Can I get a do over please?

The Boy woke up last week with a red, enlarged ear. By the end of the day, it was HUGE and he kept flipping it and saying it itched.

I pulled his bed out from the wall and what did I see? A spider. *shiver* I HATE spiders. So the thought of a spider ON my first born child and biting him was horrifying. I quickly killed the spider, vacuumed, dusted, and sprayed spider killer around the outside of the house, especially by his room.

Then I took him to the doctor because his ear was so big! I wish now I had waited a day because after a 30 minute, kid-fussing drive to the doctor, an $80 office visit, a rubber glove full of ice, and a recommendation to use Benadryl, we were on our way home.

Here's my little man later that day. Pathetic, no?

Moving on.

Yesterday we went to Target. We didn't have a real reason, just wanted to get out of the house and see if I could snag any more bargains. (I didn't, but I have my eye on a garden bag that I am hoping will be clearanced soon. Then that baby is mine.)

When we got to the checkout, the Girl was in the cart and the Boy was ahead of me, super excited about his new fake snakes. I was putting our things on the register belt while an older man (about 60ish?) was paying. I heard the cashier say, "You must be excited about your new snakes." I didn't pay much attention until I look over and see the Boy's snakes in the other customer's bag. He had just swiped his credit card. Before I even figured out what was going on, he had inadvertantly paid for the snakes!

I was stuttering and all, "Ma'am. Those are our snakes. Not his." To the very annoyed man, "Sir, I am so sorry. I didn't see him give those to the cashier."

So then I had to wait with my fussy girl and my uber-embarrassed son who was now on the floor, hanging his head while the cashier went through what can only be described as a LONG, 5 step process to issue this poor man a cash refund for paying for our snakes with his credit card.

A.w.k.w.a.r.d.

After this fiasco, I needed Starbucks. So I went over and ordered my grande, non-fat, raspberry mocha, no whip. This was my saving grace. My little special treat. I was handed some white chocolate concoction.
"What is this?!"
"Uh, didn't you say white chocolate?"
I had never uttered the word white nor chocolate. So now I have a blicky drink, a 2 year old singing, "Mocha, mocha, mocha, mocha" over and over, a 4 year old pouting in a rather dramatic fashion, and a 30 minute drive home with broken car DVD players.

Good times.

Russian Peasant Situation

A month or so ago, I wrote this post with the ever popular Russian Peasant pic of my daughter. It cracks me up everytime I see it so I plan on having a larger print made of it. My problem? After picniking my butt off, I can't decide which one to have printed. I need your help. Leave a comment letting me know which pic you like the best. Here are our options:

Option 1: Straight out of the camera, as originally posted

Option 2: Enhanced color

Option 3: Sepia with a little color coming through

Option 4: Black and white

Option 5: Sepia

Whatcha think? Do you like one better than the rest? Your input is greatly appreciated.

Also, don't forget about the purse giveaway. Drawing ends tomorrow at 5:00 p.m!

200th Post and a Giveaway!

Update: Comments will be accepted through 5:00 p.m. July 1. Good luck!

This is my 200th post. Who knew I had that much to say? I started blogging on January 1. I don't even really know why. I happened upon Pioneer Woman and saw how awesome her blog was. I clicked on a few people who left comments on her site and decided it looked like something I would like to do. Between kids, students, food, animals, farm stuff, and the daily randomness that is life, it turns out I do have a lot to say.

And as a thank you to the 7 people who read my blog...here's a little giveaway!


I wrote about my purse obsession here. For those of you who didn't read it, few things make me happier to buy than a new purse. And...the wallet must match the purse.


However, I have a handful of bags that I do not carry because of this little obsession. So, one lucky reader will have their pick of bags. Can you STAND the excitement?! Let's take a look at the possibilites, shall we?


Option 1 is a cute purse I got for my birthday. (Thanks, Mom.) :) Sadly, after months of searching, I am convinced there is no wallet out there for this girl. She is a shiny, patent leather, limey green Liz Clairborne. She is lonely and needs a home.

Option 2 is a Sak that I have never carried. She is steel gray. She is simple and classic. She needs someone who can give her the love and and attention she deserves.

