Dear Hershey...

Your new Bliss chocolates are not so much "bliss" as just square hersheys kisses. Get a new recipe.

Estelle Reiner Died...

She and Carl were married in 1943. That is so incredible to me. What a loss he must be feeling right now.

M's Blog...

Today I made a sugar skull. I got to be on TV. And that was fun!

Fox 10...

M was on TV this morning, only it was live so I can't post a clip to it yet. I'm hoping I will be able to just so you can see how proud he was to have been included. It was really sweet.

Okay, here is the link. M's 3 Seconds of fame

You can't see him very well, but he is the blond kid in the tan shirt. They were making Day of the Dead projects, but whatever. He was thrilled with it!

Advertisment...

"These cool erasers make homework fun!"

Right. Because so many kids tell their parents, "I wouldn't complain about my homework if I just had a cool eraser."

Things I Probably Shouldn't Blog About...

See "Things I Probably Shouldn't Say Out Loud".

Things I Probably Shouldn't Say Out Loud...

"I love Nerds so much I could totally eat this whole box. Only then I'd probably puke. But at least it would be rainbow colored."

Goodnight Mom (with apologies to Margaret Wise Brown)...

In the messy green family room
There was a telemarketer ringing the telephone
And a crying toddler because his brother just popped his red balloon
And a picture of-

The cow jumping over the moon (which someone had colored on with permanent marker)
And there was a missing teddy bear, and a girl with gum in her hair

And one to be scolded and laundry to be folded
And a very hungry spouse and something stinky in the house
(that no one else seemed to smell)

And a comb and a brush and colicky baby who just wouldn't shush
And a frazzled mommy screaming #*%#@

Goodnight messy room
Goodnight scribbled-on moon
Goodnight cow getting out while she can
Goodnight telemarketers and the popped balloon
Goodnight long-gone teddy bear
Goodnight cereal bar smeared all over the dining room chair

Goodnight spitup
And goodnight leaky sippy cup
Goodnight much-too-little house and
Goodnight grumpy spouse
Goodnight comb and goodnight brush
And goodnight to a certain 4-year-old
who just needs to hush right now I mean it

Goodnight Elmo
Goodnight toys we'll pick up tomorrow,
or the next day
Hello Chardonnay and TiVo-
"me" time finally

-Sarah Jio

I Am So Famous...

The disease that almost killed me almost killed this kid on House tonight. I am so famous.

Movies I've Never Seen But Would Probably Enjoy...

Chicago
High School Musical
Air Force One
Saw (just kidding, I wouldn't like it)
My Big Fat Greek Wedding
Schindler's List

Movies I Did See But Regret Watching...
Bad Boys 2
Blair Witch Project
Star Wars Episode 3
Pac Man Christmas (just kidding, I kinda liked it, but I was only 6)

Dear Fellow Drivers...

If it was your loved one those emergency vehicles were rushing to help wouldn't you want everyone else to move over and yield to them? Just wondering...

Z At The Pumpkin Patch...

At the pumpkin patch today Z kept insisting he wanted a "triangle eye" pumpkin. I kept trying to explain it to him, but he just wasn't getting it...

Z: These pumpkins don't have triangle eyes. They are blind pumpkins. They need eyes to see where they are going.

Mom: Where are they going?

Z: I guess it doesn't matter 'cause they couldn't see it anyway!

M's New Choir Song...

Your love will last forever.
Its like a mighty river.
That flows and flows forever;
never stopping.
Your awesome love protects me.
When I sin Your love corrects me.
Your faithful to direct me;
always to Your love.

And when I choose to disobey;
You bring me back to Your truth.
You daily show Your love for me;
by making me like You.

Your Love

Small Town Life...

Chelley's post about small towns reminded me of this story.

The Stallions family has always attended the demolition derby to watch his uncle and cousin. Shortly after we became engaged Chris took me to the demolition derby (which I had never seen before). All of his extended family was there and while I knew most of them, I didn't recognize a lady standing in the middle of them holding an umbrella. So I asked Chris who she was and how they were related, but he didn't know. So he asked his mom who also didn't know. So she asked his aunt who didn't know. Finally we asked his grandma who looked at her for quite awhile before finally saying, "I don't know. We aren't related to her." Coming from a small family in a big city this was very amusing to me until we got married and people would see my last name and ask if I was related to "so and so" and I would have to tell them that I just didn't know.

And for the record, I just don't get demolition derby's. It just seems really dangerous to me, but maybe that's the point. IDK

Secrets...

Z sees M working on a pillow for H.

Z: M, are you making a pillow for me for Christmas just like I made one for you?
Mom: SSSHHHH! That's a secret!
Z: Oh, right.
Z (in a stage whisper): M, are you making a pillow for me for Christmas just like I made one for you?

Its All In The Tone...

