Time Flies....Even When You're NOT Having Fun!

Hello Everyone! I can't believe it's been more than a week since I've been able to get on this thing and write a post! Between Easter, schoolwork, baseball, and kidney stones, I've barely found the time to breathe, much less blog.....sigh. I've missed visiting all my friends too! If I haven't stopped by your place, I promise I'll be by soon. I'm just trying to keep life together around here...even if it's only by a shoelace!


Anyway, let's play a little catch-up shall we? Let's start with last weekend...


I took three of the four kids to the park for some rollerskating and playscape fun last Saturday. I put on my black, Bauer, lace-up inline skates for the first time in over 10 years, and I actually skated....and I didn't fall down or anything! We've been trying to take the kids to Christian Skate Night at our local Roller Rink once a month, and since the last time we went, we've discovered that little Dave actually does really well on a pair of skates! So, the next time we go, I'm planning to skate rather than chase entertain a two year old for two hours, but I didn't want to put my skates on for the first time in front of all those people and then fall flat on my behind! So, I decided to practice at the park with the kids....other than the fact that my feet have gotten a bit wider after having 4 kids, I think it went well. I'll just have to wear very cushiony socks or I'm going to have some monster blisters!

And speaking of blisters....while we were at the park, I was playing with the kids. You know, following them around, and doing what they were doing (except for the monkey bars....I can NOT support my body weight on my arms anymore...yikes!) and I was following Maddie up the slide when I made the mistake of setting my knee down on said slide.....YOUCH!!! I actually burned my knee on that thing! It is now 6 days later, and it is still deep red and it still has a blister on it! Can you believe that? Surely there must be some sort of material they can make those slides out of that doesn't hold heat like that! It wasn't even a metal slide for Pete's sake! Being a kid is dangerous, I tell you.

Now, on to Easter. It has been rumored that I was making an animated cake for Easter dinner. I'm still laughing at the thought. But seriously, it was just our little family and my parents, so I really didn't do anything that extravagant. In fact, I used Jon's idea for the cake and made a simple cross with vines and grapes for decorations. But just to feed the idea that I really am crazy and I do have way too much time on my hands, here is a little picture of our breakfast on Good Friday. Yes, I individually cut out crosses in their waffles, and then used the cut-out squares to make the hill. I like to do fun things on holidays, and I wanted to keep the kids focused on the real reason for Easter, rather than just the candy, colored eggs, and all that stuff that they associate with Easter. I figure, I did all these fun little things when there was just one kid, so why shouldn't I do it when there are four? They shouldn't miss out just because there are so many of them. I'm really working on that....not limiting our activities and things because it's harder with four, or because one of them happens to be a very high-maintenance two-year-old! I am hoping that if we really work on teaching them to be disciplined and well behaved, that we can do all the fun stuff and it really won't be too hard. And, the more activities we do that require disciplined behavior, the more well-behaved they should be....right? Oh, I do hope so!

Anyway, since Easter, it's been baseball, kidney-stones, dentist visits, school, and housework around here. Nothing worth blogging about, that's for sure! I'm still working on all that Spring Cleaning, but I seem to be losing ground rather than gaining on it....ugh! Yesterday, I made a general cleaning list for each room in the house in order of importance, and I've started on that list. I've decided that I'm going to do the most important thing in each room first, then move on to the second most important thing and so on....exciting stuff isn't it? Yeah, I know.

So, that's it. Nothing exciting, no animated Easter cakes, we've lost every baseball game since the season officially started, and my house is still driving me nuts. Ah, life! On the bright side, I received the first two books for the Blog Book Tour, and I'll be reviewing those and having some fun giveaways starting in April. So far, the books are fabulous and I know you're going to like them as well! I also just finished reading "Me, Myself and Bob" by Phil Vischer, and I LOVED it! To be honest, I always figured that Mike Nawrocki was the humor behind the Veggie Tales, and Phil was the "lesson guy". I guess that was because Mike plays Larry, and Phil is Bob. But I started reading Phil's blog over the past year, and discovered that he really is creative, and funny! The book chronicles the story of the rise and fall of "Big Idea", his production company, and the lessons that God taught him along the way. It is funny and brilliant all at the same time. The lessons he learned apply to our daily lives and the raising of our families as much as they apply to running a multi-million dollar company. I've already told Benji that this will be the next biography book he will be reading for school, and I highly recommend it to all of you as well! Also, Phil is planning to launch a very small TV station sometime in the future, and I'm so excited I can hardly wait! I am just hoping that it will be a station that we'll be able to watch here in Texas, because I know, after reading his book, that it will be a station that I will actually encourage my kids to watch!

