankful for the chance to be a wife, a mother, a daughter, a sister, an auntie, a friend.... and the Daughter of God.

~Dave Brott~ Nov. 19, 1948- Nov. 5, 2010

2010-11-17T11:12:00.006-06:00

On Thursday, November 4, we got a call from Husband's mother letting us know that Husband's dad, who had cancer, wasn't doing well. He didn't wake up for more than about 5 minutes at a time, and she seemed worried. Husband spent the night debating on whether or not he should switch his airplane ticket headed for Wisconsin on the 19th (for one final hunting trip with his dad), and leave that weekend. No need. Friday morning at 7:30 am, my mother-in-law called back. Father, Dave, had indeed breathed his last breath. Now we needed to cancel the plane ticket, pack up the family, and drive out to Wisconsin.

I wasn't sure what to do with the kids, but decided not to tell them and send them to school for a partial day so that we could pack, and process the news, in peace. I wrote notes to Drew and Hunter's teachers letting them know what happened, and asked them not to say anything to the boys yet. Louisa had already left for school when we got the call.

We picked everyone up from school halfway through the day. Louisa guessed as soon as she saw us in the office. I felt bad for Drew and Hunter because they thought we were going on a fun adventure when they saw the truck all packed up. An adventure, yes. Fun, no. Drew cried a lot when we told him, Hunter didn't quite understand.

A grueling 20 hour drive straight through got us to Husband's mom's house in the north woods of Wisconsin on Saturday afternoon. His sister was already there, along with some of the best family friends you could ask for. Now for the hard part, funeral planning. It was a long week of meeting with the funeral director, pastor, florist, etc. Buying food for incoming company was on the list as well. My mother-in-law spent every spare minute on the phone trying to contact people, inform people, and cry with people.

Backtracking for a moment to how Dave died, I'll say that it came much sooner than anyone expected. We knew he had cancer. We knew he probably wouldn't be cured. But what we didn't know was how far it was progressed and how fast he would go.

Going forward to the funeral itself, it was a long two days. The wake was on Thursday, November 11 at the funeral home. Everything was nice, as nice as a wake can be. I had put together six picture boards, so it was good to see everyone enjoying those. Friday the 12th Dave was finally laid to rest. He was buried with military honors for serving the United States in the Marine Corps during the Vietnam era, including one tour of duty. I do have to take a moment to say that I have never been prouder of my husband than the moment I saw him stand and salute the flag draped over his father's coffin. To have the honor, and privilege, to salute the flag of a man you look up to as much as Husband looks up to his dad, priceless. Heartbreaking. I cried tears of sadness, and tears of pride. All the deployments, homecomings, ribbons, military honors, nothing meant so much to me as that moment.
I've seen a lot of death, I've been to a lot of funerals. I've grieved and cried, but more importantly I've grown and learned. Each time I take away a bit of wisdom. The sad and tragic deaths where we just don't understand why, and the deaths you see coming or expect, they all teach us something. Do we take that knowledge and grow, or do we stop living and stop seeing what's around us? That's the test. As a Christian, I *know* I will be reunited with my loved ones again. As a strong person who's seen a lot of death, I know I'll make it through each and every time. In tact, whole, and that much wiser. Sure, I give a piece of my heart every time, but that doesn't mean there isn't enough of my heart left for everything else that's still ahead of me. It just means that a piece of me lives with my loved one, until some day I see them and can reclaim it again in my Father's Kingdom. Death is not the end. I firmly believe that. It's a beginning, and one that many of us work hard for.

All week long I felt God working in me. Giving me strength, grace, and compassion when I needed it the most. I have yet to fully grieve for my lost father-in-law, of whom I have always felt a close connection. But until I'm ready, I hang on to the signs that God gave me. During the week we spent preparing the funeral, God was with us, showing us His love in signs like a beautiful bald eagle perched fearlessly atop a tree above our heads, sunny 60 degree weather where the kids could run outside and enjoy the Brott family land, and a beautiful scene like this one as we left Northern Wisconsin to head back home. (Yes, the beautiful weather gave way to snow just in time for us to leave!)

My father-in-law was a good, loving, hard working man. He raised my husband to be a good, loving, hard working man. For that I am forever grateful. My husband is so very much like his dad, and for that I am proud. I am raising two amazing boys who will carry on the Brott name. For that I'm honored. Dave is now resting in heaven with his daughter Tabitha, his mother, and the father that died so young Dave barely got to know him. For that I praise the Lord! Thank you, Lord, for giving us Dave. The smiles, the jokes, and the wisdom will stay with us forever.

2,996

2010-09-11T17:28:00.003-05:00

Thinking about you today, and every day, Mr. John Napolitano Sr.
All the families of the 2,996 lost are in my thoughts and prayers.

By the way, Mr. John, if you read this I expect a tour when I come down to NYC!

A Letter to Hunter as He Sets Forth on a New Journey

2010-09-07T06:07:00.003-05:00

{8-12-2005}

Dear Hunter,

You are about to start a new journey. One that I am both excited and sad about. During this journey I can't be there with you to make sure you behave in class, or wash your hands after you use the bathroom, or eat the fruit in your lunch before the cookies. I won’t know when you fall and get hurt, and I won’t be there to give you a hug and wipe your tears. When you get tired and crabby, I won’t be there to sit you on my lap and rock you and sing silly songs until you feel better.

Today I’ll take your pudgy little dimpled hand in mine and we’ll walk in to your new classroom. I’ll leave you to the magic of Kindergarten, full of new ideas and new friends. As I walk away, I might have a tear in my eye. But that’s ok. It’s because I’m so proud of the big boy you’ve become. It’s because I can’t believe how fast time has flown by. And it’s because I cherish the little boy that you still are.

This year you will learn many new things, and grow so big! I can’t wait to hear about everything that you do at school. You are full of wonderful stories and I know you will have a lot to share with me every day when you get home.

Have a great year in Kindergarten, Bubba. I’ll be waiting here at home every day when you get off the bus to hear all about your adventures.

Love, Mom

{8-12-2010}

Intro to Culinary Arts 101 ~or~ Late and Clueless, as Usual

2010-09-03T18:33:00.011-05:00

Most people who go to college, or back to college, have several fears. There's the typical fear of showing up to class completely naked, or failing a class that you really need to pass. One of the worst fears has to be wandering around a strange building on your first day (or week) and not being able to find your classroom.

Let me back up a bit. This morning I was very nervous for my first Intro to Culinary Arts 101 class. It's a 5 hour class every Friday and the book is huge! So I was intimidated. I left the house 40 minutes early for a 30 minute drive. I ended up getting to the school with 7 minutes to spare. Which would have been great if I didn't pull in to the faculty parking lot first. I drove by this half-empty parking lot and thought "Hey, why isn't anyone parking here?" and then pulled in. I drove in a little circle, found my parking spot and was approached by a security guard who asked if I had a parking permit. Um... noooooo (smile sweetly). Back out of my nice cozy parking space near the building I needed to be in and drive aaalllllllllllll the way around the building to the back parking lot for "students" and park. In the back. Of the parking lot. Extra seven minutes totally lost.

Ok, but we're still good. If I walk quickly I can get to the door and find my class easily. I remember right where the hallway is from my orientation tour last week. I think. As I march in to the school with pride, my steps slowly lose steam and I realize I actually have no clue where I'm going. Walk down this hall.... no room 012. Walk down that hall.... there's a gymnasium, workout room, locker room.... no room 012. I backtrack a little bit, walk down a few hallways I've already been down, and 15 minutes go by. 15 minutes *after* my class started! My heart is thumping like crazy, my mind is about numb from freaking out. I finally get up the courage to ask someone just where in the heck room 012 is because I'm 15 minutes late and oh my gosh I just need to get to my classroom right NOW!!!!!!!! Oh, down there, across from the bookstore? Ya, I walked by that a hundred times. Ahahahaaaaaa (nervous laughter)

Finally, I walk in to the classroom and just my luck someone else is as late as me. Yay! It's always a good feeling when you're not the only screw-up. I was able to get a seat and receive the syllabus excitement free.

My next obstacle came when I realized I was one of few people in the room who had no "kitchen" background. And by that I mean, professional, working in a kitchen of a restaurant. Any restaurant be that pizzerria, buffet, cafeteria, sit down, fast food, etc. Out of 20 students, three of us just like to "cook at home". I hate being in the minority! Another subject I was in the minority of was that I seemed to be the only one who didn't know we need a chef's uniform and our own cutlery. I mean, how would I know that?! Everyone in class knew because they had been in a culinary class before, or because the bookstore people told them. I, of course, fell in to neither catagory. But yes, sadly, we went and spent quite a large sum today on cutlery for me. I ordered my uniform online, praying that with the holiday weekend it gets here by next Friday.

Here is all of my lovely cooking utensils that were required. I chose to buy a toolbox to carry it in because I heard one of the other students ask the teacher if she wanted us to buy toolboxes or cutlery bags. She said it didn't matter.I also chose to buy my own measuring cups and spoons because the kitchen director said that with a class as large as ours it might be best to buy our own, but we didn't have to.

That brings me to my next freak out moment. The kitchen itself. I have no idea what anything in that kitchen is! Ok, not "anything", but close. It's a professional kitchen. Like I said before, I know nothing about them! Being in one and having the teacher and kitchen director go "here's this and this and this and this.... here's the rules.... yadda yadda..... ok, off you go, good luck!" makes it even more intimidating.

Now I need to be off and reading my first 4 chapters of my very large 40 chapter textbook. And hopefully next Friday won't be as hard. At least I'll know where my classroom is! That's a start.

Culinary Arts School ~ or ~ Let's see what Chaos Mommy can burn in someone else's kitchen!

2010-08-30T20:05:00.003-05:00

It's about that time. My life as a lazy, good for nothing, lay about are done. I'm off to get me an education at one of them there.... colleges. Higher learning, they call it.

When the idea struck me that I could finally go back to school this fall (what with having all three kidlin's in school for the first time), I had to go through the college catalog and pick a direction. There weren't a lot of choices since it's a small "two year" college, but one degree struck me the second I saw it. I didn't know if it was something I could actually pursue, though. To me, people who get their culinary arts degree want to work in big fancy uptown restaurants and serve their specialty every Friday night to the wealthy masses. Simple little folk like me don't go for degrees like that. Surely not.

