What's the Difference Between a Dress and a Skirt?

Welcome to Monday....the day that was beautiful and sunny and has left me exhausted on my feet.

Okay, technically I am sitting to type so just sum it up to say I am exhausted.

BUT, I get to type this little post to you because my dishwasher is FIXED.

Did you hear cheering today?  That was me.

I had to take a moment to share some funny moments from yesterday.

My husband was feeling relief at not having a daughter after seeing his niece in a short dress for some school dance thing she went to.  Keep in mind, his niece is six foot at fifteen...the girl is model material...and he was relieved to not be the dad to see his daughter in a grown up dress.

"When I told her her skirt was too short, she told me it was a dress.  How could that be a dress?" He asked me.

"Because it was a dress," I answered simply, giggling at his adorable worry over his niece.

Silence from him (odd) and then, "What's the difference between a dress and a skirt?  A skirt is shorter, right?"

I nearly died laughing.

He seriously had NO idea.

The boys weren't sure either...but S1 figured it out.  "A dress covers all of you, a skirt doesn't," he finally said.

My husband is still not sure that I know for sure that that's the difference.  He's pretty sure a dress is something that goes below your knees and a skirt is short.

Our pastor's wife suggested I buy one of each to show him...I thought this was a rather brilliant idea.

Later, that same morning, the boys were watching CMT videos and this song came on.....


I super like this song for so many reasons.

One of them being I used to drive a 1972 four door metallic red nova with white interior.  (A moment of silence as I recall how it slaughtered a deer and did not survive....)

Anyhow, this is a GREAT song and I super like it muchly.

(Notice how badly I am rambling...I forewarned you I am exhausted!)

S4, who was listening intently, asked his Daddy how someone could roll their eyes.

"You look up and all the other person can see is the white of your eyes...." Jake could see S4 was not catching on so he said, "Just go ask your mama...she knows how to do it really well."

Do you know how hard it was for me not to roll my eyes at that?

For the rest of the morning the boys were walking around practicing rolling their eyes.

Great.

S2 has it mastered with the disgusted shake of his head and all.

And that was my Sunday morning for you all....just the Sunday morning.  Yup, barrels of laughs here all the time.

I Need to Get ReMarried

Recently, I awoke to realize that I had not washed the bowls from the soup we had eaten the night before.  "Great," I groaned as I turned on the dishwasher, "What will I do for cereal bowls this morning?"

"Too bad they don't have some great plastic ones we could have on hand for days like this," my husband offered as advice.

"OR," I began dramatically, "We could own enough bowls that we could have soup the for dinner and still have enough bowls for cereal in the morning!"

This conversation made me realize I really need to get remarried.

I would appreciate a wedding shower now more than I ever did when we got married.  I would pick the practical things that I know I'll use for forever, and pick out the big splurges that I didn't even know about before.

This year Jake and I will have been married for 15 years.

If you look around our house, you can tell we have been married for 15 years.

When our towels were well worn out, my hubby sent me to goodwill to see what I would find.  I am not a fan of buying USED bath towels, but I found one and bought this towel that (at the time) looked as if it had never been used.

 It's been used a lot since.  But, really, who else but a new bride would get the name "Jake" embroidered IN PINK on a bath towel?  I think that Jake might have not appreciated the gesture.  My Jake, on the other hand, has used it nearly to threadbare.

I used to have all matching towels.  Then I just bought what was on sale and then used colors that would hide dirt well.  But I could never keep up laundry and this year I just totally gave up and threw our beach towels in with the bath towels.  Come summer I'll need all new bath towels along with all new beach towels.

 Dishes.

Oh my.  These are my dishes....

 The green plates (there are two missing from this picture) are the plates my mom didn't like and got rid of - to me.  The white plates I scored at a garage sale.  The blue ridged wavy edged plates Korene got for me - she went to a garage sale and found the plates (and the white bowls you see on the shelf above) and told the lady how her friend has FOUR boys and only six cereal bowls and the woman felt so badly for me she GAVE the dishes to Kor to give to me.  I have two plates left of my wedding dishes.  Jake bought me the yellow plate and the yellow bowl (and a yellow mug) for Christmas one year.  

