The Return of "Teddy"

Maddie has developed a sudden and complete love for the little (now quite mangy) stuffed bear (koala?) that I carried around as a young child. Mom has many stories of this bear and I, including the new nose and "hat" she had to sew on when the dog chewed him up. He is 32 years old, I believe, and his fragility limits his play time. Which is probably his appeal to the girls. He is basking in the new love that is being heaped on him despite his grunginess, which reminds me of the Velveteen Rabbit story.

What Kind of Mother Forgets the Camera on Christmas?

This kind.

It's true, I forgot to take my camera to my mother's house on Christmas Eve. Therefore, I have no pictures of my many children opening their many presents on Christmas morning. I know, I know. You all watched your own children open their presents, why do you want to watch my four children open theirs? It was fun, that's for sure. I would have liked to have a picture of Taylor opening her unicorn Pillow Pet. She saw them months ago at Walmart, and has not stopped asking for one since then. She (I) wrote it on her Christmas list that was posted on the fridge for the past three weeks. So, you can imagine her face when she opened that one. Unfortunately, that's all I can do too. Is imagine it. Because I forgot my camera on Christmas. What kind of mother does that??

The Favorite This Year

This was their gift from Grandma, and as you can see it is a huge hit. You should have seen Maddie whisking away. That is what she is doing in the last picture. As a matter of fact, you can see that she refused to turn around and look at the camera. She was too busy cooking!

Things I Have Learned This Week

1) It is actually better to buy the cheap diaper rash cream, I realized this morning as I was cleaning Boudreaux's Butt Paste for the second time this week off of the recliner. The cheap generic stuff is much thinner and easier to wipe up.

2) I can now fully understand why my mother never had the same excitement and love of Christmas that I had as a child. When you are the mother, not the child, Christmas brings loads of stress. The tree is coming down the day immediately following Christmas.

3) I have spoiled Madison, and coddled and babied her to the point that now she thinks she can get away with absolutely anything. And now that she is two, and can use logic and problem-solving to reach things she shouldn't, this is a big problem. She is in the full blown terrible twos.

4) My husband truly is a thoughtful, selfless person. I already knew this, but my appreciation for this facet of him has been renewed this week.

I can finally say that I am completely done Christmas shopping. And it is only the day before Christmas Eve! Plenty of time. There is definately no need to start earlier next year, nosiree. Plenty of time.

***eyeroll***

Somebody Call CPS!

Quick, someone call CPS--"Computer Protective Services".

Maddie ripped four keys off of the computer I am currently using, an old laptop that belongs to Corey's office. Suffering the same fate that my laptop suffered. Perhaps if we intervene now, this one can be saved.

Today I did something I should have done months ago. I threw every single non-washable crayon we had into the trash. This action has left us with 8 lone crayons. The non-washable ones are cheaper, you know. That was my reasoning for choosing those. Faulty reasoning.

This and That

If I have any readers left, I apologize to you for my rare and boring posts as of late. Things around here are pretty monotonous, although my mother-in-law was visiting for the past week (hi Mary!) so that was a welcome diversion. Ever since I dropped her off at the airport yesterday afternoon, Maddie has been repeatedly asking me "where her go?".

I am very relieved to say that I am pretty much done with my Christmas shopping, for the kids at least. I am very excited about the play kitchen that I found for the girls (a gift from my mom). It is old-fashioned, made mostly of wood (plywood), complete with red and white checked curtains. Taylor has been asking for one ever since I bought a big package of plastic food, and I didn't want a cheesy plastic one. I almost had to settle for the pink plastic Disney Princess one that talked and played music (ugh), when suddenly I saw this one. There was only one left, and it is exactly what I have been hoping for. I can't wait for the girls to open it on Christmas morning.

Our Christmas tree this year leaves a lot to be desired. It's really quite a sad sight. The ornaments are all on the top 1/3, and not solely because of the little ones. My cat spent the first night the tree was up grabbing the red balls and batting them around the living room. At first the ornaments were at least spread out on the top part of the tree, but little hands have rearranged them into clumps. We have a pre-lit tree, and Taylor keeps trying to unwind the strands of lights from the branches. Not a good thing. Poor tree. I should have bought that hideous shiny white table top tree from Garden Ridge. It was pre-lit also, and already so "festive" that it wouldn't even have needed ornaments. Truly gawdy, that thing was. But is was 50% off, so I really was tempted.

