Saying Goodbye

To my sweetest hero,

Tonight is a night fraught with emotions. Tonight is one of the last nights in a while we will lay together. For you are voluntarily leaving me, but for such a worthy cause. Your absence in our lives is one that we are proud of. So many emotions run through me at any moment’s notice and I am on the verge of tears in the blink of an eye. I can see an American flag blowing in the crisp blue sky and tears of pride shimmer in my eyes. Those tears quickly turn to tears of sorrow as they fall. Soon my tears burn with self hate for the selfish weakness that comes over me.

 It is only three months.

So many families have been separated for much longer, and more often. We have been through worse. So why does it seem harder this time around? Is it because this time we have a family? Or is it because this time around we are seven years wiser and less naive? Is it because three kids later we realize we are not as invincible as we once thought? 

We have known this day was coming for months. But as I do with things I am unable to withstand I pretended it wasn’t happening. I have fought off the tears of self pity to be strong for the world. But in order to move on, the flood gates are bound to explode. Forgive me, my love, for the tears bound to be shed. But once they are, I will once again stand tall and proud, able to look my supporters in the eye. I will be able to smile when asked how you are. I will be able to answer questions of you with no lump in my throat. And I will be able to clearly say “Thank you” with dry eyes to the legion of family and friends who will walk with us and pray for us through this journey. Your children and I will take one day at a time, and pray that they keep you busy enough to help your time fly by. Our Thanksgiving will be filled with grace and thanks for His protection over you. Our Christmas will be colder but grateful of His love given to us the greatest gift. Our New Year will be rung in a little quieter this year with resolutions of love and gratefulness. 

You will be missed every day.

Every day you will be in our hearts, our minds and our prayers.

With love,

Your humble wife

Don't Judge Me

I will admit I have eatin a bowl of ice cream while standing in my closet. Why, you might ask? Because there wasn't a place to sit with out a hanger going into places I would preferably like to keep un-proded. Again you might ask why. Why was I hiding in my closet like a psycho? Because my kids have driven me to it. For one- I just didn't feel like sharing, and for two- I get just a little tired of the guilt that has wrapped itself around me since I peed on that life altering stick so many years ago.

Frankly I am fed up to my eyeballs with this shitty constant nagging parental conscience that follows me around day and night. I would really like to find Jimney right about now and introduce him to the bottom of my husbands work boots. I love Pinterest, don't get me wrong, but I get so sick of the high expectations I put on myself just because these bastards know how to use the right camera angle to make life look so damn simple and carefree. I hate that my fun hobby has that double edge sword thing going on. But I have always heard you live by the sword you die by the sword.

The thing is, I have found a turning point in all this. Or just a point of some kind. We had recently started visiting an adorable church with a little white chapel here in town. We ended up choosing this church because I had become acquainted with the pastor and his sweet family. I really liked how down to earth they were and I knew others from around town who also attended church there. So after we visited the church -stay with me there really is a point- the pastor's wife and I became friends on Facebook.  Now I had always known she was a pastor's wife, so anytime our paths crossed I was sure to warn the hubby and beg the kids to behave. For instance at Miss Priss' slumber party I repeatedly reminded the hubby that in attendance was a preacher's daughter and the daughter of one who works closely with the CPS (That was one stressful night!). So after we became friends on FB I was sure to watch what I said. Then one glorious night she messages me telling me about how she was reading some of my earlier posts and she came across my closet ice-cream adventure. Here's the best part- she loved it! She could relate. She actually had a few stories of her own that made me feel like the clouds opened up and God just smiled down. I mean if she had her own trials of parenthood- and she being a pastor's wife should somehow be bestowed with more virtues that are hardly attainable to us mere mortals- then by God we are all doomed. And by that I mean, dammit it's normal. I'm normal. And for the time being, I am going to embrace these idiosyncrasies. And I'm going to share them with you so you can realize that you're normal too. Or just as crazy as me. Or maybe I really am destined for the looney bin.

