Thursday thirteen: Happy Birthday Michael!

After I did a Thursday Thirteen for Madalyn's birthday...I thought it would be fun to do one for my hubby. But...since they take so long...wouldn't it just be better if he did it himself? And I could give myself a small vacation from blogging. So...I gave him an assignment...to write a list of 13 things about himself...and he had over a month to complete it. And then, he actually did it! He turned his assignment into me on Tuesday. He wrote it as if I wrote it. Referring to himself in the third person. And I thought I might tweak it. You know, add editorial comments, insert my strange sense of humor and observation into it. But, nahhh. I'll let you all enjoy his list in all of its logical, rational, geeky glory:

1. He’s a Geek Well, he’s not a total geek (some of other numbers on this list contradict a “total geek”), but a lot of the elements are there. Being an engineer, he’s well versed in math and science. He’s good with computers and most electronics. He likes a lot of the ‘geek movies’ (Monty Python, Brazil, Mel Brooks movies, Lord of the Rings trilogy, Pi, Blade Runner, and other Sci-Fi movies) and ‘geek TV shows’ (The Simpsons, South Park, Mythbusters, Doctor Who…), ‘geek music’ (see #2), and will periodically quote any of the aforementioned media. The start-up sound for his PC at work is the sound of the Tardis taking off (you may be a geek if you recognize this sound).

2. Music No, Michael does not play any instruments… but he does love to listen to music. He owns over 1000 CD’s and has a paid subscription to Napster, which allows him to listen to his choice of over 6 million songs on the PC… in the car… on his MP3 player… while at work… He listens to a wide variety of music, including modern rock, classic rock, classical, new age, (classic) jazz, new age, alt.-country, and some forms of music many people would characterize as simply “noise”. A portion of what he listens to substantiate #1 on the list (Decemberists, Arcade Fire, They Might be Giants, Rush…). Michael, not surprisingly, is also full of useless music trivia knowledge.

3. Beer: July 1st, 2004. This was a happy day in Michael’s life, as this is the date Georgia changed it’s archaic beer laws to permit the sale of “high gravity” beer. Michael loves beer – GOOD beer. He is an admitted ‘beer-geek’. He doesn’t drink for the alcohol, he just loves a great tasting beer. We go to a local bar (smoke-free as per Georgia law) for Trivia contest every week, which Michael really enjoys since they also happen to have one of the largest beer selections in the Southeast (over 140 draft beer varieties and at least as many bottled varieties). At this bar—and at a another bar—he is a member of each bar’s Passport Club, whereupon the bar keeps track of each different variety of beer the patron drinks. At our local bar, Michael has already surpassed the number needed to receive his “personalized 20 oz. dimpled mug” and is on his way to a “personalized goblet” for Tier II.

At Christmas, we each make out a Christmas List to make the gift buying easier. 90% of Michael’s list every year consists of CD titles and specific beer varieties. None of the mass-produced domestic beers for Michael (who will often choose soft drinks over Budweiser, Miller, or anything ‘light’), only microbrews and imports are good enough for this beer geek. Coffee oatmeal stout, India pale ale, imperial pilsner, cask-conditioned unfiltered ale, Belgian tripel ale, and barley wine (yes, this is a beer), are just a handful of the beer varieties that Michael enjoys. Here is a picture of one of his favorite shirts – it is the “Beeriodic Table”. It has the structure of the Periodic Table of the Elements with symbols for each beer style, and is organized by the characteristics of each style. Something a beer lover and a geek (see #1) would love:

4. Going to Concerts: This is separate from #2, because Michael insists that live music is a totally different experience from listening to a CD. We live near Atlanta, which has a large number of music venues from the small bars with stages that hold just a few hundred patrons, to various sized amphitheaters, to the medium and large sized arenas. With all the music varieties that Michael listens to (see #2), it’s easy to find artists playing live in Atlanta. He enjoys the small shows with $10 ticket prices (for bands most people have never heard of) as much as many of the major acts who charge $60+ for the cheap seats. And he enjoys going to concerts as much now as he ever has. With some of the shows he’s gone to, he may be one of the oldest people in the audience – but this doesn’t faze him in the least.

