10 on Tuesday

 

1. I made my son cry tonight. I felt like such a meany and totally wish I would’ve just held my tongue. I hope this makes me stop before saying what’s in my head next time. It’s so not fun to see your little one hurt because of something you said. :(

2. Join me on my boycott of Cap’n Crunch. I have an abscessed tooth due to breaking my tooth from eating Cap’n Crunch one morning a month or so ago. Now, because of CC, I need a root canal. Help!!

3. I love the rain. I love the way it sounds. I love the way it smells. I love the grey, cloudiness it produces. That’s part of the reason I belong in Seattle!

(courtesy of http://www.rogersellsseattle.com/)

4. I’m having a flare. My body hurts. I have fevers off and on due to inflammation. I’m so tired that I sleep all day. The good news is that this is the first time I’ve had one in months and it’s pretty minor.

5. My husband’s DM called my husband lazy and told him he didn’t have a good work ethic. People could call my husband a lot of names (as we all could be called  a lot of names) but those two names? NEVER! He is the hardest worker I’ve EVER known. Seriously, just to save labor, he worked 21 hours the other day. Makes me think that his DM just wants Kurt to explode at him for such an erroneous insult.

6. I can’t get enough of this part of the song. It’s at the one minute mark. Make sure you have rolled up the rug and cleared the furniture away if you listen to this. It makes you want to party! Funny thing is though, I can’t stand the rest of the song, and didn’t like it the first time it came out either.

7. I haven't read a good fiction book in ages. I’ve just been reading non-fiction and I really need to get my hands on a good engrossing story.

8. I’m sad that football is almost over and that basketball has started. I love to watch football on tv (and in real life) but hate to watch basketball on tv (although I do enjoy it in real life). I think it’s the constant squeaky noises of the shoes and the floor that really drive me nuts. And, go Packers!

9. There’s a lot of controversy surrounding Teen Mom on MTV. After seeing how tough it is on these girls, I’d think that people would be praising this show for showing the bad parts of being a parent. I don’t think it’s glorifying teen parenthood at all.

10.  On the other hand, all of the Desperate Housewives shows are just ridiculous. I have a confession to make though, I LOVE them all. They make me feel like I’m pretty normal. Every season makes me feel better and better about myself!

Have a great week everyone!

Sarah:)

10 on Tuesday

1. We have been waiting since fall of ‘09 for a new Publix to be built about two miles away from our house. It opened last week and it’s magnificent! The produce! Oh, the produce!

2. I will never,ever make fried chicken again, not that I make it a lot, but once is enough to know it’s too much. I tried out PW’s fried chicken recipe and it’s just too much work and now that we have a Publix, ixnay on the fried chicken making.

3. My husband missed his calling. He should be a professional mover. Three armoires needed to be moved. The armoire in the kitchen needed to be moved to the living room. The living room armoire needed to be moved the our bedroom. The armoire in the bedroom needed to be moved into our bathroom. (Forgot about the baker’s rack. I could move that by myself though.) I’ve seen him move a whole couch all by himself up a stairwell. I’ve seen him move a heavy, heavy armoire up a flight of stairs by himself. Seriously, he awes me with what he can move by himself.

4. Because of the snow and ice, the boys had a total of 10 days off. They went back to school today! Concentrate really hard. Can you see me doing the happy dance?

5. One of our favorite places to go is Seagrove Beach on the Emerald Coast (panhandle) of Fl. A lot of families like the hustle and bustle of Disney vacations, but we love to just hang out on the beautiful white sand beaches and clear water. Found out today that a new flight has been added from here to there for $49 one way!

6. We had a great trip to the zoo on Friday.

7. When Ryan was four he played soccer. Well, he didn’t really “play soccer”, he stood in the middle of the field and picked his lip and let the ball hit him and people run all around him. Three years later, he’s up for it again. This time, I know he will love it and I’m so excited for the person he’s growing in to.

8. Like a lot of other bloggers out there, recently I’ve been experimenting with water drops and water and oil. Some of the shots I’ve seen are just amazing. Mine are not (yet!) but I’ll keep practicing!

9. My computer is running so slowly. I’ve done all the regular steps to see if they remedy it, but nothing has yet. It's pretty annoying!

10. This picture makes me happy.

Have a happy rest of the week!

Sarah:)

10 on Tuesday

1. I mentioned on a few different posts that I won a giveaway from StrawBerry Cake’s Sheila. Can you imagine my excitement? This adorable Christmas apron is “cute enough to wear as a skirt” according to Charlie. It really is so cute!

2. The second part of the giveaway was a signed cookbook from The Pioneer Woman! I’ve been a huge fan of hers for about a year now. Her stories of Charlie make my day. Her writing voice is so uniquely hers that I feel like we’re best buds. Yeah, I know. She’s best buds with me and about a million other people!

