I wanna love song for me!

As I have stated before, when I am driving in the car with The Natives we like to crank the music and belt along. It isn't pretty but it is what we do. We love and sing all sorts of genres and it's great! That is.....until lately. I've been really getting bugged. I have noticed that every love song out follows the same theme.

Blue eyes.....blond or red hair. I've even heard songs about green eyes! Have you EVER heard a song about the color of cow pie eyes and stringy brown hair? Neither have I!

What pray tell, is wrong with eyes the color of cow patties and hair that has sticky syrup in it left over from the hug that was given by a little Native? HUH? And while I'm on this subject......how come no one ever writes songs about the way a mother moves after she's birthed a gazillion gremlins.....or the way her behind has epileptic fits as she walks down the street! Or a belly button that used to be an inny but is now a stretchy?

This is love baby AND IT'S SEXY! Sniff!

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go and put some heat on my neck because I took a walk this morning and the after shocks from my jiggling backside sent seismic activity up my back and dislocated my neck!

Knitting for dummies......101

It's done! It is finally done! I made a sweater and you wanna know what? It actually turned out so cool and it fit and I was so proud of it and one sleeve wasn't longer than the other and I was able to get the ends of the sleeves to match in color along with the ends of the sweater and........



Question: How come sheep get wet all of the time and they don't shrink?



Cuz now my sweater.....is now my daughters.........

New use for knitting needles! They make great kindling.......

Levi. A show that will melt your heart

What do you get when you mix someone really talented, who has a gift, an eye behind a lens that can capture something beautiful, and a little boy named Levi?



If you go here to this site you can see the images even better.

Last Saturday Mr.Z came and spent several hours photographing Levi as Levi worked and played. Levi spent a good hour out in the elements raking leaves and moving them from one side of the yard to the other on his wagon that has seen better days. Even when the snows started to come sideways at us Levi kept moving leaves and Mr.Z behind his camera captured it all.

Mr. Z as you recall from this post and this news article isn't just an awesome school teacher, he is also a photographer and as you can see....a very talented photographer who was a really good sport on Saturday.

Thanks Mr. Z for capturing "Levi".

Crackpot Tuesdays and Reflections

Photo by Taste of Home


This week was my baby girls turn to choose the crackpot meal and she chose, "Zippy Steak Chili".

From the moment I gave birth to The Natives I was shoving Tabasco sauce down their throats. If you haven't done the same or something similar this may be a bit zippy for you, your kids, your grandma, your grandma's cat....

Easily remedied.....cut back on the spicy ingredients. As for chili starter......what in tarnation is that? I just added two cans of chili.......

The family gave this 4 stars. For chili they thought it was pretty darn good and I had to agree with them.



I don't know about you but chili goes with cornbread like pizza goes with root beer......can't have one with out the other. I mean you can.....but you're missing out on the full experience. I'm not a fan of dry crumbly cornbread so I like The SM's aunts recipe that we tweaked a bit.

Aunt Gail's Cornbread

1 C. butter (trust me, it's worth it)
1 2/3 C. sugar (trust me, this too is worth it)
4 eggs (See? It gets healthy)
2 C. buttermilk
1 tsp. baking soda
1 C. cornmeal
3 C. flour
1 tsp. salt

Melt butter, add and stir in rest of ingred. stirring well. Bake in greased 9x13 for 30-40 min. at 375 in a metal pan, 350 in a glass pan. (We add a can of creamed corn and a can of diced gr. chili's.) (I didn't add the gr. chili's yesterday cuz I didn't want to. I'm allowed to do that every once in awhile...leave out an ingredient just cuz.)



Last week it was Reflections and Mr. M and Miss K wanted to participate. Miss K entered a painting and a musical piece on the piano. She won a ribbon for her painting and a trophy for her musical piece. The theme for this year was, "Beauty is..." Miss K painted a horse because she feels that beauty is the life of a horse and being a part of that life. Watching a horse being born, watching the horse grow, training the horse, and spending your life with your horse. Her musical piece had to do with the sound of horses hooves when they are galloping. Miss K said she loves the sound of horses galloping.



Mr. M entered photography. Mr. M chose "Beauty is.......in the eye of the beholder". He went around taking photos of eyes. The smart little stinker then uploaded his photos, cut and pasted them, and then printed them. I still can't do that! Photo editing......pfffft. What's that?

We pretty much think these two rock for doing so well in Reflections.

No more spoons today.

Ive used up all of my spoons today.....nothing more to give.......too tired to write.......maybe tomorrow........

Some photos speak for themselves.

I have nothing to say......

The Sense of Sound

Last night as I turned out the light, snuggled under my down comforter, and prepared to slide into a land of peaceful slumber I was jolted by the sound of sirens. Lots of sirens and it reminded me of something I'd written in my journal awhile ago on an evening much like last night. A night full of sirens.

The five senses are amazing. Each one can trigger a memory and transport you back to a moment you'd thought you'd forgotten. A taste, a touch, a sound, a smell.....All can bring back a vivid recollection and it is as if you were transported back in time reliving that experience again.

The other night I was driving my oldest son to spend the evening at a friends house. We had the windows down and were belting out the words to the song playing on the radio. I am grateful that my son has great taste in music and likes the same songs that I do. Everyday as I drive him to and from school we belt out the words to whatever song is on the radio. A time I cherish.

Last Friday evening was no different and as we were driving along the back roads of town another sound started to press its way into our senses. A sound that made us immediately tun off the radio so we could see where it was coming from and if we needed to get out of the way, a siren. A screaming message that help was on the way to who ever was in trauma waiting, listening for that sound that never gets there fast enough even if the ambulance is just around the corner from where you live. A sound that means hope.

Every time I hear a siren, and I do often since we live a block away from the fire station, I say a prayer. A prayer for those who are in trauma waiting for the piercing sound that means help is on the way.

I know what it is like feeling helpless watching your baby or loved one struggling. There is nothing you can do. So you wait. You wait for the sound of a miracle.

I hate sirens. I hate what they mean and yet it is the very sound you want to hear desperately and every fiber of you strains to hear when there is trauma.

I am grateful to the people behind the sirens. I'm grateful for their willingness to drop everything and come to all of our aid and when they come in..it isn't like in the movies. They come in quietly and there is a sense of reassuring calm as they assess the situation.

So next time you hear a siren, take a moment and offer up a quick prayer of comfort to those who are waiting and to those who are coming to offer aid.