Conversations With The Cherub

Me: What do you want for lunch today Jaykeb?

Jaykeb: You tell me what I can have.

Me: Grilled cheese?

Jaykeb: No

Me: PB&J?

Jaykeb: (rolling eyes) Here we go again!

Apparently my selection of delicious lunch fare is not up to par!

Winter Storm!

Ho. Lee. Crap! We may actually see some snow!

The news station is reporting that Lowes and Home Depot are running out of space heaters, firelogs, and other necessities for a winter storm. The groceries are running out of bread and milk! What to do, what to do?!? Okay...I'm not too worried about it. I did fill some coolers with ice though just in case we lose power...I don't want to lose all my groceries again like I did when we lived in Indiana and had a "real" ice storm. Fed and watered the dogs so they can hunker down for the night and ordered a gallon of "chockie milk" from hubs on his way home. I'm ready...bring it on!

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEASTGEORGIA...PIEDMONT NORTH CAROLINA...WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA ANDUPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA..DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHTA WINTER STORM WARNING WILL START AT 4 AM THURSDAY FOR THE ENTIREFORECAST AREA. SNOW...POSSIBLY MIXED WITH SLEET...WILL MOVE INTOTHE REGION FROM THE SOUTHWEST BEFORE DAYBREAK..DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAYHEAVY ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL WILL AFFECT THE NORTH CAROLINAMOUNTAINS AND EXTREME WESTERN FOOTHILLS DURING THE DAY ONTHURSDAY. THE PRECIPITATION WILL CHANGE TO SLEET AND FREEZINGRAIN...ESPECIALLY SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 40...THROUGH THE DAY. NORTHEAST GEORGIA...UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA AND THE NORTH CAROLINAPIEDMONT WILL LIKELY SEE LIGHTER ACCUMULATIONS OF SNOW EARLYTHURSDAY...BEFORE THE PRECIPITATION CHANGES OVER TO SLEET ANDFREEZING RAIN BY NOON. DAMAGING ACCUMULATIONS OF ICE ARE EXPECTEDACROSS MOST OF THE AREA.

courtesy National Weather Service

Because it is a Neat photo...

....taken by Meemaw in her yard.

The Pooper Chart

In my efforts to potty train The Boy I made this...

The Super-duper Pooper Chart!

....he checks out the chart. He was very excited about the concept of the chart but said he was not going to use the potty though. We continued to discuss it as I explained how he would get stickers to put on his chart and a penny for the gumball machine every time he used the potty then when he had 7 stickers for the week(we are starting out slow)he would earn the toy listed at the end of the column and pictured at the bottom of the chart. He LOVED that idea! So I again explained that he had to actually sit and use the potty to get these stickers...

....starting to look a little more concerned about the whole thing...

...the results of our attempt on the potty. A tear-jerking, snot-flowing, craptastic fit! This is after we got him back into his jammies and back into the living room. Out of the bathroom dungeon and away from the porcelain throne from hell that no doubt will swallow his tiny bottom whole as soon as his tender cheeks touch the plastic on his Dora potty ring. He is talking/screaming to my mom on the phone who was attempting to help by way of speaker phone. Hopefully now after listening to the whole ordeal she has a better understanding of the battle I am in for with him and his training. Apparently such a fantastic fit as the one he pitched wears one out because as soon as he calmed himself down and ended his phone call he was off to sleepy town.

Whew! I don't know what it's going to take. Hopefully he will just magically decide one day that sitting in his own filth is disgusting and want to use the toilet. Until then I'm open to suggestions if you have any...by the way, we have tried, the potty chair, potty training his puppy, reading all the potty books, Daddy doing it, Grandma doing it, taking all his clothes off and letting him run around naked, having the neighbor kid show him how it's done and all the special products they've come out with for kids hygiene, none of which has worked. If you've got anything else...anything at all we will happily try it.

I'm a Sucker...

....for cute animal pictures and this one is adorable! Mom...does this remind you of anything? Comments about your hair maybe? It does me and I'm cwacking up!

Colts fans

Everyone is getting ready for the big game!

Who are You Rooting For?

Obviously my friend, Angi, and her family are for the Colts as am I! 5 more days until the superbowl, sportsfans! Do you have your plans made? I do. Mike, Jayke, and I watching football in the living room. Can't get more exciting than that. I have "football food" all planned and purchased and ready to go. Tell me what your plans for the superbowl are!

Fantastic Quote!

"All women should know how to take care of children. Most of them will have a husband some day." -Franklin P. Jones ...no truer words ever spoken!

If You Don't Do It, I Will!!!

