This is what my salad looked like!

Mothers of Boys Know That...

1. A king size water bed holds enough water to fill a 2000 sq. ft. house 4 inches deep.


2. If you spray hair spray on dust bunnies and run over them with roller blades, they can ignite.


3. A 3-year old Boy's voice is louder than 200 adults in a crowded restaurant.


4. If you hook a dog leash over a ceiling fan, the motor is not strong enough to rotate a 42 pound Boy wearing Batman underwear and a Superman cape. It is strong enough, however, if tied to a paint can, to spread paint on all four walls of a 20x20 ft room.


5. You should not throw baseballs up when the ceiling fan is on. When using a ceiling fan as a bat, you have to throw the ball up a few times before you get a hit. A ceiling fan can hit a baseball a long way.


6. The glass in windows (even double-pane) doesn't stop a baseball hit by a ceiling fan.


7. When you hear the toilet flush and the words "uh oh", it's already too late.


8. Brake fluid mixed with Clorox makes smoke, and lots of it.


9. A six-year old Boy can start a fire with a flint rock even though a 36-year old Man says they can only do it in the movies.


10. Certain Lego's will pass through the digestive tract of a 4- year old Boy.


11. Play dough and microwave should not be used in the same sentence.


12. Super glue is forever.


13. No matter how much Jell-O you put in a swimming pool you still can't walk on water.


14. Pool filters do not like Jell-O.


15. VCR's do not eject "PB & J" sandwiches even though TV commercials show they do.


16. Garbage bags do not make good parachutes.


17. Marbles in gas tanks make lots of noise when driving.


18. You probably DO NOT want to know what that odor is.


19. Always look in the oven before you turn it on; plastic toys do not like ovens.


20. The Police Department in Lakeland, Florida responds to all 911 calls...even when the caller just giggles and then hangs up!


21. The spin cycle on the washing machine does not make earthworms dizzy.


22. It will, however, make cats dizzy.


23. Cats throw up twice their body weight when dizzy.

24. Women will laugh at this.

25. Men who read this will try mixing the Clorox and brake fluid!

Comfort Food

'
I turn to comfort food when I'm feeling down (or happy, or excited, or board), and I really needed some comforting yesterday... so I had a Healthy Choice Salisbury Steak frozen dinner. I discovered that if you eat 2 or 3 of them, with lots of butter and salt, that they are quite tasty BUT - I was still down...and still hungry!

So I made myself a salad.
First I chopped an apple.

Then added some diced carrot.

And a handful of Craisins - I love Craisins!

Put in some diced celery.

And some chopped pecans.
I say pahcaaaans - not peecans!

And finished the salad off, by adding some 2% cheddar/swiss cheese cubes.

Still feeling down, I found some of these left over from Chirstmas.

I ate 3 Pecan Pie Squares - the peppermint and eggnog flavors weren't calling to me.

Later I had some egg salad on gooey white bread...

...with some Harvest Cheddar Sun Chips.

What I really wanted was a hot fudge sundae...so hubby brought home a half gallon of vanilla ice cream, a jar of hot fudge topping, and a can of whipped cream. I was too depressed to put it all together, so I didn't bother.

Life is better today. So, I had the hot fudge sundae for breakfast:-)

PS - I've heard that there are some people who don't eat when they are sad, or excited, or happy (or even hungry)...I think that they aren't really people, but actually aliens in disguise!

And by the way...today's Spring Cleaning Party is taking place in "The Kids Rooms". I have some gasoline. Anybody got a match?

Does any one know how I can turn my heart to stone? If so, please let me know, cause I'm really tired of having mine broken!

PS - Sometimes I wonder why I even get out of bed.

PSS - Didn't clean my bathroom yesterday...what's the use, it just gets dirty again.

PSSS - Come back tomorrow...I'm gonna eat some chocolate now. I've heard that it cures what ails ya. If not, at least there will be more of me to love.

This and That

I worked on my kitchen again on Friday. I didn't accomplish as much as I'd hoped to, but the counter tops got scrubbed down, and a number of things were re-located, plus a cabinet got cleaned up I'll keep plugging at it, while working on this weeks assignments. Today, in the Spring Cleaning Party...we are supposed to be cleaning and de-cluttering the linen closet and the bathroom.

Here's the after shot - looks a lot neater.

Before

After

Before

After

Love this dish towel. I don't use it. It's just for decoration.

Here are the flowers that my husband brought me on Friday afternoon.

On to other stuff.

I live in a unincorporated small town. I don't really know my neighbors...but have felt relatively "safe" here. I know that you can't be 100% safe anywhere, but I feel being in a small town makes for safer and healthier living, and I don't think that I could ever live in a Big City. The headlines, last Friday, in our nearby big city newspapers was:
School finds loaded assault rifle, in 13 year old boy's locker!

It seems that he was angry with another student. The gun was found last Wednesday, after the principal was tipped off, by a student who over heard the boy talking about having the gun in his locker. His mother claims that she has no idea where he got the rifle.

This is scary...really scary. Makes me think about pulling the J-man out of school. I know, I know...you can't protect your kids all the time, but this gives pause to think.


Are any of you master gardeners? If so, please go HERE, and help Colorado Lady figure out what the heck was growing in her garden!

Anybody want a new layout? Then go HERE - and be sure to tell Eduardo's mom, that I sent you! To find the info on page layouts, click on the Sweedy's Layout on the menu bar.

My friend Jientje over at Heaven is in Belgium, tripped and fell while on a photo outing, yesterday. She's okay - just some soreness and bruising - BUT - sadly, her camera bit the dust. I'm hoping that her followers, and anyone else who enjoys her wonderful posts, might want to chip in to help pay for a new camera. I put out a plea, in a comment (oh I hope she doesn't kill me for doing this;-) at her place, but I'm wondering if any of you would like to chip in? I can't imagine how I would feel, if I didn't have my camera. Just let me know if you would like to throw a few bucks into the pot!

Happy Mother's Day

Today I would like to wish a Happy Mother's Day, to all you moms out there.

I've sat here at my computer, trying to think of a way to eloquently express my feelings, on being a mother. I'm still waiting for the words to come. It [motherhood] has been a part of me for so long, that I where it like a second skin.

It hasn't always been easy. Being a mother can be messy and tiring and lacking in sophistication. It can be heart wrenching, and filled with grief. It can be confusing, and filled with misgivings. There are times when I feel as though I've let my children down...that I haven't been the mother that they needed me to be. But, I truly believe that more often than not, I've done the best I could.

At one time, when I was young and filled with a sense of certainty (oh to be so naive again), I was convinced that motherhood was just a stage of life. But now that I am older and wiser - I know with a surety, that once you become a mother... a mother you remain...for time and eternity. It shapes and molds your life, as you shape and mold your children's lives. It is a process, of trial and error...of give and take...of learning and relearning.

The joys of motherhood far out weigh the heart breaks. I tell this to myself over and over and over again. If I had been given a magic wand, I would have waved it over my children, to make their lives perfect. But that's not the way it's supposed to be. If it were, we wouldn't be here on this earth...learning and experiencing, and discovering...finding that we can do things we thought, were surely beyond our capabilities.

Motherhood is a gift from God, which I cherish within my heart. I hold it deeply, and with reverence.

I love my children, and I thank them for making the choice to come into this world, and allowing me the privilege, of being their mother.