5. Food: Michael loves to eat. Since puberty, he has had the metabolism of a 300 lb+ football player, but the physique of an average person. Dieters hate to see the amount of food he eats at some meals for his size. He seeks quality as much as he does quantity when eating. While he is not a picky eater, he does really prefer the “really good stuff”. For instance, Michael likes potato chips. He doesn’t get excited over plain Lays chips or ‘normal’ flavors like barbecue or sour cream & onion. But he loves his gourmet kettle-cooked chips in flavors like “Spicy Thai,” “Salt & Fresh Ground Pepper,” “Tuscan Three Cheese,” “Island Jerk,” and “Death Valley Chipotle”. And Michael likes hot sauce, but he’s not satisfied with just plain Tabasco sauce. He insists on having at least 5 or 6 hot sauce varieties at home, since apparently some foods are paired well with a cayenne and vinegar based sauce, while others might require a Vidalia Onion-Peach hot sauce. Any kind of chocolate is good right? He’ll eat M&M’s or Hershey’s milk chocolate like most people but not get very excited over it. But if dark chocolate by Scharffenberger or Belgian dark chocolate truffles are nearby, you can’t keep him away.

Ask him the question “Where do you want to go out to eat?” and you’d better be prepared to choose among a list of restaurants in the area with eclectic cuisine selections, most of which he hasn’t even tried yet. His favorite is Five Seasons in Atlanta, which, as a brew-pub, not only serves excellent food, but also brews some of the best beer in the state. Still, he’s not a picky eater… just don’t ever suggest eating at McDonald’s to him.

6. Smart shopper: Michael considers himself a very smart shopper and doesn’t like to pay more than he has to for anything. This reluctance to spend money helps to keep #3 - #5 in check rather nicely. He insists on doing the bulk of the grocery shopping to ensure he gets the most out of the coupons he clips weekly — and most grocery shops entail stops at two grocery stores (practically across the street from each other) to ensure he gets the good sale prices from each store. And some items he will only buy in bulk in Sam’s.

And this shopping acumen isn’t limited to groceries. He feels the need to research any purchase where he thinks he can get a better product for a better price. When we needed a new cordless phone with multiple handsets, for example, I couldn’t just go down to the store and buy one… he had to research reviews on Amazon.com, epinions.com and others to find the best phone in our price range. We rarely end up with the cheapest product; but between coupons, discounts, or just shopping around he makes sure we usually get the best price for what we buy.

7. Thrill seeker: Michael loves things that are fast, high, scary, etc. He loved going skydiving while in college (though is not allowed to do so now). He loves roller coasters and other thrill rides (the bigger, higher, faster, and more intense the better). Some people insist his brain is “wired backwards”, as skydiving, thrill rides, and fast things in general have always had a calming effect on him. Michael relishes the opportunity to get his daughters involved in his thrill seeking. When Katie was tall enough to ride the biggest coasters at Six Flags, he talked her into riding many of them with him (until she discovered that she doesn’t like “loops”). On our trips to Disney, he was able to convince the girls to ride the “intense version” of Mission Space at EPCOT with him (this is the spacecraft motion-simulator ride that is built as part of a giant centrifuge). And while in Belize on our cruise, he and the girls went zip-lining across the jungle while over 200 feet above the jungle floor.

8. Environmentally conscious: Spending a lot of time outdoors growing up, including many years as a Boy Scout (where he attained the rank of Eagle Scout), has given Michael an appreciation of nature in general. He will recycle or re-use just about anything that can be recycled… even to the point of stopping coworkers before they throw an aluminum can in the trash to remind them there is a recycling bin for that. (and yes, he does recycle all those beer bottles from #3) He usually doesn’t miss the opportunity for conservation of energy, water, or other resources.

9. Offbeat humor: In addition some of the examples in #1, Michael enjoys TV shows where the humor isn’t exactly mainstream. Some of his favorite shows are critically acclaimed, but lack(ed) viewers (Arrested Development, Reaper), while others are (were) just “different” (Newhart, My Name is Earl, The Office). The same goes for movies, where a small sample of his most liked include Harold & Maude, Adaptation (& most other Charlie Kaufman movies), any Christopher Guest mockumentary, Fargo (& most Coen brothers comedies), Thank You for Smoking, and Grosse Pointe Blank. Website favorites include The Onion and Stuff White People Like. His favorite comedian of all time is Bill Hicks. And this offbeat humor extends beyond just watching TV’s and movies. For period of time, one of his hobbies was baiting Nigerian scammers (see this link if you’re unfamiliar with this pastime). Where he works, this humor has confused his coworkers at times. For example: if an employee attends a meeting talking like a pirate when no one else in the meeting has ever heard of Talk Like a Pirate Day it comes across as quite strange. Ditto for Talk like a Physicist Day this past March 14th (that’s 3.14). Yes, Michael actually suggested in an informal meeting on 3/14 that mysterious production problems in his plant were caused by “tiny, vibrating one-dimensional strings."