Woohoo! I am so excited! I just created a blog for Angi! She hasn't even seen it yet and doesn't even know I did it. Now we will just have to see if she uses it. I figure if my friends won't jump into bloggerland with me on their own I will give them a shove! So her blog is up and ready to roll! It is listed in my blogroll as "All About Us" or you can just click HERE! I only had one picture with her kids in it so I posted it...it has been on my blog already. I'm counting on her to start putting her own pics up. Come on Angi...you can do it! Kim and AJ you are next!

All Right All You Queens...

Take this quiz...I already know what some of you will score...AJ...

You Are a Drama Princess (or Prince)

You're not over the top dramatic, but you have your moments. You know how to steal the spotlight... And how to act out to get your way. People around you know that you're good for a laugh. But at times, your drama gets a bit too much for everyone. Tone it down a tad, and you'll still be the center of attention.

Are You a Drama Queen (or King)?

I wish I could...

....fall asleep any where, any time like Jaykeb. Here he sleeps on the bench at the foot of the bed.

Almost on the back of the couch snuggled in a pile of clean laundry I was just about to fold. So much for that.

in the middle of the floor where the kitchen and living room meet. He was obviously driving cars and just fell asleep.

Sitting up on the couch watching tv. Okay, I have probably done this one before. I guess when you are tired you are tired. When you need to sleep, you sleep. Must be nice.

Graphics & Layouts

This was my first comment I received on my Myspace page from AJ...I'm glad she put something fitting of me.

February 4th!

2007 Super Bowl XLI
ItchMyStitches.com
I really can't wait! I'm not a big football fan but I do like the Colts ever since I went to see them play in person a couple of times. The results to the poll I had up were 100% in favor of the Colts winning the Superbowl by the way. Let's hope those who voted were correct! Go Colts! Thanks, AJ, for the graphic on the myspace page.

Sleepy Messy Boy

"A mother understands what a child does not say."--Author unkonwn
....This child is saying I'm tired and I need a bath! See how that works!

If only...

....this will be Jayke soon...now if I could only get a "sleep in your own bed" patch and a "no more diapers" patch.

Tangwiches and Deep Fried Bologna Sandwiches

Found this site with the strangest recipes. If not to cook then just for laughs. Check out southern Culture On the Skids

Dinner Drama

Dinner time at our house brings about more deals than on that new game show, Deal or No Deal. There are many tricks played and arguments waged. I have learned that to come out on top in this monumental battle you always have to be one step ahead. Mike is still learning this fact. I thought we had seen about all the tricks possible, spreading the food all over the plate to make it seem as if it were disappearing, hiding it, feeding it to the dogs, etc. I thought we had also heard all of the excuses possible like my tummy is full, I feel sick, it's too hot, it's too spicy, I don't like it, etc. Tonight The Boy brought a new trick out from under his hat. I know he actually got the idea from something I had said during a previous dinner time battle and tonight was using it against us. As he sat at the table not eating and trying to make his great escape, Mike told him he had to take one bite of applesauce and one bite of broccoli before he could get down. Jayke just sat there. Mike told him again and again but he just sat there. Finally he told us he had a mouth full of carrot. We didn't believe him since it had been about 10 minutes since we had seen him put anything in his mouth. We asked him to show us the carrot and sure enough he had a carrot tucked away in between his teeth and cheek. When we would ask him to take a bite he would begin chewing away on that carrot and tell us he simply couldn't fit another thing in his already full little mouth. This went on for about 20 minutes, how there was anything left of that carrot I don't know, but every time we would ask him to take a bite the carrot appeared. Finally Mike resorted to threats of taking away his race track if he didn't take his two bites. I personally don't think two bites is worth the argument but since Mike had already committed to it I had to go along. I could tell he was starting to gag on the mush the carrot had become so I offered some milk to wash it down before I ended up with an even bigger mess to clean up...the crying was beginning and I just wanted to end this meal as fast as possible. Finally the carrot went down, the two bites were quickly taken, and they were off to the races in the living room while I got to clean up. Lets hope that is the last time he tries that tactic to get out of his two bites. It almost seems as if it is more about winning the battle with him than it is about taking the bite of food. I got news for him if he is going up against Mike there are a lot of very long periods at the dinner table in his future.

Note: I'm sure Jim and my mom are loving this story and thinking how I deserve it after all the hell I put them through at the dinner table as a kid but I'd like to point out that I'm not the one arguing with him. I don't care if he takes his two bites...I go on the theory he will eat when he gets hungry and that is fine. So don't enjoy it too much.

The Future Miss Lola Dog!