The girls had their first visit to the dentist last Friday. I know, I know, I'm way behind with Taylor. But they both did very well, and the dental hygenist was very pleased the extremely low amount of plaque build-up that Taylor had, especially for her age and for never having had a cleaning before. You wanted to know that I'm sure. Maddie just had an exam, and her teeth look great too. Whew.

One final note. Or question, rather. A person should be allowed to have something, something that belongs only to them and doesn't get destroyed by small people, right? Right?

Traditions

One of our family Christmas traditions is making stockings. Each year I buy 4 plain stockings, some fabric puff paint, and let the kids decorate their stockings. We started this tradition in 2006, so I have piles of red stockings in a box in the attic. Here are some pictures from this year.

Two Things That Are Really Annoying Me Right Now

1) Having to run the A/C still. In December. While Corey is hanging Christmas lights. Why do I live in this state?

2) Maddie getting back out of her crib after we have put her to bed for the night to go potty. Three times every night at least. Six times last night. Can't she just wear diapers forever?

Rock-a-bye Baby

Taylor is such a little mommy. So is Maddie, for that matter. The game lately is to put all doll babies and various stuffed animals on Maddie's green potty and on the regular toilet padded seat insert (placed on the ground, of course) and talk and talk about how they all need to go potty. Here is Taylor, rocking her favorite thing to "mother".

Can you guess what it is?

How about now?

No? Look a little closer.

Why yes, you are right! It is Finn, the most recent addition to our family.


Before you call the Humane Society, she is just keeping him warm as he dries from his bath. He has a tendency to shake like crazy when he is wet, so every time we give him a bath we wrap him in a baby blanket and hold him until he warms up. No cruelty involved.

Painting

Ohh, the mistakes we make as parents.

Like buying paint kits from the dollar bin. Cheap paints=not washable.

In Memory of Hilary Jane Ferguson

Last night I found out that a dear friend of mine passed away unexpectedly. Her name was Hilary, we met at church around 20 years ago, and she was my roommate 13 years ago while living in a small apartment, when I met my first husband. In fact, he was the one who called late last night to tell me. They had remained friends, and he had found out through Facebook. What a way to learn of something like that, right? It was very unexpected and sudden, and we don't know what happened yet. I haven't seen her since Taylor's 4th birthday party in February, and it has been at least 3 months since we have even spoken. Still, I am shocked and saddened beyond belief. She was only 5 years older than me. So young to die. I just cannot understand this. It just goes to remind you that you never know when the last time you see someone will indeed be the last time. Rest in peace, Hilary. I will miss you.


***edited to add: I just received an email from her sister, and apparently she hadn't been feeling well for a few days. When she missed an appointment with her mom and sister, they sent a friend over to her apartment to check on her. She had died in her sleep on Sunday night/Monday morning. I feel for the friend who found her that way. It appears at this point that her death was due to her heart condition. I knew she had congestive heart failure, but was not aware that she was having any symptoms.

Maddieism of the Day

Me: "Are you pooping?"

Maddie: "Check in my diaper."

Happy Thanksgiving!

I just wanted to take a moment and wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving. I have been baking up a storm. I don't mind bragging that I have managed to become quite a competent cook, however baking/desserts are not my strength. So why did I volunteer to handle the desserts this year? Who knows. Last night I made a pumpkin cheesecake, and this morning I baked an apple crisp. I'm not sure how the cheesecake will turn out as I've never made one, and you know there is a lot of room for error on that one. That is why I went with the apple crisp for the second one. Hard to mess up, that one is. I hope. It's in the oven right now. In a few hours we will be heading to my Mom's house.
Just a few things I am thankful for this year:
~four healthy children
~one supportive, sweet, affectionate, hard-working, unconditional-loving husband
~plenty of work available for my husband despite the economic uncertainty
~all extended family
~the ability this year to look back at the year and feel with complete certainty that we are a stronger family in a better place than this time last year

Have a great day all!