10. Sports fan: This may seem to contradict #1 on this list, but Michael is a sports fan. Every year, he follows NCAA basketball (especially “March Madness”), NCAA football (especially his alma mater Georgia Tech), Major League baseball – where the Atlanta Braves are his team (win or lose), and various other sports. He also follows World Cup Soccer every 4 years. With few exceptions, he attends at least one Braves game every season. The exception came in 1994 - 95. He and several friends had a baseball road-trip planned in 1994 to see 7 MLB games in 6 days in Chicago (the first game against the Braves), St. Louis, and Cincinnati. Ten days before leaving, baseball went on strike. Over the years, he has attended college and/or pro sporting events for baseball, football, basketball, soccer (indoor & outdoor), hockey (major and minor league), and volleyball.
11. Active: Michael has always found a way to stay physically active over the years. He has had a membership at Bally’s gym since 1994 and still works out a couple of days each week. He plays softball for our church team and his work team… and even tried to play for the local bar team (the one mentioned in #3) He has plans to start playing soccer soon too.

12. Health conscious: Recently, Michael found out that he has inherited his father’s cholesterol problem. Though the level is not terribly high, he does have to watch what he eats more closely. He was already physically active (#11) and ate healthy food most of the time, but now has to bring the healthy diet up a notch. Luckily for him, moderate alcohol consumption and moderate consumption of dark chocolate are GOOD for the heart and health in general. And his favorite brand of potato chips (see #5) is trans-fat free and made with oils that are high in mono-unsaturated fat, so he can eat potato chips that are actually heart-healthy. With no need for weight loss, he can concentrate on foods that are good for the heart. Sometimes this gets difficult when his wife if fond of making desserts like this.

13. Just a big kid: With the sports mentioned in #11, it may seem like Michael is a competitive athlete. This is not at all the case. He just likes to go outside and play. Many times Katie and Madalyn say they’re happy to have a Dad who is “like a 12-year old kid”. Although he is a fast runner for his age—and a kid a heart— Michael sometimes needs reminders that at his age he can get hurt much more easily than he used to… and that healing from injuries also takes much longer now. It's always funny until someone gets hurt. Then it's just hilarious.

Wordless Wednesday: Is Orange the name of a flower?

Katie Cooks: Eclair cake edition

Time's up on the contest. The winner is posted in the previous post - you all might want to console (or celebrate as the case may be) yourselves with some dessert. A very yummy dessert. And yes, Sissy, you can make it diet friendly. And it still tastes really good. My kids start foaming at the mouth when they find this dessert in the fridge. And the exultations that arose when they found out I made one for their teacher...and one for us...but forgot to take pictures...so it meant yet another eclair cake (or Claire cake according to my girls) to make...well, my ears are still recovering from the high decibel squeals.

Here is what you need:

(Have ya'll noticed that there is a 2lt of Coke Zero in every recipe picture? Still don't need it for the recipe. Unless you'd like to drink it while you put the eclair cake together.)

Just measure out the milk:

(do you all do this with your arms when you measure?)

Add the pudding. I like to use French Vanilla. It just looks prettier. You can use whatever kind you want:

And then the cool whip:

The recipe does not work if you leave out the cool whip. Well, I take that back, it is still yummy. But you wouldn't want anyone outside of your family to have any. It kinda gets soggy and goopy...and does not stay in layers. Not that I have ever done that before. No, not me. I never forget ingredients.

Stir it until it becomes thick.

Add a layer of graham crackers to the bottom of your dish:

You might feel the need to eat some of those graham crackers. Go ahead. You'll have enough.

Add a layer of pudding:

Ummm...no pictures here. I'm thinking that the bowl was too heavy for Katie to pour out the first layers. Kinda hard to pour pudding and take pictures. I'm just not that good.

And then another layer of grahams. And another layer of pudding. And another layer of grahams.Frost the top. If you stick the frosting in the microwave for about 30 seconds, pouring it is a dream.

Yum!

Be sure to lick the spoon. It's a rule.

Here is our simple recipe:

2 3.5oz packages of instant vanilla pudding (you can use fat free sugar free if you want)

8oz container of cool whip, thawed (cool whip free works!)

