where do chickens come from?

sometimes on our drive home, we discuss what's for dinner. tonight was one of those nights. gracie's vote, seconded by cale, was chicken nuggets. great. easy for me. i start throwing a meal together in my head. some chicken nuggets, green beans, and maybe some applesauce. then gracie says "mom, what are chicken nuggets made of?"... i say "chicken". that wasn't good enough for her. oh, no. on we go... "but what kind of chicken?"... "the kind that run around and say cluck, cluck, cluck"... "well, where do those chickens come from?"... "eggs"... "where do eggs come from?"... so i launch into the whole thing about hens and laying eggs. finally, the answer was good enough. but, not for me. i thought it would be fun to have daddy join in the conversation, since they usually ask me these kinds of things... no, not such a good idea. i really should stop over thinking things, because...

when daddy got home, i said "hey gracie, ask daddy about the chicken and eggs". she did. he gave me quite a look, then tells her the same story i did... until the part about where eggs come from. instead of the clean version i gave her about hen's laying eggs, he tells her they poop them (at this point, he gets the look from me). really? must we give her that kind of information at 5? really? they poop them? come on. gracie, on the other hand, thinks it's funny. of course, she does. anything about poop when you're 5 is funny. anyway, they then continue the discussion about the yolk, baby chicks forming inside the egg, and getting the eggs from the hens before they start forming chicks. at this point, i kind of tuned them out. bad idea. i rejoin the conversation just as gracie says, "ok, now that's just gross!"... and then she left the table. i probably don't even want to know what he told her.

earlier, i thought it would be funny to get daddy in on the conversation. remind me not to think so much.

a saturday morning makeover

yesterday morning i awoke to a sweet voice requesting my presence in the living room for a makeover. i peeked one eye open to see how many little people would be making me over, and i saw just one. then i realized... it's too quiet. so, out of bed and to the living room we go.

this is the face that goes with the sweet voice who wanted to "makeover" my hair...

and this is her pirate assistant who popped out of the shadows... with the spray bottle. everything in the living room wound up wet. everything.

after much brushing, pulling, and whining... this was the finished product. i wore my hair just like that all morning, until it was time to shower. stop laughing... seriously. stop. now.


and this, well, this was the sunset at the ranch last night. gorgeous, huh? what's so amazing to me is knowing that God made those beautiful sunsets just for us! enjoy!

ahhh, friday.

i love fridays. i mean, i really love fridays. i've been so looking forward to today, all week. i thought it was gonna rain and i was planning on snuggling on the couch with a cup of tea and my new book. sounds heavenly, right? bad news... it didn't rain. it was too warm for a cup of tea. and, my bookmark is still in the same place it was yesterday. so with 5 whole hours to myself, what did i do? i ate breakfast without sharing one bite with anyone. i cleaned the kitchen and enjoyed the fact that all the dishes were clean at the same time. i listened to the last message from pastor craig of lifechurch.tv twice... in a row. it was so good. great, actually. i washed and folded several loads of laundry... which, by the way, is never ending at my house. i mean never. i do laundry all the time, or at least that's how i feel. maybe it's like that for everyone... not sure. get my husband to help? um, no thank you. kyle's been fired from laundry duty. colorblindness + kid stains = really not good. no, not good at all. and i can't get mad at him, cause he really can't see the stains. so, i'm patiently waiting until my kids can do their own laundry. sorry, back to my day... i picked up toys and stuff, then stuff and toys. and then when the work was over, the fun began...

i pickled and canned okra. after that, my mommy time was over.

and then we took the kids to the homecoming parade. they loved it! i stood there watching the parade, watching my kids, and thinking about how much i love "small" town life.

cale, well he loved the fire trucks... and all the candy.

i so enjoyed just watching them be in awe of the happenings.

they're already ready for the next parade!

busy day... and the finale was dessert at cherryberry. yum, yum, and yum.

now, everyone is in bed, except me.

even the dogs are passed out... and snoring... together. think i'll join them... nite.

the sore loser...

