A 23 Sticker Salute

I recently celebrated a birthday and, for this joyous occasion, my side of the family sang one of the worst renditions of "Happy Birthday" that I've ever experienced.  But you know what...I genuinely felt the love in their voices.  It may not have been in three part harmony, or even always in tune, but it was beautiful in its own "special" way.  Ha Ha. ( I don't think anyone in my family is going to make it big in Nashville, let's just leave it at that.)

I always love to check the mail near my birthday because of all of the great cards that friends and family send me, but there's one card that I really, really look forward to each year.  It's a card from my church.  Each member of my family receives one on their big day.  Here's why I love it.

On the outside it looks all serious and Hallmark-ish, but on the inside.....

It's loaded with stickers!  It doesn't matter that I'm a grown up, I still get a full-on sticker attack in my card....23 stickers this year...to be exact.  I don't want to brag, but my husband only got 18 stickers in his card last month.  Mine's better.  I never used to count the stickers, but my kids ALWAYS count and compare their sticker birthday cards, so why shouldn't I?

One of the things I love most is that the dear sweet lady that prepares the birthday cards always goes the extra mile with them!  She even writes "scratch and sniff" next to that extra special sticker. I cherish this! Some years I get a sticker that changes pictures at different angles, and she writes, "Move up and down" so I don't miss it! 

I'm so thankful for this wonderful person in our congregation that makes every birthday feel extra- special.  She's a real jewel!  Can you imagine the time it takes to make one of these for each member of the church?  That must keep her extra busy.  I bet she's gonna get an extra jewel in her crown in heaven for her efforts!

Anyway, my family spoiled me with some spending cash,  fancy skin care products, heavenly smelling perfume, and a meat thermometer. I also got this beauty. It's from my husband and kiddos.  It's from Sheplers, and it's got some of my trademark bling on it!

I also got my very first ever Peacoat from my brother and sis-in-law.  I love it!

 It's actually the first real wool dress coat that I've ever had.  I'm ashamed to say it, but for the last ten years, I've been wearing my Carhartt choring jacket to church with beautiful clothes underneath.  As soon as I entered the church foyer, I'd take it off really quick so no one would see it.  In hind sight, I realize that the "duck brown" color didn't go the best with everything, but I always had a fencing staple or two in the pockets....just in case!  You never know when you're gonna need one at church. I still love my Carhartt for everyday wear, but for special occasions, you just can't beat a classy looking coat!

I'm so glad I have my sister-in-law to keep me clothed in the latest fashions.  She's waaaay cooler than I am.  She's gonna take the redneck right out of me!

I just feel like a new woman with all of my new birthday stuff! I truly am blessed.

Another Lover

Here's what it looked like when I woke up this morning.

When I wake up to find that it's snowing outside, I get little butterflies in my stomach and get a little hitch in my giddy-up. 

I get giddy as a school girl.

Why? Because, whenever there is at least a 2% chance of snow, I reach back into the back of my closet and pull out these:



Hello, Lover.



What you are viewing right now are only the most amazing footwear in the UNIVERSE!

They are more comfortable than Ugg slippers. (I know because I have some.)

They are warmer than sticking your little tootsies next to the wood stove.

They are like wearing a constant foot massage.  Not even joking.

They are my other lover.

If the air smells like snow, then you can find me in my size 8 Sorel snow boots.

I bought them years ago because we spend the entire winter feeding cattle, chipping ice, and hauling hay in the snow, and all my other snow boots just fell apart.  I finally broke down and bought the best.  I've had my Sorels for years, and they've never let me down! 

Besides... our cattle think they're sexy.  They flock to me when I'm wearing them.  At first I thought it was because I had hay for them, but now I'm certain that it's because of the boots. 



Aren't they dreamy?



I wear them everywhere...Walmart, the movie theater, dates with my husband, etc.

Last year it snowed 4 feet, and I wore them to church under my long jean skirt!  All I can say is, there was a double dose of the Holy Spirit in the sanctuary that service.  Whenever I wear heels and pantyhose to church, I dream of that snowy morning, so long ago, when my feet felt alive and free!

