Now I Know...

(This is an early Mother's Day themed post, so bear with me.)

Wendy is 19 months old, so this year I'll celebrate my second Mother's Day. Here are a few of the things I've learned since Wendy came into my life:

1. While pregnant - it's possible to be sick 24/7 for 32 weeks.
   
2. While pregnant - seeing your belly move because someone is having hiccups inside your body is amusing and strange and wonderful, all at once.
3. I don't remember those first two or three weeks after Wendy was born, and I've come to learn that's not all that unusual.
4. Nursing doesn't always come easily.
5. Nursing is best, but if it's not possible, there are some really good formulas out there.
6. Poop can and will get on every garment, piece of bedding, furniture, carpet, etc. that baby is near.
7. Ditto with pee.
8. Oxi-clean is our friend.
9. Not much is more precious than the sigh of a satisfied baby.
10. Every new development, while exciting, is another step away from Mama. *sniff*
11. Babies can make their wishes known very early in life.
12. Toddlers are even better at making their wishes known.
13. A gummy baby smile is cute, and a toothy toddler smile is cuter.
14. There isn't much better in a toddler's world than a trip to the park followed by Goldfish and juice, then a nap.
15. Petco is almost as good as the zoo.
16. A toddler can make you so frustrated you want to scream into your pillow, and then in the next minute can make you laugh uncontrollably. Or maybe I'm bipolar.

And something I've always "known," but now I know:

Babies are a gift from God, and bear insights into His character.

Attention K-Mart Shoppers!!!

If you have a toddler and a local K-Mart, you should go there immediately and buy some jeans! Seriously!

I went to K-Mart today to look for jeans for Wendy. We've had trouble getting jeans to fit her since we switched to cloth diapers. Most jeans fit fine in the waist & length, but didn't have enough room through the seat for her bulkier cloth diaper. I had purchased some at K-Mart last fall that are perfect.

I found the same jeans there today. Regularly priced at $5.99, which is certainly cheap. On sale for - get this - 4/$10.

Get that?

Jeans. $2.50 apiece.

I got her five pairs. Another of the 2T, and two each of the 3T and 4T. I may go back and get more.

They aren't the cutest jeans in the world, but they're perfectly fine. They're actually labelled as toddler boy jeans, but there isn't anything inherently masculine about them. We may add some appliques or embroidery or something later.

Jeans for $2.50.

I just had to spread the word.

Works For Me Wednesday: Toddler Chores

If you've ever visited my blog before, you know that I have a toddler. Wendy is 19 months old (where did the time go??) and is becoming Mommy's Little Sidekick. She naturally wants to be involved in everything I'm doing, so I've started having her do "chores."

Now, don't call Child Protective Services on me. It's just little stuff, and she really enjoys being a part of things.

1. Putting away toys. That's an obvious place to start. She's good at putting her toys in the basket, or bringing her books to me to put on the shelf. She's been doing this for quite awhile, but we're just now getting to the point that it's routine at naptime & bedtime.

2. Helping bring in the groceries. As I unload the groceries from the back of the van, Wendy gets her own item(s) to bring inside. It's usually something like a box of pasta or roll of paper towels, but it gives her the idea that she should help.

3. Unloading the dishwasher. This is a chore she initiated. She LOVES to help unload the silverware. I make sure her hands are clean, and she hands me the silverware to put in the drawer, one utensil at a time. It's slow, and occasionally the silverware has to be rewashed after she decides to taste it, but it's worth it. And as she hands me each piece she says, "There you go," and I say, "Thank you." So we're practicing language, too.

4. Dusting. We haven't started this yet, but it's next on the list. We don't really have any breakables within her reach, so she should be able to "dust" the coffee table & end tables in our living room pretty easily.

These are some things that work for us, so far. For more helpful tips, go to Works For Me Wednesday at Rocks in my Dryer!