i sat down a little earlier to blog about the pet photo contest (that we didn't win), but all i can think about is porkchop... that's cale for those of you not familiar with just how much he weighs. as i type, he's on his 5th time out of bed... in 20 minutes. why? why me? we go through this every night. he gets out of bed, we put him back in... he gets out of bed, we put him back in... he gets out of bed... you get the picture. wait, i don't hear anything. hold on... still nothing. could it be that he's finally given up? i think so. sweet silence. wait... never mind. the silence has just been broken by the camel (who looks a lot like mollie) drinking 5 gallons before bed. ok, not really 5, but it sure sounds like it.

focus... back to the pet photo contest. so, i know i'm a little biased, but our picture was really cute. see?
i'll even say that it might have not been the cutest picture submitted, but it sure was cuter than the lady with the donkey. yeah, that's right. a lady with a donkey. here's the kicker... the lady with the donkey didn't win. wanna know what did? a black and white cat... in a chair... upside down. who gives a crap about an upside down cat in a chair? i, for one, do not. but apparently a whole bunch of people did. i'll give you the puppy in the tulips, which was cute. and darlene's dog, mojo, with the goggles. it was funny. but a cat in a chair? what the? i'm still slightly emotional about it... i'm sure you cannot tell. and apparently, still sore about it. now you know why i've not discussed it before now. it would have been really ugly... with lots of *&#! and ^@%$!!! what is this world coming to? an upside down cat and a lady with a donkey. whatever.

yes, it's another commute conversation...

while we were driving home from my parents tonight, gracie and cale were taking turns singing songs. cale sang "jesus loves me". then gracie sang "the peanut butter song". then cale sang "jesus loves me". then gracie sang "the tootie-tot song"... don't ask. then cale sang "jesus loves me"... again.

at this point, gracie decides to change things up a bit and busts out all of "1-2 buckle my shoe". cale then adds his own twist to the timeless nursery rhyme. it went a little something like this... "1-2, buckle my shoe. 3-4, pick up sticks. 9-10, a big fat gorilla." gracie, who has little patience for nonsense like this (unless it's her own), tells him she'll help him get it right. "say what i say," she tells him. so, here they go... gracie says "it's 1-2 buckle my shoe". cale follows with "1-2 buckle gracie's shoe".

apparently his listenening ears were on!

the circus goes on safari

a couple of weekends ago, jackie calls on saturday morning and says

"hey, let's take the kids to safari sanctury".
my first thought... it's 100+ freakin' degrees outside... um, no. let's think... it will be hot and humid, with cranky kids, and stinky animals... and did i mention it was hot? and then i stopped myself, and thought "mama, don't be so selfish. they'd love it."

so we did. and they loved it.

there were lions...

and tigers...

and more tigers...

but, no bears... oh, my! sorry to report, there are no pictures of any bears. they didn't want to come out for the paparazzi. too hot, i suppose. can i blame them? no.

and then there was this cat. not sure what kind of a cat, other than a very cranky one. every time jackie would rattle the treat bag, he made this mean face. and along with the mean face, there was a very mean hiss. the "cat keeper" said it was just his way of communicating. communicating what? that he was pissed? sure looks that way. (this is where my mother would interject that ladies and gentlement, who don't say suck, also don't say pissed... and that she taught me better than that. she did. however, sometimes i like to buck the system.)

everyone got to feed the birds...

and pet the wolf...

but, only cale would hold the snake.

gracie (finally) gathered all her brave bones and fed the camel.

the lemurs... they just hung out.

the kids had a blast!

and for the mamas, it was worth every extra heat index degree over 90!

wanted: a new mommy for cale

friday night, cale and i were having a midnight discussion that went a little something like this...

cale: "you're my best mommy!"

mama: "thanks, buddy."

cale: "my best mommy in this whole town!"

mama: "um, cale... you got another mommy in another town?"

cale: "no."

mama: "do you think you need another mommy?"

cale: "yes."

me: "ok... what kind of mommy do you think you need?"

cale: "a black mommy."

lesson: connor has a monster truck... cale wants a monster truck.
connor has a new backpack... cale wants a new backpack.
connor has a black mommy... cale needs a black mommy.

karan... you're up. just let me know when you want to come get him. i'm just kidding... i wouldn't give him away... even if he thinks he needs a new mommy.

meet mollie...

for those of you who've not had the pleasure of being nudged in the behind by her... meet mollie.