3 cups of milk (see...skim is what we use)

1 package of graham crackers (fat free ones might taste like cardboard straight out of the box, but they work nicely in a recipe)

1 can of chocolate frosting (I actually saw some low sugar ones at the store this week. Never tried them, though)

Blend pudding, milk and cool whip

Arrange one layer of graham crackers in the bottom of a 9x13 pan

Spread 1/2 pudding mixture over crackers

Top with another layer of crackers and then the remaining pudding.

Add one more layer of graham crackers

Melt frosting in the microwave and spread over the top.

Chill in fridge. Best made the day before.

My First Blog Give-AwayTime's UP - We have a WINNER!

UPDATE: We have a winner. Thanks so much for all who commented. Even those of you who said you had more than enough...or that you weren't ready to start...or that you didn't want to enter because you'd feel guilty about auctioning it all off on ebay. And then...somehow this contest got posted on the "Red Hot Sweepstakes" message board. I am sooo very curious as to how it got there in the first place! But I hope those of you that came from there might come back again to visit. I promise to have more give aways. I still have more scrapbook stuff to give away. And in honor of well behaved Krissy, I might just do a Disney themed contest.

So...without further ado, the winner is TALISMAN. You all need to go and check out her site. She has some hilarious stories about being a chemist...and a homeschooling mom...and has a son that knows how to stab himself in the back of the neck with a pencil. And very soon she'll be posting pictures of scrapbooking 10 years of pictures that are currently in boxes.

The past few Sundays I have delivered unto you a sermon. About things I am very passionate about. About taking photos...and making sure that you document your stories. I really thought I was preachin' to the choir. That as bloggers, we are writers...and photographers. But then I discovered that a lot of you do keep up with your family albums...but you needed encouragement. Encouragement to keep doing what you are doing...encouragement to get back on track...and encouragement to get started in the first place.

I was a Creative Memories consultant for almost 9 years. And part of being a consultant was to have inventory on hand. And when I retired...I still had inventory on my shelves. And today...I still have some of that inventory on my shelves. Because I am too lazy to put it all on ebay I have decided to share the wealth...and offer the ultimate encouragement...FREE supplies!

Here is what one lucky winner will get:

Denim 12x12 album with 15 white pages:

A set of 8 pens - four fine tip, four round tip in an organizer case (also an incentive gift...never available for sale):
Organizer box for your photos (this was never for sale either - I think it was a hostess incentive gift), adhesive, corner rounder:

Short Cuts paper packs (these are great for adding just a splash of color to your pages)

ABC letters for titles:Decorative stuff (stickers, die cuts, and embellishments): And I will include extras specific to the winner - so, if your kids play football, I have football things to include; if you have a new baby, I have scrapbook themed things for that as well. And if your baby isn't anywhere near "new," but you never made a baby album...I can hook ya up!

So...How do you win? All you need to do is post a comment and let me know what you are going to do with your prize. Are you going to keep it and add it to your stash? Are you going to finally start? Are you going to give it as a gift? Are you going to sell it on ebay because you'll never ever start that project? Wait...don't tell me that last one. Make up something. Anything.

The legalese: contest is open to anyone in the 48 states (My husband tells me I am too cheap to mail elsewhere); one entry per person (feel free to come back and comment - ya'll know I like chatting - but just one comment will count); contest is open until noon (Eastern time), May 20th...and winner will be posted by 8pm on that same day. Good luck!

Week in Review, May 11-16th

It’s been one of those “be careful of what you wish for” kinda weeks. First…for Mother’s Day, I wanted to be like Greta Garbo. “I vant to be alone.” I wanted a day free of cries for mommy, free of hearing “she did…,” without questions about where the peanut butter might be located. The usual. So…I did get what I wished for…but it was covered in a benadryl induced fog. See…Saturday morning I dyed my hair. The same dye I have used for 10 years. About 12 hours later…my head started itching. Really itching. And burning. I don’t think I managed to sleep at all on Saturday night. I just wanted to dunk my head in a big vat of calamine lotion. So…Sunday, I slept. And scratched. And then slept a little more. And had some steak.

I’m not sure what happened. I am guessing a minor allergic reaction. I say minor because if you google “allergic reaction to hair dye” you’ll see some really gross pictures. That, thank you God, was not me. Just the itching and burning. It was completely gone on Monday…with only some mild twinges since then. In case you were wondering.