Am I saying that you should go out and buy a pair of Sorel snow boots right now?

Only if you want to experience a little slice of heaven on earth.  Only if you want to feel invigorated and vivacious.  Only if you want the sensation of pure bliss!

If you can be satisfied with mediocre footwear, then don't bother.

As for me, I'm going to lace up my two pieces of Paradise, and take a walk outside to check on my chickens in the frigid 2 degree air.  Will my toes get nippy? Nope.

Honey, it's a sunny summer day inside my snow boots, and it's always 98.6 degrees. 

P.S.- This is not a paid advertisement. The folks at Sorel don't know I exist...but I would gladly be their spokeswoman...wink...wink.

Conquering Black Friday!

Here's the blow by blow on the best Black Friday Shopping trip EVER! I brought along a camera for documenting purposes.

At 10:45pm on Thanksgiving, we grabbed a one hour cat-nap before heading out to shop. I made the mistake of putting on comfy clothes for this which made me not want to get up, but I forced myself.  The good deals were calling my name!

11:55pm- Mom and I loaded up and headed down to the Wally-World for the deals that started at midnight.  There were people camped out in the frozen food aisle with lawn chairs.  We grabbed the $1.97 and $5.00 movies that we went there to buy and one of the ladies in a lawn chair woke up and asked us if it was midnight yet so she could get her movies.  I didn't have the heart to tell her that they were almost gone already.

Here we are in my mom's zippy little car at midnight.  Not lookin' too bad....yet.

PTL (Praise the Lord) for my mom's car, because if we had to take my massive crew cab long bed pickup truck we would have had to park a mile away from all the action.

1:15am- Went home and took a 1 1/2 hour cat nap. I decided to sleep in my clothes and I tried to sleep like a mummy so I wouldn't wreck my hairdo or my mascara.  Mom decided to stay up and eat a turkey sandwich.

2:50am- Headed to Kohl's for a HUGE sale.  Pulled into the parking lot to find that the entire state of Arizona was at this particular Kohl's.  The sea of humanity wrapped around the building.  We took a deep breath, plunged into the crowd, and shopped for two hours.

 

Here's our loot. 

Next, we waited in a TWO hour line that wrapped around the store. One person shopped while the other waited in line, and then we switched.  Reporters from the local newspaper interviewed the "Crazy" shoppers in line about what possessed us to shop at 3 am.  If you have to ask, then you wouldn't understand. 

Total time spent at Kohl's= 4 hours

Total spent= $200.47

Total saved= over $400.00 + $30.00 Kohl's cash to spend online tomorrow!

Was it worth it?  ABSOLUTELY!

7:15 am- Arrived at Joann Fabrics.  I'm beginning to fade.  I need sustenance badly!



My eyes are bloodshot.

My mom took 20 minutes to decide on which decorative cellophane packaging she was going to buy for Christmas treats.  She called my dad to help her make a decision.  My legs are still numb from standing in the two hour line at the last store.  I sat in the aisle while she made the call.  Finally I give her the eye..."JUST CHOOSE ONE."

We both decide that I must get food or I won't be able to carry on any longer so we whip into Jack in the Box and grab a breakfast jack and a Dr. Pepper.  I felt refueled and refreshed!  Time for more shopping!

8:20am- The car has a mind of it's own, and swerves right into the Hobby Lobby parking lot.  We spent 1 1/2 hours here.

Ladies...everything in that store was calling my name! I was out of control. I was feeling a little sugar rush from the Dr. Pepper and the awesome gospel music playing on the loud speaker, and it put me in the mood to spend all of my money.  Thankfully my mother intervened before I bought the whole stinkin' store!

10:15am- Headed to Macy's for one item for my mother. The mall was a zoo so we did a Chinese fire drill at the front of the store where I switched to the driver's spot and circled while she shopped.

11:00am- Home to unload packages, eat a turkey sandwich and sleep for 1 1/2 hours.  We took showers, changed clothes and headed out for round two.  This time, my sister- in- law joined us!

