Traumatic Weekend

Jaykeb had two time-outs today. This was the first time that he actually understood that he had to sit there until I told him he could get up. I think it is going to work because now that he has had to do it twice the mention of a time-out straightens him right up. I probably could have picked a better chair to use as the time-out chair too but I was mad and just scooped him up and plopped him down in the nearest chair. Turns out it is right in the living room where we always are. I guess I will have to leave the room when he is in time-out. His dad put him in time-out when he got home but kept trying to go back and argue with him. I had to clue him in on how the time-out worked too. We are slow learners around here. So far so good today, no time-outs or ugly behavior but the day is young. I just want to know what happened to my little angel who was always so good! And just to make the grandmas mad at me here he is in time-out...


It was a day filled with torture for the boy. Earlier in the day before the time-outs his dad took him to get his hair cut. A job that is usually left for me to do and never turns out well for any of us. I was plenty happy to let The Dad take him to get this done. He was promised ice cream as usual if he would not throw a fit while in the barber chair. I was expecting a red-faced snotty-nosed kid to come home plenty traumatized and The Dad to be mad at both of us. Jayke for not cooperating and me simply for being there. I was pleasantly surprised when they came in happy as clams and told me that not a tear was shed. The had bubble gum ice cream and Jaykeb told me he was brave. Good for him! Now if he will only act that way next time I have to take him.



Here he is(on the left) with his friend from next door. His friend is wearing a sling because he hurt himself last week and had to have stitches from the front of his armpit to the back. Poor guy. They were taking it easy, just hanging out driving some cars and watching Mike mow so as not to hurt Friend's arm any more. Jayke was pretty upset about his friend being hurt. It helped that he was able to come over for a while and Jaykeb could see that he would be okay.



It rained here today so Jaykeb's allergies were better than they have been. I can't remember when it rained last so that was a good thing.

We got a box in the mail from the Easter bunny who visits Gramma Rain and Grampa Dave's house and it had a lamb in it among other things. Here is Jayke with his little lamb.


He also got some drawing paper and markers in the box and made this FIRST drawing of our family! Yes, mom, I'm keeping it in his book! There is a Family Portrait Project going on over at An Island Life if you want to post a picture your little one made of your family.



That is Jayke on the left, Daddy is in the middle, and I am on the right. He told me I have big eyes so he made them big. Too funny! I will stick that picture in his baby book or maybe it will go into a scrap book, I dunno. It will be interesting to see how his family portraits change every year. As long as he keeps drawing his dad as the one with the HUGE head I will be happy.

Friday Fill In

Friday Fill In can be found HERE


1. I love my ...!
2. Looking in the mirror, I see ...!
3. The best thing that happened to me this week was ....
4. ... is one of my favorite things to do!
5. I always have a good time ....
6. I'm looking for ... this weekend.
7. "Oh, I'm bein' followed by a ...".



1. I love bedroom(and my child, of course)!
2. Looking in the mirror, I see bad highlights!
3. The best thing that happened to me this week was getting my taxes done.
4. Reading blogs is one of my favorite things to do!
5. I always have a good time when shopping.
6. I'm looking for a stuff for the Easter baskets this weekend.
7. "Oh, I'm bein' followed by a short person named Jayke"

Didya play?

Contest

Love contests? Who doesn't! Would you like to win this...


If you would then hop on over to 5MFM to register to win. It's the new Dyson Slim! You can check it out Here.

Good luck!

Baby Got Back

This week's SPF assignment was "behind". I really wanted to put a picture of my mountain of laundry on here to show you how far "behind" I am but I got it all finished today and forgot to take the picture first. I certainly couldn't put a picture of my "behind" on here...it wouldn't fit on your screen so I give you a little behind. A tiny tush. A baby ba-donka-donk whatever...



Funny think about this picture is we have one of my dad in the exact same pose. I can't remember why he was doing this but someone was quick with the camera and got the picture.

Didya play? Let me and Kristine know if you did. Happy SPF!