My mom has finally decided to get a dog...with the help of Bella, Mitch, and Chelsea. Bella is my uncle's new dog, a Cavelier King Charles Spaniel, and Mitch and Chelsea brought the tiny puppy over to visit my mom the other night and now she "needs" a dog.(Don't tell Jim!) When she told me she was thinking about it I "helped" by telling her to get a girl and name her Lola. She LOVED that and it pretty much sealed the deal. When I told Jayke about it he was so excited he had to call her and ask her about it and tell Opa Jim that Oma is getting a dog. Opa said she isn't but what does he know? Jayke and I spent some time in the dog aisle at Target picking out accessories that Lola will "need". I had determined that Jayke needed a puppy in his life a while ago but since I have enough dogs we couldn't get one. Now he will have Lola to grow up with and play with. We are very excited...now we just have to wait for Mom to hurry up and get her! I'm putting up cute pictures to help the situation along...eh hem...MOM! By the way, Jayke is VERY cute when he talks about Lola and says her name, we can't diappoint him now can we???


Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Breed Standard
Toy Group

General Appearance
The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is an active, graceful, well-balanced toy spaniel, very gay and free in action; fearless and sporting in character, yet at the same time gentle and affectionate. It is this typical gay temperament, combined with true elegance and royal appearance which are of paramount importance in the breed. Natural appearance with no trimming, sculpting or artificial alteration is essential to breed type.

Baby Otters--too cute!

LOOK at that little face! How cute is that?!?

Stuff Portrait Friday

I'm a little late with this...sorry.

Our assignment for Stuff Portrait Friday is "Our Buddy" so here is my buddy...

Today my buddy and I went shopping at Target, grabbed lunch, and stopped at the bank. Nothing too exciting. We had to get out of the house so Mike could sleep since he went in to work at midnight last night to fix whatever problem they were having that caused them to call every 15 minutes waking him up. So much for the promotion helping cut back on hours!

Some Work to Do

Putting together the race trac.

Baby Banditos!

Reminds me of the time Jim got out of his truck on the road in his neighborhood and several of these came running at hime and climbed up his legs. They couldn't have mistaken him for their mother...not enough hair!

Ah Ha!

Guess what Jaykeb is doing in this picture...here is a hint. He is in his room with the door closed.

Congratulations!

I've been so busy with company and things I forgot to post about Mike's promotion. He was offered a position as an engineer in the company last week and accepted the offer on Monday. The promotion also came with a raise and should allow him to work fewer hours although he has already informed me that he is working all weekend. So far I have seen no change in the hours. So congrats to him...good job! Hope that reduction in hours takes place sometime in the near future.

Balloon Fight

My Dad and step-mom have been here visiting for a while. They left this morning. They were here for Jayke's birthday. I guess it was Dad's "test drive" to see if he could go back to driving places instead of flying. I haven't heard the verdict yet...thought I'd wait until they get back home and ask him then. Unfortunately the weather was bad the entire time they were here...not as cold as in Indiana where they live but still colder than it had been here all winter. As they left this morning the temperature was climbing and the sun was shining brightly whick led me to believe they brought that gloom and doom with them from up North. They need to come in the spring or summer so they can have nice weather and see everything in bloom...if they come back. We had a good time and I'm glad they came...finally. Two weeks until my next round of company comes and I go on vacation with them to Florida.

Wee Willy Winkie

Still a little dark but it was night time when I took this and my house is kind of dark. Listen closely...he is a little hard to understand.

The Artist

Jayke and Puppy "painting" pictures with markers on his new tray/desk he bought with his birthday money from Grandma Rain and Pop.

Yard Boy

Jayke is ready to do some yard work!

Housekeeping Meme

Found this at There's Treasure Everywhere ,my cousin's blog...thought I would put on here...my mom will probably have something to say about it since she doens't think my housekeeping skills are any where near up to par! For those of you I sent it to...I'm waiting!

Aprons – Y/N? If Y, what does your favorite look like?
No, they get in the way.

Baking – Favorite thing to bake
Muffins for Jayke.

Clothesline – Y/N?
No, just drape stuff over anything standing still.

Donuts – Have you ever made them?
Nope...just buy Krispy Kreme

Every day – One homemaking thing you do every day
I don't think there is any one thing I do every day. The closest thing would be clean the kitchen but if I don't cook I don't have to clean it.

Freezer – Do you have a separate deep freeze?
I don't have a deep freeze but we have another refridgerater with a freezer in the garage.

Garbage Disposal – Y/N?
Absolutely! I don't think I could live without one even though I'm not supposed to put stuff down it, I still do sometimes.
Handbook – What is your favorite homemaking resource?
My mom

Ironing – Love it or hate it? Or hate it but love the results?
Hate it!!!!! Fiercely! I don't do it. I used to have mom do it for me now I try to take things out of the dryer right away if it is something that will need ironing or I throw something in the dryer to get wrinkles out.
Junk drawer – Y/N? Where is it?
Yes, in our kitchen, several in the office, a couple in the entry room table, at least 3 in the bedroom.