Ode to Conair Soothing Sounds Machine

This little machine is perhaps the best the best purchase I have ever made. I ordered it from eBay, and including shipping it was only $32. Seriously, if it was possible to love an electronic gadget, I love this one. Every night I use the "ocean waves" setting, but there are nine others. After a comment I received on my post about the neighbor's music, I should clarify that the music is not loud enough to bother the other neighbors. With the exception of the one time I was called a nasty word, the music can't be heard outside. Only in my master bedroom when all is quiet and I am trying to sleep. So, calling the police to enforce the noise ordinance is not really a solution. Something about the way the walls were built amplifies the music. Yes, I can still hear it all night long, every night. It's like there's a nightclub nearby and I am only hearing the beat of the base, but there's not one anywhere near here. Anyway, this little cheap machine is wonderful. The waves are so soothing, and the music doesn't bother me anymore. Sleep on, sleep on.

Proud

Yesterday my gorgeous 12 year old daughter competed at the state level in gymnastics. She is now ranked #9 in the state of Texas (for her age group). This is a girl goes to school for 8 hours and then works out at the gym for 3 or 4 more hours, depending on the day. She works so hard, and I am so proud of her.

I need a break. I need a break. I need a break. This has been my mantra for the past three days as I have seen hide nor hair of my husband. He has been busy at work, to say the least. Right now both little girls are with their Grandma, and it is quiet here. I have my break. It was great. I say "was" because now that five hours have passed, I miss them! Terribly! I want them back! Can any of you other sahm's relate? Or am I just crazy?


***edited: I should add that after I handed them over to my mother, I went to the mall with a friend and then out to dinner with her. I haven't been to a mall since before Maddie was born. I guess that's why I feel like ok, break's over.

Neighbors

Well. Hm. I sure am glad that we are renting this house. We couldn't have bought it anyway, had we wanted to, for we are diligently trying to rebuild our credit after several extremely tough years. But I sure am glad, sitting here today typing this, that we didn't. Because our neighbors are successfully chasing me away. We don't live in a "rich" neighborhood, we don't live in a "poor" neighborhood, but rather somewhere in between. The german shepherd next door barks continuously, especially at night and at 6 in the morning when other neighbors are starting to get into their cars to head to work. This same neighbor plays very loud, very annoying music every.single.night. Bump bump bump goes the base and/or drums, in my head as I'm laying in my bed. I'm the type of person that needs complete silence and zero stimulation when I'm trying to fall asleep. I can't even have the television on low volume. My husband? He falls asleep to the point of snoring within 90 seconds of his head hitting the pillow. A monsoon could be raging right outside the window and he still can fall asleep and stay that way. And I am not exaggerating. So irritating. Before you think of it, yes the irritation stems from jealousy. I have to concentrate to fall asleep. Ridiculous, I know. My mind is very hard to turn off so that I can start to drift off. I think about my problems, what is good and what needs improvement in my life. I pray, I process my day. When there is irritating noise that gets my blood boiling? Forget it. Corey can't even really hear it, but then he was in the military and also sets off fire alarms near his ears many times a day, so it's no wonder. A few nights ago the music was so loud that even Corey could hear it. I worked up the nerve to go next door and knock on the door. It didn't go well. I reasonably and politely told the woman (I think it is the single male owner's mother) that I could hear the music in every room in my house, and especially in my baby's room and pointed to Maddie's window. She tells me that maybe I should move my baby into another room then! Then she proceeded to call me a b****, slam the door in my face, and shut off the front porch light. Nice, huh? You know how later, after a heated conversation, you think of things you wish you had said? Well, I wish I would have told her to act like an adult since she's at least 60 (she only looks about 50) and also mentioned the fact that moving the baby wouldn't help since I already told her I can hear it in every room. Take that!!
I really had planned to stay here for 3-4 years, until we won't be laughed out of the room when we approach a bank for a mortgage. Now, I'm not so sure about this. Loud music only on the weekends would be bad enough (I'm really old and grumpy, apparently), but every night? Come on. I guess I belong in a senior living community.