Then…all week, I have been looking forward to Thursday night. My book club meeting. We were going to discuss “Jesus Land.” I was invited to a Southern Living party for Thursday night…but I could not go because of book club. Someone from my homeschool group turned 40…and a bunch of people were going to take her to dinner Thursday night…but not me, I have book club. So, Thursday came…my day was a smidge discombobulated…but not more than normal. I made dinner…sat down to do some blogging…and just other “stuff.” Later I decided to go to bed…I went up to brush my teeth…and it hit me. I FORGOT to go to bookclub! I am such an idiot.

And because things happen in threes, I did have one other “off” thing happen this week. Last week, my husband offered to buy me a new watch. Because he won a prize. Again. I looked at my options…and thought “meh.” I have a great watch. It’s Brighton. Really pretty. And it somehow survived our cruise – where I wore it in the ocean to swim with both stingrays and dolphins. Not on purpose, though. So…why would I need a new watch? Well…because it died today. Not sure what killed it since the ocean water didn’t do it.

We did have something exciting happen this week. The landscaper came. My yard is almost gorgeous. They have a few more things to do…and I can’t wait to share my before and after pictures. Just to whet your appetite, here is one small area that is done -- the first one is before, the rest are the afters (hey, Jenny...what's that purple vine around the mailbox called?):

I am getting really excited about my blog give away. I need to figure out exactly “how” I am going to give the big bundle of prizes away…

Okay…onto homeschooling:
I finally managed to plan the rest of our year. Katie is so not happy with said plan. See, Madalyn gets out of school on the 21st…and Katie has enough work to go through the 30th. But…her last week of school is just history and grammar.

MATH: This week we started a new chapter on percent. It’s been really easy for her. A little too easy. We are going to finish the chapter next week, and then wait until the fall to move on to the next section.

HISTORY: We finished chapter 38 and moved to the next chapter. No skipping this week. Katie read the first section “India after partition” – and then read a book on Indira Gandhi. She is also reading the book “The Breadwinner” by Deborah Ellis. It’s about an 11 year old girl in Afghanistan under the Taliban rule. When her father is taken away by the Taliban, she disguises herself as a boy in order to provide for the family. Katie finished the book in one day…and we have reserved the next two in the series.

GRAMMAR: Katie finished chapter 7 – the last section focusing on the common mistake of “could of…should of…would of” that actually should be: “could have, should have, and would have” – but the mistake is made, probably due to mis-hearing “could’ve, should’ve, or would’ve.” Wow…was that a run-on sentence or what? Not that I use appropriate grammar on this blog. But you would think that once a week in the grammar section, I could accomplish it. But no, not this time.

WRITING: Katie spent this week working on her Jackie Kennedy paper. Making notes, organizing them, and doing a first draft. And today, in looking over what she has done…there is not one mention of the words “first lady” anywhere in what she has done. What’s up with that?! This might take a few more drafts…

LATIN: We finished up our classes with our homeschool group…so Katie is on holiday from Latin, folk dancing, and organized swimming lessons. Our last day of classes picnic was rained out…so hopefully that will be rescheduled.

Sharing the Love

Well...it's Thursday...and like Debbie over at This is the Life...I have blog block. I usually do my Thursday Thirteen, but this week, it just seemed like too much effort. I work on those lists for an entire week. And it's Spring. And my brain hurts. So...today...I thought it was time to share the love instead of making a long list.

Have you noticed my cool blog bling on my right sidebar? Do you need some bling? The first one, my friend Jill over at One Wired Woman created. Yes, created! She was so excited when I tagged her for this meme...and she had never been tagged before...and she still came back and read my blog after reading that post. Have you ever tagged someone first? Then you need to grab this bling and put it on your blog. And before you know it, a "Jill" will be someone who hasn't been tagged before. And we can say it all started here. Or not.

The next one is the "Good Chat" award. This was given to me by my friend Rhea over at Word Tangle. Rhea and I are the queen of answering comments...asking questions...and having discussions about things that have absolutely nothing to do with the post in the comments section. Do you do this? Do you aspire to do this? Then grab yourself a good chat award and put it on your sidebar.

And then just yesterday, I was bestowed with yet another award by my friend Angie over at John Derre Mom. It's a blog stalkers favorite award...because it makes stalking a "not that kind of stalking" thing. Comprende? Or is it Comprendo? Whatever. So...if you find yourself in my blog stalking list...grab yourself an award. And feel free to share the love. (Let's sing together: "give it away...give it away...give it away now...")