2:00 pm- Headed to the cheesecake factory at the mall.  We prayed to Jesus for a parking spot, and I want you to know that there were 4 of them on the aisle we drove down.  A real miracle!

We had our first annual "girl's date" for a slice of Peppermint Bark Cheesecake on the first day it came out for the season.  If you haven't indulged in this little slice of heaven, then run...don't walk, to your nearest Cheesecake Factory!  You won't be sorry!

4:00pm- Toured the mall to walk off the 4 billion fat grams we just ingested. Bought Christmas soaps at Bath and Body Works, and smelled more perfumes and colognes at the department stores than a nose should sniff in one day.  Talk about nostril overload!  I put on 3 spritzes of my favorite expensive perfume and smelled like a street walker for an hour or so until it faded a little. 

5:00pm- Target.  Bought socks, stocking stuffers and looked at bedding.

6:00pm- The menfolk and children began calling to complain of hunger pains.  Who wants to cook after a full day of shopping?  We decide to pick up  pizzas.

8:00pm- Fell asleep on the couch where I proceeded to drool heavily.  I crashed hard!

I know that many people stay locked in their houses on Black Friday because of the crowds, but we experienced nothing but wonderful people full of kindness and Christmas spirit. It was just one day out of the year to miss out on a little sleep, and I treasured getting to spend it with my mom and new sister-in-law.  These little outings are a time of girl bonding, and making fun memories.  Oh yeah, and I saved a chunk of cash and got 3/4 of my Christmas shopping done in one day.

When you live nearly 4 hours from a mall, like I do, then you've got to make your list ahead of time, watch for the sales, and do a shopping marathon when you're in a city.  Now the rest of my shopping will get done online.  I just love great bargains.  What a fun day!

Thanksgiving Wrap-up

When we left yesterday to make our trek down the mountain, I begged my husband to let our two dogs ride up in the cab with us because it was so chilly outside.  I couldn't imagine them sitting in the back of the truck for 4 hours in temperatures below freezing.  My husband reluctantly gave in to my pleading and big brown doe eyes.  Not 5 minutes into our journey, my very old cow dog started getting gassy, and we had to roll the windows down in the freezing cold to get the stale air out of the truck.  I could feel the "I told you so" stares coming from the driver's seat but I kept my eyes straight ahead and pretended nothing at all was going on in the back seat.  I thought to myself..."This could be a very long trip if this old dog doesn't mind his manners."  Besides that one minor detail, the drive went by quickly.

This morning I woke up to the smell of turkey baking in the old turkey roaster.  It used to be my Granny's, and it's faithfully cooked our family's Thanksgiving turkey my whole life.

Every year while the Turkey is cooking, my mom and I look through the sales flyers and chart out our plan of attack for Black Friday while we watch the Macy's Thanksgiving parade. Then, everyone comes to the house around lunchtime, and we feast the day away.

For as long as I can remember, my whole family has also fought over the pre-dinner deviled eggs.  If you arrive late, then "No Deviled Eggs for You!"  They're a hot commodity around these parts.  The black olives go quickly too.....especially when my children do this with their fingers:

I remember doing that very same thing when I was little.  I guess some things never change!

Dinner was fabulous, and as always, I ate waaaaaay too much.  Afterward, we had a fierce tournament in the backyard.  We love to play a game called "Washoes." I don't know how to describe it other than to tell you that you try to toss giant metal washers into a board with three holes in it. My Hubby and I gained back our reigning title from my brother and his wife.  It feels good to be a Champion! We even performed out trademark "Happy Dance" to seal the victory.

The day was even better because temperatures were nearly 70 degrees F. down in the valley,  while it was snowy back home.  We ate dinner on tables on the back porch of my folk's house and it couldn't have been more perfect weather.  We had such a fabulous Thanksgiving.

Up next....a full day of shopping! I've got to catch a few winks before I fight the crowds for the great deals!

Good Night.