Today

Today has been a great day! Before I get into that, here are some more kitten pictures:

I don't normally post pictures that are this blurry, but look at the sweet little faces! That's Glenda on top, Mickey on the bottom. They're both laying on Bailey, who was blissfully snoozing.








Here's how they normally sleep - a pile of multicolored fur. Everyone was laying across Bailey, who didn't seem to mind at all.











This morning I got up early (even though I hadn't slept well) and did my Bible study before Wendy woke up. After breakfast, I put Wendy in her room (which is off the living room) and put up the baby gate in her doorway. That's key to all the progress I was able to get done!

I don't have any before pictures, but imagine what our living room looked like, covered in toys, laundry waiting to be put away, and random Cheerios & Goldfish.

Here's an after picture - everything has been cleaned, straightened, dusted, vacuumed, and polished - and it actually looks like grownups live here!!






See how nice things look when they're clean? I'll have to remember it, as motivation to keep up with the housework.

Also - see that hook on the wall behind the rocking chair? What should I put there?














Look! Toys! In a basket! Not all over the floor! What a concept! (Ignore the sweet tea in the Shakespeare's cup on top of the TV - a Momma's gotta have her sustenance.)

It looks so nice. Notice the baby gate is still up in this picture - I wanted to take the photo before unleashing my little whirlwind back into the mix.

She did very well, playing in her room & listening to music while I cleaned. I've got to remember that she's perfectly OK playing on her own for awhile if I need to get something done. She can't be trusted to have free run of the house (she was trying to open the front door last night!) but her room is Wendy-proof and mostly safe.

Four Weeks Old

Okay, this has nothing to do with the kittens, but let me share this piece of advice: if you are unloading the dishwasher, and your 19 month old is behind you in the kitchen, and you hear her say, "No, no, no..." it's best to see what she's doing right away. She just might be playing in the trash can.

Moving on to gratuitous kitten pictures! The little beasties are 4 weeks old today, and are just about at my favorite stage of kittenhood. Big round eyes, big round heads, big round bellies...they're just so cute! They've started grooming, playing, and even eating canned food - Matilda's doing a great job with them!

Here are Matilda and Bailey:


Charlie, Mickey, and Glenda's nose. This was as I was waking them up for a little photo shoot:


They are all very, VERY active now. I knew I would have trouble getting a good picture, so I piled them all on top of the cat condo, hoping to at least corral them for pictures.

Take 1:


Take 2:


Take 3: (Glenda is not climbing up, she's falling off!)


Take 4:


That's all I could get this morning. I'm going to try to have my camera more available to get better pictures, maybe when they're very sleepy. Charlie and Glenda are going to live with my parents in a few weeks (YAY!) but Mickey and Bailey still need homes - please let me know if you're interested!

Butterscotch Brownies

Happy Saturday, y'all! I noticed just recently that for someone born & raised in the north, I sure say and write "y'all" a lot. It's such a great word, so unformally all-encompassing.

This recipe is in my file as a direct result of my hubby's love of all things butterscotch. I had never heard of "butterscotch brownies" until we were married - in my limited view, "brownie" was synonymous with "chocolate." But then he requested these, and I found a recipe, and WOW! They're really yummy and good. Proof that not every dessert needs to be chock full of chocolate to be decadent and good.

Butterscotch Brownies

¼ cup butter-flavor shortening
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
¾ cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ cup chopped pecans
1 cup butterscotch morsels (optional)

Preheat oven to 350^o F. Melt shortening over low heat. Remove from heat; mix in brown sugar, egg, and vanilla. Stir in remaining ingredients. Spread in a greased 8x8 baking pan. Bake for 25 minutes at 350^o F. Cut while warm.

For more great recipes, visit DeeDee's Saturday Stirrings at It Coulda' Been Worse!

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Let me pick your brain a bit. Pancakes. They're a problem.

I love pancakes, and I love to make pancakes. I've tried different mixes, different recipes, different strategies, and had varying results. Some are fluffy, some are cakey, some are boring.