Maddie Is Two...And Acting It

Today is Madison's actual birthday. Since her birthday party was on Sunday she had already opened her presents, but I saved a couple for today. A girl has to have something to open on her official birthday day. Wouldn't you know that the cheap spinning light toy she opened up today would be the favorite of them all.

And to celebrate Maddie turning two, here are two Maddieisms. They are real gems.

~"Your boobies are sticking out. Put on a towel." (I had just gotten out of the shower)

~"You know my happy birthday? Taylor don't give it back." (She was referring to the light spinner thing)

I can't believe that the last baby I'll ever have is no longer a baby. That thought simultaneously makes me sad and happy. A whole new phase of our lives is upon us. Goodbye baby years, hello teenage years (ack..how do I have a tween? I'm too young.). Fortunately, the loss of the wonderful things having a baby includes--constant snuggles, toothless grins, first laughes, tiny feet, amazing milestones, rocking--is replaced by equally awesome things--the return of a social life, alone time, using the bathroom in private, more sleep, more money (goodbye diapers and baby paraphernalia), and alone time with your husband (wink wink).

Happy Birthday Madison!

I'm running the A/C in November. Really? Seriously? Is anybody else having unseasonably warm weather?

On a completely unrelated note, have you all seen those widgets on the sidebars of blogs for ChipIn? Apparently, it is now considered socially acceptable to solicit funds over the internet from complete strangers. We can now beg for money to finance anything from adoptions to household bills. I was thinking of putting one up on my sidebar to request money to buy a new computer. How about it folks? Is is worth a forking over a little of your own hard earned money to see again pictures of my lovely littles?
(insert snark here)

From All You Mothers Out There...

Can I get a "daylight savings time sucks?"

Check Up

Today one of our playgroups visited a little "ranch" that touted a petting zoo, pony ride, and a balloon for $5. Taylor is a horse fanatic, and every time we drive down the street near our house where there is a stable advertising riding lessons complete with horses grazing in the front, she begs to ride a horse. In fact, she eats her vegetables and fruit religiously so she can "grow strong and big and ride on horsies". Based on all of this, I figured this would be perfect. Well, she did get to ride a pony. They both did. In a circle. Very slowly. About 4 times around. They were also presented with a dixie cup of goat pellets when we got there, so they fed the goats and held some rabbits. It was weird. But, Taylor loved it. The little boy in front of her had his mother walking the circle with him, holding on to him. Right up front Taylor made it clear she did not want me to go with her. I wish I could show you the look on her face. She was thrilled.

Yesterday we celebrated Maddie's 2nd birthday with a small party. Yesterday was also the 3rd anniversary of my Dad's death. It was a fun time on a rotten day. I was so busy cleaning and shopping (yes, I wait until the day of the party to do all this) that I didn't have much time for sadness and reflection. Which is good, I guess, but with the relief comes a little bit of guilt that I didn't. I'm making up for it today, though, because my Dad has been in the forefront of my thoughts most of the day. I miss him. He would really enjoy Maddie, she is so smart and sassy. When Brittany was this age, they were inseparable. He was such a good grandpa, and I hate that my Maddie and Taylor will not ever know him.

Potty training is moving ahead full force, despite Maddie still being 4 days shy of 2 years old. The good--she is recognizing the urge to go and successfully using her little toilet. Yay for fewer diapers! The bad--she heads into the bathroom on her own, shedding her diaper somewhere along the way, and before I've had the chance to even notice she is in the bathroom, she is carrying the pink plastic bowl, shouting and sloshing pee on the carpet (the bowl is shaped like the mouth of the frog, complete with tongue..a little weird).
**I'm just kidding about the pee on the carpet, there's not enough in there to actually go over the edge. But there is definate sloshing and there have been several close calls.

Everything else is going along just swimmingly. We are looking forward to a visit from Corey's mother in December. I am loving the fact that the weather is cooler, and getting excited that the holidays are approaching. My favorite time of the year. You all lucked out, because as I am still without a computer of my own, you have been spared a picture of the first ever poop in the little potty. Bah I'm just kidding. Did you really think I would take a picture of that? I could barely stand to look at it.