Thanksgiving Prep Work

It's T-minus 2 days until Thanksgiving, and I've got a full day of baking to do tomorrow in preparation for the big feast on Thursday.  The problem is that my family is chock full of pumpkin haters, and cream cheese haters.  This makes being in charge of desserts a very big challenge.  Will I still make some desserts with pumpkin and/or cream cheese?  You bet I will!  BUT....I also have to think of several things that don't have a trace of those two ingredients in them.

I'm thinking...apple praline pie, coconut cream pie, and something with Oreos in it...hmmm??? I'll have to think on that one.  The bottom line is...I must think outside the box.

This year we're traveling down to warm weather to celebrate Thanksgiving.  The temperature will be in the low 60's (F).....ahhhhh heavenly.  I just looked at our local weather and it won't even get above freezing here!  It's going to be practically bikini weather down there, when compared to home.

I'm also looking forward to Black Friday shopping on the morning after Thanksgiving.  We'll be in a city that has real malls and stores and not just a Walmart.  Yipppeee!

I've got so much to buy, bake, and pack before we leave that I've got to get off of this computer!  I'm also teaching my 3rd grader long division AND algebra,  my kindergartner's learning how to read, and I'm teaching my 2nd grader cursive.  Three tough things all at once!  It will be a miracle if I find any time at all for baking tomorrow.  We may have to start Thanksgiving break a day early!

All of this baking benefits the chickens too!  They get all of my apple peels and veggie scraps!  Today's treat: Pumpkin!


I've gotta go make my shopping list!  Goodbye for now.

Confessions of a Housewife

This morning the males in my home decided to go meet with other males to shoot at each other with paintballs.  They find this incredibly amusing, and I find it liberating for them to be out of my hair when I need to clean the house.

Because I woke up with the "official" cleaning uniform of all housewives...(my husband's old softball shirt, a pair of fleece pajama pants and a ponytail) I decided to give my house a real good scrubbing.  The kind of cleaning that nobody except for me and Jesus would notice.  Do you know what I mean?

I took the kickboard off of the front of the refrigerator and found out that there is a whole scary universe living under there that makes me shudder in terror.  An old matchbox car, a green crayon, a baby spoon and enough dust bunnies to make Barbie a fur coat were all lurking in the darkness.  Cleaning under the fridge is not for the faint of heart!

Later on I gave the living room a thorough cleaning from top to bottom.  As I was vacuuming up tiny Nerd candies from under the couch cushions, I suddenly had the overwhelming urge to eat one!  I actually picked one up and put it to my lips and then it hit me like a lightening bolt...."WHAT THE HECK WAS I THINKING?"  I was totally disturbed, and temporarily out my mind! To think that I almost ate a piece of candy from under the couch cushion was just too much to bear because:

A. I wasn't even hungry. 

B. I don't even really like grape Nerds.

I had to ask myself, "What does this all mean?"

"If I'm not starving, and I don't like grape Nerds, then what on God's green earth possessed me to dig one out of the couch and almost eat it?"

"More importantly, what would I be willing to eat if I was starving?"

"Is this what happens when you're in the trenches of motherhood?"

I don't have any answers, but I know that my actions reminded me of the time my son ate an old french fry out of his car seat.  He was two.  I am not.  Now I am even more confused.

Feeling Perplexed in Pajama Pants,

Nell

Thanksgiving Treat Bags

I know it's not right to brag, but my children happen to have the best Sunday school and AWANA teachers in the whole world.  Our family is truly thankful for each and every one of them, and we like to let them know how much we love them from time to time.

My children can hardly wait for church tomorrow so that they can pass out treat bags and thank their teachers for being a blessing to my children.

Here's what our Thanksgiving treat bags look like:

They are so simple to make, and they took less than 30 minutes from start to finish!

Start by stamping a piece of card stock with decorative fall stamps in a variety of earthy colors.

Next, cut the sheet of paper into fourths and tear the edges.  Fold the paper in half and then take a brown stamp pad and smudge the edges. (Not shown in the photo.)

Next, I made a gift tag by cutting out strips of card stock, stamping a verse on them, rounding the edges, and sticking a felt turkey on them.  ( I bought those at Joann Fabrics and paid $1.00 for a pack of 20 of them!) After adding a slot punch, I smudged the edges here too! ( I just love doing that!)