So for one, I have long ago stopped shutting the door when I use the restroom or shower. It has been eight years in the making, but it is a habit that I may never be able to break. I either am not allowed this silly little thing called privacy (the wiggly fingers under the door are my subtle reminders), or I have three-kids-ago lost any control over my bladder.There is no time for swinging that door shut and unzipping my pants. Something has to give. I choose my battles wisely. As for the shower it starts out with the ipad full of movies, games, even learning apps that allow him to draw shapes and letters. Only to end up with me having to draw said shapes and letters on the foggy glass as the only way to keep him from coming in to draw it himself. Once again, its all a matter of picking your battles.

I have more than once hidden or rushed to eat a sweet to keep it hidden from the kids. I'm not even sure I can count the times on my fingers. There are a few reason's for this. One is that I'm not sure I'm ready to explain the whole double standards thing yet. I try my best to be sure they maintain a well balanced diet. Well- okay, so I at least try to be sure there is one fruit or veggie in with their chocolate(nutella) sandwiches. Two, the guilt I get when I deny them makes me feel like I just ran over their brand new puppy or something. Then there's the other guilt. The kind that stings just a little too close to home when they say "How come you get to eat one and we don't". My initial response is "Because I am a grown ass woman and if I want to eat a whole box of Twinkies, well then I damn well will!" Only it comes out as "Because I can." Then I look down and notice a few crumbs that have landed so delicately on my fat rolls and snatch them up quickly if only to savor the last remaining morsels. Guilt- it's what's for dinner.

I cuss. I think maybe in one of my past lives I may have been a sailor. I'm not sure, I'm still mulling that one around. The worst part is I cuss at my kids. But to me they are only sentence enhancers. I mean how do they know to take me really serious with out them? I have actually made this into a science experiment. This is how it began, "Your shoes don't belong there, they need to go in your closet."  Apparently they think those are magic words, which magically make the shoes walk themselves into their closet. Then it became "Go put your shoes in your closet." Still there they sat right in the middle of the floor. And finally "Go take your damn shoes to your closet before I throw them in the damn trash!" Wanna guess the result? Yep, the shoes lived to see another day. So here I have to wonder, is it really that bad when it gets the job done, and we can all still hug it out in the end?

I have fed my kids Chef-Boy-R-Dee multiple times in one week. I have eatin out five out of seven nights some weeks. But they never go hungry right? Ours is a rather small town and fast food is limited, but well I'm tired dammit. I will one day find a whole crockpot load full of make ahead recipes and be so organized Martha Stewart would be impressed, but until then some nights ramen noodles will have to do.

I have let my toddler nap in a stinky pull-up. Shit happens right?! Sometimes you know they are stinky, but you are knee deep in something and it can wait two minutes. Only, that toddler who has been running and bouncing nonstop for the last six hours has hit some sort of hidden snooze button and fallen asleep face down in a big pile of toys and possibly a truck halfway up his nose. But let me tell you my friend- DO NOT TOUCH HIM! I know you are thinking how horrible I am, but I would much rather deal with a little extra baby powder than a mini version of a tired, cranky and now stinky man. You know what I'm talking about ladies.

I threaten my kids with death. My mother used to have a favorite saying, "I brought you into this world and I can take you right back out." This is not what I mean. I am a cautious person by nature. Ironically I think it has only developed since I have had kids. I want my kids to be cautious too. I don't just tell them not to talk to strangers. I tell them all the scenarios a stranger can try to entice a child and then warn them what will happen if they get snatched. I tell them if they leave our front door with out us knowing they could be killed by a car or a stranger can get them. I tell them they can die in the pool, or even the bubble bath they dearly love. I show them who to go to incase they get lost at the store, or the fair. My kids have long had their address memorized if they need to tell a police officer. But I also use it to my advantage. I go to kiss them goodnight only to step on some stupid pointy toy and start that cussin all over again. Then I tell them if our house were to catch on fire, they would die because they couldn't get out with all these toys on the floor. It works. The toys get picked up pretty quick.

I have literally ran and hid when I heard "I'm telling mom!". I have screamed at the top of my lungs in the car when they wouldn't stop screaming. I have left my fit throwing child in one isle at Wal-Mart and walked away down another isle (you should have seen the other panicked moms). I have my kids wear dirty socks to school when I didn't feel like searching for the all elusive clean matching pair. Hey at least it wasn't dirty underwear.

