Six Word Saturday!

Linking up over at Show My Face for some Six Word Saturday action! Grab the button if you want to play.

Twitter is a dangerous place, yo!

I CASUALLY mentioned that I might blog today and maybe I should make a New Year's Resolution to blog more often and next thing I know . . . BAM!

I'm blogging three times a week and not only exercising three times a week as well but doing it using the Couch to 5K program.

What. The. $%^.

Anyway, that being said. I am going to try to work on the blogging thing and the exercise thing in the coming year. Look for more posts from coffee and Chocolate.

I'll probably be posting my list of resolutions soon as well. The best way to keep them is to tell everyone you're resolving to do them, right?

I Love Twitter

I love Twitter. On Twitter you meet all kinds of people. On Twitter you can interact with people on the other side of the world. On Twitter you can talk to celebrities. On Twitter you can embarrass yourself.

The other day Rocky Carroll was tweeting. NCIS fans will know Rocky as Director Vance. He often fields questions from fans.

The other day he tweeted: "Whenever we get a script and Vance uses another character's first name, I immediately change it. It keeps Vance at arms length."

I didn't exactly understand what he meant and I tweeted my confusion to him. He then proceeded to RT my confused tweet and my mentions column promptly filled up with helpful fans explaining what he meant. Rocky himself then clarified the statement.

I was only a tad embarrassed that my lack of understanding was RT'd to 15,800+ people. But it was nice to be acknowledged and actually answered.


Yesterday I was watching Supernatural. The episode Born Under A Bad Sign. Sam goes all evil and goes after Jo. Jo, played of course by the lovely Alona Tal.

I like Jo. I like Alona. I just noticed, as she was standing there wiping down the bar, that she is really thin. I tweeted "Could Alona Tal be skinnier? Someone give that girl a sandwich."

For the record: I don't think she looks bad or unhealthy, she's just super thin.

Well, later that night I was minding my own business, in bed with Rupert and I thought I would look at my mentions on Twitter. There it was.

From Alona Tal: i love you.

I didn't even tag her in the tweet. She's sneaky that one.

I died a little from embarrassment and assured her that I loved her too. *HeadDesk*


All in all I got recognized/tweeted/acknowledged by four actors/celebs on twitter in the past week.

I love Twitter.

Randomish

I have so much random and I failed to post it yesterday (you know, Random Tuesday?) so I guess I'll just spit it out today.

1. Thanksgiving is Thursday. It was suggested to me, yesterday, that we celebrate Thanksgiving on Friday. I asked why. Because this person has plans to celebrate Thanksgiving with others on Thursday. I do NOT care that they are going somewhere else for Thanksgiving but I'm not going to not have Thanksgiving on Thanksgiving because they're going to someone else's Thanksgiving. Does this make sense? I told them to bring their leftovers on Friday and we'll pool our leftovers together and have Thanksgiving 2.0. I would like to repeat. I am NOT mad at this person.

2. I pack a lunch for Kid every day. I also pack a snack, in his backpack, that doesn't need to be cooled. They have the snack mid morning. I don't have a lot of ideas for snacks that don't need to be cooled . . . I would appreciate Any ideas anyone might have.

3. Christmas shopping is Hard, people! I don't know WHAT to get for J or Kid!

4. I'm in the Christmas mood. How long before I start decorating I wonder . . . How long before you decorate?

5. Tweet: "@Celebrity It's my birthday! I Love you! RT me!" Celebrity RT's this tweet. What is the point of this? If I were going to Celebrity to acknowledge me I wouldn't be asking for some silly RT. Say "Hi" to me or something.

Which brings me to . . .

6. Reasons I would want to be rich/famous: A. Use my cash/connections to donate to/raise money for my favorite charities. B. Respond to people on Twitter who tweet me. It's so much fun when a famous person tweets you.

I think I'm done, for now. Have a great day!

Random Tuesday Thoughts!

It's been a while but that doesn't mean I have no Random Thoughts. Link-up and share your own Random!

1. I have 4,397 things running through my head but when I open blogger they all run away!

2. I had a nice long dream starring Julian McMahon last night. (Not THAT kind of dream!) We talked and joked and had a good time in general. Julian McMahon. *Sigh* If you don't know who he is, allow me to show you.

 

 Seriously, I've had worse dreams. 

3.  I watched The Lost Boys for the first time on Saturday. My thoughts are here: The Lost Boys.

4. Kid and I have a Busy Busy weekend this week.

5. Everyone ready for Trick-or-Treat? Kid will we going as Indiana Jones. I will be going as Indiana Jones' Mom. 

6. Currently reading Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children for book club. The Jazz Hands Book club on Twitter that is. (#jhbc All welcome!) Anyone read it? Thoughts?

7. I want this: Hooded Cardigan I think I may buy it today . . . Or tomorrow . . .

8. Speaking of Walmart. I think I'm going to take advantage of their Layaway as well. I just wish the "Rules" were a bit different. No movies/games? Fifteen dollar minimum on each item?

9. I discovered Life Unexpected on Netflix. I'm addicted and I'm sad that it only has two (SHORT) seasons. I'm about a third of the way into season two right now. I'm going to miss this show. I <3 Ryan.

10. Kid's school is having a Halloween party on Thursday. I offered to make and bring something but I don't know what to make. Kid's teacher doesn't want to hand out candy (And why WOULDN'T she want a room full of Kindergartener's on a candy high???) so I don't know what to make. Thoughts? Help?

11. I had SO many more things to random about but can't remember. Well, some of them just have to wait because I'm not always sure who reads this and I have secrets. ;)

Have a great day!

Lego Birthday Party!

I think it's about time I get a post up here about Kid's Lego Party!

We had a blast! It wasn't complicated and it wasn't very structured. Basically the kids just played a lot between presents and cake.

The decorations were very inexpensive and simple but I loved how they turned out.