3. My son Charlie was named after my childhood basset hound named Charlie. I think that’s part of the reason I love Ree so much.

4. Dina from 4 Lettre Words had Charlie’s Flat Stanley. She and her boys took great care of him and showed him the sights where they live. I’m very grateful for the friends I’ve me in the bloggerland!

5. I never get bored. Never have, can’t imagine that I ever will. Sometimes the boys get bored easily and it drives me nuts.

6. One snow day is fun. Two snow days in a row isn’t fun. See #5 for my reasoning. Here’s a picture of Ryan all geared up to go play in the snow the first snow day. He’s wearing his dad’s old ski mask from back in the MN days where one actually did need a ski mask to stay warm outside.

7. Because of #5, we got Netflix on the Wii today. We haven’t had Netflix for over a year, but today I renewed our subscription and finally set it up on the Wii. So far we’ve watched some of America’s Funniest Animals (that show makes me crack up!), Stomp, Stuart Little and little snippets of lots of other movies/shows.

8. This is a pretty picture with a sun flare that I took a few days ago. The clouds were just bizarre that day.

9. The boys have some of Kurt’s old Star Wars toys. They get a kick out of them and I like taking pictures of them.

         Here’s R2-D2 before.                                                  Here’s R2-D2 after his 70s makeover.

              

What a difference, huh?

10. We have no groceries. I think we’re having canned green beans, saltine crackers, cream of mushroom soup and maybe a popsicle or two. I need, need, need to get to the grocery store.

Have a wonderful week ya’ll!

Sarah:)

10 on Tuesday

1. “We” are in #1 place in the Pepsi Refresh Project’s $250,000 grant! What a great organization and great people. If you haven’t voted, please consider doing so. Only a few days left before December’s winners are announced. Click on either picture below to learn more or vote.

 

2. Something is not right with my camera. I messed with it a lot last week and have messed with it way too much. I was so sad when several seemingly great shots turned out like this. I’ll have to work on it tomorrow.

3. I am so over Christmas time. Next year we’re skipping it (please remind me next year that I said this). Call me Scrooge. That’s ok. All of the hoopla. All of the hype. All of the waiting. All of the anticipation is just too much. I’m not talking about the true meaning of Christmas here. I’m talking about the commercialism that leads to the “gimmes” and the unappreciativeness that can follow. Do I sound bitter? I think I am. ;)

4. Stanley cracks me up! He’s about the funniest creature on earth. You do no want to get between him and his bone, that’s for sure.

5. The new year is right around the corner. I know what my resolutions should be, but I’m not making any resolutions this year.

So there, new year!

Just in case you’re wondering though, this is what they should be, in no particular order, if I believed in such things:

* Stop overeating!

*Be vigilant about bible study.

* Exercise every day no matter how much I don’t want to.

*Make some kind of decision and take action about what I really want to do/be in this next phase of my life.

6. Looking through my archives, I found a few pictures from greener times (read: not winter) that really put a smile on my face. Here they are.

7. My children are driving me bonkers this Christmas vacation. I alternate between periods of thinking how awesome it would be to homeschool them and then periods where I’d like to ship their behinds off to boarding school. Tomorrow is a new day and I shall have a new attitude!

8. Me: Ryan, what do you want to go to college for?

Ryan: Can I go to college to be a dude like Spencer Shay?

If you are a fan of iCarly, you will appreciate that conversation!

9. Living with two boys, one husband and one male dog leaves me yearning for a fresher smelling life.

10. No doubt you’re a Pioneer Woman fan like I am. Guess what? I am getting a signed cookbook straight from her via a giveaway from Sheila at Strawberry Cake! Talk about excited!

Have a wonderful week!

Sarah:)

10 on Tuesday

1. I stink at Christmas lights bokeh. I try and try, but just can’t seem to nail it. I’ve gotten a few decent shots, but most turn out like this.

2. I hate that some days, some hours, some minutes I have so little patience with my children. This break seems like it’s lasted forever and a day so far, but it’s only been a few days. I think it’s because their good neighborhood buds aren’t home during the day. Patience, if you’re there, please come find me!

3. We have several Christmas traditions. We go to church on Christmas Eve night. Come home and eat appetizers and then open presents. Once the kids have gone to bed, we eat oyster stew. It sounds really disgusting, but tastes so good.

4. The boys and I made Shrinky Dinks this weekend. My husband came home from work and said he’d never heard of Shrinky Dinks. Is that even possible? Here’s my creation. So much fun!

5. With the long Christmas break, I’ve been racking my brain for new ideas for the boys and I to do to keep us busy since the neighborhood kids are gone (see #2). My mind wondered to my childhood and some of the fun things I did with my friends. We used to play a game called, “Garbage”. You play four mini games with cards and pennies. I loved it, the boys, not so much. Did anyone else play this game growing up? Here’s how to play if you’re interested.