All things considered, our house is a pretty normal household. I  might not be a Pinterest mum, but there is love and laughter in our house. I care about my kids well being, I try to mold them into useful caring members of society, I try to teach them small things to monumental lessons, but most important I love them with every ounce I have. There will never be any perfect parenting style, those who say there is are lying bastards only out for your money.

So break out those ice cream bowls moms, cause we deserve it dammit!

Dog Days of Summer

I just adore summer-time at our house. Don't get me wrong, our house gets visits by the "Get out of my room!" and the ever-nerve-grinding "I'm telling mom!" or my absolute mortal enemy "I'm bored!". Not sure about you, but those guests are not welcome at our home. So we try to pack our dog days of summer full of activities to keep those pesky visitors at bay.

We had so much fun baking in the scorching Texas heat, that we forgot to do much documenting. So I decided to compile it all here and now and do a Wonderfully Delighted Family summer recap.So sit back in your AC and enjoy the ride.

First up our Annual trip to Beaver's Bend.
We came across this cabin up at Beaver's Bend
last year, purely by dumb luck and fell in love
with it all- the cabin, the park, the town, all of it. We were so excited to be able to go back again this year.

All packed and ready to go!

Typical picture of my kids.

Either they make funny faces or they

don't look at the camera at all!

 

            

 Keeping cool in the water!

 

We got to see the Statue of Liberty-

 in Oklahoma?!

All those hikes in the woods to find Big Foot and we happen to find him at a shop on the highway!?

All relaxed and headed back to reality!!!

Next up- a week long Vacation Bible School.

The extremely generous friends at The First Presbyterian Church welcomed our girls to vacation bible school that lasted a whole week. 

They had such a blast!

The Beast wasn't old enough to go to VBS so he had to hang with Mom.

 

We also were very fortunate and were awarded by The Hubster's work for helping him make a special project for a class he taught. The Brat Pack got to get all dressed up and go to Daddy's work for a special surprise. In hindsight I maybe should have told them what was happening so that I could have explained the proper behavior they should exude. I don't know how, but I forgot that Ky Bug has no filter from her brain to her mouth, however she definitely entertained the entire room of The Hubster's co-workers. 

We got to play with our cousins at the Sprinkler Park. Well the girl's loved it, The Beast wasn't quite too sure. Let me tell you sprinkler parks are a mother's dream- the kids get to play in water and cool down, while mom doesn't have to worry so much about them drowning. I want one in my backyard! But that's for another day.

     Grandpa got a horse!!!














        

  We decided to perform a Random Act of Kindness.

 







We made chocolate covered pretzels and presented them with a cold bottle of water and a RAOK note in our mailbox for our mail carrier. Weeks later we decided to start visiting the church the girl's attended VBS only to have our mailman introduce himself to us. Small world here in BFE.

  

Independence day!!! 

BBQ, Family, Fun, Fireworks.... need I say more?

Let us not forget the ultimate fun we have been enduring with a certain three year old Beast

 in the form of potty training! I repeat Ultimate Fun!! 

 Daddy took The Beast to

 potty on the four wheeler. How exciting!

 The Rodeo.

 

The Hubster, Miss Priss and I had loads of fun at the rodeo. 

Ky Bug cried and whined the entire time to go home, and The Beast fell asleep.

All in all they got to dress up in their cowboy gear so it was worth it

.

 That's right. That sticker means she rode The Bull and lived to tell about it.

A Day at the Park. 

 

The State Park that is.

 You see that? That sisterly love?!! That is what makes it all worth it!

 

 

 RAOK # 2

 The Brat Pack and I decided to buy some school supplies for a few of our friend's kids starting school. They were very grateful!

 

 

Three nights a week this

 is what filled our hot nights. 

 But it did allow us many visits to new restaurants. 

Summer started winding down and we had to get ready for school. 

We got haircuts.

Mommy and Daddy signed up for College!!!

.

The Brat Pack behaved so well during the entire process.

All third graders received Bibles at church.

 

It sure felt like we were running non-stop the entire summer but not so much when put on paper. Isn't that the way it always is though? Well, we sure had tons of fun and tons of headaches but we wouldn't change any of it for the world. Bring on the Fall!

 

Summer's End

Mint Oreo Truffles

Hello there.

