That's my kid!

Everyone knows I love a project. I do. They are exciting and fun. I don't love other people's projects quite as much. Let me rephrase, I do love them. It just takes me a little longer to get excited about them.

Eric decided that today was the perfect day to start working on his Halloween costume. Yes, in July. Such forethought. Such creativity. Such ingenuity. What?!?! You need BONDO? Seriously?

For a little while I was feeling incredulous about his bondo request. And then I remembered my cookie cutter project. Woke up one morning and decided I needed JB Weld. For a cookie cutter.

So yeah. That's my kid.

Jobs I hate that make me smile

There are a few jobs that I just really detest. Repackaging meat is one of them. Every time I start I think, next time I will just buy it like this. Then I get to the store and it is so expensive! So I never buy ground beef in one pound packages. Never. I buy the family pack and separate. I never buy stew meat. I buy a roast and cut it up. But it is a job I really hate.

Today it occurred to me, while I was cussing myself for being too cheap, that every time I do this job, I end up smiling.

One time Mom and Aunt Jackie showed up at the house while I was doing the dreaded job. They both jumped right in and helped me knock it out in record time. Now every time I do this nasty, vile job, I think of them here helping me. And it makes me smile.

I have a similar thing with cleaning the kitchen with my brother. Sure wish he was here to help me clean up this mess.

I love you, Barbie!

Tonight my Eric broke his first spoon. His Grandma will be so proud. And his Uncle Bryan. I know I am. He joins a long line of wooden spoon breakers. Typically we broke them trying to stir tea cake dough. But Eric is so talented, he managed to break one on chocolate chip. I can't even begin to tell anyone how nice it is to have a baker's helper. It is awesome. Eric is just glad to finally have a 'gimmick'. Crazy child. I do so love him. I am gonna miss him while he is in Kentucky this week. (Boy Scout Camp) BUT I WILL NOT CRY! un-huh sure.

While Eric was busy baking for his trip, the babies found the My Size Barbies. What is it about a doll as tall as you that is so fascinating?

I was trying desperately to herd them towards the bathtub. Aiden was dragging the doll around. Brynna was having heart to hearts with hers. Finally I said, "That's it!" I took the doll from Aiden and stood it up in the corner of the bathroom."She can watch you take a bath." Aiden says, "But I was dancing with her!" All outraged. He walks up to the Barbie and says,"I love you," and gets in the tub. Brynna walks up to the Barbie and says,"Whatever you do, don't let that boy get you again! You understand me? DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME???" And then finally they were both in the tub.

I almost fell out. How can you be mad at these disobedient animals when they are SO FUNNY?

Yep! I'm a strange one.

Everyone who knows me, knows that the strangest things make me happy. A cool cake, a pretty cookie, an educational breakthrough, a mowed lawn, a deal. These kinds of things make me happy. Giddily happy. Giggling to myself in public happy. I am a simple woman. (Shut up, honey!)

Everyone who knows me, knows that I love a project. I have a tendency to jump in with both feet and completely immerse myself. The latest project around here is couponing. I have resisted using coupons for 20 years. They are too annoying, not worth the hassle, and they are just for stuff I wouldn't buy anyway. They are still annoying. And, yes, I am buying things I ordinarily wouldn't. But they are totally worth the hassle!

So far I have gotten razors, toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo, body wash, nail polish, and candy for free. FREE!!! My favorite kind of deal! These are things I would not have normally bought. We never buy the newest expensive razors. We have always used the whatever was on sale or cheap at Walmart razors. But free makes all the difference in the world. We have never bought body wash. We don't have money to burn like that. But free? Sure, bring it on. And it is fun!!! Who knew shopping could be so much fun?

Today's deal was cereal. We eat a fair amount of cereal around here. I thought I was saving enough on it by just buying what was cheapest. If it was on sale, we could buy froot loops. If it wasn't, tootie frooties here we come. And then we started couponing. Last week, I was happy when I got raisin bran and froot loops for $1.50 a box. Made me happy. I realize now that it was not the super deal I thought it was. It could be so much better.

