For Lloyd...

Someone shared this on Facebook today. I'm amazed at the ideas that people come up with.

Newest Obsession

Thanks to Pinterest I have been having visions of chalkboard art for months. Literally months! I have been on the lookout for an awesome frame that is both huge and retro-ugly. Think ornate, gold leaf ugly. When these frames are spiffed up with some spray paint they are capital-A-mazing. Trust me. I have one hanging in my office at work and everyone who comes in gushes over it.

Anywho... I haven't stumbled upon another one of these frames yet so my brain has been distracted with trying to figure out Plan Two. Then one day I came upon this, and this, and Plan Two happened. Printable chalkboard art. But could I do it? I'm crafty, but not especially arty, if you get my drift. But, I had a vision - a huge chalkboard art vision that would hang in my entryway. And thanks to all the visionaries on Pinterest I had inspiration. I steeled myself last night and sat down with my secret little friend - picmonkey.com - and made this...

And I was so thrilled (I did a happy dance, I can admit it), that I sat back down and made this...

And this...

And this...

AND THIS...

What do you think? I'm pretty darn happy with how they turned out and I can't wait to get them framed (burlap or aged-rustic wood???) and up on the wall. I took two of them to Staples today and had them printed out as 24"x36" engineer prints and it actually worked!!! No one is more shocked than I.

P.S. Lukas had a stay-home day with mom today and he wanted in on the action. Here are his versions of Chalkboard art.

'Nature Picture'

'Forest'

Tuesday Tunes

I've been seriously annoying my kids the last few days by having these songs on repeat in the Jeep. Better I annoy them than the other way around I always say.

Lorde (pronounced Lord) - Royals

American Authors - Best Day of My Life
 

Thursday Tunes

Here's what I have on heavy rotation on my playlist right now. I highly recommend that you check out ZZ Ward, Noah and Passenger. Love, love, love!

Overheard From the Back of the Van

Mikah decide that we should bake cupcakes on the weekend. I figured, hey, I might as well bake some fancy cupcakes for my own kids for once. We hopped into the car because of course, I was out of cream cheese, sugar and eggs. As we are driving to the store I hear the question that I've been dreading...

Lukas:   Mom, how are babies made?

~I start to freak out but try to maintain an outwardly calm appearance~

Mikah:   It's ok Mom. You can tell him because I already know how they are made.

Me:       Oh, really? And just how is that?  (I felt confident asking this because Mikah will always pretend that he 

            knows the answer, and will never admit defeat.)

Lukas:   How are they made?

Mikah:  Well, they are made with extra sugar. You need to have the extra sugar.

~I'm trying not to laugh because, well, he's partially right.~

Me:      Um, that's not really how they are made.

Mikah:  (laughing a bit self-consiously, but still not admitting defeat)  Of course I know that. I was just kidding.

~At this point Lukas starts to cry~

Me:       Why on earth are you crying?

Lukas:   (wailing)  Because everyone knows how babies are made except for me!!!

Me:      And the guy sitting next to you. He doesn't know either. (I laugh and the wailing increases.)

There are definitely times that I wish I was raising my kids on a farm. That way they would learn about the facts of life the same way we did... by observation not conversation. It's so much easier on the parents that way.

Overheard From the Back of the Van

Mikah:   Mom, why didn't you name me Rainbow? I really wanted Rainbow to be my name.
                                                                                    

I had to write this one down so that I didn't forget. This comment is going to provide us with hours of entertainment in the future :)

                     

Overheard From the Back of the Van

Ah, the drive home at the end of the day is often amusing. The Mr. had this story to share with me when I got home after work tonight.


Mikah:     Dad, what's for supper when we get home?
The Mr:    I'm not sure yet. What do you think we should have?
Lukas:     Spaghetti  (Big surprise there)
The Mr:   Of course that's what you want. 
Mikah:    Can we watch a show when we are eating supper?
The Mr:   I suppose so. It depends on how good you are while I'm cooking.
Lukas:    (whining) Well, what show are we going to pick? Mikah ALWAYS gets to pick the show!
The Mr:   Tell you what, who ever does the most cleaning in the living room while I'm making supper will get to pick 
              the show.

~A few minutes of back and forth arguing happens about which one of them is going to succeed at doing the most cleaning. This is then followed by a minute of silence~

Lukas:     (asks slyly) Mikah, what show would you pick?
The Mr:    Mikah, don't answer that!!!
Mikah:     Futurama
Lukas:     Yeah, we can watch Futurama. That's ok; you can do all the cleaning.

Lukas is too darn smart for his britches. He's only 5 and he's a;ready caught on to most of our tricks.

~And yes, sometimes we let them watch Futurama. We fool ourselves into believing that they don't understand most of what is happening on the show, in order to gain a few minutes of silence for ourselves. Yep, I bet you're thinking that you wish you had thought of it too.~

Heloise Helps Us Out

Oh, sweet sweet Heloise, why did I not find you years and years ago??? Some of your wonderful suggestions would have saved this housewife many vexing moments over the years. I'm sure that your hint below would have saved me much time and frustration! If only I had known that cleaning needn't be as complicated as I had been making it...


Pearl Number Four

I wouldn't tell you this if I thought it wasn't worth every little bit of energy you will save... It is not necessary to sweep under your beds every day. Who is going to look under your beds? Save your energy... never waste it. Cleaning under beds once a week is considered good housekeeping nowadays. Especially since most people have carpets. And if you don't, so what?