(this was mollie after she first came to live with us. she was 5 1/2 months old.)

mollie is our newest addition out at the ranch. like i needed a new addition. but need is such a relative term. anyway, she's here to stay. sometimes we like her. she's really sweet. and then sometimes she's a p.i.t.a. (as my friend andrea would say). like when she chews up my flip flops... or my favorite pair of peep toes... or one of the kids toys... or whatever i've missed picking up off the floor. it is getting better, but she's still doing it a bit. i just keep thinking that someday... some far away day... she'll make a fantastic dog. just like millie. i'm just hoping she's taking notes. and then when i'm really frustrated, she looks at me...

how could you not love that face?

mollie loves lily. i'm not sure if it's because lily pets her or if it is just because lily is the only little person at my house that doesn't run screaming when mollie gets near. gracie and cale pretty much ignore her. they're too busy to be bothered with her puppiness.

i think they're missing out.

cale's birthday

aren't birthdays fun? i prefer to string them out. why have just one day, when you can have so many? it used to be that way. we'd start counting down the days until my birthday right after christmas. everyone knew. and then... we'd have several parties. that was all until... i had kids. when, suddenly, life is no longer about me. it's about them. and by them, i mean the little people that follow me everywhere. but really, i'm ok with it. i am. (after much soul searching and many therapy sessions. i'm just kiddin'... kiddin' about being ok with it, 'cause i'm really not... i just pretend to be). anyway, since it's all about them now, we get to string out their birthdays. what's more fun than that?

take cale, for instance... he turned 3 last week and got to have 2 parties. we had a small family party on his birthday, and a big family party yesterday. and somehow, even though most of us have been uninvited by the birthday boy at some point when he was mad... as in "i don't like you... you're not coming to my monster truck party!"... we gathered anyway. it was wonderful and full of boy things...

like monster trucks and spiderman...

and good buddies...

and balloons...

that flew to heaven...

and, of course, cake.

(i know, here's where you'd like to see pictures of cale with cake everywhere. but, alas, there are none! he was too busy with the trucks, and spiderman, and his new backpack, and the balloons to care about cake. me, however... yum.)

it all brings me back to the importance of enjoying each smile, each laugh, and each moment of my children. (and no, i didn't quote that... it was me and a moment of brilliant clarity...)

its so nice to blog again!

hello. i've missed blogging and you, of course... a lot. and i mean a-l-o-t. i didn't realize how "into" it i've gotten until i couldn't anymore. well, i could... from my phone. it's not easy doing that. it's like sending a really long text and i don't like it... at least not from my phone. anyhow... computer is back from dr. pete. thanks, pete. no... really... thank you.

so, now, i'm in the process of reinstalling camera software. it's taking a while. a really long while. so, no pics tonight. just lots of gushing about how much i've got to share. things like... our trip to safari sanctuary... and cale's birthday party... and how cale told us he wanted a "bud light-year party"... and canning salsa... and cale's other birthday party... and about the local picture contest we didn't win (i'm still not happy about that)... and, well i'm sure there are lots of other things that just aren't coming to mind right now.

oohhh... wait. i've got one, and it doesn't require any pictures. so, after school started, we were in the car heading to dinner with jackie and ryan. i had cale, lily, and halle. i was giving halle the 3rd degree about school... did she like it? did she like her teacher? are her friends in her class? how was her day that particular day? halle goes on and on telling me what a great day she had. when she finished the daily rundown, cale pipes up... "i had a great day, cause i didn't pee-pee in my pull-up". it's the little things.

anywho... there's a little blinking box at the bottom of my screen demanding my attention. so, i'll take care of it. tomorrow, there will be pictures.