A few short months later, and here I am: the eve of my first day of school. With the help and support of my amazing husband (and the GI Bill he's worked so hard for), I have my books and am all ready to start. Kind of. Gotta get rid of these blasted butterflies first. I'm not one for sitting in classrooms where I'm actually expected to, you know, participate. So yes, why am I going to *school* then?! Because I know that once I get there, I'll get over it.

Tomorrow I start two of my three classes this semester. Introduction to Hospitality, and Safety and Sanitation. I'm sure the latter will be loads of fun. My technical degree name will be an AAS in Hospitality with a Culinary concentration. That means I get to take mostly culinary classes. And my dream of owning an independent book store with pastry shop attached is now just *that* much closer!

Off I go... college student. Again. For real this time, though. I mean, no dropping out. Really, really going to make it work. Hopefully.

More Garden Signs

2010-07-18T19:57:00.003-05:00

At my mom's family reunion every year they have a homemade gift giveaway. After I made the signs for my dad, I thought I'd make one for my mom's reunion also. This is what I came up with.

Father's Day Garden Sign Posts

2010-06-15T08:36:00.008-05:00

My dad is an avid gardener. Every year for as long as I can remember, he's had a garden. When I was little I remember going out back to pick my mom some tomatoes for dinner. Or watching my dog, aptly named Tomato, run through the vegetable garden, smashing whatever was in his way. When I got older, we moved away from a house with a back yard to an apartment with very little yard. My dad soon discovered the community gardens in town. Every night after work in the summer he would drive across town to the garden to water his veggies. Many times I would meet him there, and once in awhile I would have already beat him to it.

Gardening is something my dad grew up with also. His father tended a garden in his backyard until the summer before he died. After all, our surname *is* "Farmer" :)

I wanted to make my dad something that would go in his garden for Father's Day this year. Something that would last, that he could use year after year. I decided on some garden sign posts that mark where (and what) his veggies are. Some nice, big, visible signs unlike the dinky ones you buy in the store. Because once your garden is full grown, those small signs become lost in the foliage.

We had some scrap wood sitting around from a closet that my husband tore down when we first moved in to this house. He used most of it to build shelves in the basement, but had some left over. I was eying up the two 2x8's for my project. They were wide, and sturdy.

Here's a list of my materials:

~Two 2x8's cut in to 10x8 rectangles (I got 12 signs out of this and I only need 9 for my project)
~20 inch Wooden Garden Stakes (we again used scrap wood to make them, but you can buy them at any garden store)
~#150 Sandpaper
~Acrylic Paint & Paint Brushes
~Outdoor Polyurethane (spray on or brush on)
~Hammer & Nails

1) Husband did the cutting for me on his saw, but you can also use a hand saw. And yes, any girl can do this on her own :) It was just easier to have him whip through them for me quick.2) I sanded each piece of wood on all four of the edges, and the one face that I was going to paint.

3) I painted the sign with one coat of blue acrylic paint. This particular color is Apple Barrel's Pool Blue. I think the blue will stand out nicely against all the green when the garden is full grown. I only used one coat because I liked the look of the wood grain through the paint.
4) I painted on name of the vegetable and a picture of it. This one is tomato, obviously. I will also need to do green beans, sweet corn, strawberries, cucumbers, squash, peppers, blackberries, and raspberries. Make one sign for each item in your (or your recipient's) garden. You can even go a little crazy and label all your fruit trees!

5) Once paint is completely dry, spray or brush on several coats of outdoor polyurethane. Let dry in between each coat, and then let dry before moving to next step.

6) Nail the wooden stakes to the back of the sign. Place a piece of cardboard under the sign first so you don't scratch the face of it. If you do scratch it, just add another coat of polyurethane to protect it.
Now your sign is finished! Give it away, or stick it in your garden and admire all summer.

Play-Dough

2010-06-06T11:04:00.007-05:00

I've tried a few play-dough recipes before that didn't turn out well. Either too sticky, or too stiff. This recipe feels exactly like the store bought stuff. And since I used mostly generic ingredients, I'm guessing it's cheaper. I'll have to figure out the cost one day to see if it's always worth me just making my own.

~The Play-Dough Recipe~

4 cups all purpose Flour
2 tbsp Cream of Tartar
1 cup Salt
4 cups Water
2 tbsp Oil (canola, veggie, etc)
Food coloring

1. Mix dry ingredients in a saucepan. You could mix them in a separate bowl if that's how you usually do it, but it just unnecessarily dirties an extra dish.
2. Mix in water and oil and choice of food coloring.
3. Heat mixture on medium heat, stirring constantly.
4. Keep mixing until play-dough is no longer sticky, and resembles a real play-dough type texture. Around 10 minutes. It does get hard to stir after awhile, but keep at it!
5. When it looks like this, it's done.

6. Place on counter top, or I used a cookie sheet since I have *very* little counter space. Knead a few times, about 10 or so. It's warm so let it cool if you can't touch it yet. After I kneaded it, I spread it out on the cookie sheet to cool completely before letting the kids have at it.

This recipe yielded approx. 6 cups, or two of these 3 cup containers.

You can halve or quarter this recipe easily, to make more colors. I chose orange because it's Hunter's favorite.
And then it's time to create!

Our Bamboo Forest

2010-06-01T06:47:00.008-05:00

Behind the garage is a sort of raised garden thingy. We aren't really sure what it's for, and none of our neighbors have ever seen anything there but the bamboo forest that currently takes it over.

When we first moved in, this is what the "garden" looked like.

There was also quite a bit of trash thrown back there by the previous owners. Our neighbor told us they weren't sure what was growing back there, but the other owners had chopped it down several times while living here and it always grew back.

Well no wonder it kept growing back: it's bamboo!
Husband did a little research and found out bamboo is one of the fastest growing and multiplying plants there is. Another thing he found out is that bamboo can generate quite the revenue. I'm not so sure about that, though. I don't know the source because he was reading through several websites, but one said you can sell 1/4 acre of bamboo for about $90,000. I know that bamboo is an invaluable resource. It's considered "green" because it can grow in so many climates, and because of how fast it grows. "Renewable" is one of those words that I often hear when talking about bamboo. I'm just not so sure I believe the price per acre we saw quoted. I wish I had saved that website so I could site my source.

So, now you ask, "Why would you want to get rid of such a great resource as bamboo?" (And even if you don't ask that) I answer, "Because I want a vegetable garden and the 'raised garden' is the best place to put one". I don't think I'll get to have my veggie garden this year, though. We have to wait and watch to make sure no more bamboo grows. If it does, which is likely because I'm sure Husband didn't get *all* the roots out, we have to pluck it as soon as we see it. Also, we have a big fat woodchuck living back there who will clean my garden out in one fell swoop. Another reason we needed to chop down the forest: home to too many critters we didn't want around.

Here is what we started with last week on Friday. Lots of big, tall, green bamboo. I kept telling Louisa she could finally have that panda she's always wanted.

This is what it looked like after Husband chopped it all down.

And here's the garden now, more or less. Three days and two broken shovels later.Yes, there's Drew stacking wood. The wood was in the garage and taking up too much room. I couldn't park my truck in the garage as it was, so we moved the wood. As stated in a previous post, apparently we're going to need this wood come winter.

How to Make a PB&J... according to Hunter

2010-05-26T05:39:00.005-05:00

Hunter is my constant companion in the kitchen. Whether I like it or not! Of course, I love having a little helper most of the time. Except when I'm in a rush and need to get dinner on the table in 30 minutes or less. On those days, he's my table setter. As long as he gets to help with kitchen duties in some way, he's happy. (Believe me, I rarely complain about it!)

Yesterday he got tired of waiting for me to make him lunch, so he made it by himself. As he was getting his supplies out, I noticed he was talking to himself. Or better yet, his audience. He was saying things like, "Now you get the jelly out of the refrigerator..." Too cute! I grabbed the video camera quick and after a few takes this is what we got.

**Just a note, I beg you with all I have in me to ignore my house! Hunter and I had been playing all morning and I was just about to start cleaning. I never did get around to cleaning! We ended up playing the rest of the day. ha! And yes, he's actually making his sandwich in the living room. Hey, when inspiration strikes, we go with it!

{Part One}

{Part Two}

And yes, the grown-up did end up cleaning the mess! Bless him for always being a cure for my insanity.

You May Be Wondering...

2010-05-25T10:47:00.008-05:00

...just what in the world is going on in the lives of the Chaos Family! Or, likely not.

We're settled in Northern New York in a cute little town not too far from Fort Drum army base. We bought a gorgeous Queen Anne Victorian built in 1900. The house once fell into great disrepair, and has since been renovated by some of the previous owners. We are busy adding our touches to the house as well.
So far we've ripped the plaster walls down in the living room, dry walled, painted, added crown molding and baseboard. Right now we are taking down wall paper in Louisa's room and painting. As soon as I'm done painting her room, I'll paint our gorgeous foyer. It's got some of the most beautiful wood work I've ever seen, but the walls are stark white. I'd like to soften that up a bit.
Then (yes, much more!) we'll tear down wall paper in our dining room and paint that, tear down wall paper in Hunter's room and paint with a Super Mario theme (hopefully!). Drew's room is quite small and far down at the end of the upstairs hallway. There's a small alcove next to it, so Daddy plans to tear down Drew's wall and open up his room in to the alcove. It'll make his room twice as big as it is now.
Next year's project will be giving Me a new kitchen! This kitchen is quite small and, um... very Blue! There's also quite a bit of work to do in the yard that will wait until next year.
However, by saying we're doing all this work I feel the need to make it clear that we don't *need* to do all this work. This house is great as is! It's just that, we finally get to own a house that we get to put the money in to, so we *want* to do all this! It's fun :) For the most part! Except when a certain well-meaning husband doesn't cover anything... anything at all! in plastic before he tears down the old plaster walls and your house is completely covered in a fine coat of dust that takes weeks to clean!

Now, for the purpose of showing off our beautiful find... our house!
~all pictures were taken the day we bought the house, around the end of March.