At HEB today, I bought 12 boxes of fruit roll ups and 28 boxes of cereal. I know it sounds extreme. It even looks extreme.

My total before coupons was $85. I almost swallowed my tongue. My total after coupons was $38.54!! That is 96 cents a box! Very exciting if you are strange like me, but it gets better. With my receipt I got 3 $5 coupons good on my next trip to HEB. Hello? Another $15 off makes this haul a whopping 59 cents a box. Are you kidding me? If I hadn't done it, I would not believe it.

Let me just add that we had never before brought home Dora cereal. Brynna had begged a few times, but I was NOT spending $3+  a box on that crap. Maybe for her birthday. I was pleasantly surprised. No bells, whistles, or sugar bombs. Just tiny little stars, lightly sweetened with a touch of cinnamon. Brynna is a happy girl.

So is her mommy. And yes, I did let Brynna have cereal for dinner. And Aiden had honey nut cheerios. He thinks it is Spongebob cereal. Shhh! Don't tell!

Scattered!

I am scattered. My interests, my brain, everything. I can't focus. And I have so much I want to do, that I can't get anything done. I want to bake cookies. And decorate them. For me! Just for fun. That probably won't happen. sigh

Repeat Fish

A few years ago I tried to make a fish cake for my fisherman neighbor. His dad requested a gar. I made a chocolate fish. You can tell it is a fish. That is about the nicest thing I can say about it. LOL

Chocolate gar?

This year his wife asked me to try again. This time we were thinking catfish. Try, try again.

I will have to figure out how to flip it later. I think it is better, but still not quite good enough. At least I am getting better.

I also had an order for a cake for Fabianna.  Fabianna just turned six. She put in her own cake request. She wanted a cake with Lalaloopsie(a doll) and Teddy(the teddy she has been dragging around for a couple of years). Sure, I can do that. Unfortunately for me, her mom bought her clothes for Teddy. So, Teddy was dressed up as a butterfly(?) or Fairy(?). I don't know. Sculpt a Teddy? Sure! Sculpt a Teddy with wings? Sure? no problem. GULP! It all worked out.

Lala/Teddy Cake

The rainbow cupcakes were my addition. Fabi's favorite cake is strawberry. Mine is not! I had to sneak in a way to have chocolate cake at the birthday party. Is that wrong? A little, but you know it is all about me! I wish I had thought to take a pic of the cake with the dolls there, too. Next time I'll remember. Right.....that'll happen.

Late Again!

Once again, I got distracted from the task at hand. I mean to do better! I really do. But life keeps getting in the way. Kids, scouts, taekwondo, dinner, laundry, cake, kids, pool maintenance, dishes, facebook. If I could manage to never sit down, quit eating, sleeping, and facebooking, then I could catch up. (So far, it ain't happening.)

I have been bitten by the coupon bug. Sounds crazy, I know. It is crazy. But free nail polish had me flying for days. My cvs fix for today included 2 tubes of toothpaste, 2 John Frieda full repairs, 2 pulsar toothbrushes , 2 fluoride rinses and 1 deo. My total was $11, with ecbs for $11 off my next purchase. It is fun!

I did a cake for my friend, Kim. A welcome back to Texas, Happy Birthday, Graduation cake, all in one. It was a daunting project. This is the result:

Kim's Texas cake

Unfortunately, it did not ride well. It fell over into a lovely pile:

So, so sad.

Kim was so sweet. She took it anyway. I was glad. It would have been heartbreaking to clean all that work out of the back of the burb. I will make it up to her someday.

Today, I finished a baby shower cake. I was trying to match this fabric:

Although not what I had planned, it turned out cute. If I had more time, I would have done more of the toile...

Baby Toile

I have 2 more cakes to do this weekend. I have high hopes! Modeling chocolate is AWESOME!! Forget anything I have previously said about fondant. Modeling chocolate beats it... hands down!!! I am in love! Wait until you see this weekends cakes! Unless they crash...