Catching Sharks in the Backyard

Every day Jaykeb waits for his dad to get home so they can go outside to play. Not that I don't take him outside, I just don't take him out as much as he would like to go. When Mike gets home they head out to do various things like check their garden, play on the swingset, take walks, and lately they have started "fishing" in the creek behind our house. Now we all know there are no fish in this creek but that doesn't stop them from heading out to get their catch. Sometimes they catch sharks, sometimes they catch grouper, and sometimes they even catch star fish named Patrick.
Last night as they were walking up to the creek Mike saw a snake scurry back into the water under a rock. Now we haven't lived here very long so I don't know a whole lot about the wild life down here but I do know that there are poisonous snakes in The South. This did not seem to bother Mike at all though, in fact they even went and stood on the rock the snake went under to do their fishing. I had followed them out to take pictures and when he said there was a snake I started advising him not to go down there. Did he listen?...


Absolutely not. Did anything happen? No, but that isn't the point. The point is that it could have. If Jayke had fallen in the creek the snake could have felt threatened and come out and bit him. I have no idea if it was a poisonous snake or not but I also didn't really want to find out! Mike finally got sick of hearing me tell them to get off the rock and told me to hush so I went back in the house where I could have the phone in my hand in case I needed to dial 911 when the screaming started. Luckily they quickly tired of fishing and moved on to gardening. Jayke is perfecting his casting skills though in our little snake infested creek...

Thursday 13

Thirteen Shows I wish were still on the air 1…. The OC 2. Beverly Hills 90210 3. Ally McBeal 4. Mash 5. Everybody Loves Raymond 6. Party of Five 7. Who's The Boss 8. China Beach 9. The Cosby Show 10. Little House on The Prairie 11. Seinfeld 12. Three's Company 13. Growing Pains Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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Fluffy Sugar-coated Fun!

TKW has inspired me today with her creativity with Peeps so I went looking for what else I could do with them.

Every Easter we end up with tons of peeps. My husband likes them so everyone sends them to him. He doesn't like them THAT much though so we always have lots of them that don't end up getting eaten. I saw this and thought it was a great recipe to try to use up some of those peeps AND it would make a great teacher gift.
Edit: The Peeps Jar can be found Here



Here is the "recipe":
In the jar: 1 sleeve of graham crackers, crushed
8 peeps
1/3 C. brown sugar (pressed into the center of the peeps)
1 1/2 cup Easter M&M's

Peep Bars
Empty contents of the jar into a bowl Snip the bunnies into bits with kitchen shears or cut up with a knife. Return the bunny bits to the mixture and mix well. Add 1/2 cup softened butter and 1 tsp. vanilla and mix well. Pat into a greased 8x8 baking dish. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Cool and cut into bars.
Option: leave the bunnies whole; combine remaining ingredients and place the bunnies on top. Bake as directed.


And this recipe was also with them:

Peep Ice Cream Topping
Same as above, but omit the vanilla.
Pat into a greased 9x13 baking dish. Bake at 350 just until peeps melt. Cool. Break up with a knife. Sprinkle over vanilla ice cream.

Then I saw this picture some where and thought it was really cute and a good use of peeps as well...


What child wouldn't love a peep in their hot chocolate?!? The picture makes me want a cup even though it is quite warm here today.

Making a Peep topiary...I didn't get a picture of the finished project but you can use your imagination and get a pretty good idea of what it could look like from the picture of the topiary in the making.

So, bring on the Peeps, peeps! I won't have to throw them all away anymore now that I have some ideas of what to do with the little critters.

Wild Card "Work" Wednesday

I'm really having trouble with the "W" theme today for Wild Card Wednesday. I think I have "blogger's block". So here is what I came up with...

The Boy, "Doing his work" as he puts it. I tell him all the time I am working when I am on the computer, whether I am actually working or just reading blogs. It seems to get him to give me the couple of minutes I need to get whatever I'm doing done and then go see what he needs. Now when I ask him to do something like pick up the 1 million plastic Easter eggs he has scattered about. He tells me he can't, he is "doing his work". His work is whatever he is doing at the moment causing him, or rather giving him an excuse NOT to do whatever it is I have asked of him. Here Jaykeb is "working" on his play dough. Very important business it turns out. Can't be bothered with picking up those eggs right now. Okay he can have a minute to do his work because that is what I expect him to give me but he is picking up those eggs as soon as his work is done.