And none are as good as McDonald's hotcakes.

What's their secret??

Do you have a great pancake recipe to share with me?

Y'all. Go See This Movie.

I don't normally post at 11 p.m. on Friday nights, but I just had to tonight. We just got home from a movie (the first one we've seen in the theater in OVER TWO YEARS) and I had to write to tell you to go see it.

Better yet, take your significant other with you.

And your neighbor.

And that guy from work.

And the new couple from church.

Seriously.

We saw Ben Stein's Expelled. It was fantastic! We went with some folks from church, and then went to Shoney's afterward for coffee & discussion. It was thought-provoking, informative, frightening, and funny in parts that probably weren't even intended to be funny. (Best line from an actual scientist - "I just told you! On the backs of crystals!")

If you haven't heard about this movie, definitely follow the link to learn more. And make plans to go see it - it's worth the time & money!

Winnie-the-Pooh Who?

I was mistaken again.

After moving the cat family out of our bathroom yesterday, I planned to tackle a thorough cleaning and litter removal.

I gathered my supplies.

I gave Wendy a peanut butter sandwich & sippy cup of milk.

I turned on Winnie the Pooh.

And I set to work.

Approximately 2 seconds later, I heard, "Hmm." There's a particular inflection to that sound that makes me instantly search for Wendy and see whatever she's opened/broken/climbed/squished/eaten. In this case, I didn't have to search hard - she was in the doorway of the bathroom, little face alight with joy - Mommy was moving things! And spraying things! And wiping things! She had to come join in.

Aside from a cute moment when she wiped the wall to mimic me cleaning the mirror, it was a fiasco. Ever tried to clean a toilet with a very inquisitive 19-month old girl right there? It's not easy.

I didn't finish the bathroom. Now we're both watching Winnie-the-Pooh with our peanut butter sandwiches.

There's always naptime.

Works For Me Wednesday: Laundry

Every Wednesday, Shannon at Rocks in my Dryer hosts a bloggy carnival of helpful tips. From parenting, to organization, to budgeting, to cooking, to housekeeping, you're bound to find a tip that will help you!

Today I'm going to share a few of my favorite laundry tips. These are things that I do to save time, money, and energy.

• Vinegar instead of fabric softener. I LOVE liquid fabric softener, but it's pretty pricey. I discovered on the internet that white vinegar has softening properties without the buildup & expense of fabric softener. True, it doesn't smell like Downy, but it doesn't leave the clothes with a vinegar smell, either. I put some in a Downy ball & toss it in when I start the wash - it's automatically released in the final rinse.
• Vinegar for Wendy's cloth diapers. Even if you don't use cloth diapers, if you have kids, there are times when things get peed on. It's life. The vinegar neutralizes the urine, so everything comes out clean.
• Hanging to dry. If you have read my blog lately, you know I LOVE to use my clothesline. It freshens up the clothes so nicely, and the sunshine helps remove stains. It's better for the cloth diapers, too. It saves on energy in two ways - you aren't using your dryer, and you aren't heating up the house with the dryer & using the AC to compensate.
• Organizing the drying clothes. When I hang things on the line to dry, I hang like items together, even pairing socks before they're hung. When it's time to take down the dry clothes, it's easy to fold & sort things so they can be put away.
• Fold clothes as they are taken off the line. This is kind of obvious, but it still took me awhile to do regularly. I have to handle the clothes anyway to get them off the line - why not fold them as I do it? Then I can put the items away as soon as I bring them inside - much easier than having to take them down, bring them inside, and then fold them.
• Wrinkle/fuzz removal. Even though I love my clothesline, there are some clothes that don't feel the same way. If I take something off the line & it has fuzz or is very wrinkly, it goes into the dryer with a wet dishtowel for just a few minutes. The combination of heat, moisture, and tumbling will release the fuzz and the wrinkles, and I still use less energy than completely drying an entire load of clothes.