{This is our house! Porch is not wrap around, but there is a front and back porch. Porch swing came included and it has been used often!}

{There is also a two car garage, fenced in back yard, and some really nice neighbors!}

{This is the foyer! So pretty! Still trying to find a runner that is long enough. It needs to be about 10 feet long.}

{Stairs and stained glass window in foyer.}

{Closer view of stained glass window.}

{This room is right off the foyer. I've since decorated it with some paintings that an uncle of mine did and blue barn stars. It has a small TV in it, but will mostly be used as a sitting room. There is a full bathroom off this room.}

{This is the old living room. I'll show updated pictures another time.}

{Dining room. The wall paper is quite interesting. All the scenes show women and children working, and men relaxing. Ha!}

{Heading toward the back of the house, this is the stove room. Apparently here in N. New York, I'll need this wood burning stove in the winter. The previous owners bought a fridge too big for the kitchen, so it sits in here. The "brick" is actually wood paneling. That will definitely come down!}

{I feel so blue.... It wouldn't be so bad if they hadn't of painted all the trim blue as well. I get it, they liked blue and wanted a little country kitchen, but why the trim?! That's going to be a lot of work covering up. You can see all the counter space I have. That's it. The micro will have to go above the oven to give myself more room. Oh, and that's all the cabinets there are, too. Above the micro and sink is just shelving. I do like the pot rack, but haven't used it yet.}

Behind the kitchen is the back door, door to the basement (which is really nice!), and a huge walk in pantry. There are many old world details in this house that I hate to replace like old fashioned door knobs and light switches. The ceilings are high, the floors are original wood, and much of the trim is original. I feel so blessed to live in this piece of history. I'm also glad I get to be a part of keeping it up for future residents.

I Heart New York

2010-02-28T20:50:00.004-06:00

So far so good! We've been in Northern New York since February 12. As I was expecting, it's worlds different from Louisiana. We'll have to adjust to the weather a little bit, especially once my "vacation" period ends and I have to get back in the world. It's such a strange feeling to have everything in your life come to a halt and you get suspended in limbo for short while.

I'll explain.

When we were in Louisiana I worked a part time job, lead a Girl Scout troop, had normal household chores, friends and play dates... you get the idea. Now that we're here in New York I'm on vacation. ALL of our worldly belongings are in storage and we're living in a cute little vacation house overlooking Lake Ontario. The house is big enough to make us comfortable for a short term stay, but small enough to make us *really* appreciate the 2700 sq ft house we bought! There are 3 bedrooms here, and a kitchen, living area, and bathroom. It's so much better than staying in a hotel. But, there's nothing to do. There isn't much to clean, I have nothing to fix or fiddle with like I would in my own house, nothing to decorate, not a lot of room to cook my masterpieces. Like I said, I'm on vacation in limbo.

The kids are in school now, they just started back this past Thursday. We wanted to wait to make sure everything with the house we bought was solid before we got the kids in a school. I'd hate to have to pull them out of yet another school. They left their school in Louisiana easily enough, but we don't need unnecessary moves. Soon we'll get the kids in their sports and scouts and we'll finally get back to normal. I know. I guess I should enjoy this break. How many people say they would LOVE to have the opportunity to sit and do nothing for 4-6 weeks?! After we move in to our new house and start all the projects we have planned, I'll wish for down time.

Back to our new home. Locals call our area North Country. It's north, it's cold, and it's rugged. We're at the tip of mountains up here, so it's rocky terrain. They talk about "elevation" a lot, which amuses Husband and I. The weather guys will say things like "expect more snowfall in higher elevations". We're flatlanders by birth, so we're getting used to the hill people life now. The natives here in Northern New York are just as tough as those you'd see south of us in the big NYC. They endure the harsh winters like their neighbors the Canadians (which, by the way, I can see out my vacation house window right now). These people love their history, and their roots are deep here. Instead of building fancy new subdivision after fancy new subdivision, they fix up all the gorgeous old houses. When we went house hunting (a tiring week of looking at about 20 houses), we saw some beautiful turn key, 100+ year old houses. Most didn't fit us, or weren't in the school district we really wanted. But luckily for us, at the very last minute before we were about to "settle" on a house, an amazing Victorian that Husband had his eye on had a deal fall through and we snatched it up. It was built in 1900 and we're so proud to own a piece of history like this. We hope we can continue along the lines of the previous owners and add our touch to the house to keep it proud for years to come.

Husband goes back to work in a week and a half, and we move in to our new house shortly after. My vacation will be over. I guess until then, I'll find things to occupy myself with, and be grateful.

It's about that time...

2010-01-26T09:32:00.003-06:00

It's about that time, to close up another chapter in my book. The chapter titled "Life and Times of a Soldier's Wife Living in the Boondocks of Louisiana". Long title, I know. Boy has it been a challenge living at Fort Polk, Louisiana. Anyone who's been stationed here will tell you how hard it can be. Nothing but a Walmart for shopping, very little to entertain ourselves with, and "fancy dining" is the local steakhouse (that doesn't even taste very good).

But guess what? We survived! We survived three long years here, and have finally been blessed with orders to move on. New York here we come! New York state, not city. There's a huge difference. We'll actually be 5 hours north of the City. So hopefully we can venture down there once, maybe twice. After all, we only got to New Orleans once since living here, and that's because my parents wanted to see a Mardi Gras parade there last year. We like to travel and see things, but we just haven't done much in Louisiana. We went to Texas several times to tour around.

Fort Drum, New York will be a whole new experience. We're moving back to the colder climates, after our bodies have adjusted to these beautiful 60* sunny January days down here in the sub-tropics. We're moving back to the greatest of lakes, except instead of the western side of Lake Michigan (like in our hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin), we'll be on the eastern side of Lake Ontario, and we'll be back on *our* side of the Mississippi!

We're looking forward to this new adventure. Like any good military family, we roll with the punches, and look at each move as an adventure!

Pushing My Buttons

2009-11-09T13:22:00.005-06:00

Some days these kids know how to push every button I have... until Mount Vesuvius blows! And boy can I get mad!

I am blessed to have a wonderful boss who lets me bring Hunter to work every day. I teach gymnastics two mornings a week during the week, and I pick up some Saturdays when she needs me. My first morning class is a "mom and me" type of class. It's called Wiggle Worms. I set up an obstacle course, we stretch together as a group, then moms and kids take off and practice their gymnastics skills in the obstacle course. Or, the kids just run around crazy making their parents wonder just *when* they are going to learn actual gymnastics skills. Hunter gets to participate in this Wiggle Worm class. He runs around with the other kids and sometimes sticks a few skills in there to make Mama happy.

My next class is an instructor led, Level 1 gymnastics class for ages 3 & 4 called Inch Worms (see the pattern? Kids 5 and under are called "Gym Bugs"). That class is difficult in itself. Getting so many 3 & 4 year-olds to sit and listen for 45 minutes, and learn a few things in the process, is hard. It tries my patience many days. Add Hunter, who is not supposed to be in this class, jumping in and out wherever he pleases. We have 4 skills to get through in 45 minutes. Beam, bars, floor (tumbling), and beginning vault skills. As well as stretching and warming up. The days that Hunter doesn't sit in the waiting area and play with his toys are difficult days. Today was one of them!

I feel bad when he's running all over the gym, causing havoc, while all the parents are sitting there watching me chase him around instead of teach their child. I should be putting 100% of my focus on the paying customers, the children who are there to learn. Not chasing Hunter around, getting him out of the chalk, stopping him from climbing up on the "big boy" high bar, etc. I also find myself losing patience with the class easier when Hunter is having one of these days. Although I can hide it better with the class, and keep smiling. With Hunter, I can't smile. I want him to just SIT and BEHAVE!

I will miss my job so much when we leave, and I fear I may never get to teach gymnastics again because I'm not actually a gymnast. But if we were staying here, I'd *have* to figure out something to do with Hunter!

Waiting... waiting.... Playing the waiting game

2009-11-05T11:38:00.003-06:00

We are moving to Fort Drum, New York!!

Maybe.

Husband was offered a job there instructing a school... something about moutain and rifles and... I'm sure I'll know more when we get there! But it's a school he really enjoys, he teaches all his guys here everything he learned when he went to that school, so he will (should) have fun with it. And that will make him non-deployable for the two to three years we're there. Bonus!

However, we don't have those pesky official orders yet. In the military you can't go to the bathroom without orders! Mostly ;) You need them to do just about everything, though. You have orders for where you live, what base you're stationed at, when you're on leave, when you're deployed, etc. We can't give our 30 days notice to housing without them, we can't set up our transportation (moving our stuff) without them, and we can't really look for a house in New York without them. Orders, you see, have a way of getting lost... or overturned. As has happened to us in the past with certain drill sergeant orders.

I'm confident we'll get the orders and get moving soon. I really feel our time here at Fort Polk is done. Husband has been with this unit since March 2006. That's long enough! Two deployments later, it's time to get out of here and try something new. That's the fun of being a military family, all the new places you get to explore. I've never even visited the Northeast before, except the one trip to Niagara Falls.... I'd like to get up there and have some adventures. Also, we'll be a hop, skip, and border crossing away from Canada.

I'm not, however, looking forward to the cold. My body has climatized itself to the south. I may have grown up in Wisconsin, but my body has become Southern!

For now, we play the waiting game.

Thinking

2009-09-11T08:34:00.002-05:00

The kids and I were running late for school this morning so I had to sign them in. It gave me a chance to see all the flags posted around the school and appreciate why they were there.

Thinking you today, Mr. John. Your family, your son's family, and all those lost 8 years ago.

Here's my story Glimpse, from last year. I can't say more than I said last year!

The Chaos Family

2009-08-02T23:19:00.003-05:00

I made this Chaos Family plate at the local paint your own ceramics store. I think it turned out pretty nice.

Another summer...

2009-06-28T11:49:00.005-05:00

Another summer in good ole Louisiana. Hot. Sticky. Louisiana. We said good-bye to Husband again last night as he left for the summer to an army school. So now I have the oh-so important job of coming up with things to keep the kids busy this summer. Low-cost, of course. You know, in these times, we need to save not spend. Right? Always easier said than done.

We have our local swimming pool to help keep us cool. If only getting myself in a swimsuit were easier! The kids have fun, though. And it's free. So I can't complain.

There are also a few inexpensive local attractions like the zoo and children's museums that are about an hour away. We will definitely need to hit those up.