Something else for Wild Card Wednesday...
I discovered this game at Rocks In My Dryer that I thought had some interesting tips. I didn't play, but I wanted to incoporate into today's post, 'case anyone is interested. I couldn't come up with any thing to add to it because NOTHING works for me right now with The Boy!

After reading TKW's post and seeing her spectacular "chics on the beach" she made with peeps, I decided to post this cute idea to do with the kids for either Easter or Earth Day whichever you prefer.
Egg Head


This is a fun project for Earth Day, Easter, or just about any spring day you can think of! No fancy materials are needed. With just an eggshell, a little soil and some seeds, you can grow your own egghead.

Age
5 and up(The Boy is only 3 but I'm sure he would enjoy this...I will just have to do most of the work)
This project is rated EASY to do.

What You Need

Clean egg shell with just the top broken off
Half a cup of potting soil
Teaspoon of grass, wheat or rye seed
5-6" strip of card stock
Scissors
Glue or tape
Black marker (optional)
What You Do

If you wish, decorate your strip of card stock. We flecked some yellow and blue paint onto ours with an old toothbrush.
Tape or glue the card stock into a ring to hold the egg.
Fill the egg almost to the top with potting soil.
Sprinkle the soil with seed. (try different seeds to get different kinds of hair)
Add a thin layer of potting soil on the top.
Carefully water so as not to overflow or soak it.
Keep in a sunny location.
Your seeds will begin to sprout in a day or two and your egghead will grow "hair" in about a week!
If you like, you can decorate the outside of the egg with a black marker by drawing a face on your egghead
I think we may try this. It looks like it could be cute and The Boy is really into the gardening thing right now.

So, there you have it. Wild Card "Work" Wednesday which really turned out to sort-of have an "E" theme, eggs, Easter, Earth Day, etc. Oops! Did you play?

Me and My Zoo...or Maybe it's a Circus, I dunno...

Spring is definitely in the air...I can tell by my allergies and this picture I took while driving to Lowe's of the trees in bloom. This means more Spring Cleaning.

Today I finally got up the nerve to try and fetch Sophie from the dogs fenced in area to groom her because as I mentioned before, Spring Cleaning at my house means grooming dogs. Just as I expected it didn't go so well. My 140lb German Shepard decided it was his turn and no one was going to stop him from pushing/falling/rolling out through the gate. This would have been fine if that rotten beagle hadn't escaped with him. When the beagle, whose name is Bosley, gets out it is a whole different ball game. His nose goes to the ground and he is off to terrorize the neighborhood. Okay, he really only ended up terrorizing me since I had to chase him up the hill, around the house, and across the front yard then drag him back to the backyard. The entire time I was chasing Bosley Jaykeb is screaming louder than any child should ever be able to scream because he is afraid of the Shepard. There is no reason for him to be other than he outweighs him by 110lbs and he once saw him rip my finger open when I was trying to give him his heart worm medicine. That is a different story though. After returning Butthead to the kennel and calming the kid I was able to work on the beast. He was very cooperative but what else can he do? It's not like he can move very fast. I didn't take pictures because before I could finish Jaykeb's friend came over and sent the dogs into a frenzy so I had to stop everything and take the kids to the front yard to play. The dogs would never hurt the kids they just get excited and all start barking. The only thing being hurt is my eardrums from all the noise.

Without getting into too many details about my child's terrible behavior today I will just say my day only went down hill from there. I did manage to finish my work on the dog and he was grateful. I let him sleep away the afternoon on a pile of blankets in the basement where it was nice and cool. He was ready to rejoin his buddies outside later in the evening probably weighing 10lbs lighter from all the hair and dirt I got off of him. I honestly think my dogs are part pig and half expect to see them rolling in mud every time I look out the window. I swear Sophie is next but if that Beagle gets out again he's on his own.

