Bragging moment! I'm allowed.......I'm the Mum.

We've started a new adventure in this household. It is called following this Native to wrestling meets, cheering and making fools of ourselves, and when it is all over realizing that I must be clenching my jaw the entire time because it is so sore and my whole body is shaking. INTENSE doesn't even cut it!



This Native (the one in the blue BYU shirt) came to The SM and I and told us he wanted to try his hand at wrastlin'. Beings as The SM was a wrastler in his day I knew I didn't stand a chance in the world from keeping my little baby boy out of the arena!

Two weekends ago we took this Native and headed down south to a tournament. I had noooo idea what we were in for. As we pulled up to the high school and saw the entire parking lot filled with cars this Native said, "oh boy". I assured him all of those cars couldn't possibly be for the tournament. There must be a basketball game or volleyball game.......cricket? Perhaps an under water basket weaving competition but definitely not there for wrastlin'.

I've a lot to learn. Rule number one: When going to a wrastlin' tournament.....don't bring the younger Native's. Sitting on their bahooties in the bleachers for four hours gets very very very boring. Unless their older brother is out on the mat wrastlin' and then it gets exciting for about five minutes. Then you are back to picking lint out of your belly button.

When it is all over and your son has wrastled five matches you take photos of him waiting with his coach and The SM to find out where he placed in the tournament.



And you hear your sons name announced and he is given a medal.........



Which he places around his neck.......



And then you make him stand there with his coach while you take pictures of him cuz you are so stinkin' proud.

This Native has never wrastled before, this was his first tournament, (he'd wrastled in one small meet previous to this) and he got the silver!

I taught him all those moves by the way.......just don't tell his coach. I wouldn't want his coach out of a job.

I am thankful for.....

a lot of things but today I want to talk about The SM. He says he wishes I'd quit talking about him on my blog because it embarrasses him. Me? Embarrass someone? Naw!

Seventeen and a half years ago The SM was hit in the head really hard. The end result....he married me. I'd apologize but it was the only way I could get him to look in my direction! While he was still loopy and not seeing right I made him promise to marry me. True story!

Soon there after, the first Native was on the way and so was everything I tried to eat. On the way up. Seven Natives later and finally good health!

Well, things don't always turn out like we plan and once again, The SM has stepped up to the plate. The SM has never been one to come home, put up his feet while grabbing the remote, and ask what is for dinner. He walks in, grabs me for a kiss, rolls up his sleeves, and dives in helping where ever help is needed. Dinner, diaper changing, baby feedings, The Native's homework, etc.

Over the past year I have watched this man that I am so in love with it should be illegal take on not only the role of daddy but also mommy, breadwinner, and continue in his church callings. The load he carries on his big broad shoulders is immense and not once has he complained.

When he is weary at the end of the day many times he has carried me up to bed, tucking me in, and then rubs my feet with lotion. I love having my feet rubbed.......and then he goes to his computer and continues to put in hours and hours researching trying to find a cure for WNV.

Sigh.....what can I say? The man is sexy. Very very sexy and I love him and am thankful for him.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving to all! What are you thankful for?

Crackpot Tuesdays

Photo by Taste of Home


Levi was supposed to pick the crackpot meal. I say supposed because it went something like this:

(The Mum places the cookbooks before Levi)

Mum: Levi what do you want for dinner?

(Levi starts flipping through the colored photos)

Levi: I want this one and this one and this one and this one and this one and this one and this one and this one and this one and this one and this one and this one....

Mum: Levi you have to pick just one!

Levi: And this one and this one and this one and this one and this one......

Mum: Levi, you like lasagna. How about this lasagna one?

Levi: I like lasagna and this one and this one and this one and this one and this one and this one.

Mum: Levi, how about this one with rice? You really like rice.

Levi: I like rice and this one and this one and this one....

What's a Mum to do? I chose for him. I found a recipe that I had all of the ingredients for and didn't have to haul my lazy bahootie off to the grocery store. I chose Chicken a La King. With Levi in mind of course.....because he likes rice and this one and this one and this one.......

Our verdict? I think I put too much Tabasco sauce in The Native's bottles when they were babies. We thought it was bland. Needs more spicing up so we gave it three stars. Easily could be four stars with more salt and cayenne pepper. Also, I would suggest putting the gr. peppers in with the frozen peas at the end unless you like slimy soggy peppers. If you do, then feel free to put them in in the beginning like the recipe says. It's your crackpot! Also, I didn't have just frozen peas. I had frozen peas and carrots which actually turned out nice since I didn't have any pimientos in my pantry.....who does? I didn't know that people actually bought and put those things in their food until about a year ago. I thought when green olives were born they had a red gizzard that when passed around at Thanksgiving were pulled out of the gr. olive and flicked at each other....

He's eleven!!

This Native turned eleven last week! Being the totally cool rad parents that we are, we haven't celebrated yet BUT, Mr. M got a cool new uniform cuz he's hit A major milestone. He's no longer a cub. He has graduated from the blue uniform to the manly khaki.



Every totally cool scouter needs a Boy Scout baseball cap with LED lights!!




He is now a full fledged Boy Scout.....heaven help me.....



Mr. M received his Arrow of Light, walked across the bridge from Cubs into Scouts, and earned all TWENTY of his Webelos pins. Guess what? Wanna know what Webelos stands for? We Be Loyal Scouts. I've been in this program waaaay too long and have how many more to go?



So, we haven't actually gotten to the celebrating part yet...that happens later this week but we did ask Mr. M what he wanted for dinner and he said corn dogs. I am soooo surprised...... I'm way cool with that being the totally hipster mom that I am so I was ready to go out and buy a box of ridiculously healthy frozen corn dogs but noooooo! Not in this house!




The SM took the reigns and said if Mr. M wanted corn dogs we were going to do it Rubow style. Bigger, badder, better. It's a guy thing. Home made, deep fried, jumbo hot dogs in the center, corn dogs! As you can see, Mr. M was thrilled..

Oh and P.S. Mr. M? Your dad would like his sun glasses back.....

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".