The plastic bowls used to be great in number, this is what we have left.  And the red one can only be filled half full. It has a crack half way down the side.  The green rimmed bowl is the ONLY one left from my wedding dishes.

My cupboard shelf is held up with.....

 A container of peanuts.

Seriously, people. 

And there are many times a week I'll think, "You know, peanuts sound kinda good right now." But I can't take them from the cupboard, the whole thing would come crashing down then, I am sure.

And now lets move on to pot holders......

These are my best.

(ohhhh, see my yellow mug with coffee in it and my french press? okay, back to the post.)

The camouflage one someone made and gave to the church.  The church let the kids dig through the donations to find gifts for their parents and S4 came home with the pot holder.  He beams when I use it -which is all the time - and is thrilled he has given me my nicest pot holder.

I'll spare you my kitchen towels.

They would give you nightmares.  And you know they must because the pot holders are scary enough.

Don't get me wrong, I am blessed beyond blessed.

But in a month when your vacuum breaks and you have to borrow your friends emergency vacuum, your dishwasher breaks beyond repair, you use a beach towel for your kitchen towel, your sons only winter boots break and you have to buy another pair on the same week you realize that the limping along with groceries you have been doing isn't cutting it because you are out of everything......

It's times like that you just have to laugh.

And dream of what you would pick out NOW that you know better and are wiser and appreciate wonderful kitchen and bath things.

When you dream of pillows that aren't resown together with pink string for the upteenth time and your blankets don't have holes in them that you get your legs and arms stuck in in the middle of the night.

I thought all about this for quite some time now and told my hubby I was going to write this blog post.  I told him I was going to tell everyone I needed to get remarried.  Then I gave him a kiss on his scruffy cheek and said, "But don't worry a bit, I'd only remarry you."

Anyone with me on this? Don't you wish you could have a wedding shower NOW?

A Tupperware Party

Today I had a Tupperware Party at my house.

It felt very 1960's-ish to say that out loud. "I am having a tupperware party, please come out to the house at 9:59 am."

I had a party just to get THIS......

I had one before and it broke.

It is one of the only things my husband looked at me and said, "I don't care how much this thing is, buy a new one."

Those of you who know my husband know he does NOT say things like this.

We use this chopper for salsa the most - mmmmmmmm, fresh salsa in the summer! - but also for zucchini for zucchini bread, diced itty bitty so the boys don't taste them onions, making jam.....

I use it ALL the time.

So Sandy suggested I just have a party to see if I could get it for free and a Tupperware party just sounded....retro.

I do not like to have parties...at all...so this was rather surprising I would even agree to such a get together. Add to that that I don't even know Sandy (the hostess), everyone was really even more surprised.  But as the party came closer and closer, I got more and more excited.  I made lists and lists of possible foods for the party.

I wanted lots of friends to come....

For the simple reason I wanted them to be here at the house with me.

I honestly didn't care if a single one of them bought anything - and thank you greatly to all who did because thanks to you I'll get my chopper at a discounted, if not free, price - but I was just so happy to have everyone here.

I was going to take pictures of us all.......and forgot.

Totally bummed about that.

Today was all about spoiling my friends with any food I could think that would be spoil worthy.  I made princess punch (found on pinterest...which rocks), pots de creme via the Pioneer Woman, Krusteaz cranberry orange muffins with added white chocolate chips, lemon bars and had a dish of fruit and fruit dip (the good fruit dip, with marshmallow creme).

It made me think I should have a party with just my friends and good food sometime.  It is SUCH fun.  And a party like that, that would be a little 1960's-ish, don't you think?  Sometimes, in the fun and convenience of facebook, twitter, email, passing each other quickly...we miss the friendship.

And the friendship...that's what helps make life so sweet.