Jaykeb had fun at his Easter party today and managed NOT to get egg dye on his white shirt I foolishly sent him off in. He did, however, manage to cover himself in chocolate as soon as he got in the car and dug into his Easter candy. It was an interesting drive home as I tried to navigate the curvy hills as quickly(but still safely, Mom)as I could to get him home before my car was covered in chocolate. Also before I went deaf from his screams to clean him up. Where is my tub of wipes I keep in the car? Why it's tucked neatly away in the backpack I just efficiently prepared to take on outings that will cover any need the child could possibly come up with. Where is the pack? On the kitchen table of course! Where else would it be? Certainly not in the car where I NEED IT!

So, besides getting the dog groomed, did I accomplish anything I set out to do today? Uh...no. I did manage to take this picture of the newly painted bedroom though. The other side of the room is not put back together yet so I couldn't take a picture of it. The paint color is not showing very well in this picture either. There are two shades of the same color but I don't think you can tell. I figured I better put the picture on here though or some people might not believe me when I tell them it's finished.


It appears as if there are two shades on the wall behind the bed, now that I look at this, and there aren't. The wall behind the bed is a darker shade and all the other walls are the lighter shade. I know my mom will ask about this so I'm just clearing that up right now.

And...just to introduce you to my evil beagle who wants me to have a heart attack from chasing him uphill in 80 degree weather, I give you Bosley.

Not the brightest crayon in the box but he always has a smile on his face. He is sometimes known as "Houdini Dog" for his ability to escape most fenced in areas he is placed in. Thus giving my husband fits as he tries to catch him in the act. Once caught, hubs will fix the fence at his exit location and the dog will begin testing the fence for weaknesses again until he finds one. Then the repairs are repeated. I've been known to chase this dog barefooted in my pajamas down the block only to finally tackle him in a neighbors yard. Once he is brought down we have to lay there until I can catch my breath enough to be able to pick him up and lug him back up the street. I'm sure this must be quite entertaining to anyone who happens to glance out their window as we streak past. Or even more so to the neighbor whose yard I'm rolling around in. Need entertainment? Just move down the street from me and my zoo! Good night.

On a Break, Drunk Dialed, and The Big Punishment

I'm totally slacking these days. I can't remember the last time I took a picture. Normally I take at least one everyday and now I can't remember the last one I took. I promised myself I would get the camera out this weekend and take pictures of The Boy outside *working* with his dad in the yard and didn't. I promised myself I would take pictures of his dirt-covered face and didn't. I even thought I would have pictures of my newly painted bedroom to post but I haven't taken any yet. I guess the camera and I are on a break. When I get the bedroom arranged the way I want it we will renew our love affair.

Dropped The Boy off at his class this morning. Today is the big Easter Party. They had to each bring two hard boiled eggs with them. I'm sure they are going to color them. Being the wonderful mother I am I sent him in there with a white shirt on. What was I thinking?!? Oh yeah, I wasn't. Hopefully they have smocks or something for them to wear. He was excited about it and didn't even bother to make me promise to wait in the car in the parking lot for him like he usually does. I always promise that I will. He never seems to notice when I pick him up that I have different clothes on or there are a ton of groceries in the back of the car. He doesn't notice or at that, point doesn't care.

Lets see, what else happened this weekend? Oh yeah...got drunk dialed by a friend Saturday night. It's nice to know they still care even though I moved 600 miles away. My friends aren't going to make it down for Spring Break like they planned. Something came up. Maybe later this summer they can get away and come down or next year for Spring Break.