It's been awhile I know. A whole two months packed with fun exciting memory makers with the brat pack and not a single post. My bad! I will have to search through my picture library and backtrack.

But I do have a yummy post to share with you all.

I found this tantalizing pin on Pinterest in one of my many moments of procrastination. You know the type- sitting smack dab in the middle of a couch full of clean clothes needing to be folded and put away, all the while your three year old dressed only in a pull-up runs around bringing more and more toys to cover any- heaven for bid- clean spot on your floor all to the sound track of Curious George on the big screen for noise purposes only, because honestly how could he actually be watching it while moving at 100 miles per second? No? That can't just be happening at my house only can it?

Once again I digress.

This recipe was for Oreo Lemon Drops. Unfortunately I live in BFE and our Super Wally World does not carry such exotic tastes as Lemon Oreos. But they do carry Mint Oreos and Peanut Butter Oreos. So we grabbed the mint ones and mint extract instead of lemon extract and voila!

So here it goes:

Ingredients

• 1 pkg. Mint Oreos
• 4 oz. Fat Free Cream Cheese
• 12oz. White Chocolate (I used white chocolate chips)
• 1 tsp. Mint Extract
• 6 drops Neon Green Food Coloring
• Canola Oil, if needed

Directions

1. Use the food processor on the entire package of cookies until they are crumb-like. 
2. Next, add in the cream cheese and pulse again until all is mixed thoroughly. 
3. Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper.
4. Mix should make about 24 balls, approximate size 1" in diameter, and place them the parchment paper. When they're all made, place the entire baking sheet in the freezer for at least 30 minutes to allow them to chill. This will allow the melted chocolate to adhere better. 
5. Prepare the melted chocolate five minutes prior to dipping the cookie mixture into the chocolate by melting the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds stir thoroughly and melt for 30 more seconds. The more you stir the more it will melt the rest. 
6. Blend in the mint extract and food coloring and stir well. If the food coloring clumps up the chocolate add a few drops of canola oil to help make it smooth again. Then dip each ball into the chocolate using a spoon and place back on the baking sheet. To make it look pretty drizzle the extra melted chocolate over the top; then place the Mint Oreo Truffles back into the fridge for at least 1 hour until ready to serve.  

I took these treats to work with me and they were a big hit. One coworker still asks for more "Chocolate Meatballs" as she likes to call them. Next I think I'll try the Peanut Butter ones. I'll let you know how that goes.

These are very easy to make but look like they would be more difficult. So in essence these are a good go-to when you are wanting to impress someone with your amazing baking abilities. Just be sure to be humble when they fawn all over you.  

Just a little Random Act of Kindness

So I have long realized my family and I have been truly blessed in life. One thing I have come to learn is that the more you do for others, the more you get in return. There is no better feeling than doing something nice for one another with no strings attached. This is one lesson I am continuously reminding my children. They actually do really well with showing kindness to others, I only wish they would show the same to each other! That's a project for another day.

There are so many posts out there with lists of ideas on Random Acts of Kindnesses. It doesn't matter how big or small the act is, nor if it cost money or not. All that matters is a simple act that makes another person smile. Opening a door for a stranger, taking someone's shopping cart to the cart return, buying someone's dinner, visiting strangers in a nursing home. There is such a variety of things we can all do to make this world a happier place. Look here for more ideas and jump on this friendly bandwagon, the more is definitely the merrier!

Our family is pretty bad with checking our mail these days. Sometimes it gets piled up so bad, I'm not sure how the mailman gets more in there. I know it has to frustrate him, so to make up for it today the kids and I made some red, white and blue chocolate covered pretzels for our mail-carrier.

They decked them out with red and blue sprinkles and after it was done they had even more fun licking the bowl. We tied a pretty bow (with a ribbon that I didn't even know I had that matched perfectly- see how things just fall into place when you do for others?) around the Tupperware bowl, printed out a Random Act of Kindness tag and put it all in the (empty) mailbox with the flag up. The kids stayed on lookout, and when he stopped at our mailbox the kids got to run out and wave at "Ronnie" (Ky-Bug asked him his name).

I may be a major dork, but I can't help but imagine their hearts growing just a smidgen more every time we do something like this. I sure feel like mine does.

