A Poem

You might think a shirt sleeve

is a very nice thing

for wiping your nose or your mouth

except when your mother sees it

then you might get smacked

on the back of the head

with a pointed directive to,

"Use your napkin!" instead.

                            -Sydney Larson

Luck Of The Irish

"The day started as any day.  

As any day you would expect to see come springtime.  The sky was brooding and dark, the clouds looked bruised and wrung dry.  The air hung heavy with the scent of leftover rain.

As I pondered the gloomy day over my cup of mint tea I thought I heard a strange noise.  

I knew I'd heard a noise . . .  there it was again, the scurry of little feet and the jovial laugh of  . . .  could it be . . .  a leprechaun!  I knew I had to move fast or I would miss my chance for fame and fortune.  

What to do?  What to do?

It came to me in a flash.  I'd set a trap.  

It'd be brilliant! 

I rushed to find my supplies, a hat, a whoopie cushion and a trail of chocolate covered sunflower seeds.  Everyone knows that leprechauns love a good joke and surely they couldn't resist chocolate.  Once they snatched that cushion the hat would fall and their pot of gold would be mine.  MINE, MINE, MINE.  

It was with glee that I bounded up the path to set my trap.  The sun decided to peek through the clouds as if to see what all the fuss was about.  That was when I remembered that today was St. Patrick's day and knew that luck would be on my side.  How could I fail?

I crouched behind the bushes patiently waiting, just out of sight, then I heard them again.

They were coming!!!!!

I could hardly contain myself.  My hands shook with excitement as I tried to hold the camera steady.  I needed to capture this moment!

And then . . .

I kissed my blarney stone for good luck.

And then . . .

I snapped the picture.

TO BE CONTINUED.

::

I hope you're feeling the green.

Several months back I agreed to participate in Amanda's (aka Dumb Mom) totally awesome blog photo chain.  It works like this.  A disposable camera is mailed to each participant, who takes one photo, only one and then mails it to the next person in the chain.  I just happened to get it today.  So we will have to wait until the camera makes its way back to Amanda to see if I was successful in capturing a leprechaun or not.

I'll letcha know!

Cheers."

::

So if all that seems familiar, it is, it's a reprint from two years ago.

Anyway . . .

After more than a year the camera finally showed back up at Amanda's house and she got the pictures developed, but because it had taken so long and I suspect didn't turn out the way she had hoped, she didn't do anything with it until now.  If you would like to see her post you can go here.

The pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

This is the picture I took with the disposable camera.

The following are the pictures I took with my camera.

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!

Sugar Lips

So we all know that yesterday was Valentine's Day or as some of my friends like to call it "Single Awareness Day".

Anyway . . . last night at about 7:30 someone rang the doorbell and ran so when we opened the door no one was there but there were cupcakes on the door step for the boys.   And as much as I love them and despite all their begging I was not about to let them have a cupcake at bed time.

Because some how I knew that eating this . . .

 . . . would result in this.

 And just so you know, I could kiss that face all day long.

Today

Today its cold and we have an inversion so its smoggy as well.  We did have some freezing rain yesterday, but it wasn't enough to scour out the valley, so I can't believe I am saying this, but I really want a storm to blow through and give us some relief from the poor air.

Today TR goes to see a specialist about his vision.  Seems like the meds he has been prescribed for RA could be negatively affecting his vision, not good for a dump truck driver.  We would appreciate your prayers.

Today HT had pajama day at school and couldn't have been more thrilled.  Seems to me that maybe this might be why some people think wearing your pj's in public is acceptable.  I'm not a big fan of pajama day in school.

And EM . . well today he peed his pants and is now naked from the waist down.  I'm going to have to do something about that . . and just when I think I have him potty trained.

Argh.

What about you, how's your day?

"Bunker" Beds

That's what the boys call them, not bunk beds but "bunker" beds.  Just in case you were wondering.