Long, Hard Week

I know! I know! Haven't been here in forever! Bad Mommy! Bad Mommy! Who knows how many cute, adorable things I have missed recording in the weeks(!) since I posted? Lots, I am sure.

This week started with me being sick. Running fever sick. I rarely get sick enough to run a fever. And a good thing, too, because this ship doesn't run well when the cap'n is down. Thank goodness they are getting old enough to supervise themselves.

Monday- Mom sick. I did manage to move from the bed to the couch. But then had to ask a short person to fetch my pillow because sitting up was too hard. Kids managed fine. House is destroyed, but manageable.

Tuesday- Mom still sick. I manage to work on the laundry a little, but had to go back to bed. Kids are fine with that. Another free day.

Wednesday- Mom is better! Yay! House is trashed. Let's clean it all up to sparkling in as little time as possible! By the time dinner was cooked (first time this week), Mom is well on her way to being dead. Kids aren't quite as happy. "Mom, don't you need a nap?"

Thursday-Mom is betterer. LOL Kids are worse! Rotten, even. What happened to my sweet, biddable children? (Oh shut up! This is my fantasy!) Sarah is swinging between hysterical giggling and pitiful weepiness. Brynna got a band aid stuck in her hair. Eric cut it out! Hello!?!? Then he was all offended because I was not pleased. Caleb spent his day being all outraged. Snarling and yelling and generally being mad every time anyone looked crossways at him. Lauren was pouty and whiny. Why, oh why can't she live across the street? Aiden spends a lot of time stomping his feet and screaming,"I don't like you!" By the end of the day, Mom is more than ready to retreat to her bed. What in the world is wrong with these horrible children? How did they turn into these hellions just because I was out of commission for a couple of days?

Oh, no! I have figured it out and it is NOT good news. For the first time, maybe ever, the kids did not bring home the illness and infect their parents. I think maybe, just maybe, Mom brought it home and infected her babies. Poor little angels. They are in for a rough Memorial Day.

Grammar Police

I am not the grammar police. Really. I just have a few issues that drive me insane. The 'Have a Gooder Morning' commercial for example. (My problem may be worse than I realized. Just having it typed there, mocking me, is making my skin crawl. Just a little bit.) Anyway...

Last night we had mashed potatoes with our dinner. Eric's all time favorite food. He will eat them until he is sick. Then he reheats them for breakfast, lunch. However long they last is how long he eats them. He is my main potato peeler. And the person in charge of putting the mashed potatoes in the fridge after dinner. (So they will be waiting for him come breakfast time.)

Mom, "Son, will you put these up, please?"

Son, "What? Did you mash them individually? You need to watch that grammar, young lady!"

I almost fell out. Not just because he was right, and I hadn't even noticed, but it was so quick. I really admire quick. Especially not having been blessed with it myself. I love my Eric.

For the love of CAKE!

I want to take this moment to thank my baby brother. Thank you for the challenges. The armadillo cake that started it all:

Bryan's Bleedin' Armadillo groomscake

Followed by the not quite successful snake cake. It wasn't pretty but it was a challenge. You added something really special to my life. And I thank you.

Cake

It has been a pretty busy cake week for me. The only week worse is the week of February 20th. When it was going good, it was wonderful. And when it wasn't, it was murder. But they are done.

Saturday's Crossover cake

Hot Pink Gun

Plunger cake

Webelos Crossover 2011

My oldest son is now officially a Boy Scout! No more cubbies for him. Me, on the other hand, I'll be a cubbie parent for about 8 more years.

My Boy Scout

We only went for the day. Once again we did not camp. Maybe next year. LOL. Sarah and Lauren did not go with us and for the most part I did not see the boys all day. Just chasing babies all day.

The babies discovered the joys of the 'forest'. The 'monkey'? forest. Or maybe the murky? forest. I dunno. It was the something forest.

The Monkey Forest

They had such a great time climbing. Up and down and in and out. Over and under, making me follow. It was only slightly exhausting.

They really had fun. And I had fun watching them. When I wasn't terrified of them falling, running into snakes, or disappearing. And who would deny them the joy of the climb?