Option 3 is a 2 for 1 deal. It is a small brown Vera Bradley purse. (Don't know the name of it.) No, my sister, it is not from your collection. I swear you gave this to me legitimately. This purse comes with a large wallet that could double as a small clutch. It even has a detachable strap to carry as a small purse. While technically it does have a matching wallet, they are much too small for me to carry all of my stuff. So please, give them a good home, won't you?

If you cannot live without one of these bags, all you have to do is leave a comment telling me which purse you love the most. See how simple? A random winner will be chosen Tuesday evening, July 1.

What's up with the old people and the Buicks?

Have you noticed this? I venture to guess 97% of all Buick cars are owned by senior citizens. And not the 55 year old senior citizens who only use that term to get their 30% discount on Wednesdays, but the 90 year old senior citizens that um, maybe shouldn't be driving. Take the old man in the Buick who rear-ended me today. Yep. I got rear-ended. By an old man. In a Buick.

As I emerged from my rear-ended car he says, "I thought you were going." Um, yeah. I got that by the fact that you DROVE your car into mine. However, I wasn't going. I was stopped at a red light. Stopped. Not moving. He was all, "Your car is fine. Johnny can fix my headlight right up. So are we okay?" Well, sir, I am not sure about that. Let's take a closer look, shall we?

See how my bumper is kinda split right there? And bubbled up right here? And see these shards of orange headlight glass? That used to be on your car. Those weren't on my bumper before I met you.

See that big dented strip on the side? Oh wait, yeah. I did that. Oopsies. I backed right up into the hubby's forklift tractor. Tee hee. Maybe it's not so bad after all, sir.

What's the moral of the story? A Ford bumper can take a lickin' and keep on tickin'. And if you're driving a mid 90s tan Buick, and you are in your mid 90s...please, get off the road.

Balls and a lesson learned...

Tonight we took a Gator ride around the farm. We headed down the road and stopped at a neighbor's house (who Farm Guy used to work with) who was standing outside with his little Yorkie dog. This man is probably in his late 60s, early 70s and is missing his right hand. The kids were a little freaked but didn't say much. Little Miss quietly said, "Look, momma. He has a hurt hand." A little while later, Tractor Boy asked what happened to his hand. The man went on to tell him that when he was 4 years old he did something his mommy and daddy had said not to and his hand got cut off. Could this be a more perfect lesson for my 4 year old boy? And it's completely true. When he was 4, he went out to mess with a well his dad had been working on, the wrench came loose, and it cut off his hand. Can you imagine?! Needless to say you could see the wheels turning in my little guy's head. 4 years old? Didn't listen to his mommy? I am so glad he shared his story with us tonight.
The next conversation on the other hand...
The same neighbor, this very nice older man, was telling us that he recently had his hip replaced and that now the other one was going bad. He explained that he had recently fallen off an 8 ft. ladder and landed on his butt on his deck. Then he said, "I broke my balls. They crumbled." Um.........What?
I suddenly became extremely interested in something on the ground as I could NOT keep from laughing. I got so tickled with his broken, crumbly balls (which apparently was something in his hip) that I couldn't look up. I finally had to talk away with the kids to see the dog. If I had made eye contact with my husband, I would have LOST it.
Just awhile ago we were watching, "How It's Made" and it was an episode on ball bearings. I swear if they said balls once, they said it 100 times. I was in tears by the time it was over. I felt like a 14 year old giggling at the mention of the word "balls" but after tonight's conversation, I couldn't help it.
Balls. Hee hee.

Thursday Thirteen

Here are thirteen things I miss about having a baby (don't worry...I don't miss any of these things badly enough to actually HAVE another baby.)

1. Cradling a tiny, snuggly baby

2. One piece sleepers

3. Nursing (once the bloody nipples scabbed over that is)

4. Smelling baby lotion and their sweet milk breath

5. Cooing and sighing

6. Feeling that tiny hand grasp my finger

7. Rocking a baby to sleep

8. All the "first" milestones-first smile, crawl, word, tooth, etc.

9. Silky smooth skin

10. Seeing the excited look and kicking legs when Mommy comes into the room

11. The stroller travel system-I loved putting the carseat with the still sleeping baby into the stroller to walk or shop

12. Holding a sleeping baby on my chest

13. Quiet car rides

Stay tuned next week for thirteen things I do NOT miss about having a baby.