6. Our dog Jake has a real naughty streak. He’s a mutt that’s about five years old, but has little spurts where he acts like he’s about six months old. His newest obsession is laying under the Christmas tree. I can never move fast or quiet enough to get a picture of that though. His other thing is to chew Christmas decorations. He’s eaten several purple glitter snowflake ornaments and will get his mouth on anything stuffed that he can. Here’s his latest “snack”.

When confronted about his obsessions, this is the look Jake gave me.

7. Cleaning and I are like oil and water; we don’t mix. It’s almost like I’m allergic to it. Just thinking about it gives me hives. I’ve found one tool that makes the otherwise dreaded task of mopping bearable, even fun (but don’t tell my husband I said that or he’ll expect me to do it more often). It’s the Shark Steam Mop. This thing rocks!

8. Our tv remote hasn’t worked for days. It’s a wonder how little tv we watch when we don’t have a remote for it. I keep telling my family I’ll order a new one, but keep putting it off. Really, walking to the tv to change the channel isn’t that big of a deal.

9. Mom, do you know who Sydney Rice is? Mom, do you how who Percy Harvin is? Mom, do you know who Charles Woodson is? Mom, do you know who Brett Favre is? Mom, do you know who Adrian Peterson is? Mom, do you know who Steven Garcia is? Mom, do you know who Cam Newton is? Ryan has lots of football questions for me. I try to pretend like I care. I like football, but don’t really care to talk about it all that much.

10. My computer chair makes my brain dead. I swear I have great ideas, but as soon as I get to this chair I lose any good thought that ever crossed through my brain.

Merry Christmas week everyone!

Sarah:)

10 on Tuesday

I’ve seen a few blog friends do this, so I thought I’d give it a shot.
1. My heart is very heavy right now. A friend/neighbor couple just lost their baby. This morning I went to a funeral for her. I’ve never been to a baby’s funeral, and it was extremely difficult to digest the pain the parents must be going through. I have the luxury of forgetting about it for a few minutes, but their grief is continual. I need to think of ways to support them in this long grieving journey they’ll be going on.
2. I have been blessed beyond measure. I’ve had my lion’s share of misfortunes in this life, but nothing tragic like losing a child, parent or sibling. Whenever I’m feeling overwhelmingly blessed, I love to listen to this song.

3. It’s cold outside. Today we were tied for a record low set back in the 1860s. Makes me wonder how I ever handled living in South Dakota and Minnesota if I can barely handle these teen temps. One thing I know, I could not ever go back to winters like that. I did have to laugh at the roof of the Metrodome “ripping” due to the weight of the snow.

4. Sometimes I wonder if Ryan’s head is screwed on straight. Tonight he has a little performance at school. He told me this last night. Ok. That’s fine. I can do something with one day’s notice. This morning he tells me he needs a red shirt for his performance tonight. Hmmmm. Looks like the little procrastinator will be wearing a red t-shirt with Spiderman on it, or a red t-shirt with a cross and skull bones that says “Savannah” on it, or perhaps a red baseball jersey, or maybe even his brother’s red football jersey. Some might think I’m a mean mom for not running out to buy him one today. But, I’m real big on natural consequences. You “forget” to tell me you need something, you are “stuck” with what we’ve got. No biggie, right?
5.My eyes are so puffy that I can’t see out of them very well.
6. The boys’ big Christmas present this year is a trampoline. It was going to be a surprise (like most other Christmas gifts are), but the FedEx guy dropped it off right on the front porch and there was no way that they couldn’t see it when we were on the street driving home. We put it up last night but still have the net poles to put up. I’m excited that they’re so excited!

7. The Christmas Cookie candle is burning now. It smells heavenly. I should bake some cookies. But then they’ll just be sitting there calling my name all day and night long, so I’ll settle for the Christmas Cookie candle instead.
8. I feel kind of guilty. You know how every sport has pictures taken by “professional” photographers each and every season? I don’t buy them. I just take my camera and stand behind them and get the best shot I can. I feel like a total dweeb doing it. I wouldn’t mind paying someone if it were just a regular person, but it’s the same rip-off company that does it for all the sports and they take less than stellar pics and I just don’t want to pay for them, especially if they’re never all looking at the camera at the same time and they make them yell “MONEY” to get them to smile. What a run-on sentence that was!

9. I have all of my Christmas shopping done. I did most of it online. It hasn’t arrived yet, but it’s all bought. Yeah!
10. This is our first year ever not having a real Christmas tree. I was dreading buying a tree this year and doing it all myself. My husband is a restaurant general manager and is hardly home this time of year. I was bitter about it. Instead of continuing to be bitter, I bought us our first easy-as-pie-to-put-up fake tree. It’s not the same as a real one, but we still like it. It was so easy the boys could have done it themselves.

Have a happy Tuesday. Count your blessings!
Sarah:)