And then it was time to go to the creek. I had never been to the creek before. Never been over the creek bridge before. I am not a fan of heights. These babies don't seem to suffer from that same affliction. We started over the bridge. Brynna refuses to hold my hand. Then she stops. By now, we are in the middle of the bridge. Aiden is running ahead, Brynna is lagging behind. Mom is in the middle of the bridge praying that she doesn't fall or pass out. Here it is....my shame. I followed Aiden. Left Brynna. There I said it. I am a bad mom. Left my three year old on the bridge to make her own way across. In my defense, I probably would have gone back for her. But I didn't have to. Mr. Moffett, my new hero, walked my baby across the bridge. Not that she was scared or anything. She just didn't want to walk with me. Brat!

Scary Freaking Bridge w/ Mr. Moffett

It was a wonderful day. And exhausting. And dirty. I really don't mind getting dirty. I really don't. But just as soon as I hit a/c, I want to be clean! I hate dirt between my toes. EEwwww!! The boys apparently don't mind.

Aren't they cute?

June 11, 2008

I found an old journal entry (on notebook paper, just floating around). Figured I would add it on here before it disappeared forever.


Today Brynna rolled over for the first time. Front to back.

Aiden has not rolled over yet. I was surprised. He tends to be quicker and he is definitely stronger. He moved a bead from one side of the exersaucer to the other for the first time today. Brynna hasn't done that. When the kids(Sarah or Eric) hand Brynna to me, she moves in a way that reminds me of the little dog on AFV that 'swims' when held over water. Aiden is VERY ticklish. Especially in the waist/groin area. Diaper changes are fun. Poor baby.

The kids are doing a chore competition. Whoever does the most chores gets Sarah's allowance. Second most gets Eric's, etc. Eric runs between chores. He is gonna be hard to beat.

I've found that I still refer to Lauren and Caleb as 'the babies'. Aiden and Brynna are always Aiden and Brynna. I am sure that will change. Someday. (yes, it has)

Math frustrates Sarah to no end. Yesterday, in a meltdown over 567 divided by 18, Sarah wailed,"You mean I have to do math to figure it out?!?!?" I almost fell out. Imagine the horror of having to do math to figure out a math problem. It was funny. Of course, me laughing pissed her off greatly. Thems the breaks.

Can't be put off any longer....

 I wonder how many more of these I can find? LOL. I can hope, right?

Easter Madness!

Easter was pretty quiet this year. The kids and I dyed 5 dozen eggshells. I did have the forethought to set up a table outside. I just forgot to take pics until it was all over.

Aiden had the BEST time!

We didn't manage to confetti them until Easter morning. Why didn't I think to do this outside?

 One good thing about the horribly dry weather we have been having is being able to hunt for eggs outside. We hid 23 dozen eggs outside. It took maybe 10 minutes for them to find them all.

Fabianna-Lauren's best friend

Aiden changed out of the pink and blue boots when we found his shoes in the sand pile.

Aiden and Brynna helped 'hide' the eggs

Then the pelting began!

Isn't that the sweetest thing ever?

And this one, too?

Don't let the expression fool you.

They got me!

And Efrain, too! Bwahahahaha!

It was a good Easter. Too much candy! Way too much Easter grass. Every year I say I will never buy it again. And every year I end up buying it, because it makes Easter candy look so much prettier. Ugh! Sometimes I disgust myself. (rotfl)

Sarah got a flat iron. She was so happy! She did not dye eggs or fill them. Or hide them or find them. But she did smash a couple. So she isn't completely 'too grown up' yet.

The kids got Crayola Color Bubbles from Grandma. They sounded like such a cool idea! And then:

It washed off the kids just fine. And out of most of the clothing. That white shirt is pretty much trash though. I think it comes out IF you don't get it wet and let it dry and then wash it. Like in the case of drool bucket here.

The ducks were busy today!

It was a happy and eventful day. Aren't they all? (Ummm, no) 

Aiden trapped Brynna in a laundry basket. He said she was his dragon. She didn't mind. He was feeding her popcorn through the holes.