For more TT lists, click here.

WFMW

I have to admit, I am not the best Earth cohabitator. But, in the wake of the "going green" phenomenon, I am trying to do my part to help improve the condition of the Earth...or at least the handful of acres I enjoy. Here is a list of a few things I have done or plan to do in an effort to reduce, reuse, and recycle. (Some I made up, some are common knowledge, and some I found in magazines. Thanks for the magazines, Deb.) Now, grab a biodegradable cup of coffee and enjoy.

1. Switch to cold water for laundry. I have started doing this and haven't noticed any difference in the cleanliness of our clothes

2. Recycle old toilet paper and paper towel tubes. You can make cute little crafts like this. Use them to plant seeds like this. Or, keep pony tail holders organized and in shape on an empty tube in your bathroom drawer. Whatever you do though, please do NOT do this.

3. Reuse spare contact lens cases. I wear contacts and somehow end up with tons of spare cases here and there. Here's a great idea. Wash a case out well. Use it to take extra pills you might need in your purse. It's the perfect size for an emergency set of daily pills or every mom's best friend: Tylenol. (You thought I was going to say Xanax, didn't you?!)

4. Stuff an empty tissue box with plastic grocery bags for easy dispensing. I am definitely going to try this one. Right now I have tons of plastic Wal-Mart and Target bags stuffed into other Wal-Mart and Target bags in a closet. This idea might just work for me!

5. Save those fake "credit cards" you get in the mail for the kids. I don't know about you, but not a week goes by without receiving a piece of junk mail with a cardboard credit card in it. My kids each recently got wallets. They LOVE getting credit cards in the mail to play with. If you get too many, send them to a baby-sitter or daycare. My son said earlier this week, "Can I have another cookie? I will pay you with kisses. Or maybe with my credit card?" :)

6. Say no to the ATM receipt. So many times we get bombarded with paper or bags that we don't ask for nor do we need, yet we are given them without any say. One little thing you can do is choose "No" when the ATM asks if you want a receipt. You can check your balance on the screen and handle your transactions without getting a receipt. What do you do with it anyway? Look at it and throw it away? If we all chose "No" think of the paper we would save.

7. Reuse diaper wipe containers. I have to admit, I feel a little like my grandma when I do things like this. She was the type of woman who didn't have much and never threw anything out. She washed and reused paper plates, plastic silverware, you name it. I used to toss diaper wipe containers (I usually use refills only, but sometimes get the dispenser.) As a mom, they could be used for an emergency first aid kit in the car or house, crayon box, to store fridge magnets or other small toys, on the road/in the restaurant toy box...the possibilities are endless. As a teacher, I have found many uses for these little containers too. They are the perfect size for holding school supplies, math manipulatives, decorate to use for games, etc. So, if you don't have any use for your diaper wipe containers, chances are your child's teacher would use them.

8. Turn off/unplug electrical devices. Anyone in my family who reads this one is probably laughing their butts off right now. I was the one who turned on EVERY single light in the house and left them on, especially if I was home alone (even through high school and college.) Now that I am actually paying bills, I get it! I now make a point to turn lights off when we leave the room. I walk quickly through the house before we go anywhere and make sure everything is off and in some cases unplugged. I try to turn off the power strip on the TV and other electronic equipment in the room we don't use as often. I have defininitely seen a difference in our electric bills just from doing something simple as turning off the lights!

9. Reuse those funky, bought-on-appearance-alone, wine bottles. I know many of you, like myself, buy wine based purely on the label alone. Sometimes we might even think, "This is too pretty to open and drink." Then we quickly get over that CRAZY idea and before we know it, the bottle is empty. What's a girl to do? Here is a neat article on HGTV about reusing those "too pretty to throw out" wine bottles.

10. Reuse plastic grocery bags. If you are like me and haven't switched to the cloth bags because you can't handle the thought of the already PO'd cashier having to do a little something different all the while complaining to the cashier behind her and avoiding eye contact with you, here are some ways to recycle those plastic bags. (Holy run-on sentence!)

*Bring them to the beach/pool for bringing home wet suits and towels.
*Line small trash cans with them.

*Use them for kitty litter pans.