This was the first weekend in a long time that Mike has been home all day both Saturday and Sunday. He got a real good idea of how Jaykeb behaves (or doesn't behave) himself. He has started throwing a lot more fits and Mike hadn't been around it much. Saturday night he had aready had it and Jaykeb ended up getting his rear end swatted by Daddy. It was his bed time, he was tired, they had both been out in the sun all day, and both had had it. Jaykeb came flying over to my lap and told me he wanted to go to bed after receiving his swat. We headed in to lay down and he immediately calmed down. He lay there for a minute then he rolled over and said to me, "When I get down and go back out there I'm going to spank Daddy." I told him this probably wasn't a very good idea. He seemed to think it was though. I also told him he was not going back out there he was in bed for the night. He disagreed with that too then he said to me, "I knew my butt would hurt where Daddy spanked me." Now I was right there and witnessed the whole thing and he was not spanked hard PLUS he still wears a diaper so his little tush is padded. Pretty soon Daddy appeared at the foot of the bed (I knew he would be in to make up within minutes)and I told him Jaykeb was planning on spanking him. Mike said okay and lay down across the bed and Jaykeb spanked him then laughed hysterically. Friends again. I'm not sure that is quite how punishments are supposed to go but all ended well with The Boy in bed, happy as a clam as if nothing had happened and Daddy feeling better about having to punish his boy. I was just glad they were both going to bed.

I'll be Back

Just a quick note to say I will be back soon. I'm on the last wall of my current painting project and need to get it finished. I also have to finish getting 1 dozen easter bags ready for The Boy's big Easter party at school tomorrow and plant all the flowers I bought two days ago. No time to come up with something terribly witty to entertain you with but I will return.

Spring Reading Thing

I found this over on Susan's blog and decided to join. You know I'm a big joiner these days. The Spring Reading Thing Linky and contest information can be found by clicking on the link if you are interested in joining.

First on my list is to finish reading Savannah Breeze by Mary Kay Andrews. It is the next in a series by the author who writes about southern women and southern places. All of which are one of my new interests since recently moving to The South.

I would also like to read Blue Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews. Another in the same series following the same character. After finishing these two books I will have read all of her books.

I also plan to read The Nanny Diaries byEmma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus. I haven't seen the movie yet either and I like to read the book first if possible. I've given up on reading authors like Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Patricia Cornwell for a while and have gotten into chic lit. Good light reading for the summer.

My other goal will be to read Jaykeb 2 different books every night before bed. When I was pregnant with him I begas collecting Little Golden Books for him and probably have close to 200. We haven't even put a dent in them, not to mention all the other kids books we have so we need to start reading different stories instead of the same ol ones every time. I haven't been very good about reading to him lately either and I need to get back to it.

So, I will review the books after I read them like the instructions for the Spring Reading Thing tell me to and in June I will write a post telling how I did with my goals. Maybe I will even win one of the prizes they are offering, who knows! I'm usually not very lucky that way but it's time for that to change.

Conversations with The Boy and the Extravaganza to Come!

The Boy and I were driving down the road...I was driving,he was riding...and we got into a conversation about how you are little then you are big and you are never little again. He has trouble with this sometimes. He is always telling me when I'm little he will take care of me, etc. After explaining how this works once again he then told me that when he gets bigger he is still going to live in my house. I said okay but then asked him if he wasn't going to get married and have his own house. He replied, "Yes I am, but I sure am going to miss you!" Well, luckily we both a have quite a while before we have to worry about this. He also told me he would just bring "her"(meaning his wife) over to my house and that they would always live close by. Good. Now I just have to keep reminding him of his promise for the next 20 years.

We still haven't made it to playgroup with the Mom's Club. That is 5 weeks straight now that it has rained, Jayke has been sick, or they haven't gotten me directions the night before. I'm beginning to think I'm not meant to go to playgroup. We will try again next week. We have something with the Mom's on Tuesday so I will make sure I get the directions then.

This afternoon was spent on the phone with stone quarries and equipment rental places trying to get everything lined up for our HUGE Easter weekend landscaping extravaganza! I have a mile long list of things I want done and my parents have volunteered to come help us do it all. Okay...actually, Jim (one of my dads)will be doing most of the work since he is a developer/builder and knows what he is doing where the rest of us do not have a clue. I'm sure Mike and I could muddle through and get some of the stuff done but I want it to look good and not fall down in a week. I'm hoping my job will be directing. you know, just standing and pointing where I want things. I am so good at that!