Me: What do you want on your English muffin?
Chris: Peanut butter, please.
Me: Do you want some sliced banana on that?
Chris: No, that is disgusting.
Me: I like banana and peanut butter.
Chris (very sweetly): Yes, sweetie, but you're weird.

Saddest Coupon Story...

(Another reason I love my hubby...)

When I was 9+ months pregnant with M I received a $5.00 off a $5.00 purchase to Sears. I asked Chris to check the expiration date and he misread it and the coupon expired. When I discovered this I proceeded to throw a royal hissy fit and sob hysterically that I was planning to buy our baby socks with that coupon and now "our baby will have no socks and his poor little feet will freeze!!!" Chris not only didn't laugh at me, he apologized for letting the coupon expire and offered to go right out and purchase a package of socks for our baby so his feet would be "toasty and warm right after you deliver him". I wish I could tell you that I graciously accepted his offer, but remember I was 9+ months pregnant. Poor Chris. How very lucky I am to have a man like you! (He bought M little socks with tools on them, too!)

Filled to Overflowing...

"Only one thing prevents Jesus from filling our cups as He passes by, and this is sin in one of its thousand forms. The Lord Jesus does not fill dirty cups. Anything that springs from self, however small it may be, is sin. Self-energy or self-complacency in service is sin. Self-pity in trials or difficulties, self-seeking in business or Christian work, self-indulgence in one's spare time, sensitiveness, touchiness, resentment and self-defense when we are hurt or injured by others, self-consciousness, reserve, worry, fear, all spring from self and all are sin and make our cups unclean. But all of them were put into that other cup, which Lord Jesus shrank from momentarily in Gethsemane, but which He drank to the dregs at Calvary-the cup of our sin. And if we will allow Him to show us what is in our cups and then give it to Him, He will cleanse them in the precious blood that still flows from sin. That does not mean mere cleansing from the guilt of sin, not even from the stain of sin-though thank God both are true-but from the sin itself, whatever it may be. And as He cleanses our cups, so He fills them to overflowing with His Holy Spirit."

-Roy Hession The Calvary Road

In The Last Five Minutes...

I have put the arms back on four (that's right, 4!) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Yet Another Reason Why I Love My Husband...

Today he told me that I am his most favorite person. So sweet...

Chris's Work Story...

Okay, not the whole story. Just the opening sentences.

"So, I got to work today and there is a Blackberry under my keyboard. The electronic, not the fruit. That would have been gross."

Funny Church Sign...

The church down the street has one of those message boards and it usually has some corny, cliched saying on it, but I did like this weeks.

"Sign Broken. Message Inside This Week."

Quote From the Pulpit...

Today at church our pastor quoted our pastor in charge of college ministries.

"If sin were blue, we'd all be smurfs."

Infrequent Adventures In Odyssey Quote of the Day...

This one's for you Hobbitsister!

Connie: "Eugene! You just ended a sentence with a preposition!"
Eugene: "Impossible! Prepositions are not words I end sentences with!"

- "Poor Loser"

I-Dog...

Z got a toy I-Dog in his happy meal today and yelled, "Look! I have a singing Chihuahua just like Erma!!!!"

Did I Tell You...

The Stallion met Honormommy at a birthday party this summer. Her daughter is friends with one of M's closest friends. Small world, huh???

Sad, Sad Story...

Today I took the boys to Dairy Queen. Z always wants a chocolate dip cone. He eats the chocolate then asks us to scoop out the "cream" and then eats the cone. I hate wasting that ice-cream so today I didn't order anything for myself thinking I would just eat his ice-cream. We ordered and sat down and Z proceeded to eat the entire ice-cream cone. So today I went to Dairy Queen and had nothing. That is my sad, sad story.

Return A Blessing...

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Romans 12:14

We were talking in my bible study the other morning about this verse in light of our parenting. As a mother I have a tendency to tell my son to avoid children who "bother" him, but truthfully that is not what the bible (or Jesus) would have him do. It tells us specifically to seek out and bless those who persecute us. So lately we have been discussing how we can return a blessing to those who hurt us and how God will reward us for this behavior and bless us for obeying Him. But, dear me, this is so hard...

Auntie Hobbitsister's Favorite Bible Story...

Z's version of "Jesus Meets the Children"...

My story was about Jesus meets the children. All the little children were going to go see Jesus which was totally sweet. But then the naughty grown-ups said Jesus was busy and they had to wait a minute. But Jesus said HEY, those are my kids and I wanna see them and if you don't let me I will have to discipline you. So the naughty grown-ups had a discipline and the kids all had a cuddle with Jesus. The End.

Sorry, my internets been down...

Just out of curiosity, am I really the only person not on facebook????

Adventures is Odyssey Quote of the Day...

"Space. One of the last places to be explored. These are the journeys of the Starship Aerobicise, on a five year mission to explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life with new spin off series, to saturate the market with action figures and plastic pointy ears. It’s star trip, starring William Shattered."

-- "Hidden in My Heart"