Rhea just loves me that much...so I got yet another award. Because I am awesome. Of course. And if I read you...and comment...and forgot to add you to my stalking list...I think you need some "awesome" blog bling. And if you read me...and I don't know who you are...because you lurk...de-lurk...and grab yourself some bling...cause it's pretty awesome that you are one of my three readers.

So...who grabbed the most bling?

Wait, wait, wait...there's more. The next button is for a pink swap. Click on the picture (not this one...the one on the sidebar) and go sign up with Tangee at "A Sparkly Messy Life." She has the "rules" for this great pink, girly girly swapapalooza. You need to sign up by Friday (June 16th) to get in on the goodies.

And what is this? There's more?! Yes there is. There is more. Cause we are giving it away...giving it away...giving it away now. Come back on Sunday to see my first blog give away. It's gonna be big (cause I don't want to be a miser...not gonna keep it like the kaiser...) BIG! Really, really Big...

Semi-Wordless Wednesday

Blooming trees in our yard - but I have absolutely no idea what kind of trees they are - anyone? anyone? anyone?

My Favorite things: Crocs

Crocs. You either love ‘em or hate ‘em. One thing you cannot do is ignore them. They stick out like a sore thumb. They have been voted the “ugliest shoes.” They are called a fashion don’t. And some even suggest that you are not actually supposed to wear them in public.

But, they are the most comfortable shoes I have ever worn. I have challenging feet. Finding shoes that fit is somewhat impossible. I have a wide foot. A very high arch. And narrow heels. Impossible. But then, a few years ago, I found crocs. The ugliest shoes on the planet. But they actually fit my Fred Flintstone feet. AND they were comfortable. So comfortable that they make the pain from my heel spurs bearable to non-existent. There is no way that I could have walked for 10 days around Disney World without my ugly crocs.

I actually do wear them in public. Because they are pretty much all I wear. All year. I wear them on errands. To the pool. Exercising. On vacations. And even to church. My kids wear them all the time. To school. In the creek. And they even wear “dressy” black Croc Mary Janes to church.
I love that they don’t smell. I love that if they get dirty, I can just throw them in the dishwasher. I love that they are so comfortable. So comfortable that I don’t care if I am the poster child for this fashion don’t.

But at least, I don’t wear mine with socks.

25 Things I learned from Mom

1. My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE . 'If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning.'

2. My mother taught me RELIGION . 'You better pray that this will come out of the carpet.'

3. My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL . 'If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!'

4. My mother taught me LOGIC . ' Because I said so, that's why.'

5. My mother taught me MORE LOGIC . 'If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the store with me.'

6. My mother taught me FORESIGHT . 'Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident.'

7. My mother taught me IRONY 'Keep crying, and I'll give you something to cry about.'

8. My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS . 'Shut your mouth and eat your supper.'

9. My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM . 'Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck!'

10. My mother taught me about STAMINA . 'You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone.'

11. My mother taught me about WEATHER . 'This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it.'

12. My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY . 'If I told you once, I've told you a million times. Don't exaggerate!'

13. My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE . 'I brought you into this world, and I can take you out.'

14. My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION . 'Stop acting like your father!'

15. My mother taught me about ENVY . 'There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do.'

16. My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION . 'Just wait until we get home.'

17. My mother taught me about RECEIVING . 'You are going to get it when you get home!'

18. My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE . 'If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to freeze that way.'

19. My mother taught me ESP . 'Put your sweater on; don't you think I know when you are cold?'

20. My mother taught me HUMOR . 'When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me.'

21. My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT . 'If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up...'

22. My mother taught me GENETICS. 'You're just like your father.'

23. My mother taught me about my ROOTS . 'Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?'

24. My mother taught me WISDOM . 'When you get to be my age, you'll understand.'

25. And my favorite: My mother taught me about JUSTICE. 'One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you.

(author: unknown)

Happy Mother's Day to all! Love Ya, Mom!!

In the Kitchen with Kat: Sausage muffins

I don't always hand over cooking duties to my daughter. I actually do cook. It's my one domestic talent. Okay, ability. I not sure how I learned to cook. I didn't cook growing up. Except once, as a latch-key kid, I was asked to put a ham in the oven. No one mentioned that I had to take the plastic off of it. An illustrious beginning. My father was the cook in the family. My mom didn't go into the kitchen. She still does not. When we went on our cruise, the girls were worried about what she would eat without us to cook for her.