Finally, fill a cellophane bag with festive candies, fold it over and staple the card stock across the top.  Then punch two holes for ribbon, string the ribbon through the tag, and tie a bow.  Voila! You have a quick gift for someone special!

A little gift goes a long way to show your thankfulness for a loved one.

"I thank my God upon every remembrance of you" -Philippians 1:3

In a Nutshell

Wow, this week has been LOADED with activities for me! I'm so sorry I've neglected the blog the past couple of days, but I've barely had time to put on mascara, let alone type on the computer. Here's the wrap-up:

1. Wednesday- Very Bad.  Started with cleaning up cat vomit at 6 am and went downhill from there.  I got a stomach virus, we found a bug in our noodles at lunch, threw them away and grabbed Taco Bell.  That about sums it up. You don't want to know the rest...it only got worse.

2. Thursday we had our final homeschool co-op for the semester and we had a huge Medieval Feast that evening to culminate our unit study on the time period.  It was fabulous! We had over 60 people dressed as knights, princesses, queens, monks, peasants, and noblemen.  What I love best about our group is that the parents aren't afraid to dress up right along side their children...and all in the name of learning! There were so many interesting dishes that were true to the time period, and we had a ball learning all about the lavish celebrations they had during that era.  

I was one tired mama by the time I got home that night!

3. Today I took the girls to ballet, and then spent the entire afternoon roasting turkey, baking pies, and making side dishes for our annual church Thanksgiving dinner.  We were so blessed to have the Southwestern College Chorale provide the singing for the evening.  It's not often that our small community gets to experience this type of culture and entertainment, so we were all mesmerized.  The kids were wide eyed, and totally enthralled in the music.  My baby was so inspired by the conductor that she picked up her plastic knife and started to mimic his directing.  She swung her little arms exactly like he did throughout many of the songs.  It was priceless!

Despite the fact that I'm very much behind on both laundry, and blogging, it was totally worth it to experience two full days of amazing activities and piles and piles of food choices!

Good bye until tomorrow!

Your very exhausted and overstuffed friend,

Nell

Wordless Wednesday: Deer Hunting

 (Photos my son took while hunting with Dad and Grumpie)

Embarrassing Moment #78,945

Have you ever had one of those days where you're just going along on your merry way, humming a catchy tune, and then WAM! POW @ &%^ ZONKERS!!! you get blind sided by something you didn't see coming?

That totally happened to me today.

The kids have been asking begging me to go to the library for three weeks now. I've been making various excuses not to go because in the back of my mind I knew that I had turned a few books in late and had a fine.  I also knew that I had no cash in my wallet to pay the fine.  But this weekend I happened to go to the bank.  So when my kids asked to go to the library this afternoon, I said, "You're in luck.  I have money.  Let's load up in the truck and check out some books, gang!"

30 minutes later I enter the door of the library and approach the desk:

"Hello, I think I may have a small fine on my account, and I'd like to pay it before we check books out today."

She scans the library card.

"Oh yes, that will be $17.85"

I pass out, fall to the floor, scrape myself off of the floor, clear my throat and act like this is no big deal.  Then I put the five dollar bill back into my wallet and exchange it for a twenty.  I hand it to the lady and say  the following:

" Boy, you all should have a plaque on your walls commemorating me as your biggest financial supporter!"

She laughs and says, "Yes we should!"

Then she zeros out my account and prints the receipt.

And the paper slowly kept coming....and coming...and coming....and coming...

Awkward silence ensues.

Then the librarian busts a gut laughing and tears come to her eyes as we continue to watch the receipt slowwwwwwwly print.

"Sorry," she says, " I've never seen a receipt this long before."

"Should I come back in an hour when it's finished printing?" I quip.

"Perhaps it will be done by the time you're ready to check your books out." (Still chuckling at my expense.)

My eyes dart around the room to make sure that I don't know anyone in the library.  This is really embarrassing.