Okay, the dryer is calling me, and I suppose the kids will be wanting to eat soon, so I'd better get off this thing and on with my day. I'll try to get over and visit with all of you this weekend...it's supposed to be a quiet one around here....ROFLing.

We're Back!

Well we're back from our trip. Actually, we got back Sunday evening, but on Monday, I got a phone call that a cake was needed on Tuesday morning, and it was for a very good friend who works with my husband. It was both his 20th anniversary with the company, AND his 60th birthday. Even though it was short notice, and I'm trying to cut back on the cakes, I just couldn't let a stranger make this cake!



Russell is a fellow racing enthusiast and one of his favorite tracks is Laguna Seca in Monterey, CA, so my plan was to put a 3D map of that particular track on the cake. Then Ben pipes up with "Can't you make it a tire, then put the map of the track in the center of the tire?" Sure...why not. So, the track didn't end up being 3D, but it still came out pretty cute.


So, that's why I didn't show up here on Monday or Tuesday...I was trying to recover from a camping trip AND make a cake all at the same time!

But, I'm back now, and I know that it's "Works for me Wednesday", but it's also "Wordless Wednesday", and I decided this week to go "Wordless"....not doing so hot with that, am I? LOL.

Anyway...I was asked to post pictures of the camping trip here on ye olde blog, so I put them all on a slide show for your viewing pleasure. I didn't add music because I know that some of you are in places where you need to be quiet...but if you'd like some music, just click on my player above, choose your song, and voila! Some of the photos have captions/explanations. Some didn't need any. Enjoy!

Let the Twitching Begin....

I'm just taking a quick break from all the camping preparations to visit with you all one more time before we leave and I'm cut off from the blogosphere for 2 whole days!!!! I can feel the twitching starting already. I caught up on all my bloglines this morning, but I'm sure I'll check one more time before I go......it's a sickness, really.

Anyway, so far today, I've washed 4 loads of laundry, cooked two meals for the trip (I had already cooked one yesterday), and I have loaded up everything that is ready to go into my van. I'm still waiting on one load of laundry to dry, and another to finish washing, then I'll need to head to the grocery store for more fruit and a few other things that we'll need for the trip, and finally, when Ben gets home from work and gets all the camping gear and coolers down for me (I'm short, he's tall), I'll go through all of that. It's been a long time since we camped, so I need to go through what we have, what we no longer need, and what we need to add or replace. Then, we'll just pack up the vehicles and be on our way! Piece of cake.....ugh! I really do love camping, it's the prep-work that's difficult. Once we get there, it will be relaxing and fun....I'm holding on to that thought! :)

Finally, I wanted to make sure that I stopped in today to tell you about a book that I just finished. It is called "The Shack" by William P. Young and it is absolutely fabulous! I heard about it from my friend, Denise, and I truly loved it. It was so good that I'd love to purchase a copy for every single person I know....unfortunately, my last name is neither Rockefeller, Dell, nor Gates...so that won't be happening. However, I really, really, really want you all to read this book! I also won't be giving away my copy because I fully intend to read it again, more slowly this time. I'd have started it again this morning, but I had all those bloglines to read, and all the camping preparations to make....but I AM taking it with me this weekend!

It is a fictional book that has been compared to "Pilgrim's Progress" in that it has the same potential to impact this generation that "Pilgrim's Progress" did for it's generation. Here is the teaser from the back of the book:

"Mackenzie Allen Philips' youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a
family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in
an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later in the midst
of his Great Sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from
God, inviting him back to the shack for a weekend.

Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack's world forever.

In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant The Shack wrestles with the timeless question, 'Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?' The answers Mack gets will astound you and perhaps transform you as much as it did him. You'll want everyone you know to read this book!"

All I can say is that what I read in this book is the same stuff that God has been talking to me about for the past year or so. I can't go into details because the author asks that no one spoil the book for anyone else...but if you've read it, or if you do read it, I'd be happy to email with you about what you thought! It's truly an inspirational book and I highly, highly recommend it!

I also received my first book on the Blog Book Tour, so I'll be getting back with you all on that one soon, and the author wants to give away a copy of that one here on this very blog!!! So, there is that to look forward to. In the meantime, head on out to your favorite book store, or click on over to your favorite online bookstore, or just click right here and get yourself a copy of "The Shack" by William P. Young. You won't be sorry!

Yawn.....

That's life around here today. Not that we don't have a million and six things to do, mind you, we're just all feeling quite lazy and relaxed, and the idea of moving from our respective spots on the couches and recliners just seems like too much work!

On the docket for today is; of course, schoolwork; the ever-present laundry; picking up the house [or at least the areas people can see if they knock on the door! :)]; packing for our camping trip; cooking for our camping trip; and of course, panicking because we are nowhere near ready for our camping trip!