Saving time, money, and energy work for me! What works for you?

Visit Rocks in my Dryer for more helpful tips!

Yard Sale Advice

Once again I'm asking for your advice! We're going to be having a yard sale on May 2nd & 3rd, weather permitting. (We were going to do it last weekend, but storms were in the forecast, so we postponed it.) We've been getting things together & pricing, but I could use any suggestions you have.

Here are some specific questions:

How much cash should you start off with in the box? What's the breakdown?

What's the best way to sort/display clothing? We've got a LOT of clothing to sell.

How do you get everything set up by the time you want to open? (Getting up earlier than 5 a.m. is out of the question.)

How do you handle a toddler while you're having a yard sale??

I'm no stranger to yard sales; my family had several while I was growing up, and I had to help with them. I'm good with a cash box, and I'm a pretty good pricer, too. But I have yet to have a yard sale that I think went smoothly. There's always something - extra trips to the bank for more cash, doing without lunch because I didn't plan ahead, or not being able to keep things organized during the sale.

So please, share your wisdom with me. And stop by my yard sale May 2nd & 3rd...

Happiness Is...

I decided to put together a few pictures of things that really make me happy. You might enjoy some of the same things, or you might think I'm a weirdo. Time will tell.

It has been a bright, sunshiny day today. I did as I always do on days like this and washed everything I could find to hang outside on the line. You might be able to see Wendy's bunny slippers hanging out among the cloth diapers and blankets:


I love looking at the clothes on the line, snapping in the breeze, and smelling the warm Tide scent the clothes give off as they dry. I think this is especially cute hanging out on the line:


Look! A cloud! It was the only one in sight.


My pretty flowers also make me happy. I didn't blog much last week because I was outside waking up the flowerbed. This is one of the impatiens that are in my hanging baskets on the front porch:


My climbing roses - Don Juans, with a wonderful scent - are about to burst into bloom! The little lightning bolts highlight the buds:


And of course this makes me happy! My pretty Wendy, all ready for a nap, and showing off her new pretty cloth diaper!


I realized I hadn't shown kitten pictures lately - they're 3 weeks old today. I'll try to get some good pictures up soon.

Peach-Berry Cobbler with DELICIOUS Crust

This recipe came from a newspaper article several years ago. Since I wrote down the recipe instead of clipping it, I have no idea who to credit. If this is your recipe, let me know, so I can give you the honor you're due - the crust is fantabulous!!!

I'm going to make this today, but with different fruit - I'm an advocate of using what you have on hand. The peach/strawberry combo is fantastic, but I'm out of peaches, so I'll be using frozen mixed berries. It doesn't really make a difference, because the crust is what makes it so delish!

Enjoy!

Filling:

1 ¼ pound peaches, peeled, pitted, and cut into wedges
12 oz strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, or blueberries
½ cup sugar
1 Tbs cornstarch
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg

Crust:
½ cup flour
¼ tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
½ cup unsalted butter (room temp) – no substitutions!
½ cup sugar
1 large egg yolk
½ tsp vanilla
1 tsp grated lemon peel

Preheat oven to 375^o F. Mix fruit in a large bowl with sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Let stand until sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a greased 8-inch square baking dish.

Mix flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in a large bowl until smooth. Beat in egg yolk, lemon peel, and vanilla. Add flour mixture; mix just until moist dough forms. Spoon dough atop fruit, spacing evenly. Bake until golden & bubbly, about 55 minutes. Delicious with vanilla ice cream!

For more yummy recipes, visit Saturday Stirrings at It Coulda' Been Worse!

One Word

Anyone who'd like to do this is tagged. Only one word answers allowed. Let me know if you do it!