Ok, so here's a story for you. I was all set to have some time to myself this evening while Corey took the girls trick-or-treating. (Here's my dirty little secret..I hate Halloween, and I didn't want to go. Spending one painful hour in the Walmart costume isle while Taylor vacillated between a zillion different costumes and then having to return that afternoon and repeat the activity because the one she finally chose was missing a piece..that was my contribution) Then his pager went off and he had to go to work, so I took them up and down our street alone. One of our nice bachelor neighbors went the extra mile, and he was handing out little paper baggies with colorful Halloween pictures on them and two candy bars inside. Included with the candy bars was a handwritten note. After the girls went to bed, I was raiding their pumpkin buckets verifying the safety of the candy and picked up both notes, with the intention of throwing them away. Something stopped me, though, and I set them back down on the counter. I guess I felt bad tossing them, since he obviously invested a significant amount of time cutting up pieces of lined notebook paper into little slips and writing his message with a pencil. I looked down at them again, more closely this time, and this is what they said..

"Happy Hollween"

Both of them.

Foolish

Corey and I love to watch horror movies. We usually just laugh through them, pointing out the impossibilies, the absurdities, the ridiculous actions of the characters. Last night we took a trip down memory lane and rented Stephen King's "Pet Sematary" (yes I know cemetery is misspelled, but that is the spelling he uses). I have watched it several times in the past, however last night was the first time I have seen it since I became a mother. Let me warn you, the scene where the toddler is killed on the road by the speeding truck affects you in a horribly different way when you have a child who is the same age sleeping in the next room. Remember the tiny bloody shoe? I was barely holding it together, hands pressed against the sides of my face, mouth hanging open. Then when the funeral scene came a few minutes later, where the casket is knocked to the floor and the little hand is visible for just a few seconds, I burst into sobs. Total.basket.case. I can't explain it, and maybe it's foolish. But watching those two scenes now, as a mother, I just was slammed with a feeling of "what if" and "I can't imagine....". Those are awful, awful scenes.

Corey, of course, laughed at me.

I laughed too, later, when the toddler is brought back to life as a scalpel-wielding, neck-munching little giggler. However, I will never watch that movie again.

Absence

Posting just seems boring and somewhat pointless when you can't include pictures, that's my excuse for the lapse in blogging lately. Who cares what I have to say, right? I know you all are just here for the pictures. And when I say "you all", I am referring to the 3 readers that I have. I'm hoping you guys hang around, because I will resume regularly scheduled programming at some point.

What's up:
~Madison has started using her potty
~I won a $150 Visa giftcard from BlogHer and One A Day (wahoo!)
~I have joined 2 sahm groups, so we are able to escape the house for a few mornings a week, drastically improving my mental state and the girls' social lives

...crickets...

See? Without pics, I've got nothing. Snoozefest.

Happy 12th Birthday My Dear Brittany!

Today is my oldest child's birthday. I would bless you with a picture of her, if I could figure out where to stick the memory card into Corey's work laptop. I asked her yesterday if I could pretend she is turning 10, because I am way to young to have a 12 year old. Let me tell you, she has already perfected that tween look of disgust.

I love you miss Brittany, and Happy Birthday!

(**my husband called while I was still composing this, and he told me that this computer has no place to insert a memory card. Um, seriously? So, no pictures for awhile.)

Just Perfect

My computer seems to have crashed, and turned itself from an HP Pavilion Entertainment PC into a piece of trash destined for the garbage bin out front. Grrrr. I am on Corey's work laptop right now, and besides the fact that he usually takes it to work with him, it is extremely slow. So you may not hear from me much, at least for now. A new computer isn't exactly in our budget so who knows. I don't even need to mention all of the lost pictures and files. Grrrr..