*Save them and donate to food pantries or small second hand shops.

*Keep a few in the car to do a quick car clean-up. (I would need like 84 bags to clean out my car!)

*Crumple them up for cheap packing material.

*Wrap your wet paintbrush or roller in a plastic bag while you take a break. It will keep the paint from drying out.

*Keep a couple extra bags in your car or purse to wrap up your wet umbrella.

For more great WFMW tips, head over to Rocks in my Dryer. Have a wonderful day!

Wordless Wednesday

Daddy's little helper.

Mommy's little nutjob.

What a Day

We had a wonderful day yesterday! The kids were much better when I left them for a bit to workout today. Can you believe that?! My wine pants are now really workout pants. Who would have thought?

After the gym, we ran home to put in a Crock Pot meal. I made this rigatoni but with an extra jar of spaghetti sauce and a container of ricotta cheese. If you haven't made it yet, I highly recommend doing so with the changes I made today. It was SO good!

Then the kids made rigatoni necklackes for my sister for her birthday. I didn't take pics but they were way cute. 8 rigatoni covered in glitter glue then put on yellow ribbon. They were very proud of themselves.

Off we went to Grandma and Grandpa's house for some fun in the pool with Aunt Susie.


Then Boy and I headed to the theater for his FIRST EVER trip to see a movie! He was so excited! We went all out and got popcorn, soda, and candy. He sat very still and very quiet through Kung Fu Panda. Then he started to get a little sleepy and asked to go. So, we left with about 30 minutes to go. I guess we will have to get the DVD when it comes out to see how it ended! :)

This bag of popcorn did not seem so big as we ate the ENTIRE bag!

Once we got back to Grandma's, he got a hair cut. He looks like such a handsome big boy. By then it was already 4:00 p.m. and time to go. The kids had been up sonce 6:00 a.m. with little to no down time. Needless to say, they fell asleep about 10 minutes from home. Sure they look cute sleeping on the ride home. They were NOT so cute, however, after their 10 minute nap. Not cute at all.

Once we got past that overly-tired, fussy, disoriented crying (nothing a little Blue's Clues couldn't fix) attitudes improved. I went outside to see what Jackie the Cow was killing now. (Turns out it was a bird. Have I mentioned she is a bird dog? And a skunk dog? A groundhog dog? And today she got her first mouse?) Anyway, two nekkid little kids followed me outside. I have heard of shirts and skins, but this is taking it a bit far.

Luckily, Farm Guy and the Boy removed all of the carcasses from Jackie's weekend of terror so hopefully we won't have anymore of these visiting anytime soon.

Despite all the rain and flooding we have had over the past few weeks, the corn is coming out pretty well. Here is the Boy measuring the corn. Looks like we will have no problem making "knee high by the 4th of July."

All good things must come to an end. After a beautiful day, it was time to get the kids to bed and enjoy some rigatoni.

And then I spent another hour editing this post and trying to save and publish. Blogger had other plans for me however. Plans that included a lot of cursing and pounding of my fists. But I persevered and got it done. Better late than never, right?

Sunday Snapshots

Stay tuned for a new Crock Pot recipe later today!

Killer Beast

As I type this, there are five (that's 5) buzzards in my front yard. You might be thinking, "Aren't buzzards attracted to dead animals?" Why yes, yes they are. And lucky for them, I just so happen to have some dead animals in the front yard. It's a virtual smorgasbord out there. There are 3 dead birds, a dead groundhog, and a dead skunk.

You are probably thinking, "Why are there so many dead animals in John Deere Mom's front yard?"
You might also wonder, "Is there some wild, savage beast that is stalking animals on the farm and leaving their dead, stinky caracasses in her front yard?"

Why yes, yes there is. And I managed to snap a picture of the beast before it stalked its next victim.

That's right. Jackie. Jackie the Cow. If you see this killer beast, run the other way. She's dangerous, I tell ya. Real dangerous.

Those Saucy Sisters are at it again...

Those saucy gals over at SITS, Heather and Tiffany, are hosting an AWESOME giveaway. Up for grabs is a $350 inflatable bounce house. And having the chance to win is super easy. Just click here and comment. Then write a post about the giveaway on your blog. Oh, and if you don't yet have the pink SITS button on your blog, please grab it while you are there and put it in your sidebar. And if you do, let them know I was the one to enourage you to do so. K? Spank you very much.