1. Where is your cell phone? Unknown
2. Your significant other? Patient
3. Your hair? Blondeish
4. Your mother? Vivacious
5. Your father? Introvert
6. Your favorite thing? Friends
7. Your dream last night? Hopeful
8. Your favorite drink? Tea
9. Your goal or dream? Peace
10. The room you're in? Living
11. Your kids? Silly
12. Your fear? Illness
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Debt-free
14. Where were you last night? Church
15. What you're not? Organized
16. Muffins? Chocolate
17. One of your wish list items? Swingset
18. Where you grew up? Everywhere
19. The last thing you did ? Ate
20. What are you wearing? Pajamas
21. Your TV? PBS
22. Your pets? Oodles
23. Your computer? Laptop
24. Your life? Inconsistent
25. Your mood? Mellow
26. Missing someone? Friends
27. Your car? Red
28. Something you're not wearing? Shoes
29. Favorite Store? Garden
30. Your summer? Hot
31. Like someone? Yes
32. Your favorite color? Blue
33. When is the last time you laughed? Recently
34. Last time you cried? Unknown
35. The person who sent this to you? Sandi
36. Who will/would resend this? Leslie
37. A good book? Bible
38. A good movie? Shadowlands
39. A good song? Unbelievable
40. One word to share? Love!

Questions...

Okay, my bloggy friends, I have questions for you:

1. For our small group next Sunday, I'm supposed to bring a fingerfood with meat. No sandwiches. Any suggestions?

2. I'd like to get a toddler-sized outdoor playset for Wendy, but everything I've seen in the stores is WAY expensive. Any suggestions?

Thanks!

Update on Tiny Babies

Just a quick update for anyone who is interested:

Jordan & Jaxon Larry, twins born last Wednesday at 25 weeks, are sons of a friend of ours from college. Both boys had a large PDA that needed correction. Jordan had surgery on Saturday morning, and it went well. It sounds like Jaxon may have surgery tomorrow.

Please lift these little bitty guys up in your prayers, along with their parents, Jyusef & Crichelle. You can follow updates here.

Irish Chocolate Mint Dessert

The recipe I'm going to share today is one of my favorites. I came across it in one of my best dessert cookbooks, the Hershey's Best Loved Recipes cookbook. It's fantastically yummy and good, and makes it look like you worked really hard. It's not difficult to make, but it does take awhile to make because you have to pause between layers.

In case the name "Irish Chocolate Mint Dessert" isn't enough to tempt you, here's a picture of it from the Hershey website:

Yum!

Irish Chocolate Mint Dessert
1-1/2 cups (3 sticks)plus 6 tablespoons butter or margarine, divided
2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 eggs
3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2-2/3 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon water
1 teaspoon mint extract
4 drops green food color
1 cup HERSHEY'S SPECIAL DARK Chocolate Chips or HERSHEY'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Place 1 cup (2 sticks) butter in large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at MEDIUM (50%) 2 minutes or until melted. Stir in granulated sugar and vanilla. Add eggs; beat well. Add cocoa, flour and baking powder; beat until well blended.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool completely on wire rack.

Prepare Mint Cream Center by combining powdered sugar, 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, water, mint extract and food color. Beat until smooth. Divide and spread evenly on cooled brownies. Cover; refrigerate until cold.

Prepare Chocolate Glaze by placing remaining 6 tablespoons butter and chocolate chips in small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at MEDIUM (50%) 1 minute or until mixture is smooth when stirred. Cool slightly; pour over chilled dessert. Cover; refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving. 24 servings.

You can find more yummy recipes at It Coulda' Been Worse's Saturday Stirrings!

The Emergency Broadcast System

I was in the middle of writing my Fashion Fiesta post (stay tuned!) while Wendy watched Bob the Builder when I was rudely interrupted by the Emergency Broadcast System. It was pretty strange to see Bob's mouth moving and hear the grating sound of the EBS.

(What is that sound, anyway? It used to be a pretty straightforward, ear-splitting, dissonant siren, but now it's...strange. I bet they got it from the same sound studio that makes the "chung-chung" sound for Law & Order. I digress.)