~ nite

i have a sick computer...

just so you know, i've not been just not blogging on purpose. a slight issue with our computer has made it difficult for me to blog. the issue is...well, it just won't come on. and by not on, i mean not at all. it won't go any further than the black screen with "Dell" in blue. it scrolls and thinks... and thinks and scrolls. and it drives me bananas. and what makes me even more bananas is that i've got stuff to blog about. fun stuff. with great pictures, too. so, kyle has taken it to a friend to fix it. now i'm blogging from my phone. which is fine and all, but god speed, pete. i miss my computer...

conversations with cale

i love conversations with cale. they are definitely one of the highlights of my day... most every day. we talk about all kinds of things, and you never know what he'll come up with. and he talks all the time. even in his sleep. he talks... and talks... and talks. right now he's singing "this is the way we make a gown, make a gown, make a gown, this is the way we make a gown... with princess dreams and magic" (no, daddy and poppy, i didn't teach him that... it's from a cinderella sing-a-long book we have). most importantly, when he talks i usually learn something new. for instance...

yesterday morning we were on the way to kk's house and cale had a little gas. he, of course, immediately starts laughing and loudly proclaims "i tooted"! then he says "wait, that wasn't a toot, it was a squeeze"... um, what's a squeeze? so i asked... "bubby, what's a squeeze?" to which he replies "it's a squeeze-toot". now, i've not been a boy-mom for very long and i don't pretend to know all things boy. so, if any of you boy-moms (or boys, for that matter) can explain this phenomenon to me, i'd really appreciate it!

so then, last night, he's in my bathroom to go potty. so he said. he's standing there naked, messing with his junk (you can thank my hubby for that wonderful word choice. he thinks it's hysterical... and now it's caught on... and we all say it. don't you know nana would flip out if she heard us say something like that.) anyway, i say to him "bub, quit messing with your junk and just go potty". "but mom, if i let go it goes everywhere". yet another thing i did not know. thank you for the insight. so now i'm wondering where was he when he figured out that if you "let go" it "goes everywhere". suddenly, i'm feeling the need to clean and disinfect both bathrooms.

canning and soapbox sermons...

guess what??? ok, you're never gonna guess... especially those of you that know me very well. so, i'm just gonna tell you what... tonight, i canned tomatoes. yes, you read that right. i canned two quarts of tomatoes. i'd like to say that they were all tomatoes from my garden. but, then you'd know i was fibbin'.


i went to a quaint little gardening class where we sipped "lemon-berry-ade" and munched on dehydrated apples and pears and other wonderful "garden-y" yummies. jenny had a kitchen full of the most wonderful jars. and they were filled with all kinds of goodies. some she bought and many she'd made herself. i loved how she encouraged us to do as much or as little as we wanted (with our gardens and the canning, of course, but i took it as so much more). and, to not feel guilty about it either way. i need more of that. why can't we just be real? flaws and all. why is it that we need to put on a show for other people. there, i said it. why can't it just be that sometimes things are wonderful and other times life sucks... yes, mother, i said sucks... again. my goodness. where the heck did all of that come from? i just went from canning tomatoes to a soapbox sermon... in a few short sentences flat. i feel better. you? yes... no... anybody... bueller?

anyway, back to my tomatoes... not sure what i'm gonna make with them yet, but i'll bet it's gonna be yummy! i want to try making jams, canning fruit, and maybe some other veggies. it's a whole new world to explore. never-ending possibilities. hmmm... what to can next?

so, now i'm really ready to get going on the fall garden. i'm gonna try some more tomatoes, maybe some lettuce, a few carrots, a little broccoli, butternut squash... and whatever else i find to put in there. oh yeah, basil... don't forget the basil.

gracie's first day of kindergarten

well, i am officially the mama of a kindergartener. and (somehow) we all survived the first day. if you read yesterday's post, you know i started crying at "meet the teacher"... what you don't know is that i cried all morning getting her ready... and on the way to school... and on the way into the school... and when i was trying to take her picture next to the "welcome to kindergarten" sign (that she wouldn't stand next to, so i didn't get a picture)... and when we got in her classroom... and when she put her stuff away... and when i took her picture with her teacher... and when she went to sit at her desk... and about how she didn't even look back as i walked out of the room... and on the way to drop off cale and lily... until cale said "hey mama, want me to burp my abc's?"... really? that pretty much dried my tears.

so, i've prepared a short photo montage of our morning...

this was the best photo of several attempts to get everyone together... looking at me... smiling... maybe when they're older, right?

awww... there's the famous little kindergartner, now...

and when she was walking into the school...


and was she was putting her stuff away...

and with her new teacher (whom i just love)...