3 1/2 minutes later the librarian rips off the end of the receipt and proceeds to wrap it like an extension cord before folding it 4 times.

"Thank you for doing business with us!" she says as she winks. "Come back soon!"

Moral of the story: Do not do a huge research project on the Medieval Times with your children and check out 21 library books on the subject, and then go on a vacation to Disneyland on the day they are due.

Why we were late for Church

It started off at 6 am when my husband tried to shove me out of bed.  I resisted. I NEED for him to get out of bed first. I have a ritual that involves kicking my legs over onto his side of the bed while it is still warm with the blissful awareness that the bed is ALL mine.  I must perform this ritual every morning.  He said that I needed to curl my hair before he took a shower or the steam would ruin my hairdo. A scuffle ensued and I lost the battle. Then he kicked me into the cold dark world...withOUT me being able to kick my legs over onto his side.  To add insult to injury... he then made snow angel movements while giving an evil laugh to show his complete dominance of the whole bed. Brat.  That made me 2 minutes late.

Next, I had to curl hair, and act as wardrobe consultant for my girls.  I informed my baby that today was not princess dress day, it was denim day. The whole family was wearing denim except for her. She didn't get the memo.  She ran to change out of her twirly dress, into cowgirl attire.  That made me 3 minutes late.

The whole family was now waiting for me in the truck while I accessorized my outfit. This made me an additional minute late.

Total tardiness at this point = 6 minutes.

Then I ran out of the house with a pack of Skittles, the breakfast of champions. (I'm the only one that doesn't have time to eat breakfast in the morning.  Good hair or Good breakfast....I choose good hair.)

Side note: Last Sunday, I ran out of the house with what I thought was a package of peanut M & M's, only to be utterly devastated when I turned them over to find out they were Raisinets.  The disappointment of eating chocolate covered raisins when I was craving M & M's was a real let down at 7:40 am.  The bags look deceptively similar when they are upside down and I'm running through the kitchen like a lunatic grabbing my Bible, purse, gum, candy, and iced tea while my husband is honking the horn. I will not make that mistake again.  Even if it costs me an additional 10 seconds of tardiness.

Anyway, we were only 6 minutes behind schedule when we backed out of the driveway. But then we saw this:



A bull elk was with his herd of cows, getting a drink from our lake.  We just had to stop and enjoy their beauty.  These pictures were taken with my husband's camera phone because I left the Nikon at home.  Every time I leave without my camera, there is something picture worthy that I miss.

By the time we backed up to get the good camera, the elk ran back into the forest. That made us an additional 3 minutes late for church.

Total tardiness at this point = 9 minutes

By now we were running late for real.  However, the wind trajectory, timing of the stop lights, and my husband's driving skills all worked in our favor this morning.  That, coupled with the fact that we got rock star parking, shaved off a full 3 minutes.

Total tardiness at this point = 6 minutes

When we arrived at church, we took the walk of shame down the aisle to the nearest pew with enough seats available for the whole family.  Entering quietly with a family of 5 is like trying to herd cows silently through the sanctuary. 

We were only 6 minutes late, but it was well worth seeing the beauty of God's creation on a crisp Sunday morning.  I had to forgive my husband for kicking me out of the bed, and repent for wanting revenge, but after that, the service was wonderful!



The Meeting Place

Every home has a spot where the family congregates, and this time of year, the center of our home seems to be around our woodstove.  Every day, my beloved gets up early to start a fire, and then he enjoys a steaming hot cup of coffee in the stillness of the early morning before the rest of the house is awake. 

Listening to the soothing sounds of the fire crackle and pop while the flames reflect off of the walls of the dark living room beckons me out of my cozy flannel sheets and down comforter to warm myself in front of the stove.  When I'm good and toasty, I take a seat in the rocking chair next to the fire and read my Bible in the early mornings.

Not long after, I hear the pitter patter of bare feet come down the hallway as my three children take their turn huddled up next to the stove in their pajamas, wiping sleep from their eyes and stretching as they sit side by side on the hearth.