I wasn't too surprised to see that we had a tornado warning, because the light had been weird all morning. I think those of you who live or have lived in tornado-prone areas know what I mean by "weird light."

I switched channels to the local weather, where I can be guaranteed of constant radar images and predictions of VW-sized hail and hurricane-force winds, and tracked the storm as it inched closer. The storm cell that headed for us was showing signs of wind shear (never good), and a funnel cloud had been spotted in the town just upstream (upstorm?) of us.

The prudent thing to do was alert James, so that we could all huddle together in our sort-of safe spot and watch the radar. As the storm approached, it started going just north enough to miss us. I went out on the front porch to look at the sky, and it was awesome, in the true sense of the word.

The clouds were ragged and low, and came in shades from charcoal to split pea. Just north of the elementary school (which is right across the street), the lower level clouds were quickly moving east, while the next layer up was quickly moving north. The result was a rather frightening swirling motion, and I was quite relieved it was heading away, towards the unpopulated farmland. (And Carrie - if you read this - rest assured that the school personnel were taking things seriously. They were keeping a close eye on the clouds & the direction of the storm.)

Anyway, it all fizzled out and we were spared serious weather. But it's been a long time since I saw clouds that scary - most of our storms occur at night, when you have no idea what the clouds are doing.

Tiny Babies

Hi, y'all - if you could spare a minute, please say a prayer for Jaxon & Jordan Larry - they are twins, born today at 25 weeks of gestation. Pray for strong lungs & hearts, a strong spirit, and good medical care.

Please also pray for the boys' parents, Jyusef & Crichelle Larry. They're going to need peace, strength, and patience as they greet their sons in the NICU. (Jyusef is a college friend of mine. I haven't met Crichelle, but if Jyusef chose her as a wife, she must be something special!!)

Giveaway Alert!

There's a great giveaway going on at 5 Minutes for Mom - go check it out!!

Works-For-Me-Wednesday: Toddler Play Sandals

My girlie LOVES to play outside. She loves to run, climb, pick dandelions, and basically just stomp around the yard. With the arrival of spring (YAY!) I've been on a search for the ideal play sandal. I had several qualifications in mind:

1. It had to look girlie. I wasn't going to substitute a boy's sandal.
2. It had to be sturdy.
3. It had to be washable.
4. It should protect her wee tootsies.
5. It should not require a bank loan.

In my search, I came across various sandals that would probably have worked, but didn't fit all five qualifications for the ideal play sandal. And as much as I would like to buy two or three pairs of sandals for her, that's just not an option.

And then I found this:

I call them her "Fake Crocs." They are made of the same croc-like material, so they're reasonably sturdy and easily washed (I've already chucked these in the washer a couple of times). They're girlie. They're closed-toed to protect her from the sticks/rocks/bumblebees. Best of all, I found them at Wal-Mart for $5. That's right, $5. (If you go looking for them, they're with the flip-flops, not the regular toddler shoes.)

The only downside I can see is that they run a smidge big; instead of getting the 6, we had to go for the 5 - that means we'll probably buy another pair before the summer is over. But at $5 a pop, that's totally doable.

(You may wonder about the setting for the picture. I have to keep the Fake Crocs on top of the cabinet by the back door. If Wendy gets her hands on them, she will keep bringing them to me, saying, "Dadide?" [That's outside in Wendyspeak.] The girl loves the outdoors.)

(And bonus points if you can tell me what's in the yellow box in the picture.)

Sturdy, girlie, washable and cheap toddler play sandals work for me! What works for you?

Head over to Rocks In My Dryer for more ideas!

I'm really excited about this CD. I signed up to receive a free copy, and you can, too! If you have at least 50 unique visitors to your blog every month, you qualify! Go there now to sign up - and hurry - there are only 100 CDs available!

Kittens, Mermaids, Etc.