My cooking style is quite basic. I like easy. Simple. Quick. And delicious. Yummy is a requirement. I have already shared my family's favorite - grits casserole. And on those same lines, breakfast for dinner is usually on the menu each week. Because it's easy. Simple. Quick. And yummy. One of our breakfast dinners is: scrambled eggs, fruit salad, and sausage muffins.

Here is what you need (well...you really don't need the Coke Zero):

Brown the sausage:

Measure the bisquick (see...simple, quick, easy):

Add cheese soup (taking pictures while pouring and using a scraper is next to impossible. Do I need to invest in a tripod...and a remote timer?):

Add the rest of the ingredients:

And mix:

And bake:

Yum! It makes a lot. It's a great item to take to a brunch. Or have your husband make them for you for breakfast tomorrow. Heck, have your kids make 'em. Delish!

Here 's our simple recipe:

Sausage Muffins

1 pound pork sausage

1 can condensed cheddar cheese soup, undiluted

1 cup shredded cheese

2/3 cup water

3 cups bisquick

Brown the sausage and drain.

Combine soup, cheese and water.

Stir in bisquick.

Add sausage.

Mix well.

Fill greased muffin cups.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Makes 2 dozen. Serve warm.

Week in Review

Another week of ordinary. And I am quite happy with ordinary. Boring. Mundane. All those are good words here at casa Sunshine and Lemonade. Because they don’t involve drama. Now, we did start our week off with a little excitement.

Last Friday, Madalyn finally got to celebrate her birthday (because, you know, celebrating on a cruise ship is just not enough.) with her friends. With a slumber party. How is it possible for four little girls to be so loud? Or so messy? Is there a genetic advantage for the decibel level that girls can attain? They played. They ate pizza. They opened presents. They had cupcakes. There was a smidge of angst regarding missing mommies…and headaches about said decibel levels…but they were over it rather quickly. Somehow, they managed to tuck themselves into bed and fall asleep around midnight. And then on Saturday morning, we were ordered to wake up and fix them donuts. Ahhh…round two of sugar. And then we sent them home. And took a nap. Aren’t they cuties?

And here they are showing off their ability to make armpit farts. And the same noise with their legs. Let me now destroy the myth that only boys are fascinated with bodily functions. A mother's pride and joy.

This week was Teacher Appreciation week at Madalyn’s school. The room mom’s arranged for some pretty nice things. They did a fruit basket on Monday – every student was to bring in a piece of fruit for the basket. I wonder if they needed more than one. Then on Tuesday, Madalyn and I each wrote a note of thanks to her teacher. I got the cards at Target. They cost $500. I almost couldn’t fit the kids in the car after that trip. Yeah, don't ask. But, Mrs. Murphy, you are worth it! She also got a pen bouquet, lunch from her favorite restaurant…and then tonight a bunch of us moms made her dinner. I was in charge of dessert. And for some reason, I forgot to take pictures of making the éclair cake. I had to make two, you know. I would not win mother of the year if I didn’t have one for us as well. Not that I’ll even be considered for mother of the year. I might be my children’s favorite mother though if I make it again for my blog. For my readers. All three of you. Oh, the sacrifices.

Oh, yeah…the point of this? Our homeschool week in review:

Math: It was all review this week. Kind of a math holiday for mom. I didn’t have to remind myself on how to do math. And constantly remind myself that I am not smarter than a 5^th grader.

History: Katie finished Chapter 36 from last week. She read the Kids Discover Magazine on the Civil Rights movement and she read Cobblestone’s “Get on the Bus” issue. Then we did part of chapter 37 (yep, we skipped a section) on the Vietnam War. And then moved onto chapter 38 covering the Soviet invasions of Czechoslovakia and Afghanistan.

Grammar: Katie is still in chapter 7, covering prepositional phrases, conjunctions, and interjections. She is still not a fan of grammar…but she obviously tries to have fun with it as evidenced by some of the sentences she creates. For example, one of her assignments gives her a base sentence and she is to add a prepositional phrase to give it more detail. For example: The boy raked leaves. When you add the phrase, it could read: The boy with brown hair raked leaves or The boy raked leaves into a pile. So…what did Katie create?

Base: Kerry and I sat. Katie’s addition: Kerry and I sat near your yak.

Base: Children play. Katie’s addition: Children play in a volcano.

Base: The street was filled. Katie’s addition: The street was filled with many ostriches.