And parks, you can't go wrong with playing at the park. In 100 degree weather. :)

I think much of our summer will be taken up with cooking, crafts, and playing Wii! The kids could play Wii all day if I let them. What's funny is that they don't play all the expensive games we've bought. They play the Wii Sports game that came with the console. So for anyone looking to invest in a Wii, the kids will have a blast just bowling and boxing and playing tennis on the game that already comes in the box.

And now we're off to the pool to enjoy this hot summer, without Daddy, the best we can.

The Good Deed is Done!

2009-05-11T20:09:00.006-05:00

Saturday. Wow, well.... what can I say? It exhausted me. I worked harder than I thought I would. I learned many lessons. The girls learned not only learned lessons about taking on big projects, but also about themselves and their limitations.

I know we did a good deed and that for the most part the deed is done and over with. But wow! I had no clue what work it would be. And I don't just mean physically. Two Girl Scout leaders directing 7 girls painting 2 rooms is mentally exhausting. My co-leader and I were completely spent at the end of the day. These girls are 4th and 5th graders, and we had to really get them to understand that quitting this project halfway through was not an option. Sitting on our butts taking a rest every 10 minutes really wasn't an option either. We painted for 7 hours with a 30 minute lunch break. Each girl took her turn painting with brushes, rollers, standing on the ladders and painting up high, being on clean-up duty, and of course sitting around taking breaks.

We still have to go back and paint one of the two bathrooms and put the bedding, curtains, and finishing touches in the rooms. I'm excited to get some decorations in there. As we were painting my co-leader and I were envisioning pictures we'd like to hang on the walls! I'll finally get to have the satisfaction of a job well done when we are finished with the project and families are truly enjoying the rooms and all of our hard work.

{Louisa painting the *bright* apricot-yellow room!}

{The blue room all finished!}

{Louisa and I after we got home. All covered in paint from a day's hard work!}

Girl Scout Community Service

2009-05-06T08:56:00.002-05:00

Around Easter time my Girl Scouts and I were looking for a community service project to cap off the year with. We needed something the girls could plan on their own as part of a badge they were working on. I decided to call the local women's shelter to see if there was anything they needed done.

At the time, the lady I talked to said their most immediate need was a few Easter baskets for the kids who would be with them Easter morning. Ok. We could do that. The girls were excited and we assembled 12 baskets for the shelter.

That wasn't enough for us, though. The girls didn't actually get to plan that project, and although they felt amazingly proud of what they did, they wanted to do more. (Girls after my own heart, for sure!) The lady from the shelter came to one of our meetings to pick up the baskets and talk to the girls about what the women's shelter does. As she was talking about how grateful they are for the Easter baskets, one of my Girl Scouts whispered, "I have a really good feeling in my heart right now." Me too. But for a whole different reason.

After our new friend from the shelter was finished talking a few of the girls asked her what else we could do for the shelter. She seemed a little surprised so we explained to her that the girls wanted to do a project all their own. Something where they did the planning and the deciding. She suggested a few things that she needed done around the shelter and the one that the girls got excited about was "Adopt a Room". Basically we would choose a room to paint and decorate.

The Saturday after Easter we went to tour the shelter. It needs a LOT of work. Last summer's hurricanes did some damage that hasn't been fixed yet, many of the rooms are drab looking, they've had some roof leakage that has caused a lot of water damage inside the building.... To break it down, they need more money, and more help. Pretty much *anything* we choose to do will be greatly appreciated.

The girls thought about which room they would like to adopt and, of course, chose the biggest. The shelter is in an old hotel, and the room they chose is a "suite" style with a door between two rooms that opens up for larger families. Each room has a bathroom, so not only do we have two rooms to paint and decorate, but also two bathrooms. I said, "All right, girls, if this is what you choose that's fine. BUT, we need to get on the phone and get donations!" And they did! Well, they got on the phone. Unfortunately we didn't get a lot of donations.

One local business really came through for us and we are so grateful to them. I can't thank them enough. Louisa was in charge of calling a local store called Stine's. They are like a small Home Depot. She talked to a very friendly assistant manager who said, "Sure, anything you need! Come on down and let's talk." Louisa and I went in one day after school and he was just as friendly and helpful as he was on the phone. He told Louisa he'd give her all the paint she needed for this project. Considering how much we have to paint, this is an incredible donation! He said he's been to the shelter before and he knew which room we were talking about. I hate to admit I was a bit skeptical. I wish I wasn't so on-guard all the time, but I am. I can rarely look at a gift as something pure with no strings attached. And although I do see the small strings attached to this gift, such as positive publicity for the store, I mostly see really good hearts who just cared enough about our project to help us. And I also see that out of all the major national chain stores we have around us (I won't name them), the people who really came through were the small town locals.

The assistant manager gave Louisa ALL the books of paint swatches that he had and that week at our meeting the girls picked out two colors. I wasn't sure if Stine's would indulge the girls or not, but they did! Again, my skepticism showed through. A few of the Girl Scouts and I took the paint swatches they had chosen in to Stine's one day and the assistant manager hooked us up with the paint specialist. Who was amazing. To say the very least. She gave the kids paint safety, and painting tips. She was just as excited as the girls were about their project. She told the girls they did a great job matching the two paint colors because they are somewhat odd colors. A sort of teal, and an apricot-ish. But they do look great together. The paint specialist also gave the girls hats to wear when they are painting (and gave hats to Drew and Hunter because they had to tag along), and she told them how proud she was that they chose such a worthy cause. She even thanked them for being volunteers!

We left Stine's that day with 8 gallons of paint (4 of each color), rollers, paint pans, paint brushes... and a renewed sense of just how beautiful humanity can be.

Since then, we've been in the newspaper (on the front page with a color picture, no less!), and been talked about on local radio. My girls are doing something good, but even better we're helping to raise awareness that the shelter needs so much help right now.

Tomorrow we'll suit up and step into our adopted room to begin the transformation. I don't know what to expect tomorrow, but I know each of my girls will learn what it's like to get their hands dirty and do a good deed. They'll learn that anything they do will make a difference. And I can only pray they take this experience with them and grow from it.

Hunter and his Easter egg

2009-04-17T23:43:00.004-05:00

Hunter decorating an Easter egg, take 1:

Hunter decorating an Easter egg, take 2:

Marriage Retreat

2009-04-06T21:26:00.009-05:00

Husband and I went on a marriage retreat to Houston this weekend. It was great! The army paid for our hotel and all the food we could eat. Even better, husband and I really got a lot out of it and it opened up some good dialog between us. Not that we don't already talk eachother's ears off. The kids got to come, too, but they were in a child care room while we were in session. We had one session Friday night, two Saturday, a date night Saturday night, and then a quick session in the morning on Sunday.

The seminar was called Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage, and it's by a pastor named Mark Gungor (he wasn't there personally, although that would have been fun). We laughed so much! Here's one video that we watched. You have to watch the whole thing. It's so funny and just 100% true!

If you've ever read Men are Like Waffles, Women are Like Spaghetti by Bill & Pam Ferrel, you'll recognize a lot of what Mark is saying. Husband and I joke about the "nothing box" all the time! My problem isn't that I want to be in the nothing box with him, my problem is that I want to stick the kids in it! He's watching TV, obviously in his nothing box. I say "Honey, the kids want to go to the park." ....... no response. "Honey, can you go out and play ball with Hunter?" ....... no response. Then I tell Hunter, "Go jump on Daddy's lap and ask him to take you outside." hehe. That works, but not always very well!

Here's another video we saw from Mark:

I loved this video! Husband and I laughed SO hard! This is all just so true, but it's very funny. Husband and I are awesome about making a joke of everything, laughing things off, not taking eachother too seriously. So this marriage retreat was right up our alley.

On Sunday we went to the zoo in Houston because it was free for military families. (Thank you, Houston Zoo!!) There were babies gallore at that zoo! Baby elephant, baby giraffe, baby tamarin, baby bongos, baby lemurs... I could go on! Hunter took this picture of the baby giraffe.

So check out more Mark Gungor stuff. He's great! And I think it really helped a lot of couples open up that communication. Here's the website for his Laugh Your Way to A Better Marriage seminars, and his radio show.

Yummy April Fools

2009-04-02T22:15:00.005-05:00

I got the kids pretty good yesterday. Well, I got Drew. The other two weren't really "fooled". A few weeks ago I came across these Hamburger Cookies on Allrecipes.com. I thought it would be so funny to play a trick on the kids with these on April Fools day. Our April Fools days usually just consist of "There's a spider on your shoulder! ........ April Fools!" So this year I wanted to get a bit more sophisticated.

Husband distracted the kids while I put the mini-burgers together. I used two 'Nilla wafers for the bun, a Hershey's Almond Joy cookie for the burger (they were out of chocolate mint cookies like the recipe suggests and for some strange reason all of our Thin Mints are gone), red frosting for the ketchup and yellow frosting on the bottom for mustard (or cheese on Louisa's because she doesn't like mustard! ha!), and green tinted coconut for lettuce. To make the sesame seeds stick I added a touch of corn syrup to some warm water and sprinkled it on the top "bun".

I put two on each plate at the dinner table and called the kids in for dinner. Drew ran to the table and gleefully yelled "All right! Mini-burgers!" He paused for a moment and stared at the burgers. Finally he says "What is this?!" I didn't say anything until Hunter and Louisa had a chance to look over their "burgers". Louisa figured it out right away, and Hunter just didn't care. The fact that there was a cookie, and more than that, two big cookie sandwiches on his plate at dinner time gave him the excuse to eat first and ask later. You just don't question an event like that! Louisa was worried because she gave up chocolate for Lent. I told her it would be okay this one time.

Real dinner was super yumm-o pork tacos. The kids got to eat one buger before dinner and one after. I told Hunter he had to eat one taco before he could have his other burger. He ate one taco and when we asked him if he'd like another he just jumped off his chair and headed straight for his burger. He's like an elephant, especially when it comes to food. He does not forget.

Finally!

2009-03-28T20:07:00.003-05:00

We're out of diapers for good! For the first time in 11 1/2 years I don't have to buy diapers, change diapers, smell diapers.... I'm so excited!