I went to the local dollar store and I bought a couple plastic, disposable table cloths, blue, green, yellow. I also bought packages of paper plates that were the same shades.

Then I hung the table cloths on the wall, all together, and taped the plates on so they looked like Large Lego's. I LOVED the effect and received a number of compliments. I only used a few plates for each "Lego" and was able to use the rest for the party food.

If I had a printer (How do I not have a printer??) I would have printed out the word "LEGO" in my Lego font and pasted it inside each plate.


For weeks before the party I was saving empty boxes. When we finished off the pop tarts or the spaghetti noodles or the cake mix I tossed the empty box in a basket for later.

I purchased two packages of construction paper (also at the dollar store) and a few rolls of tape. I then wrapped all of those empty boxes in construction paper. J's cousin came over one night and helped me cut out a staggering number of little circles and we taped those onto the boxes.

Viola! Lego's!

They're not perfect but they turned out really cute! I used the basic Lego colors, orange, green, blue, red, yellow and black.

It took a lot of tape to put these together, for a couple reasons. One, the tape I bought was cheap. Two, Construction paper is stiff. Three, I wanted to make sure it stayed together.

I cut out little pieces of thread, tied them in loops and taped those to the back of the boxes. This took a LOT of tape because the thread slipped right out of some of them. Here you can see the massive tape use in those pictures.

Anyway, I used the thread loops to hang the Lego boxes from the ceiling.

Again, I LOVE the way these turned out. They took a LOT of time and a LOT of cutting of little circles and taping them on but it was totally worth it!

The cake.

Originally I had intended to just make a basic rectangle cake and add either cupcakes, marshmallows or Oreo's to the top to look like a Lego. But, for some reason I wasn't really into that idea. Then, one day while surfing the web I had an epiphany.

I baked two box cake (Yes, I used the box) mixes in round pans. When they were cool I shaved off the rounded top so they were all flat. Then I piled them on top of each other with layers of frosting (That I made myself.) in between them.

I used the rounded pieces that I had cut off for the top. I simply cut a small circle out of the middle of them and stacked them as well.

Looking at it when it was done I sort of wished I had made another cake mix to make it a little higher. But, either way, I really like how it turned out.

While surfing Pinterest (I'm addicted) I came across what looked like a great idea! It was harder than it looked but totally worth it.

I purchased about ten stage 2 jars of baby food. The cheapest I could find was prunes at $.40 a jar. I also grabbed some applesauce. (Kid ate a couple of jars of the applesauce. Haha.)

Most of them I just poured out. I washed and dried the jars and then took half of them outside and sprayed them with yellow spray paint. It did not cover as well as I expected. After about fifty coats (OK, I exaggerate a bit, but just a bit.) I decided that spray paint wasn't really the way to go. The rest I (my SiL also helped) painted by hand.

I then drew faces on them with sharpie markers.

I had some sort of brain lapse with the one that's second from the left. Oops, sorry, upside down Lego head.

I filled them with Skittles and gave them away as favors. I didn't want to part with them, they were SO CUTE.

I had another use for the spray paint as well. I cut the top half of a pizza box out, made a stencil (I can't think of another word, ugh) type thing of a Lego head and taped it to the top of the pizza box. I sprayed (fifty coats, again) of paint on there. When the paint was dry I hand painted black around the edges and cut a hole in the middle. I added a stick so it could be held up.

Lego Kid!

All the kids had their pictures taken with a Lego head.

I acquired a couple boxes, taped them together in the middle, covered them with another table cloth (red) and pasted a few plates to it. One giant Lego.

I put it near Kid for a picture but later moved it outside to greet guests.

The orange thing on the floor is just another table cloth.

Well, that's basically the party. Very inexpensive decorations for a very cool effect.

Now, is anyone having a Lego party in the near future? I have a LOT of "Lego" boxes that I'm about to just toss out . . . It hurts a bit, they took a lot of work.

I'm not kidding . . . Anyone interested?

What Did He Say?

Kid: Mom, do you know what a crap is?

Me: What??

Kid: A crap.

Me: What????

Kid: When you go in the water and your leg hurts, a crap!

Me: A CRAMP!


Kids!

Random Tuesday Thoughts

Happy Tuesday!! Are you feeling random? I sure am! If you want to share your own random or just read others, grab the box and join the fun at Stacy's!

1. Today is Kid's birthday. He is five years old today. That's a whole hand! That's a big deal!

2. Our McDonald's is money hungry or something. Every other McD's has Small, Medium and Large iced coffee's. Our McD's has Medium, Large and Extra Large. However, the XLarge at our McD's is the same as a large at any other McD's. Strange.

3. I ordered an extra large iced coffee this morning. At the window I was handed a "medium" (Which, at any other McD's would be a small), umm. I said, "Did I not order an extra large?" She told me that the other lady only put medium on the display. However, she traded it out for an extra large. Extra large for the price of medium. Nice.

4. I planned to put a Sean Bean (because I love him) movie in my DVD player today while I do laundry and party prep. However, Syfy had other plans. There is a Destination Truth marathon on today. LOVE this show. Josh Gates make me happy. :)

5. Taking Kid to school today I saw a man at a stop sign. He was in a very nice black car and wearing a suit. You don't see a lot of guys in suits around here. There's just not a lot of jobs that require suits. I miss seeing guy (and girls) in suits. When I lived in Pennsylvania there were suits everywhere. Where, oh where, is civilization?

6. Lion King 3D tonight? Maybe. It's possible we'll try to go this afternoon for Kid's birthday. Since his party is Saturday we wanted to try to make this day a little special and not just like another day.

7. I made cupcakes last night for Kid to share with his class for his Birthday. There were Very happy kids when I walked into that classroom this morning.

8. On that note I'm going to gain so much weight. Cupcakes, Birthday cake, birthday party food. Around here the "Holiday" season starts with Kid's birthday. Kid's Birthday, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas.