Eric killed a wasp. In my kitchen. With wasp spray. Nothing scrubbing down the entire kitchen won't fix. And at least I didn't have to do it. (I have a serious fear of wasps.)

Lauren decided running sideways on the treadmill would be a fun thing to try. Barefoot. Not a great idea. She slipped, caught her toe. She will survive. She lost some skin between her toes (OUCH!) and has various abrasions.

While I was bandaging her up, Aiden and Brynna started a project for me. They are so thoughtful. This is what it looked like:

Five cabinets emptied. I hadn't planned on cleaning out the cabinets today, but really? Do I ever PLAN to clean out my cabinets? And yes, they are wearing each others shirts. 

They also planned for me to take a nap. Why else would they put my pillows in the cabinet?

And, because I wasn't busy and had all this free time, I cut Sarah's hair. She no longer has 26 inches of hair. Is this me doing a happy dance? Why, yes. Yes, it is. It is VERY asymmetrical. And, after tomorrow, will be black and blue again. She is a happy camper. And that makes me happy.

Don't think I have forgotten Caleb. He spent the day buzzing around my head like a gnat. "Mom, will you help me sign up to play Bakugan online? I have a code, Mom. Now, Mom, can we do it now? Please, Mom, I have a code. What is your email? It says I need a parent's permission, Mom." As annoying as that was, it still makes me happy that he waited for permission.

They are great kids. Wonderful human beings. And I am lucky to be their Mom. But a cabinet nap sounds REALLY good right about now.

Mondays are NOT my favorite!

Mondays are NOT my favorite. Almost makes me wish we didn't have weekends. It is so hard to get everything rolling again after taking a couple of days off. Raising kids is exactly like herding cats. At least on Mondays.

Fire!

Last week I had a cake due. On Saturday, I thought. I sent a message to find the pick up time for the next day. I was preheating the oven to start on my latest baking adventure. Kids are meandering about saying,"Mom, it smells like birthday candles in here,"  while I am reading a message that sends me into a panic. The cake is due that evening, not the next day! I jump up to throw the cake in the oven. This is what I find:

Beautiful! One of my angels was baking before me, I think. Little plastic skillet, the matching lid, and green play do. Just what I need to send panic into overdrive! Fortunately, Mom came to herd cats for me while I played with cake. Thanks, Mom!

End result:

Mudbug Cake

                                                    

Maybe I will remember to check the oven for masterpieces before preheating from now on. But I doubt it.

From the Start

   Starting from scratch is a lot harder than I thought. So much to say, and so little. I am hoping this will inspire me to write down all the things the kids are doing. All those stories that, when told to friends, make them say,"I sure hope you are writing this down!" Yeah right! In my spare time. Between 2 and 4 a.m. All I have to do is give up facebook, sleeping, and eating. Then I will have time to do everything I need and want to do.

The Corn Story

Call the kids into dinner. Brynna, 3, wants corn, only corn. Fine. Whatever. One corn on the cob. Two. Three. Ok, she is a corny child. Later, we are having ice cream for dessert. Brynna brings me her bowl, still full. Says,"I am finished, I need more. More corn." Corn on the cob instead of Blue Bell Vanilla? Ok, you strange, strange child.

I give her the corn, but as she prances of with it, she trips. As the cob hits the floor, kernels fly off. It is just horrible. Ruined forever. She is fit to be tied. I stay calm, tell her to pick it up, we can fix this. In typical 3 year old fashion, she refuses. Not in an 'in your face tantrum' kind of way. In an 'I have to go potty, BRB' kind of way. Whatever.

Over the next half hour or so, Brynna comes back with a few requests. A drink, more corn, Dora. She was not impressed with my, "Pick up your corn first." response.

Caleb walks through, spots Brynna's abandoned ice cream. "Mom, can I have Brynna's ice cream?"

Mom: "Ask Brynna."

Caleb:"Brynna, can I have your ice cream?"

Brynna:"When you pick up that corn!"