And it happend so easily. Now, before you going saying, "I'm so jealous, I've been trying for a year, how did you do it so fast?!" I'm going admit something. I waited until Hunter was ready. I didn't push, I didn't fight. I just waited. I pushed the older two kids and struggled for a year with both of them. This time I wanted to be more laid back and let Hunter lead. He wasn't ready until now. So, at 3 1/2 years of age, he was finally ready. It just clicked! He's been in underwear for a week now and so far we only had one accident. That was because we went for a hike and Hunter decided it was better to go in his pants than in the bushes!

"Those days"

2009-03-23T21:32:00.003-05:00

You know those days when the kids do something that just makes you shake your head and sigh? Ya, that was today. Well, it's actually most days in my house, but today was a real head shaker.
Hunter is in full force potty training. I call it Boot Camp. I took away his diapers completely (except at night), and he's just in underwear. He has to go to the potty or pee his pants. And he's already decided he doesn't like peeing his pants just for the fact that he has to change clothes and get washed down in the tub every time he does it. So, we've come to an agreement that he can go potty on his own, standing at the toilet (will not even consider a training potty), as long as he doesn't play in the bathroom. Who am I to be picky? I just want him out of diapers for good, so I'm willing to bend.
That brings me to our episode today. The head shaking moment that added more work to my day. I heard Hunter going potty, the flush, then run the water. I assumed he was washing his hands so I didn't pay attention to him after that. I noticed after awhile he wasn't coming out and he was being very quiet. I went in to the bathroom to find my sweet, helpful Hunter cleaning the bathroom with a sponge..... and using the toilet water. So I assume. And I'm going to assume that because the lid was open and a very wet towel lay next to the toilet. I just assumed, and scrubbed the bathroom top to bottom. Shaking my head and sighing. What else can I do? He was trying to be helpful! Just using the wrong kind of water.
Oh, and we did have a long talk about why we don't use toilet water to wash the bathroom with. Hopefully it won't happen again.

Springy, springy, spring

2009-03-22T18:31:00.009-05:00

Spring has sprung in Louisiana! The trees have buds on them, flowers are flowering, bees are buzzing, and babies are being born.

Hunter and I took a nature walk a few days ago. We saw a studly bird making quite a ruckus. He was pretty funny to us, but hopefully he was charming to some young missy bird. He had a stick in his mouth and was showing it off, obviously saying "Hey pretty girlies, I can make a mighty fine nest! Any takers?!" Hunter noticed how the bird was making all sorts of different noises. I'm guessing if puffing out his chest and making a tweeting noise didn't work, he moved on to the next tactic; showing his throat and making a deeper whistling noise. After we watched him for a little while I told Hunter we needed to move on. He wouldn't have many chicks taking him up on his offer with us standing there!

Hunter and I also visited a nearby pond. We saw tons of baby turtles. Anyone who knows me knows how much I love turtles, frogs and lizards. Most of these turtles were red ear sliders, and box turtles. They were *so* cute and I was in love. It was beautiful to watch them in their natural habitat, playing and interacting with eachother. I didn't have a camera on me, and it was almost time to get Drew and Louisa from school. Hunter and I went home to get the camera, and after we got the kids from school we came back to show them.

Here are just a *few* of the pictures I took:

There were three babies playing with their mama. They followed her around for awhile, and one tried to climb on her back. She didn't seem to like that because she swam faster until it fell off! Don't we all wish we could do that sometimes? Walk just a little faster till the kids get off our heals!

And there was a small group of turtles that seemed to be playing tag with eachother. One would swim up and touch another turtle's shell, then that one would take off and touch another turtle, and it went on for some time.

Today we took the kids to a nature trail so they could get the cobwebs off their bicycles. Tires needed to be filled up with air and seats needed to be readjusted since it's been a few months since we last rode. Louisa just needs a new bike altogether. Even with her seat adjusted, her knees came up to the handlebars.

Hunter had a hard time just riding. He wanted to stop and look at everything. He's an observer. He can stand in one spot for a long time, just taking in all there is to see. Drew and Louisa wanted to get on their bikes and go, go, go. So Daddy gave Drew his watch and set it at 2 minutes. He said when it beeps, turn around and come back towards us. That also helped them get more exercise in!

As we were going back to the truck, Hunter got off his bike to look around. He notices the smallest things. Must be an advantage of being so small. He saw a caterpillar and said, "You are going to turn into a beautiful butterfly!" (Gotta love Eric Carle books and Big Backyard magazines!) Hunter told the caterpillar good-bye and said "Have fun being a butterfly!"

For Nana, From Hunter

2009-03-21T21:28:00.001-05:00

Me According to the Chaos Kids

2009-03-15T13:33:00.003-05:00

There's this thing called Facebook, and I recently joined because I kept getting all these invitations from people. I figure, if all these other people are there, it can't be too bad. All these social networking sites are basically the same with a few differences. Some things I like about Cafemom that I don't like about Myspace, or some things I like about Facebook that I don't like about Cafemom.
Anyway, here's a little something I posted on Facebook. I just wrote down the very first thing the kids said. I told Hunter he could have some popcorn as soon as he answered a few questions for me!

1. What is something mom always says to you?
Hunter (3-years-old): yes I can have popcorn
Drew (7-years-old): clean the house
Louisa (11-years-old): I don't know... turn the TV down?

2. What makes mom happy?
Hunter: popcorn
Drew: hugs and kisses
Louisa: umm.... i'm going to say.... the computer

3. What makes mom sad?
Hunter: a bowl
Drew: no hugs and kisses
Louisa: uhhh.... don't write that! (giggle giggle) SpongeBob

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
Hunter: hahahaha
Drew: tickling
Louisa: when she writes exactly what I'm saying like that! (giggle giggle)

5. What was your mom like as a child?
Hunter: a tree
Drew: little
Louisa: both good and bad

6. How old is your mom?
Hunter: bird
Drew: 31
Louisa: 31

7. How tall is your mom?
Hunter: hmm..... HUGE!
Drew: a yard long (that's his "estimate")
Louisa: 5 feet, well, like a little more than 5 feet

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
Hunter: clean up
Drew: sleep
Louisa: play on the computer

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
Hunter: ride in the car
Drew: go to playgroup
Louisa: go to playgroup

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
Hunter: peanut butter
Drew: 9 million dollars
Louisa: writing a book

11. What is your mom really good at?
Hunter: watching TV
Drew: sleeping
Louisa: playing on the computer

12. What is your mom not very good at?
Hunter: your hair
Drew: fishing
Louisa: um... um... going to walmart because she spends money

13. What does your mom do for her job?
Hunter: um... car!
Drew: talk to people online
Louisa: take care of kids... you don't get paid for it, but it's a job

14. What is your mom's favorite food?
Hunter: pizza
Drew: sugar
Louisa: you have a lot of favorite foods

15. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Hunter: orange
Drew: Betty Boop (or the "Bippity Bop girl")
Louisa: Garfield

16. What do you and your mom do together?
Hunter: clean up
Drew: play games
Louisa: um... um... um.... (giggle giggle) we read together? I don't know

17. How are you and your mom the same?
Hunter: Hunter and mommy
Drew: we're both mammals
Louisa: we're both girls

18. How are you and your mom different?
Hunter: mommy has glasses
Drew: our gender, you're a girl I'm a boy
Louisa: you have red hair and I have brown hair

19. How do you know your mom loves you?
Hunter: mmmm, say "love you" (in soft voice)
Drew: she's nice to me
Louisa: because she makes me laugh

20. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
Hunter: house
Drew: walmart
Louisa: playgroup

Stomach Ickies

2009-03-08T17:01:00.003-05:00

All week Hunter has had this nasty stomach virus that's been going around. He hasn't kept anything in, and by Friday he looked so frail. I teased him that he turned in to a peanut. On Saturday he felt much better. And his appetite was back, too. He ate everything he could find including the Girl Scout cookies we were selling at our cookie booth!

This morning when I woke up I felt good, but as the day went on my body started to ache a little. Unfortunately, I didn't get to keep my breakfast, either. Now I'm on the couch (gotta *love* wireless!) with hives all over my skin, a fever, an achy body, and the dreaded stomach ickies.

It's going to be a long week!

The Rainbow Car Game

2009-03-05T08:17:00.007-06:00

Louisa and I have a new game. The Rainbow Car Game. We have to find car colors in order of the rainbow. As you can imagine we get stuck on purple a lot, and I've just totally eliminated "indigo" from the line-up.

It all started a few days ago when we were waiting in line at the checkpoint gate to get on to the army base we live on. For those that have never been on a military post, you have to stop at a checkpoint gate to show your ID (driver's license or military ID). We noticed a bright yellow truck in front of us, and a bright orange car next to us. I said "All we need is a red car and we have the 'ROY' of our 'ROY G. BIV'". Not two seconds later, a bright red truck rolled past. We laughed heartily.

After we got on base we saw a blue car, then a green one. Again, we laughed saying we only need purple to make our rainbow. Yep.... a purple car drove past. It was just too funny to be true.

So, ever since then we have been finding rainbow cars. We've made it three times through the rainbow, but we're stuck on purple again. Let me know if you see a purple car!

An excuse to procrastinate, or What I've been up to lately

2009-03-03T10:56:00.005-06:00

Hmm... so, I guess my husband comes home and I have nothing to write about! Not really, but I'll just use that excuse anyway.
We've been busy and yet we've not. We've had Chaos and we've had downtime. Mostly we've been readjusting to this life with a dad and a husband that he was absent from for so long.

February run-down (in case anyone actually cares!)

1) I turned the ripe old age of 31 this past month. And believe me, 31 is absolutely no different than 30. My youth didn't suddenly disappear, I don't "feel" old, and the last time I looked in the mirror I still didn't have a single wrinkle.

2) We went on a fabulous family vacation to Houston. We saw space shuttles and dinosaurs and lots of homeless people. We stayed in a luxurious downtown hotel, complete with valet service! I'm beyond blessed when it comes to having a family who loves travel and go on adventures.

3) Louisa had a major competition for Beta Junior club. She didn't advance to the next level, but she had a blast doing it. I'm very proud of her for giving it a shot and learning from her.... um.... failure. That's a bad word, I know.