9. Party on Saturday, then guess what? I can start the Autumn/Halloween decorating! SO Excited!

I think that's enough for now. I don't want to bore you any longer. Have great Random Tuesday!!

Precioius Moments

Friday night Kid and I played. We played a LOT.

We played outside for a short while, tag. Then we came in and we played Pop the Pig, a "few" times. Then we used his silly little rubber fling hand thing and we lassoed the poor Pop the Pig pig. We did that for a while. LOTS of laughs and giggles. Then we played catch. Then we each had a bottle of water and we tried to knock each other's bottle over while we defended our own. More giggles and laughs and coughing from laughing so hard.

Then it was almost ten o'clock.

Kid had a mozzarella snack stick and sat with me on the recliner/rocker.

We played the "I'm thinking of a number" game. We also played the "I'm thinking of a letter" game.

Then he was on my lap and I rocked. He looked so sleepy.

I rocked some more, holding him on my lap. I hummed a couple songs.

He fell asleep in my lap while I rocked.

I have no idea when the last time I rocked him to sleep was but I can guarantee you it's been a long time. Years I would say.

Thinking about it then, while he lay sleeping on my lap, it occured to me, that may be the last time I rock him to sleep.

Kid is going to be five years old tomorrow. My baby is turning five.

I'm sure they're out there somewhere but I don't know a lot of five year olds that are still rocked to sleep.

I savored the feel of him sleeping in my arms for a bit before I carried him to his bed.

I love that my baby is growing up and learning new things and becoming more independent but I sure am going to miss these snuggle times.

Now, I think I'm going to stop this and go find some tissues because I really need them right now.

Six Word Saturday!

Six Word Saturday! Join the fun over at Cate's awesome blog. Just click the box and be transported there, it's effortless!

Kid's party in One week! Help!

Happy Saturday!

Friday

It's Friday.

Friday means . . .

~ Wear whatever you want to school instead of the t-shirt with the school logo.

~ Payday (Well, this friday anyway.)

~ Means Pizza or maybe Subway. (Once again, this Friday, anyway.)

~ Not having to be in bed at a specific time.

~ NO ALARM CLOCK TOMORROW MORNING.

~ Online birthday shopping for Kid. (Once again, this happens this Friday because it's payday. Haha.)

~ I basically have one week to get ready for Kid's party. I feel very unorganized and not remotely prepared. I don't like this feeling.

Short, sad post is short and sad. Haha. If you want something great bome back . . . well, I'm not sure when it's gonna get great but maybe it will some time. 

Kids: To Invite or Not To Invite

Kid is turning five.

Five?

Five.

Wow.

I have a question for the Moms (and Dads) out there. How old were your kids when they started inviting a bunch of friends to their birthday parties?

Up until now Kid's birthdays have basically been family get togethers. But now he's in school.

Although, to be honest, he goes to a private school that only added Kindergarten this year (and at the last minute) so his class is very small and there is only one other boy besides Kid.

Then there's church. Girls there too. Poor Kid is surrounded by girls.

So, do we invite his one boy friend from school and the two girls from church (and OK maybe the little neighbor boy) or do we just do a family thing again?

I have to be honest that my hesitancy about inviting so many is because A. Our house is SMALL (and family is already coming) and B. A bunch of new kids means they're going to bring their parents (I would imagine) and my social anxiety may not be able to deal with such things. Haha.

I really don't know what to do. Maybe we should just stick with the family and the cousins.

OK, and MAYBE his best friend from school.

Sigh. Decision making is NOT my thing.

If it Doesn't Have a Tail It's Not a Monkey . . .

Kid logic is awesome.


Kid: I scratched my toe.

Me (Misunderstanding): You scratched your tail? You don't have a tail.

Kid: No, I scratched my TOE.

Me: Oh. I knew you didn't have a tail.

Kid: If I had a tail I'd be a monkey!



P.S. Once again, virtual cookies and 1,000 internet points if you can tell me where my title came from. :)

Random Tuesday Thoughts!

I have not been random (on this blog anyway) in far too long. Today, I shall be random once again. If you would like to be random as well you can click the box and link up over at Stacy's place.

1. September! I. Love. September!

2. Amazon has some free kindle books. This has resulted in my "To read" pile growing far too large.

3. Speaking of my "To read" pile, I've GOT to get my hands on A Clash of Kings. Must know what happens next!

4. Dear George Lucas, Cut. It. Out. It was PERFECT the way it was. STOP changing things!

5. Realized that Kid's birthday is a week away. This means his party is less than Two weeks away! I'm not panicking, not at all! Where's my towel!!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

6. If you have any awesome suggestions for a Lego birthday party I'm all ears. (Well, all eyes I suppose.)

7. Ringer starts tonight. I'm sort of excited to have Sarah Michelle Gellar back on my TV.

8. Pinterest rocks! I found a website that suggested making pancakes in mini muffins cups, in the oven. Perfect. No turning, no flipping, just baking and eating. (Bonus if you add chocolate chips and pumpkin!)

9. What's your favorite creepy book to read for Halloween?

10. I love my New England Patriots. Yeah, Baby!

I may have more but I'll stop now. Hey, at least they were all short.

Bonk, Bonk, on the Head

Dear Blog, I'm so sorry I abandoned you. I have no excuse.

Around here life has being going on.

Kid is having a fantastic time at school.

I received a call a couple weeks ago from his teacher. She told me he was outside running around, hit his head and had a huge knot. She wanted to let me know in case I wanted to come get him.

She put him on the phone.

Me: Hey, Baby, what happened?
Kid: I was running, at the park, and I looked backwards and ran into a pipe.
Me: Are you OK?
Kid: Yeah.
Me: Do you want Mommy to come get you or do you want to stay at school?
Kid: I want to stay at school.

His teacher texted me a picture of the knot on his head. It was indeed huge. But she told me that as soon as he was done talking to me he was already asking to go play. He's a tough little thing.