Why I've Gained 3 Pounds This Week

Remember the stuffed peppers I told you about awhile ago? They were such a hit around here that I didn't hesitate when I found a variation on that recipe in Redbook this month. I made a few changes myself to the actual recipe in Redbook, and Corey said he actually liked these even better than the green pepper recipe. These are the differences:
-italian sausage instead of ground beef (the Redbook recipe called for italian chicken sausage)
-red peppers instead of green, sliced halfwise and laid flat, instead of leaving the pepper whole and filling it
-marinara sauce instead of canned diced tomatoes and worchestire
-mozzarella instead of cheddar, though the inside of the pepper is still sprinkled with parmesan (also sprayed pepper with olive oil spray)
-the filling had scallions and oregano
These were very, very good. Since the peppers were sweet, I used sweet sausage and a sweet marinara sauce as well.

On Monday night I also used a Redbook recipe, one for crab and shrimp quesadillas. Once again, these looked better in person before I cut them and stacked them up! They had cheddar and monterey jack, sour cream, pico de gallo, corn, shrimp and lump crabmeat. I served black beans and extra sour cream and pico on the side. The girls loved them, especially Taylor.


If I keep cooking like this, those jeans I have been so excited to wear will not fit any longer. Fat and happy, that's what we'll be!

Procedure Stinks

I need to rant. I need to rave. "Ranting and raving" is a saying I remember my Dad using a lot. And doing a lot, come to think of it. Anyway, if you don't feel like "listening" to my tirade, I don't blame you. Feel free to stop reading right now.

Still here? Don't say I didn't warn you.

Why is it that when you are one day late on a loan payment, the threatening phone calls start immediately, and keep coming every single day until you pay up....but when that same company owes you money, they take their own sweet time giving it to you? When we purchased our new car a few months ago, there was still 2 weeks until the next payment on our trade-in was due so I didn't pay it. The dealership took too long to send in the payoff check, and the very day after my payment was due the loan company decended on us with the collection calls. Three days of this and I was sick of my phone ringing several times a day, so I went ahead and paid it, knowing there would be an overpayment on the account. I was assured by both the dealership and the loan company that we would receive this money back. One week after the car loan company had finally received and processed the payoff check, I called to inquire about my overpayment. I was told 30-45 days after the payoff date (August 26th) I would receive a check in the mail. "Sorry, it's procedure." Still waiting. I have called and spoken to many supervisors, told it is an automated thing and there is not an actual person that will print and send the check. I was told there is not an actual person they can contact to find out why it has not been sent. How can this be? There has to be a person working there, right? Unless our world has completely been taken over by computers and us lowly human beings are no longer needed, there has to be a person sitting behind that computer, right?
So here we sit, 53 days later, still waiting for our refund. I asked the supervisor if I can collect interest (like the astronomical amount they collected from us over 5 years) and a late payment fee too, now that the 45 days has come and gone. Let me tell you, I did not get a favorable response to that question. The kicker is...this same company now holds our new car loan. No, they can't just transfer the money over to the new account. I think I'll tell them this next time I call: "I know my car payment is due on the 24th, but it will take 30-45 days for you to receive it. Sorry, it's procedure."

An Example of Our Parenting Style

Whenever any one of our three daughters are eating with a decided lack of table manners (for example chewing with their mouthes open, burping at the table, taking too large of a bite, and see the above pictures), we always tell them to make sure and do that on all of their dates. Our purpose in telling them to repeat atrocious eating habits? The young men will surely be turned off and disgusted, hopefully derailing any after dinner "activities" they may have planned.

I'm pretty positive we will not be winning any parenting awards in the near future.

Road Trip

On Monday we went for a mini-vacation, a short road trip to visit to some beloved family members. When I met Corey, these two people were like surrogate parents to him. Very quickly they came to mean a great deal to me, too. Yes--another set of parents to us is exactly who they are. In every way.
Whenever we are coming home from playgroup (or anywhere actually) if it is nearing 11:30, I have a devil of a time keeping Maddie awake. I want her to stay awake just so she can nap at home. I planned our departure to coincide with nap time so that Maddie would sleep on the way there, knowing it would be a cinch as long we left around 11:30. Au contraire mon frere.

I even swaddled Maddie, hoping she would be blissfully transported back to her newborn days and drift off. Uh, no. It just made her laugh.

Gretta is not thrilled that I replaced the broken doll stroller with a new one. With a hard plastic restraint bar and leg holes. That Taylor stuffs her legs through.