So, that's how I'll be spending my day here in the land of kids and cakes.....thrilling isn't it? I know!

I promise, if anything remotely interesting actually happens around here today, I'll be sure to let you know. In the meantime, I'm off to load up the washing machine and start trying to impart knowledge to my peeps. Perhaps, you should just click the player above and listen to some fab music for awhile....

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Oh, I almost forgot....... just because I know you all are dying to know what I thought of American Idol this week....

I absolutely loved Chikesie and Brooke White.

I liked David Cook, Ramiel, Carly, Michael Johns, and Jason. , (Although I was not at all happy with Jason's revelation that he is an....AGGIE. I mean, he actually "whooped" on national TV! He can't be a true AGGIE with those dreads though...I mean seriously, there has to be a little bit of aggie-rebel in there somewhere, right? I am choosing to give him the benefit of the doubt...because he's so beautiful, and he can sing too!)

I didn't dislike Syesha, David Hernandez, or Amanda.

And I felt really, really badly for David Archuletta and Kristy Lee because he forgot the words--which is usually the kiss of death on this show, and because her song was way.too.fast! I think it would have been much better if it were s-l-o-w-e-d d-o-w-n just a bit! I had no problem with her singing of the song, it was the song itself. I felt like the drums were completely out of control and I couldn't concentrate of the singing because of the manic drumming. And I'm not just a huge "Beatles" fan myself, personally (shhhhh)....but my husband is. He thoroughly enjoyed the performances this week, much as I will enjoy "country week" sometime in the future. :)

That said, I figured either Kristy Lee, or David Hernandez would be going home this week. I'm sad that David is gone, but I'm happy for Kristy Lee that she will get another chance...she sang "Amazing Grace" for her very first tryout, and that still holds some weight with me.

And yes, we are all on a first name basis now, because I can't remember all their names and spellings because we are such close, personal pretend friends.....except for the Davids, because there are just too darn many of them......well, not quite so many now, I guess.
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Okay, now where was I....oh yeah, laundry.......blech!

Works For Me Wednesday

Well, it's that time again...time to share something I've found that "Works for Me" that I think might just "Work for You!" And I've been saving up some things for just such an occasion!

Today, it's going to be all about this little miracle worker! I just so happen to follow (when I'm being good) the Flylady, and this means that throughout my day, I am drying out my kitchen sink...to keep it all shiny and pretty. However, I have a rather old stainless steel sink whose finish has been destroyed, and I was having difficulty finding something to dry it with that would leave it pretty and shiny rather than streaky. Enter the Gleen Cloth! Now I found this little baby at my local H.E.B. grocery store, but if you can't find it in your local grocery, just click the link and find out how to get your own. I keep one folded on the edge of my sink, and I use it to dry out my sink whenever I'm finished using it for the time being. It leaves my sink streak free and shiny!

Now, to add to the fabulousness of this cloth, I have discovered that if I dampen it slightly I can dust my computer and television screens with it safely and, again, streak-free. I also use it to wipe down all of my stainless steel appliances. I get it slightly more wet for this job, but again, it does a beautiful job without having to use any cleaners at all. I also keep one hanging in my bathroom shower and when I'm finished with my shower I quickly use it to wipe down the walls of the shower and I never have to scrub soap scum off of them! The walls are clean and shiny, and again, I don't have to use any type of cleaner on them at all.

I even use it to clean windows and bathroom mirrors.....whenever I actually get around to cleaning windows and bathroom mirrors, lol.

Now, I happen to have about 5 of these little wonders. As I said, I keep one on the kitchen sink and one hanging in the bathroom shower. Every evening as I clean up the kitchen and shine my sink, I put the cloth in the laundry and put a fresh one on the sink for the next day.....yes, you can wash these little babies in the washing machine! I only change out the one in the bathroom about once a week, because it doesn't really get dirty--just wet, and it's hanging up so it can dry well between uses.

So there you have it. One of my most favoritest cleaning tools in the whole wide world! Let me know if you try one out for yourself...and then head on over to Rocks in My Dryer for more "Works for Me Wednesday" !

Keeping it Real...or just a slightly disturbing update...

I mentioned last week that I'm struggling with trying pass yet another kidney stone here amidst the kids and the cakes.........make that two kidney stones. At least, I think that's what's going on, because I now have pain on both sides.....cue violins and listen for the huge sigh. The biggest problem I have with the stones is usually not the pain. Pain can be managed for the most part with some lovely medications that are very good friends of mine. The biggest aggravation for me is the nausea. Which I have not had this time around...at all...until last night......ugh.