 This is after the knot had gone down quite a bit.

P.S. Virtual cookies and 1,000 internet points if you know where the title for today's post came from. :)

Six Word Saturday!

Saturday. I have six words (or more) today! If you want to play 6WS then grab the box and Cate will explain everything on her blog.

Happy Birthday to THE BEST DAD!

I know some of you would argue this point but I'm pretty sure I have the best Dad ever. (And I wouldn't say it if I didn't think so.) He taught me SO much and so much of what I am today is because of him. (I hope he would think that's a good thing.)

I always had what I needed and occasionally I had what I wanted (but I wasn't Very spoiled). 

He's good and fair and wise and loves the Lord (and taught me to love Him too).

I so wish we lived closer to him so that Kid could experience Grandpa's awesomeness more often. 

Happy Birthday, Dad! I love you with all my heart!

Six Word Saturday

I know I haven't been around in a WHILE but I'm here now.

If you want to play Six Word Saturday link up at Cate's by clicking the box.

I can feel Autumn coming. Yay!

Happy Saturday!

A Man Made Me Cry, In Walmart

Monday, after I dropped Kid off at school I went grocery shopping.

I was walking through Walmart, minding my own business when an older (60's) man drove up behind me in one of those motorized carts.

"I just wanted to tell you you're beautiful."

Me: *Speechless*

"Has anyone ever told you you're beautiful?"

Me: *Mouth Hanging Open* Uh, rarely.

About now I'm thinking that he must just be telling me this because he's one of those people that think everyone is beautiful, no matter what and that they should all be told.

"Well, you are. You're one of the most beautiful ladies I've seen around here."

After he said that my previous theory didn't really hold. So there I was with my mouth hanging open. Then, it occurred to me that he drove up from behind me. So I said (And now that I think about it, it probably sounded sort of cocky but I promise I didn't intend for it to sound that way.) "You got that from the back of my head?"

Then he explained that he saw me in the other aisle and made it a point to drive around and tell me.

Now, I was standing in the middle of Walmart crying. Then, I was trying to laugh to cover up the crying. Haha. It was ridiculous. I'm so glad no one else was in that aisle. lol

He quickly assured me that he hadn't intend to embarrass me, he just wanted to tell me. He asked if I lived here. I said yes. Then, being who I am, I had to add that I didn't live in Walmart but I did live in town. He got a kick out of that and asked if I was from here originally. I told him no, I was from PA. He said he noticed I didn't have a "twang" when I spoke. Haha (Thank goodness!! lol)

He asked me if I was married and I told him yes. He told me I should go home and tell my Husband that I'm beautiful and if he didn't see that there were others who would. Haha.

It was such a strange experience, but I have to be honest, it was nice. Also, he wasn't hitting on me or anything like that he was just trying to be nice.

Monday was a strange day for me. Haha.

The Big Day!

Oh my word! It happened.

The first day of SCHOOL!

I woke my BABY up and took him to SCHOOL!!

My BABY!

I didn't cry at all. Of course, J and my Mother-in-Law were also in the car so I didn't want to cry in front of them. Haha. I held it together.

After I dropped him off I came home, made a shopping list and went to Walmart. Alone. As I wandered through the isles of Walmart, in the middle of the morning, Alone, I began to think. Think about my BABY off at school. Think about how he wouldn't be home with me during the day all the time anymore. I missed him.

I started to feel some anxiety and also a little panicky. I had to slow down and take some deep breaths. A panic attack in the middle of Walmart, not really what I needed.

I managed to make it through just fine though. I came home and made Kid a cake. Green inside and out. Green is his Favorite color! I had intended to make it in the shape of a crayon but I ran out of time.

He had a blast! The first thing he said to me when I picked him up was "I painted!" :)

I heard all about the rest of the day. Kids and playing outside, swinging on the swings, eating lunch, Ms. Hanna (Teacher), painting, reading books. I'm so glad he had a great time!

Now, we just have to do this for nine more months! I'll be used to getting up early by then, right?

Random Tuesday Thoughts

It's Tuesday! Link up with us rebels over at Stacy's place and join the fun!

1. So, Bradley Cooper will play Lucifer in Paradise Lost? Bradley Cooper is playing the devil. This is really going to mess with my morals. I'm fairly certain you are NOT supposed to find such a character THAT attractive.

2. So, my BABY starts Kindergarten in less than two weeks. Oh. My. Oh. My. Oh. My.

3. On a related note . . . I've had the Kid home with me everyday for the last (very soon to be) five years. WHAT will I do with my day???

4. Do you/your kids read the Magic Tree House books? I read the first one to the Kid the other day and he loved it. Sat for the Whole book. We have three more but way out of order. I'm going to keep my eyes open for these books.

5. Kid's birthday is in September and I'm still not sure about a theme for his party. I'm usually Much more prepared than this. He's not a whole lot of help either.

6. Cooking shows. I have knife envy. I love their big knives that effortlessly slide through anything. I want those knives.

7. So when Kid goes to school I will do . . . What? What on earth will I do with my days? I suppose I'll finally have time to write my book. Unfortunately I don't work so well without a looming deadline.

8. This afternoon I'm going to pick up the school supply list and then I get to shop. That might be fun.

9. Have a great day everyone!!

My BABY!

According to the public school system here in our town you must be five years old by September first to attend Kindergarten.

The Kid will be five years old on September twentieth. Nineteen days too late for Kindergarten.

So, we looked into a private school that J's cousin attends. However, we were told that they did not have Kindergarten. This was right around the end of the last school year.

Last week I found out that the school had decided to add Kindergarten this year. So, I called them. I spoke to the Kindergarten teacher. Ms. Hanna. She told me that they were not accepting students based on age but on where the student was academically. So, we made an appointment and the Kid went to test.

