Ancient History According to Matthew

"A long, long time ago, before you were born, Mama, when Gammy and Gampy were kids, there was a hissing dinosaur. And someone in the world killed it by bopping it on the head! I saw this on a dinosaur movie on the computer."

My question: I wonder if Gammy and Gampy [my parents] were familiar with this hissing dinosaur. Because, you know, they evidently were alive a long, long time ago. Can't wait to ask them!

Good Deed of the Day*

When we were coming home through our neighborhood after preschool today, we saw a small painted turtle trying to cross the road to get to the pond on the other side (it sounds like there should be a joke there). I stopped the van - and traffic! - and transferred the turtle to the grass on the other side of the road. We see lots of turtle casualties during spring and summer, so hopefully this little one has a few more days.

* My usual G.D.o.t.D is straightening up and connecting the grocery carts in the cart return. You think I'm kidding don't you? Only those of you who really know me know I'm not! How hard is it to push your cart into the one in front of it so they make a nice, neat line? That way the grocery store people can easily get them back into the store. And that way the carts don't run into cars in the parking lot.

And that way they don't give Type A people like me a stroke.

Smackdown Saturday Night (OR Round Two of Julie vs. Poison Ivy)

So. The poison ivy is thriving in our yard. Shock, right? And now that Spring has sprung and the "leaflets three" are apparent, I'm ready to eradicate the yard of it's beauty. Yesterday, I put on two layers of latex gloves (disposable, yes?) to pull the stuff out by the roots, yet protect my lovely skin. OK. This stuff is vine-y. As in, long ropes of plant and not just short, slim stems. You would think that after my battle with The Poison (as my mom likes to call it) last month, I would have learned to wear long sleeves in the poison ivy battles. Alas, no. I guess I'm a slow learner. Maybe it's because I am Blonde Challenged. Anyway, the poison ivy certainly didn't like being ripped out of the beds and entwined itself around my arms and squeezed tight. Something like that. I yanked up two grocery bags full of the stuff (I'm not dumping it anywhere near my yard where it will come back to stalk me...those bags went in the trash...sorry Garbage Men!) and immediately went inside and scrubbed my face and hands and arms. To get the Evil Oils off my skin, right? Guess what - it didn't take. And now I have a fresh crop of i*t*c*h*y bumps on the insides of my arms. And a few little spots on my right leg (??). Just in time for Jennifer's wedding on Saturday (DO NOT FREAK OUT, Jennifer!). I'm taking Zyrtec this time to chill the itch. And really, really trying not to scratch. Really. POISON IVY IS GOIN' DOWN!

"Crazy Hat Day" at Preschool

Winner of the "Most Original Hat" award

Winner of the "Most Decorated Hat" award

Gardening 101

So, I’m not much of a gardener. And our yard is not super conducive to veggie-growing since it is so shady. But I love garden fresh veggies in the summer, and the boys always love to help. I've had piddly little gardens before (tomatoes, peppers, cukes) with the help of my Gardening Wizard Friend Sarah (Hi Sarah!) and the assistance of "Vegetable Gardening for Dummies" (so not kidding about that). This year we will try a new area to grow the veggies (adding beans and ??) that is bigger. Only problem? It needs major work to get going. That's where the hubber comes in. I love you, honey!

Anyway, this is another of the new projects: berry bushes! The boys love fruits, and we are always scavenging the neighborhood blackberry patches come July. And with the price of EVERYTHING going up this year, I thought I would give this a whirl. The top picture is a blueberry bush that arrived today (from Gurney's Seed & Nursery Co. online). Evidently you need at least two different kinds of blueberry plants so the bushes will produce fruit. My second type should be arriving in a few days. Clearly we have a ways to go before the blueberries grace our table.

The second plant is one of two blackberry plants. These just came from Home Depot. I'm a little skeptical of their success (especially in MY hands!), but we'll see. These are also two different types of blackberries: Arapaho Thornless and Darrow.

So, we'll see how it goes. If all else fails, there IS always the Farmer's Market, right?

Sixty-Four Degrees and Rainy

A perfect puddle jumping evening.

Matthew: "Mike - move out of the way!"
Michael: "Matthew - it's my turn now!"



These pictures aren't the best - too dark and too much movement - but I think you can get the jist of the shots. We have this great cul-de-sac in front of our house that has small dips where rain water collects. We try to make it a habit to get out and enjoy the puddles after a good shower.






What is it about being wet that is so much fun? Usually I join in, too, but tonight I just wanted to try to capture the joy.

Eighty-two Degrees and Sunny

A perfect picnic day.

Another wedding

JIM IS GOING TO PROPOSE TO PAM!!

HE HAD THE RING AFTER THE FIRST WEEK!!

I L*O*V*E THIS SHOW!!!!