4) My parents and sister and nephew came to party at Mardi Gras with us! We started the Mardi Gras weekend off in New Orleans. It was an amazing experience! Besides being very cold and not bringing the right clothing, we had fun. We saw two major parades in the French Quarter and got a million beads. And technically we walked across Bourbon street in full party mode, so I told the kids they can tell people they've been on Bourbon street during Mardi Gras. Of course, that made no sense to them!
We also saw a local parade here in our town, a parade up in historical Natchitoches, and ended the weekend with a parade down in Lake Charles. Very similar to our Mardi Gras marathon from last year. It was much harder to say good-bye to them when they left than I thought it would be. Hunter cried at the airport saying, "Why they want to get on that airplane, anyway?" Poor baby! He had so much fun with his grandparents and auntie and cousin. My family always likes to go-go-go. There isn't much sitting around for them. The kids get spoiled with tons of love and attention, so I can see how Hunter was sad when they left. I was too!

5) While my family was visiting I had a huge Girl Scout event called Thinking Day to attend. My troop chose to represent the country of Nigeria. We had to make a display board for all the other troops to see, as well as a dish to pass, "swaps" to .... um.... swap, and a skit to perform. We performed a story called Master Man, based on a book by Aaron Shepard. The girls did a great job! It's hard to get up on a stage in front of your peers when you're in 4th and 5th grade.

Here's to the beginning of March! For much of the country it definitely came in like a big roaring Lion with all the snow! For us it came in like a Lamb. We're all looking forward to a beautiful spring that is only 3 short weeks away.

Hooray for Vacay!

2009-02-06T08:18:00.002-06:00

I love going places and taking trips. We never have the money to go anywhere, but we go anyway. And now that I think of it, we've never saved up money to go on a vacation before. Probably not something to talk about amidst a great recession!

So anyway, we're leaving today for a mini-vacay. A much needed mini-vacay for all of us! We're going to Houston, which is only about 3 hours away.

Oh, and did I mention we're not even packed yet?! HA! Such is the life of a procrastinator. We always get it done in the end.

Daddy & Hunter

2009-02-02T15:28:00.004-06:00

I love those pictures where there's a little guy and his daddy, and because that little guy has his daddy all is right with the world. There's nothing else he needs. Hunter has spent most of his life without his daddy, so he knows for a fact that all he needs is a sunny day, and his daddy's hand. And Daddy knows, from spending so much time watching his son grow up through pictures, that all he needs is a small hand wrapped around his finger, and the biggest most adoring smile his little guy will ever give anyone. For one moment, all is right with the world.

Homecoming Sweet Homecoming

2009-01-21T11:12:00.010-06:00

It's been a week and a half and, lawd I haven't said a word about it. (Yes, I'm slowing and stubbornly turning southern. I apologize.) Saturday January 10th was the day. Kind of. The kids and I spent all day cleaning and running errands and being very excited and all the normal things we do and feel when Husband's on his way home. After the 11 hour delay, we were certain there would be no more delays or blips or glitches.

Wrong.

The eagle was due to land at about 11:00 pm, turn in weapons at the airport, load buses, and make the hour trip home. He was supposed to be in the gym here on post at about midnight., so the kids and I showed up at 11:15 because sitting around the house was doing us no good. Hunter got very excited when we arrived because he thought we were actually going to 'Raq to see Daddy. He was jumping up and down asking when we were going to get on the plane!

At 11:45 we got word the guys hadn't even loaded the buses yet. At 12:30 am we were told the guys had loaded buses and were finally on their way.

A whole hour longer to wait! It 'bout near killed me, I swear. Drew and Hunter spent the time running all over the gym. In the front of the gym they had rows of flags set up, along with two projection screens that had videos of the guys when they were in Iraq. Several times Hunter came very close to knocking something over. I could just imagine the rows of flags going over like dominoes. Thank goodness he petered out before anything actually did happen.

The gym was packed with family and friends waiting to see their loved ones. It really was something great to be a part of. I've had friends tell me how awful it is and what a horrible wait it is, and I have a few friends who don't even go when their husbands come home. I wouldn't miss something that like for the world! I didn't get to do a big ceremony like that when Husband came home from Afghanistan, so this was very special. There was so much energy and electricity in the air. Even when they told us about the last delay, we were just still so excited to finally be at that point. Our men (and women) were THAT close to us!!

At 1:35 am Hunter finally crashed and burned. He layed down on the floor and was out. Poor little guy! I picked him up and tried so hard to wake him up again. Around that time the guys who were running the "show" stopped playing the slideshow of pictures from Iraq, and started showing video of our troops getting off the plane just a few hours earlier. I didn't actually see Husband get off the plane, but that didn't matter because I realized the video was just a distraction.... those tricksters! They didn't want us to see our guys (and women) lining up outside the gym. Right there, that close to me, was my husband. Just a door separating us. Someone was peaking through a window and she shouted "they're all lined up!!" Screams of excitement and sounds of joy came from all over the gym.

I can't tell you what song was playing when they started to file in, all I can say is my heart hasn't beat that fast in a long time. I had no tears. I wasn't scared. I just wanted to see his face and make sure he could see mine. They filed in in a single line. One after the other. Walking down, standing at attention, eagerly searching the crowd for their loved ones. Soldier after soldier walking past, the crowd cheering, pictures flashing. I didn't see him walk in and I was so worried he'd already passed by me and I didn't notice. My friends saw their husbands and waved. I pointed out a few guys here and there to someone who had just come to take pictures for us.

287 soldiers walked past me before I finally saw mine. I know that because there were 288 total, and mine was the last one in the door. He caught my eyes right away and again, there were no tears. Just smiles bigger than I think I've ever smiled. He saw Hunter fast asleep on my shoulder and gave me a quick little smile/giggle.

The post commander stood up and gave the briefest speech I've ever heard, followed by these four beautiful words, "Soldiers, you are released."

The song "At Last" by Etta James blasted over the speakers and I was finally in his arms again. Still no tears, just the greatest flood of relief you can imagine. He hugged Drew and Louisa, and we tried to wake Hunter up. Hunter, who'd been waiting *so long* for that moment, would not be woken.

We had to go outside to find his rucksack, and then headed to the truck to take our hero home. (He doesn't like being called that, by the way.) Once we were at the truck Hunter opens his eyes and says, "Oh HI, Daddy!!" He gave Daddy a big hug and asked if he was home now. We buckled him in his carseat and he says, "Daddy, can we go home and go to sleep now?" hehe.

A week and a half later and we are well adjusted. Friday is a big re-deployment ceremony, and then he's on leave for 30 days. We get to sit around the house and be bums and relax. He's earned it.

We've both had an incredible amount of support during this deployment. Family, friends, and even strangers have given to us more than we feel we deserve. We don't feel we do anything special by living this life, but we thank everyone who recognizes what hard work it is. God has blessed us in many ways and we are so grateful for everyone who's helped us. God couldn't have given us a better extended family than all of you who prayed, sent cards and packages, gave love and support, and let me lean on them when I needed it. God gives us all our obstacles, but He also gives us support when we feel we can't get through.

Hurry Up!!! ........ and wait.

2009-01-09T23:27:00.004-06:00

So, I have this husband, and he's trying to get home from a 14 month deployment in Iraq. While I do understand that *worse* things can, and have, happened, I'd really like for all the delays to stop so he can just get here. We miss him, and he misses us. 14 months is a l-o-n-g time.

We were planning on a reunion tomorrow afternoon around 2:00. The kids and I were all set. T-shirts made. Banners hung. House clean. Ready. To. Go.

I got a call tonight from a sad soldier in Germany. They have an 11 hour layover there. Again, I realize it could be worse. But I feel so bad for him and I feel bad for the kids. We've talked about Daddy coming home all day so it will be a little hard for them to hear it will probably be after midnight.

Here are a few things we did today to get ready for Husband's return.

(Just a side note, thank you to BuildASign.com for *all* the free banners they have provided. Our post is filled with them!!)

My Daddy's Coming Home!

2009-01-07T22:52:00.004-06:00

An original by Hunter.
Turn your volume UP! Not sure why, but it's very quiet. And yes, my house is messy. Get over it :)

Welcome Home! (preparation, that is!)

2009-01-05T23:21:00.005-06:00

Still waiting......

But, we are making preparations. Tonight I let Drew and Louisa make their t-shirts. Here is a sneak peak at Drew's shirt for the Welcome Home ceremony. Whenever that is.

Hunter lended a "hand" (yes, literally) in making some welcome home signs. I also ordered some big 3x6 vinyl signs to hang on the carport, but we want homemade ones as well.

It's so crazy the emotions you go through when sitting around waiting for your husband to come home. If I thought about it, I could probably change my little Punky Moods emoticon on the right side of the page about once every hour. The only emotion I don't have is nervousness. I'm not nervous. Some of my friends have been terribly nervous waiting for their husbands. I haven't felt that. I am anxious, excited, proud (in him, the kids and myself), frustrated & disappointed (because his return date was delayed by two days), joyful... and without a thesaurus I'm running out of adjectives that just generally mean GLEEFUL BEYOND ALL BELIEF! Oh, and relieved.

Today three big units from our base came home and as I was driving across base I saw 4 very large tour buses drive down the street. They not only had a 4-car police escort, but the police were stopping traffic at all intersections so the buses could go right through. It was a magnificent sight! Knowing my friends loved ones were on those buses made my heart jump with such joy. I so badly wanted to reach for my cell phone and call them all up to say "I see the buses, hold on a few more minutes!!"

I have yet to experience the big homecoming in the gym you see on TV so much. The last deployment Husband had the good fortune of coming home early, but that took away the big ceremony that everyone else got. I'm so excited to see the families waiting eagerly together. I heard that they show video of the soldiers getting off the plane at the airport. I can imagine spouses and parents pointing saying "There's my soldier!"

I'm so excited. I don't think I can say that enough. He's coming home soon and we get about 4 months together before he takes off for the summer to do some training.

I asked the kids what is the first thing they want to do with Daddy when he comes home. I wrote down their responses, knowing Daddy will read this. (Oh, and note to Daddy, don't look at the above pictures!)

The first thing Hunter wants to do with Daddy:
"Give him a hug. And a kiss. And then (jumping up and down making karate chop motions) watch Kung Fu Panda."

The first thing Drew wants to do:
"Take Daddy to my martial arts class."

The first thing Louisa wants to do:
"Play Monopoly, or my new Harry Potter Clue game."

The first thing I want to do:
I can't say. His mom reads my blog :)

Happy 2009!