Kitchen – Color and decorating scheme
Mustard. Kind of a Tuscany theme. I went very eclectic in this house I have a little of everything. I like it that way. Lots of black too, every room should have something black in it.

Love – What is your favorite part of homemaking?
I don't love anything about homemaking unless you want to count sitting on the couch watching soaps in the afternoon, Ha!

Mop – Y/N?
Just did it 2 days ago.

Nylons – Wash by hand or in the washing machine?
Nylons! Who wears those anymore. I know I don't!

Oven – Do you use the window or open the oven to check?
Open the oven.

Pizza – What do you put on yours?
Pepperoni if Mike is eating with us. Pepperoni and mushrooms if it is just me or pepperoni, mushrooms, and black olives, or all meat, or supreme whatever it is NO ONION AND EXTRA SAUCE!

Quiet – What do you do during the day when you get a quiet moment?
Read my favorite blogs, post on my own blog, try to take pics of Jayke, take a nap, watch tv, email, nap, read a magazine, nap, talk on the phone...did I mention nap?

Recipe card box – Y/N? What does it look like?
I have a box but it doesn't have much in it. I recently took after my grandma and took my favorite cook book and just started stuffing favorite recipes in it. She has all these old cookbooks with all kinds of stuff from all kinds of people just stuffed in it. I like to look at it. I actually spend a lot of time reading recipes trying to find things my picky eaters will eat or planning meals for when company comes.

Style of house – What style is your house?
A ranch with a walk out basement the same size as the main floor. The basement is unfinished as of right now but we have are making plans.

Tablecloths and napkins – Y/N?
Nope. I do have placemats that I almost never use. I bust them out when my mom and Jim are here because they like to have a placemat. I don't own any cloth napkins...I used to but never used them. We basically use paper towels.

Under the kitchen sink – Organized or toxic wasteland?
Pretty organized.

Vacuum – How many times per week?
Practically everyday somewhere in the house. I have dogs and a three-year-old...how could I not?

Wash – How many loads of laundry do you do per week?
Well, I usually wait until there is a mountain stacked up then do about 6 or 7 loads. I did 5 today with help from Mom.

X’s – Do you keep a daily list of things to do that you cross off?
I LOVE to-do lists. Sometimes if I've done something that wasn't on my list, I'll write it down just so I can cross it off. Crazy, I know, but it helps me feel productive. I get this from the old man. My dad makes lists and lists and even puts "make list" on his list!

Yard – Y/N? Who does what?
I mow sometimes if I know Mike won't get a chance. We both plant things and mulch. Pretty much I just like to supervise and direct though.

Zzz’s – What is your last homemaking task for the day before going to bed?
Usually I will straighten the kitchen a little, let the dogs out then hit the sack! I know it isn't a homemaking task but I usually post on the blog right before bed too...or maybe that is instead of going to bed, I haven't figured that out yet.

Video of The Boy

These are my first attempts at putting video of my own on here. Sorry about the lighting and stuff...I used the regular camera to record instead of the camcorder. Will try to get better.

Watch Jayke Opening Presents

The Birthday Boy!

Jayke...ready to go! I used the party hats we made as decorations on the light fixture. They looked really cute!

He doesn't waste time...uses both hands to dig in with.

Jayke got the Shake and Go Racetrac from Meemaw and Ppa...here Jayke and Ppa prepare to race!

And now the cake! I think we could have just gotten a cake and been done. That is what he wanted more than anything else.

The cake was enjoyed, unfortunately the poor guy was running a fever by this time. Just came on all of a sudden. He still wanted his cake though.

The Boy is 3 now. I think he is okay with that. For a long time it was upsetting to him that he was getting older. He got lots of neat presents and cards. Even though he started feeling bad he still enjoyed his birthday and especially the cake. Thank you Kelly for sending the cutest card ever and his 3 dollars for being 3(was that factored into your budget...you budget queen?)He loved the stickers...stuck them all over his shirt. Fun stuff!

....to my big 3 year old boy! Love you, love you, love you!

The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother.-Theodore Hesburgh

GO COLTS!

I am not that big of a football fan but I do watch the Colts since I am from Indiana. I watch them lose every year but not this one! They finally did it! It was a little more exciting to watch since my dad and step-mom were here visiting from Indiana so there was a lot of yelling, cheering, pounding on chairs, fist pumping, and some foul language(good thing The Boy was in bed). In the end we all breathed a huge sigh of relief and felt as if we had just played in the game ourselves. I think I bit off all my fingernails and everyone marched off to bed with visions of superbowl championships dancing in their heads.

Pretty Day for a Drive...

....yesterday...it was just plain nasty today!

Typical...

This is so Mike!

Today's Quote

Making the decision to have a child - it's momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking outside your body.--Elizabeth Stone