Didn't get any painting done today again. I have to get back to it tomorrow. I need to have it done before we start the landscaping project. I suppose it would help if I would get off this computer and go to bed a little earlier instead of reading blogs until 3 a.m.

My Babies Blues

This weeks assignment is "two". I'm making it simple this week. Two of the most beautiful things in the world...


Two beautiful eyes of my sweet child's. I know you can't tell from the picture but his eyes are blue like mine. Big and expressive and when he rolls them at you you know you've said something ridiculous. He perfected the eye rolling at a very young age. His eyes tell me everything I need to know without him having to speak a word. They tell me when he is sick and when he is tired. When he is happy and when he is mad. They were the first thing I saw when he was born, the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen.
I've posted the picture these eyes came from before but I'm going to share it again as it is one of my favorites of him.

....and the original before editing...


Oh yes his shirt does say Heartbreaker!

If you played let me and Kristine know.

Such Silly Questions

I was quizzing The Boy the other night, trying to help him remember important information like his name, age, social security number, etc. and he was doing very well until I asked him what my name is. He anwered *Mommy*, of course. Well, duh, how could I ask such stupid questions? We finally got around to him telling me my name is Wendy so I asked him "Wendy what?" Without hesitation or any thought at all he replied, "Wendy Underhood". Simple as that. Now that is not my last name nor is it anything remotely closs to my last name. We have no idea where he came up with this name but he insists that it is without a doubt, my last name and how silly I am for not knowing that. In fact Daddy's name is "Daddy Mike Underhood". Well at least hubs and I have the same name, that was a relief.

Tagged

I was tagged by AJ for this meme the other day so I thought I'd get 'er done!

Four jobs I've had

1. Manager/Floral Designer/Visual Display Designer/Buyer-Eleagant Accents Inc.
2. Office Manager - Alpha Homes, Inc
3. Property Manager-Brentwood LP and JSK Properties
4. Office Assistant-Leath Furniture

Four movies I can watch over and over

1. Life as a House
2. Meet me in St. Louis
3. Father Goose
4. Grease

Four places I have lived

1. Williamston, SC
2. Muncie, IN
3. Anderson, IN
4. Jeffersonville, IN

Four television shows I love to watch

1. Jericho
2. Lost
3. House
4. Grey's Anatomy - The best show on TV!!!

Four places I have been on vacation

1. Las Vegas,NV
2. Playa Del Carmen, Mexico
3. Keystone, CO
4. Venice, FL

Four of my favourite dishes

1. Pizza
2. Spicy Noodles(Pad Kee Mao) from Thai Smile in Muncie
3. Sweet and Sour Chicken
4. Anything Mexican

Four websites I visit daily

1. Hotmail
2. Mypoints.com
3. My blog
4. myspace.com

Four places I would rather be right now

1. Italy
2. Shopping
3. Mexico
4. Did I say shopping?!?

Binkies and Fairies

Last night the *binky* fairy was supposed to come. I have been trying to get The Boy to let go of the bink for a while and my friend, Kim, told me that on The Nanny they had a binky fairy come and take the little girl's binkies. I thought that just might work so I explained to The Boy that if we tied the bink to a tree the fairy would come and take it and give it to a new baby who needs it. I know, unsanitary but he didn't think of that. He was all into the idea! He handed the precious bink over willingly all the while talking about the babies who needed it and the toys the *binky fairy* would leave him. Luckily I had already bought some Easter goodies so I was planning on using one of those. I took the bink from him and immediately headed out to the rest of the house to search for any others laying around and hidden strategically throughout the house. I couldn't find a singe one of course. I don't know what that kid does with them. Anyway, I told him it was all ready for the fairy but she couldn't come until he was sound asleep. He quickly lay down and before I knew it was sleeping soundly. This only lasted a couple of hours though. Pretty soon he was calling me and screaming for his binky. I tried to tell him it was gone that the fairy had taken it. Not having it. I was prepared to stand firm but The Hubs wasn't. He wanted him quiet immediately! He said if it was going to be like this just give it to him. That made The Boy cry harder for the bink and I ended up giving in just to not get both of us yelled at by Mike anymore. Jaykeb was funny when I gave him his bink though. He kept trying to hand it back saying he didn't want it. He wanted the fairy to take it. He would start to put it in his mouth then take it away again. He tried so hard not to take that thing but in the end he did. He told me she could have it later, he needed it for a minute. So, my attempt has failed, I have failed. We will try again tonight and hopefully succeed. I probably picked a really bad night to make my attempt anyway since the poor thing had a sore throat to start with. I was proud that he tried really hard not to take it back and a little sad at the thought of him giving it up. Just another step he takes away from being a baby.