So yeah, we set up the bunk bed we have had in the garage for several years, figured it was about time, since EM has just about outgrown the toddler bed.  I keep pushing down on his head but he refuses to stop growing.  Beside HT has been begging us to set them up for months.

And in honor of EM getting a "grown up" bed I made him a quilt for Christmas.

I had been given the "Cars" panel and this is what I came up with to make it fit on a twin size bed, it measures 68 x 84 and I backed it with a very cozy flannel.  I thought it turned out quite nice and he likes it too.

See what you can do with no pattern and a little imagination.

One of these days I may dust off my mad decorating skillz and make them matching blankets.

Ta ta for now!

Christmas Pictures

Because I can.

Aw Christmas, its the most wonderful time of the year, at least that's what I have always heard, some are good, some are great and some . . . not so much.  This year was pretty nice all things considered.  The boys sure had fun and I didn't get too stressed so I would say Christmas 2012 was good.  Some of us spent the whole day in our pajamas.

The Christmas Eve service at church was very entertaining as always with the kids doing the "impromptu" live nativity.  All are included.  EM pretty much thought he should be a part of everything everywhere and was all over the stage during the whole thing.

Every time they lit the candle at church during advent he wanted to have the fire.

HT "sang" in the children's choir so EM thought he should be up there too.

Even Papa got in on the act, since none of the children wanted to play the donkey that carried Mary, he volunteered.  This is a man who isn't afraid to make himself look foolish for the sake of his children.  A man recently diagnosed with RA and in considerable pain on his hands and knees for the sake of the children.  I do love him so.  I'm pretty sure he enjoyed himself also.

New Years was spent with the boys early to bed along with their papa who had a nasty cold, that is still lingering, and I sat up by myself, sewing, binding a quilt actually until at least 10:00pm.  We sure do know how to ring in the new year, don't we?!

A Christmas List

It seems that, especially at this time of year, everyone has a list, whatever it may be we put it on a list.  Whether we shop for groceries or Sub for Santa, we all have our lists.  Our children have a list for Santa. We adults have a list of things to do, preparations to make, places to go, for groceries, gifts to buy and a list of bills to be paid.  We spend a lot of time stressing over our lists, we cross one thing off and then add another two.  In our efforts to do it all we wear ourselves out, we become discouraged, that perfect moment we hope for is elusive and often lost in our own exhaustion and sometime short temper.  We convince ourselves that if we can just do it all, everything will be all right, but it rarely turns out the way we thought it would or should because we are trying to live up to a standard that is only possible with a screenwriters imagination and a Hollywood budget.

So this Christmas I would like to offer you a different list, my list, a gratitude list.  Rather than focusing on what I think needs to be done, I'm going to focus on what has been done for me.

Things that I am grateful for, the gifts in the ordinary things that I so often overlook in all my busyness.

Things like:

• a love note on the mirror in the morning
• an early morning cuddle with a boy or two
• a kiss on the cheek
• clean sheets on the bed
• an old fashioned game of Scrabble
• a humble winner and a gracious loser
• a boy remembering his brother when a treat is offered
• a sister, whose door is always open
• a willing babysitter
• brothers who defend me
• the delight a boy takes in Winnie the Pooh
• the first day of Kindergarten
• a walk to/from the school bus stop
• soap bubbles on the breeze
• a boys fascination with birds on a wire
• a book read by a boy learning to read
• lunch with a friend
• Sizzler on a Sunday after church
• a boy who likes to eat broccoli
• hot tea on a cold day
• a finished quilt
• that stillness that comes at the end of the day
• and that I am forgiven.

Forgiven.

Forgiveness our greatest need, the greatest gift given in our savior, that gift we all so desperately need but all too often fail to ask for or to offer.

I hope and pray that this year you will find that gift, in both the giving and the receiving, and that in the finding you will be blessed, beyond measure.

Merry Christmas

"Glory to God in the highest

and on earth

peace

good will toward men."

Luke 2:14