We took a tour of the school. Older buildings but still nice. Big classrooms. Large grounds and lots of run around room. Then, the Kid took his test.

After, she told me she had a meeting and she would call me and let me know.

Now, I didn't know whether I should try to convince the Kid that it would be OK if he didn't get to go. (Because he was already very excitedly telling people "I'm going to Kindergarten!") Or, should I be freaking out about school clothes, and school supplies?

Fun Fact: They start school AUGUST FIRST!!!!!!! (PANIC!)

Ms. Hanna did call me back that night and told me she would be happy to take the Kid. She said he did well on the test, listened very well and understood all she said to him.

She has a small class since it is a private school and it's the first year for the Kindergarten. The Kid will be surrounded by girls. (Help! Haha Just kidding.)

Now I really get to panic. Did I mention they start August first????

Also . . . My Baby!

 (This is a photo of a photo, that's why the grainy.)

I wish I knew how old he was here but I'm thinking just a couple months.

He's going to SCHOOL!

This was on the way to take his Kindergarten test. 

My BABY is going to Kindergarten! He is SO excited!

Now. Pencils, crayons, paper, glue sticks, lunch boxes, lunch, clothes, shoes, etc, etc, etc . . . Help! :)

Random Tuesday Thoughts!!

It's Tuesday and I'm SO late with my random. Oh well, better late than never! Link up over at Stacy's to join the fun!

1. Wait! It IS Tuesday! Oh my word! I've had an awful time with that fact today.

2. Harry Potter at midnight this week. I've never done a midnight premiere. I'm both excited and anxious about the crowds. I do plan to take my camera though because I've heard tales told of the craziness of Harry Potter fans. Any advice you can give, I will accept. What time should I get there?

3. You know I can lay in my bed at night and think up all kinds of random. I sit in front of the computer and Poof! Gone!

4. J's been watching MTV's Teen Wolf. I've never been a huge werewolf fan but I find this show . . . Just completely ridiculous. My word, it's just totally and completely not my thing. Where are the vampires? Vampires I like!

5. Um, MTV . . . Why is there even an "M" there anyway? I haven't seen Music on that channel in ages. (Not that I spend a lot of time watching MTV . . . Or any time really, unless J is watching that silly Teen Wolf and I'm in the room.)

6. J's been watching Falling Skies . . . Falling Skies has recently been renewed for a second season. My thoughts on this? WHY????

7. I have a list of TV shows that I would like to watch. Thanks to Netflix I can pour through them. However, lately I've just wanted to watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer (even though I've seen them all a few times). Oh well, everything else can wait. Giles, Willow and Angel, apparently, come first.

8. I wish I was one of those people that could read really fast. There are a bunch of books on my to read list and I don't have the motivation because it takes me forever to get through a book.

9. My random this week is pathetic. I'm going to put a notebook by my bed and start writing down those 1 AM random thoughts. I'm sure they're a LOT more interesting than what I've got going on here.

10. Have a Great Week!

That's The Night That The Lights Went Out In . . . My House

It was a little after 9 o'clock last night. J was in the bedroom watching a movie and the Kid and I were in the living room.

Suddenly, Nothing. Pitch Black!

All the power went out. Lights, TVs, Air conditioner, everything just stopped. I went to the window and looked outside. None of our neighbors had lights and the street lights were out. Apparently this wasn't enough for me, I had to actually walk outside to confirm the lack of lights.

My neighbor was outside, I could barely see her, she said "It was so fast! I couldn't even see my kids!"

I grabbed my phone and called the electric company. Of course, since it had just occurred they had no idea what was going on but assured us they would try to get our power back on as soon as possible.

We called some family on the other side of town. Nothing there. J called his work. No power there either. We're talking the whole town. No power. Everything was black!

It was soooo craaaaazy!

We sat in the living room a bit longer, waiting. Nothing. My computer was about to die so I shut it down. J was watching a movie on his computer.

The Kid didn't want to go to bed in his room because you couldn't see a hand in front of your face in there and I didn't really blame him. So the Kid and I went to my room. I'm so glad I had Rupert at least I could play music.

When J came to bed there were THREE of us in our bed and it was beginning to get warm with the lack of air conditioning. The Kid wanted to cuddle and it was just too hot. Finally J went to sleep in the kids bed. He had to get up early for work and there was no sleeping with three of us in that bed.

The Kid finally fell asleep. I blew out the candle, and read on Rupert (New kindle app!! FTW!!) for a while until I was tired enough to sleep through the heat.

Then, at 4:30 in the morning, it all started back up. Suddenly the air was back on (THANK GOD!) and so were the kitchen lights. I had gone around and turned off the lights but I forgot about the ones above the sink and the stove. It was a sudden wake-up. Haha

After I got up, turned off the lights and put the covers back on our bed I went back to sleep.

What. A. Night.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge

A few weeks ago The Save At Home Mom posted a recipe for Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge and I HAD to try it!

 Our Walmart didn't have Coconut Oil so I put it off. Well, recently I was shopping and there it was! Just sitting on the shelf! Waiting for me to buy it! Coconut Oil!

I grabbed it and made it a point to try this fudge. Want to know how I made it? I'll tell ya!

You will need:

1/2 Cup of Coconut oil
1/2 Cup of Cocoa powder
1/2 Cup Natural Peanut butter
1/4 Cup Raw Honey (To be honest, I used regular natural honey. We don't eat honey around here and the raw stuff was a large jar and expensive.)
1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 a cup of Coconut Oil

1/2 a cup of Cocoa powder

1/2 a cup of Organic Peanut Butter

1/4 Cup of Honey

1/2 Teaspoon of Vanilla

 

(I know it says "Mexican Blend" but it still vanilla.)

Pour all the ingredients in a bowl.

Looks, uh, yum?

Blend them all together.

Get cute little cupcake papers and put them in your cupcake tray.