and when she sat at her desk... and, by the way, cale wanted to know where his seat was...

and with her basketcase mama.

today, i felt like time just dragged on. i was giddy when it was time to pick her up. when it was our turn in the pick-up line, she came running down the sidewalk to the car. i asked her how her day was, and she exclaimed "i can tie my shoes now"!!!

it's so good to be in kindergarten.

so much to blog about, so little time...

several times in the last couple of days, it's been brought to my attention that i've not blogged lately... so, here i am. i'm gonna be really honest... i've chosen sleep over blogging many recent nights. i'm really not doing much sleeping, so maybe i should be choosing blogging instead... hmmm...

anyway, lots going on at the ranch these days, and i mean lots. lets start with...

the garden: it's not good, not good at all. it's so not good, i pulled it all up tonight. i'd have taken a picture, but i'd rather you remember it's better days. you know, like in an obituary, when a 89 year old crosses over to the "great by and by," but the associated picture was from when they were 34. i'd rather you remember the garden when it was 34. the good news withthe garden is that i'm going to chance some fall planting. so, we'll see how that goes... and, i know, that whole "great by and by" was just wrong... but, when has that stopped me? moving on...

the p.m.'s: they're gone! yea for me! saturday is demolition day, and they don't even know it... he, he, he...

the new puppy: that's right... we've got a new puppy. her name is mollie. millie and mollie... isn't it cute? more on her later...

the circus: the most exciting news is that gracie starts kindergarten tomorrow. i know she's been in a preschool for 2 years now, but there's just something about it being actual kindergarten. it seems so... big. i'm not ready for big... for me or for gracie. so, when we went to "meet the teacher" this afternoon, the teacher came and hugged me... i started crying. jackie says that's for 2 reasons...

1. she's pms-ing, so i must be too, and

2. it's part of being a mommy. it's what happens when they really start school. for real. no more play-school. this is big girl stuff... with real report cards... and field-trips... and smart boards... and attendance policies...

that are enforced.

so, now we're all ready for our big day tomorrow. backpack is packed and ready, all her paperwork has been filled out, lunch is made, clothes are laid out, and the twinkle toes are just waiting to walk her into her new school...

gotta go... there's a meltdown a-comin'...

they're back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

guess who's back in town???

yep, the little p.m. parents and their little p.m. babies. for those of you who missed my earlier posts about the p.m.'s, they are the purple martins who have taken up residence on my front porch. i was pretty nice about it for a while... not anymore. they're like freakin' rabbits. i had no idea. i mean, really, they're on their second flock... or nest... or round... or whatever the heck you call it. and that's just this summer. i'm definitely getting a p.m. house. maybe they'll move off of my front porch. oh yeah, by the way, saturday i was trying to unload my car from tiffany's baby shower... they were divebombing me... again! it's my house!!! are you kidding me??? this time, when the last baby is gone, so is the nest. call me mean or cold-hearted... i don't care. i want a poop-less porch and a divebombing-free front yard... gracie wanted to know if daddy would knock down the nest so she could have a one of the babies. um, no. oh, and i'm sure the hummingbirds would appreciate having exclusive use of their feeder, again.

this p.m. baby was perched on the feeder for quite some time and the poor little hummingbirds were freaking out. it really was kind of funny watching the whole scene... my gosh, i'm getting old... no comments from the peanut gallery...

nite, nite.

evening commute conversations with the circus...

you never know what you're gonna hear in my car...

first, i picked up gracie this afternoon, along with her good friend abby. we had ice cream and played. so, i overhear gracie telling abby that she saw 3 policemen chasing a car yesterday... that's news to me. so i start questioning her. from my interrogation, i conclude that she's not exactly telling the truth. so, i call her out... "gracie," i say, "are you fibbin'?" to which abby replies, "no, she's not even six yet"... when gracie realized that abby thought i said "seven", she looked at abby and said "abby, you are hilarious!!!" then they both fell over laughing.

then, we pick up cale and lily. when porkchop gets in the car, the dinner discussion commences. the first item on his list about his day was to tell me that he didn't like the cheese that kk gave him today, but "at least i didn't yak". thanks, cale. then i ask what he had for lunch... "a sandwich"... "what kind of sandwich, bubby?"... "um, the square kind." and from that comment, i am fully convinced that some things... like being a smarta**... are hereditary. poor kid, he comes by it honestly.

