I gotta get me one of these!

See this?
I gotta get me one of these.

Last week Luke was stung by a yellow jacket, in the ear. OUCH! Should he be penalized for the string of words that flew out of his mouth? Of course. No leniency here! I could hear him coming from the field behind our house....he was crying, but he was swearing up a storm. Kind of funny, but at the same time not too funny.

More from the kids.....

Luke: (Targeted at Trevor) Idiot!
Me: Hey, I know he frustrates you, but don't call him names.
Luke: He makes me SO mad!
Me: I know he does.
Luke: Can't we just take him somewhere so someone can buy him and then he can beat up their kids?
Me: laughing

~~~

Here is a hubbyism:
Hubby and the boys are eating peanuts in the shell. They leave a huge mess on the dining room table and floor. I look at dear loving hubby and tell him it is up to him to get the boys to help him clean up since they are the ones to make the mess.

Hubby: Okay boys, clean up your nuts.

Me: laughing quietly in the kitchen due to my brain falling into the gutter the minute he makes his comment.

~~~

Luke is laying down on my bed and Trevor uses his butt as a pillow. Well Luke toots on Trevor and they are in hysterics. I ask why, here is the answer I get.

Luke: Mom, Trevor was laying on my gas hole and I farted on his face.

Pretty clever if you ask me......better than him saying ASSHOLE.

Dear Boys,

It is not often that I ask you to come to the store with me. I try to wait until you are all in school or your dad is home so I can make a whirl wind trip. It is so much easier for me when I can do it alone.

I am overjoyed when you take our pre-shopping talk to heart and consider everything I have said as important, good behavior for when we are in the grocery. I love that you listen to me when we are there. It especially makes me incredibly happy when you keep your hands to yourselves, off the produce, off goods on the shelves, and use your inside voices. I am thrilled when you stay close by and not run off to the next isle as if you were all playing a game of tag. I also appreciate that you don't throw things in the cart with out asking because I would hate to pay for something I didn't want in the first place.

My heart flutters when other patrons look upon our family with a smile on their face and a compliment at the ready! I am filled with pride when I am able to walk into a store with 3 handsome, well behaved boys. It makes going to the grocery and any other store a pleasure.

So boys, make momma proud! Do the right thing.

Love always,
Mom

Aprons, Aprons, Aprons!

Hey, have you heard? Julia is doing a thing over at The Apron Goddesses. She wants to know where your aprons have been. Want to play? Of course you do! So go grab your apron, put it on and tell everyone about it. Then go to The Apron Goddesses and add yourself to Mr. Linky. Easy Peasy, right?

What are you waiting for? I just gave you a personal invitation! Go on, don't be shy.

This lovely apron was a sweet win! I entered the weekly give away held over at The Apron Goddesses and won this sweet floral design made by Sassy Smox. You'll have to go check it out, there are some awesome aprons over there. You won't be disappointed.


As a kid I always had cats. I wasn't allowed to have a dog. My parents didn't want to put a fence up at the drive way and they were sure that the care of a dog would fall on them....feeding, walking, etc. They were probably right.

I haven't had a cat since I left home. That is about 15 years now. Last summer that all changed. Not only did we rescue a cat from perilous harm across the road, one happened to show up in my dilapidated garage. She was very skittish when she showed up. She would go to Julia's house to get some food....it's the happenin' spot for cats around here. Julia named her Vapor because when she would show up to get some food she would dart off in a mist of vapor when someone approached.

Once I caught sight of her and her hiding place, the dilapidated garage, I bought some food and started to feed her closer to her comfort zone. Nobody really goes into the garage so it was Vapor's safe haven. Each day I would go out and fill her bowl, all the while talking to her and just watching, getting her used to people......primarily me. Well my patience and consistency paid off, she finally let me pet her after about 3 weeks. Shortly after that I was able to pick her up, briefly, but it was a start. Eventually she let my oldest, Luke, pet her (he is a bit of a cat whisperer). Now when I go outside she talks to me and follows me almost any where. If I am folding laundry, she lays on the folded laundry. She plants herself right in the middle of what I am doing. She is the sweetest, mild tempered cat I have had in a long time.

So, now I am a proud owner of a beautiful floral apron and a beautiful feline we all call Vapor.

Get in on the fun over at The Apron Goddesses and stumble through the pages of women and/or men who are brave enough to show their stuff in their aprons. Come on, it'll be fun and you get to meet new people. Just do it!

Doomsday....and a Fight

Today is the day. Today is DOOMSDAY here at the compound. Our sad, sad chickens are meeting the hatchet man. My BIL had someone he knows come over to help out with the process. Imagine being the hatchet man to 12 chickens. I shudder to think.

My 8 year old, as it turns out, WAS the hatchet man. Luke got to experience killing a chicken first hand. He helped catch, kill, and de-feather the birds. The only thing he didn't do is clean them. Mike's friend gutted and cleaned them. Luke handled it like a trooper. He is very proud of himself, as am I.



My intentions for Trevor and Adam was to keep them in the house while the chickens were being "processed", but I failed. Trevor was all consumed with watching his big brother BE the hatchet man. I grew weary of literally fighting with him that I became one of those moms....you know the ones who cave so they don't have to hear the crying, screaming, name calling, etc. He even locked me out of the house so that he could watch from the kitchen. He is a sensitive one and I fear that tonight I will pay the price for letting him get his way. I fear that I will wake to a traumatized boy who cries out from a bad dream. Adam found it to be "no big deal." He is very laid back and doesn't get worked up about things like Trevor does. I don't think I have to worry too much about him having bad dreams. I guess tonight will be the test for all 3 of them.

All in all, everything went smoothly. Two of the chickens are going to be live food for a burmese python, one rooster was saved at Trevor's request, and the other 12 are either in my freezer or going home with my BIL's friend who helped make this happen. I am just happy to say it is over. Now we can clean the coop, lay down fresh shavings, and wait patiently for the arrival of our new flock of birds.