I just realized yesterday afternoon that the kittens are a week old! I tried to get some pictures of them, with minimal success. For whatever reason, Matilda wasn't very patient with the picture-taking process, so I got a couple of shots & left them alone. Here they are in their little kitten-pile. From top to bottom, Bailey, Glenda, Mickey, and Charlie. Glenda & Charlie are spoken for, I think, but Bailey & Mickey are still fair game.



And here's a close-up of Mickey, right next to Matilda's foot for a size comparison. Isn't he cute? The wittle skwunched up face, teeny nose, and stubbly whiskers...this is dangerous stuff. This is how I got so many cats, people.

I'm going to try to get a good picture of Glenda today - her eyes are opening, several days ahead of schedule. Her right eye is completely open, and her left eye is about 1/3 open - she kinda looks like a pirate. :-)

And here is what happens when I get distracted while dressing Wendy...do you see a problem here?!?

I didn't know that mermaids had toes, but this one apparently does.

And here she is playing piano like Grandpa. She loves anything that makes music, but she really loves the piano. She climbs right up on the bench and plays with both hands, and it looks so cute! She's been doing it for a couple of months, and this is the first time I've been able to get a good picture. Little does she know that in about four years, she'll be complaining about having to practice her piano lesson...

There Oughtta Be A Law...

...that states that you must have a signed agreement by all parties in a neighborhood stating when mowing season starts. I mean, seriously, people. Can't we just enjoy the newly-green grass, happy dandelions, and pretty purple weedy-things? Do we have to fire up the John Deere's on the first day the grass is 1/4" too long, and massacre all the fresh spring grass??

See, here's the thing. Our mower is in the shop. Has been for two weeks. In those two weeks, we've had copious amounts of rain, intermixed with warm, sunny days - a recipe for lush, healthy grass. I noticed our grass was longish, and was amused. I really enjoy seeing the wind blow the grass, and when it's nice and trim, that doesn't happen.

But then our neighbors mowed. And then the other neighbors mowed.

And now I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that we are That Yard. The one that looks unkempt and bedraggled. The one that's overgrown and weedy. The one that looks like it could feed a small flock of goats. Yes, what just a few days ago was a sign of spring, a pleasent green shag carpeting of chlorophyll-y goodness, is now a bit of a disgrace.

It didn't look nearly so bad until our neighbors mowed, and showed exactly how tall our grass really is. (See, it's all their fault. If we had come to an agreement beforehand, none of this would be an issue...)

We're waiting anxiously for a report on the mower. James is even planning to take off work when they let us know it's ready, so that we can pick it up and use it. This poor mower has been in hard use for seven years, and it's the first time we've had it worked on, so it's not the poor mower's fault.

But still. We're apparently waiting for a spring to arrive, at which time the mechanics will replace said spring and all will be well.

Please hurry, Mr. UPS Man. Deliver the spring, and free us from our jungle of a yard!

It's Lurking Around the Corner - AGAIN

Today is Monday. Every Monday is a chance for a fresh start. Every Monday I have plans for the week, new routines I want to set, or things I want to avoid that week. Even though I seldom accomplish my goals, Monday still makes me hopeful that this time, this week, things can change.

I've been fighting off depression again lately, and I'm going to do something about it this week. Today is bright and sunny and warm, so Wendy and I are going to spend time outside. I think we may go to the park, or at least to the walking trail. I think the week of heavy rain & gloominess has really taken it's toll on my emotions; we'll remedy that today with a bit of fresh air & sunshine.

I'm also going to get the Gazelle downstairs where I can use it. It's been upstairs gathering dust since we moved, which is just plain silly. I'm not sure how I'm going to move it downstairs since I'm not supposed to lift more than 25 pounds, but I'll figure it out!

I'm also going to reinstate my daily Bible study. I did very well for about two weeks, and then I got off track. I'm planning to go back over the last several days of the study, and start fresh. I really like the study, but it was so easy to get out of the habit, and to get overwhelmed with other nonsense.