After breakfast, the kids and I sit near-by as we start our school morning off with devotions and a time of prayer.  I place a pan of bread dough next to the stove to rise and  we continue to feed the fire throughout the day.

After dinner, we find ourselves congregating once again around the woodstove to enjoy the relaxing fire and read a good book with a cup of Chai tea or a mug of hot cocoa.  It's such a central meeting spot for us.

I'm telling you this because when we bought our house, it came with this incredibly ugly stove that was straight from the seventies.

Yeah, totally gross, isn't it?

I called it the "I dream of Jeannie" stove because it belongs in her bottle next to her circular couch.  The stove repair man called it the "spaceship stove."

There was a pair of vice grips for a handle, and although the stove served it's purpose, warming our home for 7 years, I've ALWAYS wanted to get rid of it.

A few weeks ago, my in-laws gave us the gift of a brand new stove, and it's so beautiful!  It heats the house up quickly and matches our rustic home so much better than the old stove.

This is the favorite reading spot of my kids!  At least one of them is laying around the stove  at any given point in the winter.

I feel so blessed to have such a gorgeous new woodstove.  It truly is the centerpiece of the living room, and we'll enjoy it for many years to come.

Thanks so much!

High on the Cute Factor

This  morning while my husband was out checking cows in the yearling pasture, he noticed that one of our steers was looking kind of punky so we went out this evening to doctor him and I got a shot of this precious little bull calf...the newest member of the pasture.

Remember our Old Mammy cow that's keeping her eye on the weaned calves?

She started looking really chunky.  I mean, Large Marge chunky.

The kids started calling her Moto Moto, you know, the big hippo on Madagascar II.

Turns out, she was just heavy with calf.

Isn't he cute? You should see him when his nose is covered in milk.  I love it!

OK, so maybe calves aren't as cute to other people as they are to me, but I think they're precious!

Buying Jeans with my Mother

This weekend the guys all went hunting, so the girls and I spent our days in the valley conquering the mall and other stores with my mom.

My mother and I both bought jeans this weekend.  Here are the pros and cons to shopping with my mother:

Cons: We are worlds apart in our fashion tastes.  Worlds apart. This leads to rolling of the eyes and sticking our fingers down our throats whenever one of us trys to suggest a blouse for the other.

Her: "How about this one?"
Me: "I think I saw that shirt on an episode of The Golden Girls."

Me: "I think this peasant top would look great on you!"
Her: "I might have owned that top in the '60's."

Her: "The back pockets are so low on those jeans, it looks like the buttons will hurt you when you sit down."
Me: "Mom, that's the style. Low Rise.  They will look amazing with my bling belt."
Her: "For that price, you could buy 5 pairs at Walmart. Have you ever tried on a pair of "Lee" jeans at  Walmart?....they're wonderful!"
Me: " But Mom, they wouldn't look nearly as cool."

Pros: (This is a biggie.) We are brutally honest when we critique each other's outfits.  If I say, "Does my butt look big in these jeans?" I know my mom will call it like she sees it.  That benefit alone makes her invaluable to bring along when there are serious decisions to be made. Honesty is hard to come by these days.  If you have an honest shopping partner, then half the battle is already won, ladies!!!!

My rule is: Never take anyone jeans shopping with you unless they would tell you if you had a booger on your face.  In fact, that's actually one of my most important qualities for choosing my friends in general.  You can't go wrong with honest friends. 

Anyway, after a long day of shopping we had to replenish all of those lost calories with a piece of pumpkin pie cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory.  I would show you a picture of it, but I inhaled my piece before I thought of taking a photo of it's beauty.  It was so good, I almost cried.

This weekend there was also a little bit of rollerskating action with the girls.

No, that's not me in the pants.  I was behind the camera lens.

It was my mother.  Also known as "The rollerskating Grammie"

How many Grammies do you know that roller skate right along side their grandkids?

Not many. 

She might be the only one.

That's one of the many reasons I love her. 

P.S. She's an old pro. She owns her own skates. She's better than me.

The End.

Wordless Wednesday: Little Cabins in the Woods