****By the way, I was tricked. Where did my Fall go? It's hot today. Harumph.

I borrowed this quote from Redbook magazine. I even have it posted on the fridge, and reread it several times a week. This quote really spoke to me, so I wanted to share it with you.

"Love the life you lead. That doesn't mean walking around with a smile plastered on your face; it just means that at the end of the day, when you stack it all up, there are moments of joy, laughter, and love that define who you are."~Nate Berkus

How true is that? After I read that quote, I actually felt relief. Here's why--I have moments where I want to pull my hair out, I'm frustrated, unhappy, resentful, sad, irritated. When I have these feelings, they are immediately followed by feelings of guilt. How many working mothers out there would give their eyeteeth to be able to stay home with their young children? I want to feel like I love my life, yet I have these feelings so I must not, right? Wrong. At least I now I think so. Loving my life doesn't mean I am happy every single second. Because I'm not. But I do. And that, my friends, is a good thing to realize.

Maybe I Should Start Reading the Ingredient List

Last night Maddie was eating mini carrots dipped in ranch dressing. Many things my girls eat give them rashes on every part of the face that it has directly touched, like cinnamon, tomato sauce and strawberry jelly. This particular brand of ranch dressing has caused the worst rash ever.

Says my husband..."Ranch is no jok-er."

Are you laughing yet? No? Well then you must not get it. The rash resembles the red painted-on mouth of the joker (brilliantly played by Heath Ledger) in Batman. This is a great representation of Corey's brand of humor. So, we hear cheesy hilarious and witty jokes like this all the time.

Peace

I have been feeling very peaceful for the last week or so. This is something that I have struggled with all of my life. I have a tendency to be very restless and discontent. I have so many good things in my life. I know that. I am so incredibly lucky. I know that, too. When I'm feeling melancholy, agitated and dissatisfied, these feelings do not necessarily correlate with circumstances or events in my life. These moods come from inside of me. On any given day, I can handle the same incident in thoroughly different ways. For example, spilled milk. On a good day, I shrug and wipe it up. On a bad day, I shriek or burst into tears. There you go, folks. My secret is out. I am a moody beyotch.

Anyway, my point is that I'm feeling at peace right now, and that is truly a blessing from God. It could be the arrival of Fall. It could be that I've joined two mother's groups, and we have regular interaction with other SAHM's and their children. Who knows? But that picture above of Dezi? That's me. Relaxed. (Though not as relaxed as him, being that he is dead and all. **But not in that picture of course.** Sorry, bad joke.)

A Smile the Size of Texas

I love Fall. It is by far, without a doubt, my favorite season. And it is finally here! The weather has changed it seems. Right now I am sitting here with my windows open for the first time this season, feeling the wonderfully cool, refreshing air flowing through my house. Today I feel invigorated.


I'm saying goodbye to:
*Sweat. Sweating 10 minutes after I've had a shower. Sweating every time I get the girls into and out of the car.
*Triple-digit electric bills.
*Children gone rowdy with pent up energy because it is too hot to go outside to play.
*Shorts. Because let's face it, no one looks stylish in shorts over the age of 16.
*Fire ants and flies.
*Sweat. I can't emphasize enough how much I hate to sweat.


I'm saying hello to:
*Fabulous jeans.
*Soft-as-butter knee-high leather boots. Or cowboy boots. Or Uggs.
*Double digit electric bills.
*Walking into a store feeling fresh despite the struggle of car seat belts and traipsing through parking lots.
*Plush footie pajamas on little ones (is there anything as adorable?)
*Thick, homemade split pea soup. And chili. And bean soup.
*The holidays right around the corner.


Today, my smile is as big as Texas.

Sunday Funday

No words are necessary.

Maddieism of the Day

"I have a booger in my nofe."

(She has the cutest tendency to make her "s" sound like an "f". Like mouse is moufe. And house is houfe. And nose is nofe. Utterly heart-melting.)