So, my friends, please pray for me again, that I can fight off the depression. It seems to be a more constant struggle now than it has been in the past. I could use your prayers for peace, for healing sleep, and for motivation to do the things I need to do each day.

Thank you!

Peanut Butter Cake!

If you've been reading my blog, or at least the recipes I post on Saturdays, you know I love peanut butter. I've never been one of those who could eat it with a spoon (you know who you are!), but put it in cookies, pie, cake, ice cream, anything sweet, and I can't get enough!

Today's recipe is for Peanut Butter Cake. It can be a dessert, or you can call it a coffee cake & have some for breakfast. It's very yummy, moist and peanut-buttery. If you take this cake to work on Monday morning, I guarantee you will have oodles of compliments and an empty pan by lunchtime. :-)

Topping:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup peanut butter
3 tablespoons butter or margarine

Cake:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 eggs
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
Mini chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray.

For topping, in a small bowl stir together the 1/2 cup flour and the 1/2 cup brown sugar. Using a pastry blender, cut in the 1/4 cup peanut butter and the 3 tablespoons butter or margarine till mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl stir together the 2 cups flour, the 1 cup brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add milk, the 1/2 cup peanut butter, eggs, and the 1/4 cup butter or margarine. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until combined. Beat on medium to high speed for 3 minutes, scraping bowl frequently. Stir in desired amount of mini chocolate chips.

Spoon batter into the prepared pan, spreading evenly. Sprinkle with topping mixture. Bake in a 375 degree F oven about 30 minutes or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean. Serve warm or cool thoroughly on a wire rack. Makes 16 servings.

*ping*

I went to Target yesterday, and as we were leaving, I heard God speak. That doesn't describe it exactly - it wasn't auditory, and it wasn't words that came to me. It wasn't like Bill Cosby's Noah sketch - there wasn't a *ping*. I had just buckled Wendy into her car seat, locked the doors, and was returning the cart to the corral when I saw her - I'll call her Edith. Here's the scene:

Edith is a well-dressed woman in her early 80s, who drives a well-kept luxury car, several years old. Edith is wearing nice slacks, sensible shoes, and has a cardigan draped over her shoulders, despite the warm sunshine beating down on us. Edith has the trunk of her car open, and is unloading her groceries. She reminds me a lot of James' grandmother, Mary - a steel magnolia if I've ever met one.

Edith's posture is hunched, as if she has severe arthritis causing her shoulders & neck to be stiff & painful. She's almost got her cart unloaded, but two items remain - two twelve-packs of Diet Pepsi.

And then I get a sudden urge to help her. HELP HER. I am very shy by nature, and go out of my way to not interact with people I don't know. But I know, somehow, that I must help her. It's not a big deal, really - I just go up to her, ask if she'd like my help, and load those two packs of soda into her trunk. She thanks me profusely, and we go our separate ways.

Ordinarily, an occurence like this wouldn't be blog fodder. But here's the thing - I fully recognize that God was telling me to help this woman. I've always been skeptical of people who claim that God speaks to them or directly reveals His will in their lives, but then I felt it. It was in a little thing, but it was so exciting, so energizing, and so wonderful.

I wonder how many other times He's spoken to me, and I didn't listen. I ignored Him. I was too caught up in my own petty concerns to listen to what the Savior had to say. Shame on me.

I plan to listen more, from now on. And I hope Edith had a great day!

Wendy's Checkup

Wendy had her 18 month check-up today. According to her doctor, she's perfectly healthy aside from some seasonal allergies and keratosis pilaris.

Here are her stats:
Height: 33 inches, almost 90th percentile
Weight: 25 pounds, 70th percentile

She was very, VERY good for the doctor today. There wasn't any screaming at all, until the shot. The good news is that it's her last shot until the before-kindergarten shots. Yay!!! The bad news is, well, it was a shot. But I'm very thankful we're through with those early visits, with 4 or 5 shots at a time. Those were no fun at all!!