Pour some fudgey batter into each one. (Mine made 15)

Now put them in the fridge for about 40 min to an hour or in the freezer for about 20 minutes.

When you get them out they're nice and solid and cute.

And . . .

They taste SO GOOD!

give them a try!

They're tasty, easy to make, minimal clean-up AND I can't find any reason to tell the Kid "No" when he asks for some fudge!

Random Tuesday Thoughts!

It's Tuesday! Random Tuesday! Apparently the holiday threw me off.  Well, if you would like to participate link up over at Stacy's (Who is carrying the RTT baton for Keely) by clicking the box!

1. I feel as though I'm low on Random.

2. Someone gave J a Bunch of fireworks yesterday. He had to work late last night and early this morning so we plan to set them off tonight. Dear neighbors, you're welcome. :)

3. I bought a ticket for the midnight showing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. I've never been to a midnight movie premier before. I like to go to movies after opening weekend so I can get my seat in the back corner. I plan to be at the theater two hours early. I'm going to sit there with my book until the movie starts. I want my back row seat.

4. Today is laundry day. It was supposed to be yesterday but I never actually got around to it. It's OK, it WAS a Holiday after all.

5. The Kid and I went to the public pool last week. He wore his water wings. We were there for almost two hours before one of the lifeguards came up and told us that the water wings were not allowed. The Kid was very upset and so was I. I wish I would have thought to say "WHY the heck not?!" but alas, I wasn't really thinking about anything but my poor upset Kid. According to the sign, which I then read, no floaties of any kind are allowed. Water wings, vests, noodles, etc. I understand the big stuff but not floaties for four year olds. Anyone have any idea why this would be?

6. Well, I really am low on the random and I do have laundry to do. I suppose I shall leave it at this.

Happy Birthday, America!

Happy Birthday, America!

My country, 'tis of Thee,
Sweet Land of Liberty
Of thee I sing;
Land where my fathers died,
Land of the pilgrims' pride,
From every mountain side
Let Freedom ring.

My native country, thee,
Land of the noble free,
Thy name I love;
I love thy rocks and rills,
Thy woods and templed hills,
My heart with rapture thrills
Like that above.

Let music swell the breeze,
And ring from all the trees
Sweet Freedom's song;
Let mortal tongues awake;
Let all that breathe partake;
Let rocks their silence break,
The sound prolong.

Our fathers' God to Thee,
Author of Liberty,
To thee we sing,
Long may our land be bright
With Freedom's holy light,
Protect us by thy might
Great God, our King.

Our glorious Land to-day,
'Neath Education's sway,
Soars upward still.
Its hills of learning fair,
Whose bounties all may share,
Behold them everywhere
On vale and hill!

Thy safeguard, Liberty,
The school shall ever be,
Our Nation's pride!
No tyrant hand shall smite,
While with encircling might
All here are taught the Right
With Truth allied.

Beneath Heaven's gracious will
The stars of progress still
Our course do sway;
In unity sublime
To broader heights we climb,
Triumphant over Time,
God speeds our way!

Grand birthright of our sires,
Our altars and our fires
Keep we still pure!
Our starry flag unfurled,
The hope of all the world,
In peace and light impearled,
God hold secure!

- America

 - Rev. Samuel F. Smith

Waiting For A Grade

I love writing. I write all the time (unfortunately not my in blog). My mind makes up stories and I write them down. Sadly, my mind never seems to make up the ending as well. I now have a LOT of unfinished things sitting on my hard drive. I'm proud of most of them but I just wish I would be able to finish something.

Anyway, my best friend, Rin, is taking some online classes and recently, for her history class, she had to write a paper on the role of women in the 1500's.

She sent me a text (we communicate mostly through texts and sometimes all day long) and said "Help me!"

She explained the paper and how she had an idea to begin the paper with a short bit of fiction. Sort of like a day in the life of a woman in the 1500's.

I wasn't sure how I would be able to help until she said fiction. Fiction! I can do fiction! I love doing fiction!

I did a quick google search and soaked up as much information as I could in a few minutes. I had already done a LOT of research regarding a Mr. William Shakespeare (another project that I really hope to finish one day) all of which was in the 1500's. So, I had a bit of background already.

While Rin worked on the research and technical writing I sat down and pounded out a page of fiction for her. I had fun. It was done very quickly due to Rin midnight deadline and I'm sure I could have fine tuned it a bit but I'm overall happy with the result. And, Rin loved it and it was for her paper anyway.

Now, I'm waiting on a grade right along with her! Haha

Below is the short story I wrote. You can read or not, it's up to you. :)

p.s.I hope she's not graded on my bad grammer/punctuation!

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

      Lucy laid her journal on the small stand next to her bed. She picked up the dripping candle and tiptoed to the small cradle. Peaking over the side, she checked on her sleeping baby. Smiling, she crawled back into her own bed. It had been four nights now since her 6 month old Rose had slept through an entire night. She prayed, silently so as not to take any chances, that the streak ended tonight.

       Lucy blew out the candle, she had prayed that Rose would stay asleep but that didn't mean she was going to, she wanted to get as much sleep in as she could.

       Her mind had other plans. Instead of sleeping she was going over tomorrow's to be done list. She sighed heavily and gave in to her organizational side.

       Milicent, Mili for short, had become a great help in her daily routine. Whether she was aiding in the cooking or helping to look after Philipa and Jane, her four year old twin sisters, Mili was a willing worker.

       Lucy was thankful for Mili's help. Tomorrow she would set Mili to baking bread and cooking oatmeal, she needed the practice. Lucy smiled to herself thinking of how her Husband's nose wrinkled when he tasted Mili's oatmeal. Yes, she definitely needed practice.

       After breakfast and after her Husband was gone to work and Nathaniel, her 13 hear old son, was off to school, it would be time to clean. Philipa and Jane were old enough to help a bit with the floor scrubbing. It was easier on her back as well and they loved sloshing in the water.