Adios, Old School Dell

She's back. My beloved HP Slimline is back home where she belongs. I was never so glad to see a white delivery truck in my life (especially since they were 24 hours and 2 minutes late..but who's counting?) Now I can browse the Internet at my leisure, watch videos and hear my music, check my email, as well as upload pictures with ease. Life is good.

I have the best paci story. Let's see..Little Miss has been off the paci since Tuesday morning. Hasn't had it since. She asks for it pretty often, but I haven't given in. Bedtime is still a little rough, but each night it gets a little easier. Today, she had asked me for paci. I blew it off telling her she was a big girl. End of discussion. Literally 15 minutes later, she comes RUNNING into the bathroom where I happened to be (I swear I haven't peed alone in 4 1/2 years) screaming, "Momma, Momma, look! The Boy found my paci!" Sure enough, he had pulled a chair out from the wall and found one of her pacis. I just KNEW she was going to pop that baby in her mouth and we would be back at square one. She looked at me and said, "Can we give this to the baby?" I could not believe it! So then I was like what the he11 am I going to do with it? I finished what I was doing, ran to get an envelope (before she changed her mind) scribbled, "Baby Nicki" on the front, then we walked out to the mailbox to mail the paci to the baby. How great is that?!

Six Important Things

Sheri over at Life, Love, and other Drama, tagged me to share 6 important things about myself. I don't know that there ARE six important things...but I will at least share 6 semi-important maybe completely pointless facts. Ready?

1. I LOVE watching poker on TV. I only watch Texas Hold 'Em, but I will watch it any chance I get. I can catch reruns on the Travel Channel, new episodes on GSN, and sometimes catch tournaments on ESPN. I never play. I don't even know if I would be brave enough to try if I had the chance, but I love watching. Some of my favorite players: Doyle Brunson, Gus Hansen, Daniel Negreanu, and Barry Greenstein.

2. It's very important that I have coffee first thing in the morning. I am still not sure how I made it through two pregnancies without a drop of caffeine. I love my coffee and must.have.it.

3. I hate seafood. This is important because if we ever meet for lunch or dinner, you cannot order seafood...not even for yourself. Sorry, but rules are rules.

4. I love comedians. I listen to Bob and Tom every morning on my drive to school. I have as many comedians on my iPOD as I do music. My 2 favorite comedians at the moment are Mike Birbiglia and Jim Gaffigan. Here's a little sample:



5. Diet Pepsi. Not Diet Coke. Thank you.

6. I need some noise when I sleep. If it's too quiet, I can't sleep. I prefer the sound of something running like a ceiling fan, air conditioner, furnace, etc. But, I can't sleep with the TV on. Keep that in mind when you invite me for a sleepover.

There you have it. Six extremely important useless facts about yours truly. If you want to share 6 facts about yourself, I tag you!

My First Friday Feast

Deb did this last week and I enjoyed the randomness of it. Because I am nothing if not random. So, here is this week's feast.
Appetizer
If you could live on another continent for 1 year, which one would you choose?
Quite honestly, I would choose to stay right here. But, if I had to pick another continent, I would choose Europe. I have been to France and would love to visit Italy...for the food. Okay, and the men.

Soup
Which browser do you use to surf the Internet?

I open Internet Explorer and wait anxiously for those beautiful little letters, Google.

Salad
On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being highest), how much do you know about the history of your country?
Well, since I teach U.S. history (although only at the 5th grade leve) I would say 7. But if my students ask, tell them 10.

Main Course
Finish this sentence: Love is…
home.

Dessert
Have you ever been in or near a tornado?

Had you asked me this question a few months ago, I would have said no. But, the weather in the midwest has been crazy and Mother Nature has thrown everything she's got at us. A few months ago we experienced a wind something or other that was similar to a tornado that damaged one of our barns and a grain bin. A couple weeks ago we watched a storm develop into funnel clouds about 10 miles north of our house that developed into a destructive tornado. It was hard to believe what that storm could do as we drove through some of the damaged area. We are so thankful and blessed to have made it through both of these storms safe and with our home untouched.