A Friend For the Squirrels and Raccoons

I am exhausted. This month has been non-stop so far, and this weekend will be more of the same. Don't get me wrong - it's all great stuff - but I am just not a high energy person, I think. Anyway, I let the boys play outside on the driveway when we got home (after the "watch out for snakes" talk), while I planned a little couch time. So, I have the news on and Cameron Kent is talking to Lanie Pope who is evidently at some golf event. Rustle, rustle, rustle. "That's some funky background noise" I thought, but didn't really pay attention as I was checking out all of my friends' blogs (Hi Lori! Hi Dawn! Hi Dana! Hi Kristin! Hi Other People Who Don't Know I Stalk Your Blog!). Rustle, rustle, rustle. OK. The noise is annoying me now. And then it occurred to me that the noise was coming from inside my house instead of from inside my TV. Push the mute button on the remote - yes, the noise is still there. I thought it was one of those nasty wasps that invade our home from time to time. Rustle, rustle, rustle. It seems like it's coming from somewhere near the TV. So, Brave Girl That I Am, I tiptoed over towards the TV. RUSTLE, RUSTLE, RUSTLE. Ummm, yes, it's louder now. I see a shape moving inside of a plastic grocery store bag that is on our hearth. A SHAPE. MOVING. IN THE BAG. And then I could see it was a lizard. A five-striped skink to be exact. In. My. House. Being the Mother of Boys, I went into the kitchen and got a bowl and then with my fingers picked the skink up by the tail and put it in the bowl for Show and Tell. Matthew and Michael loved it. Of course. So, is there some sign outside of our neighborhood that says 'This Way To A Hospitable Critter House"? Let's see, in our house, we have had raccoons, snakes, bats, mice, squirrels, unbelievably large spiders (one tried to carry Michael away one time), and now skinks...

Sally Jean's Last Meal

- an excerpt from "GRITS Friends are Forevah" as told by Sharon Bohannon

The doorbell rang just as I was cutting up the last of the okra. Surely it must be Sally Jean, she was supposed to have been here an hour ago. How did I forget to leave the door unlocked, anyway? My hands were sticky from the okra, so I used a hand towel to open it. We greeted each other, and she surprised me with a gallon of her famous sweet tea. Sally and I had been friends since we were twelve years old, and today we were cooking all of her favorites for her last meal.

Every burner was fired up on the stove, and we took turns tending to cornmeal-battered summer squash, fried okra, green beans, corn scraped off the cob with real butter and cream, and new red potatoes. The timer buzzed on the oven, and we pulled out buttermilk cornbread baked to perfection. Sally Jean turned off the Crock-Pot and opened it to the smell of pot roast so tender it was falling to pieces. We sliced home-grown tomatoes, garden-fresh cucumbers, and sweet Vidalia onions.

I dug out my best tablecloth and spread it across the dining room table, and we set out my best stoneware in true Southern style. Sally Jean poured out the sweet tea and squeezed in juicy lemon wedges. I pulled a work of art in a Pyrex dish from my fridge: layers of vanilla wafers and bananas drenched in the sweetest pudding I've ever made topped with browned meringue.

Sally Jean was touched. Banana pudding had been her favorite dessert for twenty years. She sighed, both of us knew this was her last meal.

Sally Jean said grace in a voice barely above a whisper, then the eating and fun began. We ate and talked and promised to be best friends forever.

We toasted this last meal together with the clinking of our sweet tea glassses. It was the end for Sally Jean, tomorrow, she'd begin her diet.

Incentive

Oh! Tonight is the finale of "The Biggest Loser". These people are really incredible! You see what they look like now, and it seems impossible to believe that their before pictures are for real. That Ali is one hot little mama - she's all muscle-y and pretty. Rock on, girl!

Meanwhile, I'm downing this popcorn beside me like it's my last meal. Help - I need Jillian! Save me from myself!

True Love

So, our family is sitting down to dinner on Sunday, and Matthew turns to Michael and says:

"Michael, I wish you were grown up so I could marry you! I want to marry someone I know. Except I can't marry Mike because he's a boy and boys can't marry each other!"

But clearly, sibling marriage in general is A-OK.

East, West, Home is...

....[full of] jest? ...[a place of] rest? ...[a big ole] mess?

This week I was in Asheville for the North Carolina Speech Language and Hearing annual convention. I almost always go so that I can rack up on CEUs, learn some new therapy ideas or techniques, well, and just have some Julie Time. Asheville is a beautiful mountain town and the Grove Park Inn is an incredible resort. The Inn was built in the 19-teens and retains an art deco ambience. Lots of antiques, huge fireplaces, porches for relaxing, VERY GOOD FOOD! The convention was definitely worth the money. Except for one dud, the sessions I attended were really quality lectures. The best part for me, though, was getting to spend time with my enthusiastic, outgoing, SMART, very fun co-workers. I work with four outstanding speech pathologists, and three of them were able to attend the conference with me. They are such a special group of ladies, and I know that working with them has been one of the biggest blessings that God has given me this year in this new job. Not only are they outstanding clinicians (and every one of them has such special strengths to add to our team), but they are all also sisters in Christ. It means so much to me that my professional life also has such loving spiritual support.

One of my college friends lives in Asheville, and I was able to join her, her husband, and her daughter for dinner one night. Dawn is nine months pregnant and looks fantastic - just a little ball of baby tummy. As they continue to be in Name Dilemma, I encouraged the name "Julio". Because Julio Moore sounds so, so good together. Anthony, Dawn's husband is charming and their daughter...oh my. She could not be cuter. Not one little bit cuter. I almost covered her in chocolate sauce and gobbled her up, but that seemed a bit inappropriate.