       So many things to be done. She listed them on a mental sheet in her mind.

• More baking, bread for lunch and dinner. Also an extra two loves for the elderly couple that lived down the lane. They were very advanced in years and her soft-hearted Mili had suggested taking them some food. Lucy loved that girl.
• Taking time with Philip and Jane, teaching them to read. She was taught to read and she would not have her children ignorant, male or female.
• Helping Mili with the matching dresses she was sewing for all four of the girls and mending her Husbands work clothes.
• Tending the garden, Lucy was hoping for some perfect carrots this year.
• Cleaning. The open hearth in the kitchen made the entire house an inch thick with dust.
• Scrubbing clothes. Nathaniel was hard on his clothes lately but they did have some delicious fish to show for it.
• Dinner. Stew, a staple and luckily a favorite among her family.
• When Nathaniel came home she would send him to chop wood for the kitchen.
• All of these things worked around Rose's very demanding schedule. Lucy would swear that baby thought she was a princess or something.
• After dinner, more cleanup and then her favorite time of the day. Her little (was her family still little) gathered around as her Husband read from journals written by his Grandparents. Their stories were wonderful and kept the children (and herself) entertained. She kept her own journals now.
• Bedtime for the Children. After 1,100 trips to the out house and the water barrel and 1,500 hugs from Mother and Father and prayers that lasted an eternity, she would finally have some alone time with her Husband before it was time for sleep.

       Lucy smiled again thinking of her family's evening routine. Sometimes her children wore her out but she delighted in them.

      A small whine from the cradle next to her bed caused Lucy to hold her breath. Soon the room was quiet again and she exhaled softly before she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, worn out just thinking about tomorrow's list.

Random Tuesday Thoughts!

It's Tuesday! Random up with us over at Stacy's blog, as she takes up the mantle from Keely. We really appreciate it, Stacy! Clicky the box and join the fun!

1. No new post since Wednesday??? Bad blogger! Not only that, but I haven't read any blogs either. Fail.

2. Yesterday was my two year blogiversary (Is there a proper way to spell that?) and I didn't even post anything! I thought all day about how I should say something and could think of Nothing! Fail again.

3. Last night my best friend told me she was working on a research paper for an online class and wanted to start with a short piece of fiction. She would then go on to explain her topic from there. She knows where to go for fiction. :) I wrote her a short piece and then went on to help her with edits and rewrites before her 12am deadline. It was a little nerve wracking but SO much fun! I had a blast!

4. Have you seen Cars 2 yet? We haven't but I really want to take The Kid to see it sometime this week.

5. There's a chance I may get to meet one of my online friends in the near future. I've never met, in real life, anyone I've met online. I'm sort of nervous. Haha, don't ask me why. That's just the way I am! :)

6. Fourth of July plans? We don't really have any. We have Third of July plans. :) Sunday evening our church is getting together and shooting off some fireworks. It should be a nice HOT, fun time.

7. I found a Spider Solitaire app on Rupert. Seriously, I used to play that game ALL the time, YEARS ago! I feel nostalgic now when I play.

8. Hey, I have a question. Is it REALLY SO hard to put trash into the trash can? I mean, especially if the trash can is a mere TWO feet away?? Is that Really too much to ask???

9. I wish it would get cooler. I want to go horseback riding. It's just WAY too hot for people and horses out there right now. 

10. Leverage! Leverage is on my TV again! I'm so happy. It's such a fun show with a great cast. I love it. 

Lego's, Hugs and Kisses

The Kid has a Lot of Lego's. He likes to dump the whole box on the floor and play in the middle of them. This doesn't bother me at all, as long as he cleans them all up.

Last night he was playing in the middle of the Lego field. He said. "Mom, will you help me clean up?

I wasn't doing anything else so I got down on the floor and said "What do I get if I help?

He thought about it for a second and said "I will give you a hug."

That's it? That's what I said. "That's all I get?"

He considered this a bit more and responded with "And a kiss."

"So, I get a a hug and one kiss?" I asked. "Not worth it."

One more time he stopped to think. "I will give you Five kisses."

"Five kisses AND a hug?" I asked. "OK, that's worth it."

So, I helped him clean up his Lego's.

After we were done I told him I expected payment.

He said "You know what time it is now? Time for me to give you kisses!"

He jumped in my lap and payed me in full.

I sure love that Kid!

Random Tuesday Thoughts!

It's that time again! Time to be random! I love being random! Join the fun, you would like. Keely has stepped down for a bit but Stacy has taken up the slack! Grab the box and check out her blog and other random Tuesday blogs!

1. Mother-in-Law, Sister-in-Law (J's sister), Niece, Nephew and Sister-in-Law's friend were all here and spent a couple night this past weekend. We had a good time. Sunday after church we went to the movies. Most everyone saw Green Lantern. Except I took the Kid and Niece to see Kung Fu Panda 2. (I have no interest in Green Lantern, I don't care how pretty Ryan Reynolds is. Sorry, not really my thing.)

2. Nephew calls his sister "Collie." This is not her name. (Sorry, I'm not going to share her name.) Although, if you stretch your imagination (Stretch Armstrong style) it could be like her name . . . Sort of.

3. Niece calls my Sister-in-Law "Trama." This is not her name. (Sorry, once again, not sharing her real name.) I'm not even sure how this nickname happened. You have to do a bit more stretching to get her real name out of this one.

4. I was laying in bed this morning at 5:30 after J went to work and my brain was going overtime with all the random from this past week. Do I remember any of it now? Of course not.

5. I think my coffee maker is dying. This is a sad sad day. On the bright side - New Coffee Maker!!! (If I can afford it.) I need a 12 cup coffee maker to make pitchers of iced coffee. Anyone have any suggestions on the best kind? Can't be too expensive. The one I have now I've had about 5 years and it's just a 12 cup, non-programmable, Black & Decker, push one button to turn it on and off, coffee maker. It was a wedding gift.