That was fun! If you want to see how other people are feasting, go here!

LIARS

Thursday Thirteen

Here are thirteen things that have made me happy this week:

1. Little Miss is officially paci free! Woo hoo!

2. My computer, my beloved HP Slimline, is comin' home to momma today! Yes, according to FedEx, she should be arriving today before 4:00 p.m. Deb, I apologize in advance if I ignore you to hook my girl back up. AND, once I get her hooked up and working again, watch for a giveaway!!!

3. Going to visit our baby cousin and getting to hold that fat little baby (especially since this led to the paci being gone!)

4. Having a playdate with my friend and her son. I actually got to have some adult conversation while the kids played!

5. Having another playdate today with Deb, Noah, and Addison. They are coming here to play with all things green (that would be John Deere, not environment friendly toys...sorry) and to try out the new swingset!

6. Sitting here drinking coffee.

7. Getting a new stripey purse from Deb. I couldn't be more excited to "transfer" my purse stuff over to it today. Luckily it has so many colors I have a couple wallets to choose from to use! Hooray!

8. Having a kid free day yesterday. The kiddos went to daycare while I went to a workshop and had even more adult conversation!

9. Having some "me time" at the gym. I worked out yesterday kid-free for the first time. It was great! I expected to be sore today, but am okay! I did the elliptical machine, a stationary bike, and the equipment. I don't even know what the equipment is called. Ha!

10. The pina colada I had last night.

11. Little Miss had a much better paci-free night last night. She went to bed a little later than usual, woke up once around 11 fussing, and then slept all night until 6:30. That's a success in my book!

12. Tractor Boy getting to go with Farm Guy last night to haul bales. He found a few railroad spikes and couldn't be happier about his new lucky "pikes."

13. Getting an award from Jen at Cheaper than Therapy!

Those are just a few of the things that have made me happy this week. I hope you are having a happy week too. If you need something else to make you happy, check out this week's Thursday Thirteen!

WFMW

Blogging. I wonder if anyone has ever done a WFMW post about blogging and how it works for them. Hmmm. Maybe I am a pioneer. Maybe not. Anyway.
Blogging really works for me. I have always been a fairly social person but only have a couple true close friends...not a huge circle of girlfriends. Since having kids, my personal life has pretty much been put on hold. I used to get my nails done, tan, go out to lunch/dinner with my friends/family/husband, go shopping an hour away, take weekend trips. I was able to be pretty independent and do what I wanted when I wanted.
Having kids is so life altering, or at least it has been for me. They are the center of my world on all levels and once everything is done for them, I don't have anything left for me.
In comes blogging. I am not even sure exactly how I got started, but I am so glad I did. Blogging gives me a chance to have something that is just mine that I can do when and where I want. Even though I am a working mommy most of the time, I go to work, pick up the kids, and come home to start the evening routine. Blogging makes me feel more connected to the real world, especially other moms. I have made friends since starting this little adventure and truly enjoy being able to sit at the computer in the evenings with a glass (or frozen mug) of wine to "catch up" with my friends' daily happenings, as well as share mine. Blogging definitely works for me.

Making Progress

I made this list a week ago to get me motivated this summer. I am happy to report that I can cross several off of my list ALREADY!

Thirteen things I will do this summer.
1. Join a gym. I know. I know. I keep saying it...but I WILL do it. Tomorrow.
2. Replace the metal porch railing with white vinyl fencing.
3. Take the hideous border down and repaint the dining room.
4. Gravel one flower bed and mulch another.
5. Get the carpet in the family room cleaned.
6. Go to garage sales on Fridays with happy, pleasant, non-whiney children. (Anybody know where I can get some of those?)
7. Have more playdates with Deb, Noah, and Addison.
8. Keep using my Crock Pot at least twice a week.
9. Go on a date (probably with my husband.)
10. Back all of my pictures up on CD when HP Slimine gets back (if the pics are still there.)
11. Paint the neglected, faded shutters on the house.
12. Read the 5 books from this list that I haven't yet read.
13. Get my daughter off the paci. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

I joined the YMCA about 30 minutes ago. I took the kids with no intentions of actually exercising today, but just to check it out. The babysitting room was closed but we were able to go in and look around. They had JOHN DEERE tractors! Needless to say, I think the kids will be okay with staying there tomorrow while mommy works out. Yay! And it was cheaper than I had anticipated so all is good. I will let you know how it goes after my first work out session.