~Heloise

So what indeed. 

Overheard From the Back of the Van

Lukas:   You madam, are too much.



Right back at you little man. Right back at you.

Overheard From the Back of the Van

Lukas:     Mikah, did you know when you are 20 you are a grown-up? 
Mikah:    I knew that.
Lukas:    And when you are a grownup you will be able to take me places, just the two of us!
Mikah:    When I'm 20 you'll be 19. Duh. You'll be grown-up too and can just go places by yourself.
Lukas:    You're a big-fat-stupid-poopy-head.


~Well played Lukas, well played.~

Heloise Helps Us Out

Don't worry dear readers, our darling Heloise has not forsaken you. She is back today with a helpful hint. This hint is appropriate now that the snow has finally melted (mostly) and we are longing for summer days and slushy alcoholic drinks. I had you at alcoholic drinks, didn't I???

Heloise has a trick that I have never heard of before, but is sounds like a dandy one!

Pearl Number Three

Rejoice you lovers of the frozen daiquiri! If you have freezer space tall enough to store a two-quart plastic milk carton... you're in business!

After you have rinsed out the plastic carton, fill with water and store in the freezer. When ready for that finely crushed ice, remove one or more cartons from the freezer. Next - and this is the trick - take the cartons to a solid concrete sidewalk or patio. Holding onto the carton, slam it against the cement on all four sides until it quits going "crack" and starts going "thunk."

Then open the top and pour out the finest crushed ice you have ever seen. It's amazing! This saves getting out the ice bucket too. Another good thing about this method is that you can pour out justas much ice as you need for your iced tea and drinks and then return the carton to the freezing compartment with the unused ice. It also saves filling those ice trays and spilling water. 

~Heloise

I just happen to have two plastic milk cartons and a bit of space in the freezer. My summer will be much happier if this tip actually works!

Overheard From the Back of the Van

Lukas:    Hey Mikah, have you changed your mind about getting married when you grow up?
Mikah:    Nope, 'cause you now what happens after you get married - you get a bunch of little annoying people 
              following you around all the time. I don't want any of that.

~after a pause, and because I couldn't help myself~

Me:      Who are the little annoying people?
Mikah:   You know - obviously kids.

Overheard From the Back of the Van

"Mom, I love you the most. But really only when you stop at the candy store

on the way home. Oh look, there's the candy store..."  ~Mikah, age 6

My kids are not fools.

Overheard From the Back of the Van

"Well how was I supposed to know that I was supposed to get ready! 

What am I, a mind-reader? Jeez."  ~ Lukas, age 5

This was stated in the van on the way to school in the morning; after he had been told repeatedly to put on his clothes, jacket and boots. Just the same as every morning that has come before. Somehow he missed the fact that while he was reading a book on the couch, in his underwear, the rest of us had our jackets on and were heading out the door. I know, routine sure is hard to get into when things happen exactly the same every damn morning. 

Sigh.

Possum Thanksgivin Photo Shoot

True to form, the sharing of these photo's is better late than never.

Over Thanksgiving the family staged an impromptu photo shoot out on the folks farm. I believe that the original goal of the photos was to share them with our relatives who thought they were living it up in Hawaii at the time - we hads to show them what they was missin :)

The end result was so gosh-durn amazin though that we had to share them with everyone. The response was great, it sure showed us the people who share our sense of humour and have the ability to not take things too seriously. I haven't looked at some of these photos in a few months, but they sure had me smiling tonight.

~Please note, these pictures were taken in the spirit of fun. As such,

no possums, chitlin, or varmints were harmed during the shooting

of these photos. Also note, shooting refers to the click of the camera.~

Heloise Helps Us Out

I'm quite certain that you are simply dying for more advise from darling Heloise. Hang on to you knickers ladies...


Pearl Number Two
"And girls, another thing. Jar loose once in a while and spend a few nickels or dollars on yourself. Don't do without those few simple things that would make your life easier, such as a carpet sweeper, plumber's friend, feather-duster, and pants stretchers. Spend that few dollars for them."

~Heloise

Thank you dear Heloise for the encouragement. I am off to The Walmart to finally buy myself the carpet sweeper and two *gasp* pants stretchers! Finally, someone has made me believe that I am worth a few indulgences.

Heloise Helps Us Out

While browsing through a local thrift shop last night I came across this delightful gem of a book. I had a premonition that it would be enjoyable, and my was I right! I have to admit that while I find much of the book hilarious, my dear Heloise has managed to give me an idea or two... especially in the child-rearing section.

This book is so amazing that I simply have to share parts of it with you.

All right ladies, pour yourselves a nice glass of sweet tea, kick off your heels and sit for a spell while I share with you some of, as I like to call them, Heloise's pearls of wisdom.

Pearl Number One

"So, relieve your mind of a lot of its frustrations by simply accepting the fact that you are a woman. Next, make yourself believe that you do the best you can. Probably you do! Tranquilizers are expensive... so are doctor's bills. Instead of worrying yourself into a state of jitters over keeping a "perfect" house, let this book show you how to make it easier for yourself."

~Heloise

Did anyone else read the quote in Betty Draper's voice? I was reading Heloise's nuggets to my husband tonight using my best dramatical interpretation of a 1960's housewife, and I think he would have laughed more if it hadn't made him so uncomfortable. He said that he was uncomfortable because it made him think back to the good old days when men were kings. I'd like to think he's a tad more evolved than that. ~Just joking darling!