Smile at a stranger today, open a door for a mother with full hands, hand out bottles of water to maintenance men working on the side of the road, your heart will feel just a little bit lighter I promise! I'd love to hear from you!

Terrarium

Have you ever bought a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store and wondered how you could use the plastic container to recycle it? No? Just me huh?

I had found this pin recently and decided to save a container to make a terrarium with the kids for scientific research. Which in essence means after I found this pin, I quickly dedicated one night's dinner specifically to that heavenly smelling chicken specifically for my Pinterest addiction. But as projects typically do around my house, it got put on the back burner for a few weeks.

Until my Kylie Bug found a new pet and asked if we could keep it. Meet Spotty McDotty. She found her beloved ladybug at her kindergarten field day. I was so proud of how well she shared the ladybug, as she and her friends continuously passed it around. But inevitably it was my turn to babysit the darn thing while they jumped in the bounce house. I just knew what I would be up against if I lost it. Twenty plus 6 years olds all giving me that knowing look. I quickly polished off her juice barrel, stuffed some grass in and made him a nice little temporary home. I take my babysitting responsibilities very seriously you know.

Too bad I don't take my research quite as seriously. Apparently an enclosed terrarium is not the ideal place for a wild ladybug to live. (maybe next time we should try a domesticated one) So Spotty only survived the Rude household for about a week. However the plants in the terrarium are doing well. It's been a month and they have only been watered the initial first time. It's pretty cool to see how the terrarium makes it "rain", leaving you free from watering.

I have to say this makes a pretty good rainy day project. You should try it sometime. (Minus the dead ladybug!)

Mmmmm

Sorry it's been awhile. I was so excited to show you guys our newest project- our new coffee station, but it hasn't been completed yet. Did I mention it was for Mother's Day? Weeks ago. Yeah. My list of unfinished projects is getting longer and longer, I know.

So anyhow, last week I was blessed with the opportunity to switch to the day shift at my work and I am soaking it all up for however long or short it lasts. You would never know how much you miss dinner, baths, and bedtime until you get stuck on night shift. Last Friday night we got to enjoy one of my favorite family past times- movie night. Best of all- the kids are on a superhero streak and the hubster chose The Green Lantern. Ryan Reynolds in a tight green costume, you think I was complaining? Mmmmm.

All this presented me with the perfect opportunity to try a recipe I found on Pinterest.

Now, we had already had the pleasure of tasting this recipe at a prior family get together. My sister in law made it a few months back but with so much going on with such a big family I wasn't sure if my little family got any. Check out her recipe on her blog here.

I digress. The recipe is for a large bowl size so it does make a good go-to for parties or get togethers. However, by the end of the movie the bowl was pretty scraped clean. Even my pickiest eater devoured two bowls. So it's definitely a winner at our house. And I feel just a little less guilty since it has the word salad in it's name.

With no further ado I give you:

Snicker Caramel Apple Salad  

What you need:

1 large package of vanilla instant pudding
1/2 cup of milk
1-16 oz. container of cool whip
4 apples ( I prefer the tang of green apples with this.)
6 regular sized snickers bars
1/2 cup of caramel ice cream topping

What to do:

Chop the apples unpeeled into bite-sized cubes
Chop the snickers into bite sized cubes
In a large bowl mix the pudding, milk, and cool whip together
Fold in the apple bites
Fold in the snicker bites
Drizzle the caramel over the top
Chill in the fridge for about an hour before serving.


Okay so here's the small changes I made. First off , don't forget I usually have 1-3 kids with me as I'm shopping. So when I was picking up the snickers I thought I was being clever by getting the 12 pack of fun bites. You know, two of those would equal one regular right? So in reality it would probably take three of those to equal one regular, but hey I'm blonde! So ours didn't have as much snickers as the recipe called for, but truth be told I thought it was plenty. Then you know how it says to chill for an hour. Yeah, well we couldn't wait that long. But it was gobbled up in no time anyway.

It was relatively quick, easy and delicious. Totally makes you say "Mmmmm".

What are you waiting for?

 Go get your snickers.


Don't forget to check back soon. You never know, I might just get the whim to finish a project.