We went to 2 garage sales last week with no whining, so I am crossing that off although I will continue to garage sale as many Fridays as we can. :)

We had a playdate with Deb, Noah, and Addison last week (?) or the week before and have another one planned this week. I know we will continue to play, so I am marking that sucker off.

I used my Crock Pot late last week and have another meal planned for Thursday. Time to mark it off!

We had an unexpected date on Saturday. I hope to have another one this summer, but I made my goal!

I feel great about being able to cross things off the list already! Oh, and Little Miss has not had paci all day. We packed them up along with some toys and took them to her 5 month old cousin this morning. She was all psyched about doing it because, "I not a baby anymore I a big girl, right Mommy?" Since then there has been some fussing and demanding of the paci but I haven't given in. (Yes, I kept one here just in case.) But, if nothing else we are at least down to paci at night only and maybe gone for good. I will keep you updated.

Now it's time to get the kids' supper made and then out for swing set time! And they are being eerily quiet...gotta run!!

Chick-Chick-Chicken Pot Pie

My aunt's chicken pot pie recipe is the best one I have tried. And I love a good pot pie. So if you need a quick, sure to please meal idea...give this a try. Your family will thank you (although your hips may not.)

You need: 2 pie crusts, 2 cups of cooked chicken, 2 cups of thawed veggies, 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup sour cream, 1 can cream of chicken soup, 1/3 cup milk, and 1 Tb. butter. See, I told you it was going to be good!

In a large bowl, thaw 2 cups of frozen veggies.

Add 2 cups of cooked chicken. Did you notice I used the pre-cooked rotisserie chicken? I gladly pay the $4.00 to get an already cooked chicken. Then my kids can munch on the chicken legs. Everyone is happy.

Add 1 can of cream of chicken soup.

Add 1/3 cup milk.

Next, add 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese. Oh yeah, baby. If you want to go crazy, add a little more.

Now you need 1/2 cup of sour cream. I used low fat sour cream because I am all about low cal food. Can't you tell? Now stir it all together. Add a little salt and pepper.

Place one pie crust in a 9 inch pie pan.

Pour the filling into the pie crust.

Dot the top of the filling with 1 Tb. butter. I'm not sure why this is necessary, but I've always done it and have never been sorry I did.

Place the second pie crust on top of the filling. If you know how to make the pretty pie edges, do that. I don't so I just kind of mush it down. Cut a few slits in the top crust.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand to firm up. Enjoy!

My aunt brought this dish to me after having Little Miss and it has become a family favorite around our house. If you make it, I would love to hear what you think! :)

Can't we be politically correct with our dogs?

I had to buy wormer for our dog, Daisy. I had never used this type of wormer so I had to read the directions. Everything was going fine until I read, "Give to lactating or nursing bitches 2-3 weeks after whelping." Okay. I know that's the proper term. I really do. But, as a former lactating bitch it's difficult not to take offense to such a term. I mean really. It's just rude...especially to the poor dog. Dogs are never bitchy. They are loving, faithful, and obedient. The other lactating bitches? What with bleeding nipples, swollen boobs, 24 hour feedings, waking every 2-3 hours, night sweats, hormones running amok, changing poopy diaper after poopy diaper, of course we are bitchy! Let's let dogs be dogs and leave them alone. No more name calling. Thank you.

Imperfectly Beautiful

The Nester is always sharing her beautiful crafts, house, family, even window mistreatments. Her opinion is, "It doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful." Although I am working on some projects around the house, none of them are perfect nor beautiful at the moment. So I didn't think I would share anything today. Then I saw this.

Dirty boots. Are they perfect? Far from it. They are usually involved in some sort of manure situation that I don't like to think about. They often track dirt and mud through the house when they are not left in the MUD room...usually right after I have swept and mopped the kitchen floor. They smell. They have frayed laces. They leave dried mud turned dirt wherever they sit.

But beautiful? Yes. Seeing my husband's boots next to my son's boots makes my smile. Seeing my little boy turn into such a hard-working miniature Farm Guy melts my heart. Watching them lace up their dirty boots together, my son's eyes bright with anticipation, a smile stretched across each of their faces, ready to go work hard "like men." Beautiful.