Home Front Audio

Did you read my post about the book Home Front?  

You can read the post HERE.

To say I loved this book would be an understatement.  If you read ONE book this year, I really think it should be this one.  It's that good.

Well, I have just been sent the audio for the book.  The whole first chapter is available for you to listen to. 

So, if you think you can't take the time to read the book, you should listen to it.

It's a DO NOT MISS book.  

Listen here to the a scene from the beginning of the book, where you get the idea of how Jolene and Michael's marriage was fraying.  I found myself instantly back in the book, pulled in.  I wanted to read it again hearing this.

I should just buy it!

YOU buy it, or check it out at the library (like I did) or order the audio.

JUST GET IT!

 Home Front by Kristin Hannah.

Home Front Audio

(click the words above to listen)

HomeFront_webclip.mp3

They Thought They Would Pull a Fast One

So they wore the same shirt to school.

They giggled at the brilliance of this.

Of course, one of them went to school in glasses.

And neither of them are in the same class.

But the sheer brilliance of this!

They giggled all day long.

Wall of Love

It's Valentine's Day.

The day where love is in the air.

But I don't have to think back long to recall a bunch of happy memories with my honey.

I only need to wake up and look at our bedroom wall.

To our wall of love.

It started as a Christmas present to him a few years back and just has sort of grown to this.  I have two new frames already purchased.  Every photo holds a memory.  The picture in the top left is when I first found out I was pregnant with S2, the latest picture of us is in the not full frame closest to you on the right.

My husband does not believe in Valentine's Day.  He informs me it is a made up day by Hallmark.

I know it's not, he knows it's not, but he refuses to celebrate it much.

Today I will be surprising the boys with a special dinner and a cake FROM THE BAKERY.  That was  an interesting call. "Yes, I would like to order a Valentine's day cake."

"Would you like flowers and hearts on that?"

"I have all boys.  Don't make it girly or they won't eat it."

Yup, that's how I ordered it.

A friend made the all the four boys a duct tape wallet. Pictures will be coming of those, I can guarantee you.  I can't wait to see how excited they will be! 

It's day to celebrate those we love.

And I've got a bunch of boys here I love whole bunches.

I'm thankful for a day I have to tell them - again - just how much I love them.

And hubby, thanks for so many happy memories.

I can't wait to make a million more happy memories more with you!

I love you from the top of my blonde head to my (frozen) bare toes!

Monday Monday

Sometimes, Monday's go like this.....

You wake up late to a head cold that has snot dripping from your nose.

It literally feels like your brain is draining through your nostrils. (nice mental image, huh?)

You wake up your boys and realize you are the mom who never knew you son slept behind the couch all night...

When you get out of the shower, you see your boys are no where near ready for school.

You blow your nose five times in the time it takes you to get dressed.

Your boys are still not dressed for school.  As in, underwear naked.

You loose your cool.

You make coffee...extra strong...and pray the cold medicine kicks in.

One of your sons wails he has not eaten breakfast and he can't find his socks and his shoes are missing and his back pack is still in the suburban where he left it Friday...and it's time for you to be leaving the house RIGHT NOW.

You loose your cool...again.

You barely make it to school.

You fall into the kitchen door of your home and make more coffee.

The medicine begins to kick in.

You get yourself prettied up a bit.

You meet with a friend for (more) coffee and share life.  You talk future plans and hobbies and connect and wish you could chat much more often as you munch on red velvet cookies with chocolate heart centers.

At the store you realize there are, in fact, enough custard filled donuts for you to get one for everyone in your family for an extra special breakfast tomorrow for Valentine's Day.  You have the cash on hand to spoil them this way. (And.....now you have an unhealthy breakfast for an on the run breakfast tomorrow morning on an already going to be sugary day.)

Upon arriving home, all your chickens greet you and make you smile.

You have fresh blueberries in you fridge for lunch.

Your husband calls just to say he loves you.

Yup, Monday's can be like that.