2009-01-03T15:24:00.003-06:00

Can you *believe* it's 2009??!! (and can you believe how many times you've probably heard that the last 3 days?!)

Where o' where did time go? Again, another common cliche lately.

I thought this deployment would drag and drag. I thought it would never come to an end. Yet here we are, mere days from the finale. Most of our unit has actually already arrived. Husband is bringing up... fairly close to the rear. Not quite, but close.

It's crazy to see the mass of soldiers that I never realized were missing. The PX and the commissary shelves wiped clean, the liquore store dangerously low (yes Honey, there's still enough left for you!). When they left in late November/ early December 2007, I didn't really notice the lack of soldiers on post. Maybe I wasn't observant, and I guarantee I was lost in my own little woes of having just said good-bye to my husband. People were curious, with 4000 troops gone, is there a noticable difference? Thinking back, I just don't know. To me, no, there wasn't. But coming in! Wow do I notice! Longer lines, single soldiers walking everywhere with big bags full of food, empty shelves, it's nuts!

The most common topic of discussion right now is "Are you ready?" If you mean, is your house spotless and ready for all the gear your husband's about to dump in it, then I say HA! I don't think I'll ever be organized enough to be "ready". (And I thank God continuously that I have a husband who just doesn't care about that stuff!) But if you mean, are you ready to have your other half home again? Then Yes! I'm ready, ready, ready to have my best friend home again. 14 months is just plain painful.

Oh, and by the way, Happy New Year!! I ask you all to pray hard for our new administration that's about to take office. Even if I wouldn't have voted for them myself, I do pray that Obama and his crew are the change our country so desparately needs. War, economics, jobs, health care, schools, natural resources, natural disasters... our country is facing just as much as it ever has. Sometimes we've had amazingly strong leaders who've gracefully lead us out, and sometimes we haven't. Pray this is one of those times where positive changes are made.

Christmas 2008

2008-12-26T12:00:00.010-06:00

Two Christmasses in a row without your husband really starts to wear on a person. Even the strongest of us! Last year he had *just* left, and I was at my parents house. I did ok, but he struggled. This year, as hard as it is for him, he's too busy to think about it and I'm the one with all the time at home by myself to mope.

Time is getting closer. It will be so good to have him home. 14 months is a long time and I know many wouldn't get through it as easily as we have. I don't feel I did anything special, and we'll gladly do it again the next time around. Ok, maybe not "gladly"! But we'll do it just the same.

Christmas Eve we always let the kids open a few presents. They always get new pajamas right before bedtime. By the way, if your daughter isn't into High School Musical or Hannah Montana, it might not be a good idea to go PJ shopping at Walmart. I didn't have much of a choice. Luckily the lady next to me found Tinker Bell and asked if my daughter would like that. Yeah! Hunter got Kung Fu Panda, which he says so funny I can't repeat it, and Drew got Transformers PJ's.

I also let them open one of their gifts from Nana & Gramps. My parents like to give one big present for all three of them, which I appreciate. It's nice because they don't play with toys and whatever my parents buy them they have to share. The kids are usually good at sharing in the first place. Last year they got a Wii and it's been put to good use. So this year my parents surprised the kids with their very own laptop! And I was grateful that I don't have to share mine because I'm not as good at sharing as they are!

After that we found ourselves at a friend's house. We spent Thanksgiving at her house, and we'll probably spend New Year's Eve there as well. And when I think back over the year as far as holidays go, the same friends have been there for almost every one. That's comforting when I think of the turnover rate I have for friends. At least I've held on to the same ones for a year!

We let the kids open one gift at our friend's house. I gave Hunter some HotWheels I meant for his stocking. And Louisa has been begging me for these bangles they sell at Walmart. Everyone in school has them (which yes, a lot of girls do), so I gave her some rainbow ones, and lucky her... Santa gave her blue bangles in her stocking! While roaming the store one day I found this really cool deck of Star Wars information cards. I knew Drew would love them, and he did. He didn't put them down for the rest of the night.

Yesterday morning the kids got to open gifts their family sent them, but had to wait to open their Santa presents until Daddy got online. He wanted to see them opening their presents on webcam. Oh blessed webcam! Daddy was happy to see the frenzy of wrapping paper, and the kids excitedly held up each gift in front of the camera for him to see. They each got three presents. They don't need more than that. They got exactly what they wanted and we don't have a lot of excess that they won't ever use. Less is more!

Christmas evening we ran over to Andrea and Colton's house. Another staple in our lives the past year. The best friends a gal could ask for. We had gifts for Colton, and they had gifts for the kids. We weren't planning a dinner with them, and I don't know why, but I didn't plan a Christmas dinner at all. I think I had been so focused on Christmas Eve dinner, and the 5 other projects I have going on right now, that Chirstmas dinner just escaped my mind. Silly me. Another crazy chaotic moment among many.

Because everything was closed except the Chinese buffet, we settled for a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. If you don't know what that is, watch this.

(You can fast forward to 3:05 to see what I'm talking about, and yes, that's really what we had, minus the jelly beans!) Hey, it happens. We all get too busy sometimes. I'm busy with several huge projects right now that take a lot of my time. God is putting me in certain places to do certain jobs. And He's blessed me with children who love to live life outside the box! I'm sure we couldn't get away with this in more structured households.

In closing, I leave you with one of my special children who is extraordinary in every sense of the word.

After 12 Days of Christmas... Chaos Mommy goes Insane!

2008-12-24T00:30:00.002-06:00

The kids and I came up with our own version of 12 Days of Christmas. And really, any time of year Chaos Mommy is lucky to make it out each day with sanity in tact, but Christmas backed up with Husband finally coming home make life much crazier! You can go ahead and fill in all the extra verses because that's just too much typing for fingers that have been wrapping presents and baking pies all night.

On the first day of Christmas, Chaos Mommy went insane with one pair of Missing Keys!

On the second day of Christmas, Chaos Mommy went insane with two trips to Wal-Mart.

On the third day of Christmas, Chaos Mommy went insane with three letters home from school.

On the fourth day of Christmas, Chaos Mommy went insane with four poopy diapers.

On the fifth day of Christmas, Chaos Mommy went insane with five after school activities.

On the sixth day of Christmas, Chaos Mommy went insane with six broken ornaments.

On the seventh day of Christmas, Chaos Mommy went insane with seven party invitations.

On the eighth day of Christmas, Chaos Mommy went insane with eight loads of laundry.

On the ninth day of Christmas, Chaos Mommy went insane with nine bills to pay.

On the tenth day of Christmas, Chaos Mommy went insane with ten Sponge Bob re-runs.

On the eleventh day of Christmas, Chaos Mommy went insane with eleven crabby neighbors.

On the twelfth day of Christmas, Chaos Mommy went insane with twelve More Months of Deployment!!! (just kidding :)

Getting Ready

2008-12-21T11:19:00.002-06:00

Can you believe there's only 4 more days till Christmas?! Where o' where did time go? Not only did December fly by, but this whole year flew by quicker than a jack rabbit on fire!

A year ago I didn't think I'd ever get through all these holidays without Husband. I dreaded an entire year away from him. I was sad for all the things he'd miss. Now, here we are. Mere weeks away from our reunion. Christmas is knocking at the doorstep. We've almost made it! But where did the time go? What did we do? Does it even matter?

I tried to make this a year the kids could look back on and say, "Mom tried her hardest that year to make us happy". On the other hand, I wonder if we left Daddy behind. Will we pick up right where we left off when he comes home? How could we? We've all changed and grown so much since he left. Even he's changed. He has a higher position at work (which shortens the list of families we can hang out with when he gets back), he's been living in a foreign land where a white Christian is in the minority instead of the majority. He has to come back home and adjust to our culture and time zone and being able to drive faster than 5 mph! (Yes, really, they can only drive 5 mph through the neighborhoods.)

We'll make it work because we always do. We have great communication skills (namely teasing and sarcasm), and we love to laugh and have fun. Husband is good at separating work from home. And we're good at helping him to adjust (and by "adjust" I mean throwing all three kids at him as soon as he steps in the door and running like hell to the grocery store... BY MYSELF!!!) Ha! I wouldn't really do that to him....

Or would I?

Too tired to think of a clever title!

2008-12-19T14:28:00.003-06:00

I did not get all those ornaments made. Not even close. I giggle now, thinking about it. Trying to make 11 of those recycled greeting card ornaments in one night! HA! The results are worth it, but if you want to make those for friends or family, do it very far in advance. And leave plenty of time to perfect your style and work out the kinks.

In the end I made two. One for Louisa's teacher and one for Drew's teacher. The kids were happy with them and excited to give them as gifts and I was happy that I'm crafty enough that I can whip together something nice whenever I need a gift.

Procrastination... again.

2008-12-17T20:03:00.003-06:00

I was going to make these ornaments for my Girl Scouts. Besides cutting out a few circles from some greeting cards, I don't have too much done yet. I went to read the directions just a minute ago and it says that each ornament takes about an hour to complete. I need to make 11 ornaments and our last meeting before Christmas is tomorrow evening. Oops! Talk about procrastination!

Um... either I start cutting out the rest of the circles now, or I give up. I can't buy them anything because my Christmas budget is shot. I think I need to get cutting and gluing!

Elmo is not in Hunter's ear...

2008-12-10T22:24:00.003-06:00

... but a piece of candy wrapper is!

Last night Hunter kept waking up crying, saying his ear hurt. I assumed he had an ear infection. Twice I found him balled up on his bedroom floor on a big pillow. Finally I gave him Tylenol and took him to bed with me. He slept like a rock in my bed, go figure.

This morning I call the family practice clinic and get an appointment for him. When we got there, the doctor, or PA... or whatever he was... seemed a bit loopy. Long day? Or maybe he's just always that way?

He bounded into the room and said "Hailey?!" I say... "um.... no. We have a Hunter." Doc says "Ok, that'll do!"

No, not That'll do! He left the room for a second and I checked the file to make sure it was Hunter's!

He checked Hunter's ears and asked the usual questions, when did the pain start, how much pain was he in, does he have a cold, has he had a fever???