What a Weekend

For the first time in a LONG time, I was too busy to blog this weekend! Gasp! Luckily, things are back to normal and here I sit with my coffee and OSD anxious to tell you about my weekend.

Saturday my sister called and offered to baby-sit. She could hardly get the words out before I shouted, "Yes!" So she came over and Farm Guy and I headed off on our date. (Ooh, I can cross something off my summer to do list!) We went to a steak house in a town about 25 miles away. Food was awesome. Margaritas were even better. We even got to watch drunk Honda execs talk really loudly in Japanese. Tee hee.

Going on a date is such a rarity for us, we don't even know what to do with ourselves. Don't believe me? After dinner (we were done at 7:30) we stopped at Cracker Barrel to get my dad a gift card for Father's Day. We tried to take a nice country drive but nearly all roads were closed due to flood and/or tornado damage. So, once we got back to our town, we stopped to buy corn on the cob for Sunday. Then we rented Juno (which we didn't watch.) Then we went to CVS to pick up my all important pills while he read a diesel magazine. We were home at 9:00 p.m. Can you stand the excitement?

My sister was spending the night as we were celebrating Father's Day here. So I made her stay up to play Scrabble with me. We used all but 3 letters! (Oh, and I won my 3 points. Anyone who knows me knows that is pretty important. To win.)

Sunday morning, Farm Guy had to haul cattle so my sister and I took the kids out to breakfast. It was going great until I knocked my to-go coffee cup over and some of it hit Little Miss and burned her little belly. Not bad, but bad enough for some major screaming. Once we got in the car, it was nothing a piece of gum couldn't fix.

Then Grandma and Grandpa came to help Farm Guy set up the SWING SET they bought for us. (I'm spoiled. My kids are spoiled. Any questions?) The construction commenced (I am working towards that Genius reading level) at approximately 1:30 and ended at 7ish. The kids were so good waiting patiently until the slide was connected. They could.not.take.it.anymore. During the construction, my mom prepared an amazing supper of steaks, baked potatoes and sweet potatoes, corn on the cob, salad, and grilled sour dough bread. I think that made up for the hours my dad, husband, and sister spent putting the swing set together. There was only one injury. A metal endpiece of a board came down and struck my sister on the foot. It broke a blood vessel and was immediately swollen. She was a trooper though and kept helping the men. Thank goodness. She read the directions and basically told them what to do. You know how men can be with instructions. It turned out quite nicely, don't you think?


The kids got a little playtime on the swing set before going to bed later than their normal bedtime. I just KNEW they were going to sleep hard and long all night. Maybe even sleep in a little. Yeah. Right. Little Miss fussed around from 12:00-1:30 last night. I think she was over-stimulated and too tired. They played hard all day. At 6:30, I hear the Boy get out of bed and a minute later Little Miss is calling my name to get up. Sigh.

Now it's 8:15 and Little Miss is feeling the effects of a late bedtime and early morning.

And this is what is waiting for me in the kitchen.

I think I need at least one more cup of coffee before I can tackle that mess.

So, how was your weekend?

Feeling down? Get thee to thy nearest Target!

What's better than shopping at Target? Shopping 50% off clearance at Target! That's right...their uber cute seasonal items were 50% off today. (Okay, confession. I am acting like this is a new discovery when in fact I was there on Wednesday and bought a bunch of stuff for myself.) BUT, my best cousin's 30th birthday is coming up. So, the kids and I headed back to Target to see what I could put together. Want to see what I got? Huh, huh, do ya, do ya? Okay! Here it is!

Let's take a closer look, shall we?

Cute metal bucket/beverage tub: $6.49

Matching napkins: $0.99

Margarita glasses: $1.98 (At one point during the shopping trip, I looked in the cart to see Little Miss eating a recently opened package of Yogos out of the pink margarita glass!)

Dishcloths $1.49 (Don't worry. Now that I see that loose thread, I will trim it!)

Pitcher: $0.49

Wine bottle stoppers: $1.49

Relish tray: $0.99

Flip-flops: $2.49

I got everything for $15.51! How flip-floppin' awesome is that?!