Now, this is not In the Midst of It, or It Coulda' Been Worse, so you don't get many poop stories here. After all, poop and cakes don't really go well together. However, last night, our newly potty-trained two year old, had a poopy accident in the nighttime. I was already fast asleep because the kidneys they were hurting, and the nausea was just starting to rear it's ugly head....when I hear my husband saying, "Melody, where are the wipies? Dave's got poop everywhere." Now, personally, I think he intentionally "didn't see" the wipies sitting right there on the bathroom counter so that I would get up and help with the haz-mat cleanup. And I'm not sure I blame him. So, I took the boy and put him in my bathtub, and scrubbed him up and down with this stuff which smells infinitely better than, well...poop! I got the little nail brush and scrubbed his fingernails and toenails until he was all nice and clean and smelling fresh. Then I set him on a towel on the floor and I scrubbed the bathtub with this which has a lovely eucalyptus and peppermint smell. Then, I refilled the tub and washed the boy up one more time in fresh water. Then I rubbed him up with bath oil and sniffed long and hard of my nice clean little boy.

Meanwhile, Ben was scrubbing the bed sheets and whatever else he could find with poop on it, and complaining the entire time. I found it interesting that he thought all the "potty-training-mishap" stories were hilarious as long as they were happening when he was at work....not so funny anymore, huh mister?

ANYWAY, I woke up this morning to a quiet house with all the children sleeping, so I sat down to fold laundry and watch Jon and Kate Plus Eight, which I look forward to each and every week. Did anybody watch last night's episode? 'Cause the sextuplets had the stomach flu, and there was vomit in just about every single scene. So, I'm not sure if my nausea this morning has more to do with my kidney stone issues, or if it's more environmental. Either way about it, I'm grateful that there are no sports today; I have a laptop computer, so school can be accomplished from the comfort of my couch; and I did the grocery shopping last night, so I can relax and enjoy my day and wait for American Idol and The Biggest Loser to come on TV tonight...hopefully, no one will be vomiting on either of those shows tonight, because I'm not sure I could handle it if they did.

I Just Wanted to Say...

There are a few things that I've been wanting to talk to you all about, but I've been so busy that I just haven't had the time, so as I sit here watching the end of the NASCAR race, I've decided to take the opportunity to chat with you all about a few things!

First of all, about a month or so ago, someone sent me an email asking if I would let both all of my readers know that a new show was launching on Fine Living TV. Unfortunately, they apparently don't hang out here often enough and didn't realize that a reminder, or seventy, was in order...so anyway...a new show launched yesterday (oops!) on Fine Living TV called "Cool Kid's Parties"! Obviously, I missed it, but I'm planning to check it out next week...since they went to all the trouble to ask me to plug it and all! It airs on Saturdays at 11:00am central time. So, if you are looking for ideas for some cool kid's parties, you can check it out too! It'll be like we're watching tv together!!! Anyway, after I check it out, I'll post an update and let you all know what I thought about it.

And secondly, I've not yet posted any opinions regarding this season's American Idol, but I just have to say something! In fact I have an opinion or two to share.

1) I love, love, love, David Archuletta. I'm not an I-Tunes downloader by any means, but I will be downloading every.single.song. of his!

2) I could watch and listen to Jason Castro all.day.long. And he's from TEXAS, YA'LL!!!

3) There was only one of the guys this year that I wanted gone....and fortunately, he left us this week. But I will say this for Daniel Noriega....the boy can sing! If I was in the kitchen when he was singing, I thought he was fantastic! However, if I was anywhere within view of the tv when he sang, I absolutely hated it. I just couldn't watch him perform. But, I'll give credit where credit is due, the boy can sing.

4) I also don't have any girls that I want gone. I'd love to watch all of them sing for us each and every week! But I must admit that I do have three favorites...so far :) I love Brooke White,
Carly Smithson (although I preferred the pre-tattoo version from Season 5), and Ramiel Malubay.

5) Seriously, the top 24 were all so amazing that I think this season, unlike season's past, will be more about who has a bad week, then who's fans can dial the most times. This is the most talented group they've ever had as a whole. I still think Kelly Clarkson would have beat any of them, but I'm not so sure about the subsequent winners. I think anyone from the top 24 this season could have won in a previous season. And Sanjaya? He wouldn't have made it past Hollywood!

6) This is shaping up to be an awesome season on ye olde American Idol, and I'm sooooo excited! I'm a huge music fan, and this is the perfect show for music fans! The only negative thing I've noticed so far is the fact that the songs they have done all together have been absolutely awful! I kept thinking it was going to be sooo amazing since they are all so good...but it sooo wasn't! I love it though. It makes me feel better about my own singing! LOL!