When Louisa was little, her pediatrician used to find silly things in her ears, like Elmo. My ped used to find potatoes in mine. So now I always tell Hunter that Elmo is in his ear. He says, "No! Not!" When this doc looked I asked Hunter if the doc would find Elmo, but apparently it wasn't the time for joke making. Hunter sat very seriously because, well, there's an otoscope in his ear.

Finally the doctor made the announcement that it was not Elmo that was stuck in Hunter's ear, and it wasn't an ear infection either..... it was.... (he paused for dramatic effect)... a Hershey Kiss wrapper!

Huh??

I am still wondering how he knew it was a Kiss wrapper! That in itself amazed me. It was the tiniest little thing, stuck way down in Hunter's ear, and it was the green mint kind. So it wasn't even silver.

He got it out with the skinniest tweezers ever. Hunter is Kiss wrapper free. For now. I asked him not to stick things in his ears anymore and he immediately points to his nose. No! Not in your nose, either! I had to deal with that when Drew was 2 and stuck a popcorn kernel way up his nose. I think we're done sticking things in facial holes for awhile.

Aprons for Girls

2008-12-09T08:33:00.003-06:00

I previously wrote that I was thinking of buying Louisa this apron for Christmas because she is having fun cooking and wanted to look the part. However, the other night I got caught up in one of my favorite pastimes, cruising Etsy.com, and found this apron. I emailed the shop owner and asked if she could make it in a bigger size for a preteen. She said yes, she has "Big Sister" sizes. Perfect!! But... she's out of this material. Louisa is very into Asian culture, which is the main reason I got so excited over this apron. The shop owner did say she creates these aprons from her fabric drawer and she does have other kimono style fabrics if that's ok.

So now I'm excited because Louisa will have a special apron that's made just for her! We're not exchanging family gifts until after Husband gets home, and something this great will definitely come from Me, and not Santa. So the shop owner has a little more time to get it made since she won't have to ship it to me by the 25th.

If you need a special gift this year for a hard-to-shop-for person, check out Etsy.com. It's addictive and amazing!

Cooking with Kids

2008-12-07T12:35:00.005-06:00

All three kids love to help me in the kitchen. Which is great when you have a normal sized kitchen. Or even just extra counter space. My kitchen is small with very little counter space. It can get crowded fast. I always move them to the dining room table (except the dining room has carpet so spills are not always fun to clean up).

Lately I've been letting Drew and Louisa take turns choosing meals out of their many children's cookbooks, making a shopping list (then shopping, obviously), and then getting to be the head chef. They enjoy creating delicious meals. Sometimes we do a three course meal, sometimes it's just the main entree. Either way they are learning valuable skills.

Hunter helps me with anything that needs to be measured and stirred. He's good at measuring (with help) and he's very good at stirring and mixing. Again, the little counter space makes for a cramped kitchen, but he's the right size to stand in there and help me.

Some fun stuff we've bought to get the kids in the cooking spirit are: Monkey Measuring Spoons, The Little Cook Tool Kit, and The Better Homes & Gardens New Junior Cookbook.

For Christmas I'm going to get Louisa this apron. It's SO cute and she has been wanting one for awhile. But I also love this apron set. Excpet that Louisa is just not a "pink" girl anymore. However, if you have a little cook you are buying for this Christmas and need a last minute idea, it's very cute. I thought about getting this Mommy & Me set. I'm not sure yet. It's a great price for all that comes with it, even if it is a little more Christmassy. I love Gooseberry Patch. It's so hard to decide.

This past week we bought this cookie decorating kit from Crayola. The kids had a blast and did an amazing job. I took pictures, of course!

Louisa and I watch the Food Network all the time. We love Iron Chef America, Paula Deen, Rachel Ray, Guy Fieri (which goes to show you that some of those reality series winners DO make something of themselves!), and Ace of Cakes. We just can't get enough of that stuff. Louisa is trying to take some of what she learns into the kitchen. I really hope this turns into something for her. Not necessarily culinary school, but just a love for the art of cooking. I'd love to go to her house for Thanksgiving some day and have a beautiful piece of art laid out for us to chow down on! Then I can smile and say, "All because I introduced her to the Food Network!" :)

Playgroup Makes Me Fat!

2008-12-05T08:30:00.002-06:00

Seriously, playgroups are a bad idea if you want to lose weight. Very bad. Every time we meet up we have food. Lots and lots of carb and sugar-rich food. Take this past Wednesday for example. I had some playgroup friends over at my house to make Welcome Home signs to hang in the barracks when the guys get back. I had made some cookies for the little ones to snack on and bought juice boxes. Another mom brought donuts, and another mom brought more cookies. Hunter went in the kitchen to get some food and came back with a plate full of cookies and donut. So, he sat and ate cookies and donut.

Of course, they left all the food when they went home, so I ended up eating 3 donuts that day! I can't just let them sit there! Ugh. Playgroups not good.

Last night we had a cookie exchange for Girl Scouts and I had to take all the leftover cookies that people left there. Today we're having a cookie exchange for playgroup. Maybe it's just Christmas time in general, but wow am I eating a lot of junk food lately. So are the kids. Hunter seems to be on a 24/7 sugar high. Trying to get their Christmas pictures taken on Wednesday night after the major sugarfest he had all day was quite a task. We got one nice picture after... I don't even know how long. Well, at least we got one, I guess!

Update on Flash

2008-12-03T22:19:00.003-06:00

And apparently we have a dog again... long story. He's back and here to stay. He's had a long week and he's obviously glad to be back. Hunter is very happy as well.
Oh, and he has Lyme's disease. Poor puppy. Just a bottle of pills and I guess he'll be fine. That had nothing to do with his adventure away from home, though. He got that awhile ago. The shelter we picked him up at wouldn't release him until they updated his shots and gave him a blood test, so that's how we found out. It causes soreness in the joints, which totally explains why he can't walk well some days. And some days he just has trouble getting up in the first place. Hopefully the meds will get rid of all that achy-ness.

Separating the Holidays

2008-12-01T10:15:00.003-06:00

Isn't it crazy that as soon as Halloween is over, like on November 1, all the Christmas stuff goes up in the stores? Sometimes stores even get their Christmas section started before Halloween. I get how stores and companies make more money the longer Christmas decorations are available for us to buy. But why can't comsumers fight back? Why can't we boycot buying any Christmas items at all until after Halloween, at least? Let's have one holiday at a time here.

Or we can all put up one of these signs and be done with it.

I've always been taught to take each holiday as it comes. The Christmas decorations never came out until Thanksgiving was over, and each holiday was decorated with that holiday in mind. For instance, we didn't put our Christmas tree up just because we were having guests for Thanksgiving. Which to me is just plain weird. I know plenty of people that do it, though.

In my house, now that I'm a grown-up and I get to make the rules, we don't write letters to Santa until after Thanksgiving, or put up Christmas decorations, or even shop for anything holiday related. Christmas gifts being the exception, of course. Obviously, with the rising cost of... well, everything, and the number of people most families have to buy for, it makes sense to spread that out over several months.

So, my point here (I think I had a point...) is that sometimes we can slow down and take one thing at a time. Let the kids enjoy and learn about each holiday. Fall and winter have some amazing holidays, but each one has separate meanings. It's sad to see kids who have no idea what Thanksgiving is about.

The Chaos Mommy

30 Days of Pinterest- Day 10: My Own Pin

30 Days of Pinterest - Day 9: Corn Dogs + Intergalactic Space Slime = Mommy and Hunter Day!

30 Days of Pinterest- Day 8: When life gives you lemons... make lemon ricotta cookies!

30 Days of Pinterest- Day 7: Chalk Paint and Organizing Jars

30 Days of Pinterest- Days 5 & 6: Sick Day, and "Are those really pancakes!??"

30 Days of Pinterest- Day Four: French Toast *BOMB* and Hash Browns on Crack

30 Days of Pinterest- Day 3: Shadow Box Monogram

30 Days of Pinterest- Day 2: National Apricot Day

30 Days of Pinterest- Day One: Hootioes and Dandelion Fluff

2012?! Did I sleep through 2011?

Save the Date! {Cookies Across America Day: December 10}

A day of dads

Halloween Cupcakes

Disappointment

Dear God,

Did someone say... wood?!

Louisa's birthday cupcakes

Sugarland~ Little Miss

Chaos Cupcakes

New School Year

Ingenuity

Louisa, the sewing machine, and using up old clothes

Gymnastics Recital- Take Two: Level 1

Gymnastics Recital- Take One: Tumbling Tigers

Buckle down, kid!

Last day of the semester ~or~ (Sniff, sniff) Good-bye to cooking class

If he doesn't post it on Facebook, does my husband still love me?

~Gilbert Buege~ Dec. 29, 1921- April 16, 2011

Pretty spring cake

Sticky pursy mess

Roses and a ceremony

A snowy crocus, and my new love

The. Groundhog. Lied.

Mario Theme Room

It's Parent/Teacher Conference Time!

A little gymnastics, and a whole lotta Indian cuisine

A story, a muffin, and a prayer

What? No Facebook?

Dear Winter

Locked Out!

St. Valentine's Day

I.

Snowy Days in Northern New York

Being a published author is cool!

Thanksgiving Dinner, Weekend, and Kicking Off Christmas!

A year of thanks

~Dave Brott~ Nov. 19, 1948- Nov. 5, 2010

2,996

A Letter to Hunter as He Sets Forth on a New Journey

Intro to Culinary Arts 101 ~or~ Late and Clueless, as Usual

Culinary Arts School ~ or ~ Let's see what Chaos Mommy can burn in someone else's kitchen!

More Garden Signs

Father's Day Garden Sign Posts

Play-Dough

Our Bamboo Forest

How to Make a PB&J... according to Hunter

You May Be Wondering...

I *Heart* New York

It's about that time...

Pushing My Buttons

Waiting... waiting.... Playing the waiting game

Thinking

The Chaos Family

Another summer...

The Good Deed is Done!

Girl Scout Community Service

Hunter and his Easter egg

Marriage Retreat

Yummy April Fools

Finally!

"Those days"

Springy, springy, spring

For Nana, From Hunter

Me According to the Chaos Kids

Stomach Ickies

The Rainbow Car Game

An excuse to procrastinate, or What I've been up to lately

Hooray for Vacay!

Daddy & Hunter

30 Days of Pinterest- Day Four: French Toast BOMB and Hash Browns on Crack

I Heart New York