now, for the finale... let me say first, i'm not really sure what the initial action was, but the reaction was a play cell phone flying through the air and connecting with gracie's right eye. oh yes, that's gonna leave a mark. cale, of course, said he didn't do it. that means... and this is amazing... that old cell phones grow wings and hurl themselves at people. really, cale? just as gracie starts to calm down, cale starts yelling at me to go... "cause the light is green, mama"... again, really? so, i find myself trying to rationalize with a 2 year old about how i am driving, he is not, and he should leave it to the big people who have drivers licenses. it's always something...

mmm, yummy... oatmeal

i don't know if it's that lily is the traditional "third child"... or that i'm more patient in my old age... or if it's just that i'm really, really, really tired... but there are things that she does (or, is allowed to do) that i wasn't so eager to let the other two do. i didn't want them to get to dirty or get their clothes too messy. i know, it all seems to be an admission of a slight control issue... no comments from the peanut gallery, please. i'm just trying to allow them to be a little more themselves... and play until they look like they've got a really good tan (that's really dirt)... and color the trees purple if they want... and sing silly songs that make no sense... and just be kids who know that they are loved no matter what. how the heck did i get on that soapbox??? anyway, i think it's more about the fact that i've been through this twice and i've learned a few things, like... i know she won't break, she will wash, and i can get out most stains... thanks to aunt b's "special paste". so in light of my previous "ah ha!" moment, when she asked... ok, lets be honest, she grabbed the spoon and yelled at me... i let her feed herself breakfast...

and she loved it...

and she didn't care that it was all over the place...

and when she dropped the spoon... (that's the "uh oh" face, by the way)

... she improvised.

saltine toffee

all week long i've been trying to find time to make the saltine toffee recipe... and tonight it happened. i was so excited. i was gonna take pictures and post the recipe and go on and on about how good it is... but, it didn't turn out like it was supposed to. don't get me wrong, it's still really good... it just doesn't look like it should. and it for sure doesn't look like karla's did.

now, i love to cook and bake... which many of you know... but i hate it (oh sorry, gracie says i'm not supposed to say hate)... anyway, i really dislike it when a recipe doesn't turn out the way it's supposed to or the way i see it in my head. like the toffee... what's in the pan on the stove is not what was in my head (but, did i tell you already that it's good?) even more frustrating this time is that the recipe calls for 4... that's right four... ingredients. pretty hard to mess this one up, and yet somehow i've managed!

for my mom's birthday last year, i decided to make a 2-tier cake with tiffany blue icing. good idea, right? not really. i had the basics down just fine... the cake tasted great and the icing tasted great. the wrench was the tiers... apparently i needed more stabilization than a couple of toothpicks between tiers, cause when i started icing the cake, the top tier slid off the bottom tier. everyone but me thought it was funny.

i don't have these kinds of issues very often, but when i do, they're good ones. so, i guess we'll suffer through a taste test at the office tomorrow and mull over the issues with my saltine toffee. when i get it right, i'll show you the pics and give you the recipe... in the meantime, get me your recipes to taste test and share!!! am i the only one who thinks this is a fun idea? surely not! so, get busy...

mmm hmmm... yummy!

let me tell you, the dinner i made on saturday night was so worth the 2 hours it took me to cook. i told my hubby that it was SOOO good, i would have spent that time even if i'd been the only one eating! it was so good that it's blog-worthy!!! here, let me show you...

i know, it looks good, doesn't it?!?!?! steak fingers (with gravy... homemade, of course!) and sweet potato fries... oh, my... yummy, yummy, yummy!

so, i enjoy cooking... and eating... so much that i was thinking of devoting some blog time to cooking... and eating. what do you think? i think it would be a good way to share recipes... and not just mine. how's about i share my favorites and yours, if you'd like? i'll test the recipes... take some pics... what do you think? anyone... anyone... bueller? somebody please comment... i like it when there are comments... it makes me giddy... so comment! go ahead... you know you want to! come on... it makes me giddy...