My family - gracious ones that they are - tag-teamed in keeping our boys. Thank you! While I was gone, the boys did Dollar Work with my parents, attended Nana Camp, and traveled to a Renaissance Festival today with their dad. Clearly, they are not distraught by Mama's absence. Which is a good thing, I know. Alan always takes my little trips in stride and keeps on keeping on (I first heard that phrase when Barry Williams - "Greg Brady" - signed an autographed picture for me in college...that's a whole other blog entry...) while I am gone. Fortunately, the house was still standing with only minor laundry, clutter, and dirty dish issues.

But yeah, east, west, home is definitely BEST. I am so glad to be back home with my three precious boys. Love me some Matthew and Michael. Love me some Alan. I'm feeling refreshed for digging in the dirt, saving dead worms, and building dino nests in the sandbox. Life is good.

The Wisdom of a Five-Year-Old

Matthew: Mama, do you know why God made robin's eggs blue?

Me: Why?

Matthew: Because if the egg falls out of the nest and an enemy finds it, he'll just think part of the sky fell down.

Product Endorsement #2 (Or, How Parchment Paper Has Revolutionized My Life)

OK. So revolutionizing my life is a bit dramatic (when have I EVER been dramatic??). But parchment paper certainly has revolutionized my baking. After nine years of marriage, my baking sheets are yuck. You know - the "non-stick" sheets are so just "stick" now. And they're brown and black, which makes my cookies, etc. brown and black on the bottom. So, for some reason last year, I decided to call out my inner Martha Stewart (ha - I usually reserve that for my very talented sis-in-law...Hi Terri!) and buy parchment paper. With no real clue of how or why to use it. Maybe a recipe called for it. Anyway, a little Baking Miracle occurred in my kitchen that day. Y'all - my cookies were the same color on the bottom as on the top. No dark spots. No burning. No barely-done-on-top and burned-on-the-bottom cookies. And it eliminates the need for greasing a pan - those babies just slide right off. AND, you can reuse the same sheet of parchment paper for several batches. I use it all the time now (see Cheese Wafer recipe). AND - as if you need yet another reason for this life changing product - you don't have to chuck your old pans for new ones. See - what incredible, earth-friendly recycling efforts! Wouldn't Al Gore be proud?? Maybe he'll write a book about Parchment Paper...

And for all of you that are all "Duh! Welcome to the World of Baking!", why didn't you tell me about this sooner?

Shower Power

Saturday I co-hosted a bridal shower for one of my oldest friends. Jennifer and I have been close friends since second grade when we first met in Sunday school. I have so many memories of our years together...sleepovers, fishing in her backyard, youth camp, going to Europe with the Baptist Festival Singers (doesn't that reek of "The Sound of Music"?), high school crushes, piano recitals, mission trips, etc. She is always so much fun. And definitely my most cosmo friend! She lives in Washington, DC and travels the world for her job. Yet, she's as down to earth as they come and has such a heart for the Lord. Isn't she going to make a very beautiful bride? It is an honor to have been asked to be a part of her special day. I met Sam this past summer. He is the perfect gentle balance to her lively personality. They are both just smitten kittens and so loving with each other.
This was a fun and easy table centerpiece that I made for the shower. I bought two sets of white towels (bath towel, hand towel, and washcloth) as a shower gift. Then, I folded the two bath towels into thirds and rolled them around a 20oz. Mountain Dew bottle (raided from Al's jeep) and pinned it together at the end. Then, I folded the hand towels into thirds and rolled and pinned. This made the middle layer. The top layer was made with the rolled up washcloths. I used a fancy wedding garland to decorate and her cousin added the topper of bride and groom dachshunds (her family has always been a dachshund fam!).

Recipe To Get Fat By

One of my life friends (since 2nd grade!) is getting married next month and tomorrow, her cousin and I are throwing a shower for her. This is one of the dishes I am preparing for the shower. And while I would like to sit down and eat every last one of them because they are just that good, I am going to show some restraint since I have a MoH dress to fit into soon. Proud?

Cheddar Cheese Wafers
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
1 (1-pound) block sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded (do not use pre-shredded...not as good!)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 to 2 teaspoons ground red pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
4 cups all-purpose flour
Preparation
Beat first 5 ingredients at medium speed with a heavy-duty stand mixer until blended. Gradually add flour, beating just until combined (I actually use my – clean – hands to mix it all together). Shape dough into 4 (8-inch-long) logs; wrap each in plastic wrap, and chill 8 hours. Cut each log into 1/4-inch-thick slices; place on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 13 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool. Store in an airtight container 1 week.
Yield: Makes about 10 dozen

Gotcha!!

Please, people. I am soooo not pregnant. I just couldn’t help myself…yesterday being April Fool’s Day and all.

Blame Alan, too, because he co-designed this scheme with me.

Now – someone bring me a baby to snuggle…cause we are D.O.N.E. with birthin’ babies around here!

Blue or Pink?

While pregnancy after your husband is "fixed" is uncommon,

it is not unheard of.