6. I love Pinterest. (I've said this before.) I've found a couple crafts that I'm going to try, as soon as I get to Hobby Lobby again. I'm excited.

7. I want a night out. Just for me. No WAY too LOUD TV's. No squeaking Kid. No one asking for me to get them a can of soda or get them a drink or get them a snack. Just ME! And I don't mean just me going grocery shopping or to the post office. I haven't had a just me night in . . . I literally don't remember the last time.

I think I'm going to shut the random down now. Have a great day everyone!!

Milkshake Mayhem

It's SO hot here!

We spent the day in the car/shopping. No a/c in the car so it was HOT!

I thought "Milkshakes sound good!"

So, I asked J, "What kind of milkshake do you want?"

He said "Butter Pecan."

I walked into the ice cream place. I need a Butter Pecan milkshake.

Girl Behind the Counter: We don't have that.

Me: OK, Chocolate then?

Girl goes to make the Chocolate milkshake for J and I begin to scan the boxes of ice cream. About 24 flavors in there, 6 of them have labels. Fail.

Girl brings back J's Chocolate shake.

Me: Do you have Cake Batter?

Girl (looks over boxes): No.

Me: Mint Chocolate Chip?

Girl (Looks again): No.

Me: Then you better tell me what kind you have. (I ask this because like I said, hardly any of them are labeled.)

Girl (Looks at all the boxes): Well, what kind do you want?

Me:  - - - - - - - - - -

Uhh, are you kidding???

Me: Well, I just told you three kinds that I want and you don't have any of them so you should probably tell me what you have.

She still didn't get it. I actually had to point at every box and say "What's that?" about every one.

I don't think she's really cut out for that job.

I eventually settled on a Strawberry Chocolate Chip milkshake. Not what I wanted and probably not a flavor I'll get again.

Oh well, it was an experience!

Homemade Laundry Detergent

Last month the Save at Home Mom blogged about making her own laundry detergent. It looked really simple so I decided I would give it a try. I changed her recipe just a tiny bit.

I used:
 - Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda
 - Borax
 - One bar of Fels-Naptha Soap
 - Soap fragrance oil
 - One five gallon bucket

I didn't have any of this stuff on hand so I had to buy it all (including the bucket). That means that this five gallon batch of detergent cost me about $15. The next batch, however, will cost me about $4.

This is So Easy to make!

Grate your bar of soap. (From what I read online you can use any kind of bar soap for this but the scent of the soap will be incorporated into the detergent.)

This was probably the most work I did on this recipe.

When the entire bar was grated it looked like I had a bowl full of shredded cheese.

Add the shredded soap to a pot of water. Heat it on the stove and stir until the soap is dissolved. I recommend adding just a bit of soap at a time until it's all melted.

After the soap is dissolved fill your bucket halfway with hot water and add the soap mixture.

Add one cup of washing soda and half a cup of borax to the bucket and stir until it's all dissolved.

Fill the bucket the rest of way with hot water. Stir.

Let cool.

You don't have to add fragrance but I did. You can use essential oil if you would like or use soap fragrance like I did. I went to Hobby Lobby and found this:

The recipe I followed said about 30 drops of essential oil but since I used this soap scent, after reading the directions, I opted for the the whole bottle. (It was a Small bottle.)

Stir in the scent/oil, cover and let sit overnight.

When you open it the next morning it will be like a watery sort of gel.

I stirred it up, put the lid back on and slid the bucket next to my washing machine.

When I do a load of laundry I just dip it out and toss it in the washer.

I. Love. It.

It works really well and it makes my house smell really good when I'm washing!

Try it! You might like it!

Random Tuesday Thoughts!

Happy Random Tuesday! So thankful to have Stacy carrying on with the random! Link-up over at her place by grabbing the box! Join in, it's loads of fun!

1. I've been a bad blogger this last week. Not very consistent at all. :( Same goes for reading blogs. If I follow your blog and haven't commented for a while it's because I haven't read any blogs in days. I'll get there! (At least I plan on it!)

2. Friday and Saturday one of my cousin's from PA stopped by! :) She was driving through to pick up a friend near Dallas and take her back to PA and she stopped here on the way there and on the way back. It's so nice to see family when we're WAY out here!

3. I watched No Country for Old Men last night. Would someone please explain to me the point of that movie? How frustrating! S P O I L E R S COMING IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IT!!!!!!!!! - - - - We spent an hour and a half following this guy and that money around only to find him dead, shot by some people in a non-scene. Also, I'm not sure why they killed him anyway. Then there was Woody Harrelson, that character was sort of a waste. THEN, What happened to the money!? The point of the whole movie!? Maybe I need to read the book!

4. The acting in No Country for Old Men was great though. I loved Tommy Lee Jones character. He had the best lines. Everyone else was great too, so there's that.

5. Reading The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin for our Twitter Book Club (Jazz Hands Book Club, #jhbc). I'm supposed to be done by Thursday at 7:30c. I'm trying!!! I like it but there are a billion (OK, 16) main characters and I think I should have a chart to keep track of them! Haha.

6. My favorite part of Sesame Street is when the famous person comes to explain the word of the day. :) Bonus points when that person is Jude Law.

7. Can't wait to see Harry Potter! I probably won't go opening weekend though because I would like to be able to choose where I sit and not end up squished between two strangers on the front row. :) My theatre seat in in the back row in the corner. I love it there.

8. My cousin (from up there near the beginning) took season one of Supernatural with her to watch. She'll LOVE it! I can't believe she hasn't seen it! I'm happy for converting another fan. :) (Now, let's just hope my Supernatural season finds it way back here through the mail system.)

9. The Kid is dangerous with a remote control! If he likes that part we watch it again. And again. And again. And again. And again. etc.

10. Random Tuesday is my favorite!

I think that's enough for now. I hope you all have a lovely day!!