Base: Birds fly. Katie’s addition: Birds fly to their death.

The mind of a ten year old.

Report writing workbook/Research project: Katie chose her first lady: Jacqueline Kennedy and has begun her research. We got a little waylaid as the books haven’t arrived at the library yet…so some things have been postponed until next week. (Ahhh…the disappointment) Katie learned how to make a bibliography, how to take notes using note cards…and did the first part of her research using the internet. In her search, she found this fun site (no help with the project…but fun) where you can dress paper dolls from history including Jackie O, Hillary Clinton, Mr. Darcy and even Alexander the Great (did you know he wore underwear?).

Piano—Again, I have no idea. I don’t play. I don’t sing. I don’t read music. So…I have to ask Katie what she did. And here is what she said: She is learning how to stop boinging. Is that the technical term? It means that she needs to stop playing staccato when she is supposed to play legato. Uh-huh. And to make it more difficult, she has a piece this week where she is supposed to boing. Okey dokey.

There you have it. I hope you all had a great week. Full of mundane and boring. Sans drama.

Thursday Thirteen: Things I would get for homeschooling if money was not an object

It's time again for the Thursday Thirteen. I am a rebel two weeks in a row in not going with the theme. Maybe I should go with the theme as my own versions take me forever to write! Two weeks ago, I wrote about places I have been. Then last week, I wrote about places in the USA that I wanted to go. I actually have an international list that I am working on...but I think my brain needs some time off from thinking about traveling or I'm likely to whip out the credit card and book a trip to some far flung place. I'm not sure why I thought this topic would be a curative for that travel bug...because it's just gotten me drooling over other things. I need to think of something for next week that won't want to make me spend money!

So...if money was not an object...if I had a wealthy uncle to finance my dreams for homeschooling...this is what I would want to do/get:


1. Telescope

2. Art classes and more art classes. Because I cannot teach art classes. I actually looked at this art series called “teaching the masters” where I was supposed to teach painting. Hah! Katie already takes two classes a week (Latin and folk dancing)…but it would be great to put her in some others as well – more language classes, gymnastics, maybe another instrument…

3. Well…we’ve clearly established my travel bug. So, I would fund our national and international field trips. We are about to study ancient history – how cool would it be to go and see the Pyramids, the Parthenon, and the Pantheon?

4. Oh…and how about more local field trips. We could get memberships to all the museums rather than just one (or none) a year like we do now. We could go to traveling exhibits (we cannot wait for the King Tut exhibit that will be here in November)…plays, musicals, concerts…High School Musical is coming in August…that’s educational, right?

5. Books, books, books. More reference books. I love the images in the DK Eyewitness books. Audio books. And I’ve always had a dream about having a library – a room with book cases on all the walls….

6. I wouldn’t feel guilty about buying curriculum that I am not sure about. I could buy it and pass it on if it wasn’t a match for us. In July, at our local homeschool convention, I am buying the IEW writing program…which will set us back about $400. I cannot buy it without talking to someone about it. We could get as many of the Rosetta Stone language programs as we wanted…and see which one sticks. Or at least figure out how to say “where’s the bathroom?” in all the countries we will now be able to visit.

7. Another laptop. And we could even get a Hello Kitty one with Swarovski crystals.

8. More science manipulatives. We could get models of cells, skeletons, robotics kits…

9. LOTS and lots of Teaching company dvds.

10. Summer enrichment programs…like Duke’s TIP camp. Or Space Camp.

11. I was running out of “big dreams” so I asked my husband. And he said an electron microscope. We already have an optical one. And a small hand held one. But he wants the big guns. The electron microscope. Like one that even your average high school wouldn’t even have. (Why don’t we just get a planetarium while we are at it?) And my additional thought…it would be cool to have an attachment so that we could have the image projected up on our television or computer. And…how about an attachment so that we could take photos of what we are seeing. How cool would that be?!

12. Still thinking about what we need – so I ask the kids. Madalyn says that she wants a robot cat that will do her homework. Ummm…not exactly what I was thinking. Katie starts thinking of things to get for herself…for when she finishes her school work…like more time on her DS…more games. Again…not what I was thinking. And then she wants to know if I am really going to list a robot cat. And then she wants to know if she can make up things – like a trip into space…

13. I suppose if we are going to make wild and impossible dreams…then I’d love for Michael to quit his job and homeschool the kids…while I sit at the computer eating bon bons and blogging all day…

Wordless Wednesday: Jasmine and Roses