What Goes Up, Must Come Down

Remember my post about things being pretty relaxed and running smoothly around here lately? Well, what goes up must come down. Taylor seems to be developing asthma, and the grand part of all this is that her insurance covers nothing. Zero. Zilch. That is, until we spend $3500. It's that old embedded deductible thing. I've complained about this a lot here, what with my recent medical happenings. $135 per week doesn't buy you much medical insurance these days. I can't wait until January when we can change our medical insurance. You know, where you pay $40 to go to the doctor. And $20 gets you the prescription you need. And that old deductible stuff doesn't even come into play unless hospitals are involved. She is now on an albuterol inhalation medication (Ventolin HFA) as needed, and the best part is the equipment we had to purchase seperately, the AeroChamber. This is a piece of plastic shaped like a tube that cost $50. I asked if I can just wrap a toilet paper tube in saran wrap, would that work? Ha.

Ebb and flow, baby. Ebb and flow.

Stuffed Green Peppers

This general recipe comes from my mom, but being the kind of cook that I am, I may have changed things up a bit. I'm also not the type to follow a recipe by measurements, I tend to add something until I think I've added enough. So I hope you can follow this recipe and enjoy these like we did1

Clean out the peppers, how ever many you think you need. You can also use red/orange/yellow peppers, but I am rather cheap so I use green. Try to find the ones with wide bottoms, so that they will sit up. After you have removed all of the inside gunk, pat dry inside and out and sprinkle parmesan cheese in the bottom of the pepper. I used the shredded because that is what I had in the fridge, but you can use the regular grated if you want.

Brown ground beef and chopped sweet onion together, drain grease. Add one can of diced tomatoes, 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup minute rice (I use brown), some worchestire (I use a lot of that but the recipe says 1 tsp). Cover and simmer about 15 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed. Add shredded cheddar cheese, and I also added some shredded Romano because I had it in the fridge. Stir. Fill the pepper cups and sprinkle some extra shredded cheddar on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Now, I took this picture before the baking. I took another one after, but as you will see when you make this, they don't look as pretty after they are done baking so I'm going to use this one!! Also, the Velveeta in the background is not in this dish, I used it to make homemade macaroni and cheese as a side dish, which goes great with it by the way. Also, if you like your green pepper softer, you can boil it for a litte bit before you assemble the peppers. I don't like soggy veggies, though, so I didn't.

Color Her Purple

Taylor loves purple with a passion. Clothes, food, crayons, anything that comes in a color needs to be purple. She has had purple curtains and a circular purple shag rug in her room for a couple of months now, and we have been on the hunt for a comforter that would match. I, for one, was wanting something pretty, feminine, little-girly, with just a touch of purple that would tie in the curtains and rug. As it turns out, Taylor had entirely something else in mind. Behold...the blinding purple satin comforter...

I gave in, since it is her room after all. Sigh.

Maddieism of the Day

"Put clip in my hair."

five seconds later...

"Take it out."

Insert more offensive bragging...Did you know that it is considered normal for a two year old to just begin using 2 word sentences? (as per "Parenting Magazine"). My slightly-under-two year old used a 5 word sentence today. And you know what? That is not uncommon. Well, usually her sentences are only 4 words. I'm so proud...

Recipe for Turkey Burritos

Ha! I'm just kidding. There is no recipe. These two girls have been, uh, having trouble with their behavior this past week. Let's just say that they are disinclined to acquiesce to my requests (I love to use that quote, it's from "Pirates of the Caribbean". Makes me feel smart!). "Turkey" is the kindest word I can think of to describe them right now. But in case you need a few more, "brat" and "hooligan" would be accurate as well.

9/23/10..That's All

Can those eyes be any more blue? No photoshop here!

Do you know that saying "no news is good news"? It seems like (to me, anyway) I mostly blog about the problems and annoyances in my life. When nothing is really happening around here, I feel like I don't have anything to blog about. Other blogs seem to garner attention and traffic when something big/awful/tragic is going on in the authors' lives. Illness (especially in babies), financial problems, high risk pregnancies, etc. All of you other mommy bloggers out there know what I am talking about. Fortunately for me, I have no major difficulties or drama in my life right now. So, I guess "no blog is good blog". Huh. That was really stupid. See what I mean? I have nothing to blog about.