"Wet" and Wild!

I wrote this post then discovered it was "Wild Card Wednesday" tomorrow over at TKW's place...so I am using this as my Wednesday post even though it is still Tuesday which I didn't even realize when I wrote this. I will be too busy painting later to post anyway so you get "Wet and Wild", wet dogs...it's a stretch but I think it qualifies. The original title was Not so Furry Murray.

Yesterday was Spring Cleaning day at our house. Spring Cleaning is a little different at Casa de Wendy than it is any where else. It involves scissors, combs, clippers, and a bunch of way too hairy and dirty dogs. We have several(ha) dogs who stay outdoors so every spring I shave them or give them haircuts to allow them to feel more comfortable in the hot weather to come. Because of our move last year the dogs were not groomed last summer so they were particularly bad this spring. I didn't actually plan on doing this yesterday but the opportunity came up to be able to sneak one of the dogs out of their kennel without the others noticing and trying to make a break for it too. When you have this many dogs they operate in a pack. There is the Alpha dog who is in charge, the in between members of the pack, and of course the Omega. Since all the other pack members where busy eating and Omega is not permitted to eat until they are all finished I snuck him out while they were busy with their heads buried in their food bowl. When the others saw him leaving they went nuts. Just because he is low man on the totem pole doesn't mean they don't love him. I'm sure they also wanted to come too. So I got Omega whose name is actually Murray up on the deck and started in with the cutting. The clippers wouldn't cut his type of fur so I just used scissors to do it. Murray was excellent, standing still and letting me do my job. I'm sure it felt good to get all that off of him. After his hair cut we brought him in for some food, water, and a bath. The Boy was a huge help!

Look at that dirty water! Murray was the best dog in the bathtub never once trying to get out. I think all this great behavior comes from being the Omega and always being kept in his place. He is very submissive. Anyway we got him all cleaned up and looking good.

I didn't take a "before" picture but this gives you an idea of what a mess he was. Murray has the type of hair that doesn't stop growing as some dog's hair does when it gets to a certain length so there was a lot to cut off.


After getting all spiffed up he really wanted to go back to his kennel so we took him back out. When he got back in with the pack he was literally prancing around showing off his new do. They were all checking him out and you could tell they were happy to have him back. Later in the afternoon I heard a strange dog howling outside. I immediately went to see where this dog was. I can recognize the bark/howl of each of my dogs and had never heard this one before. When I got out there I discovered it was Murray howling. I've never even heard this dog bark but he was howling. He was feeling good! Sophie is next...I have a one dog a day rule so that each one gets plenty of TLC and attention on their day.

Manic Monday

I didn't do anything but laundry all weekend and I figured you didn't want to see pictures of dirty underwear so for my Monday post I give you Manic Monday. I can't remember where I found it so I can't give you the link, I'm getting bad about that. I will be busy this morning though since The Boy will be in school. I really am going to try to start painting today too....I know, I know, you don't believe me. I will show you pictures once I start. It was cold this weekend so I didn't want to do anything but curl up under my blanket with Jaykeb and watch movies. I can't get motivated when it is chilly. Hopefully it will be warmer today and I will feel like getting some stuff done.

What movie did I watch, you ask? Okay, I will tell you. I watched The Departed. It was really good. I've never been a big fan of Leonardo DiCaprio but this movie may have changed my mind about him. Now I want to see Blood Diamond because I heard he is really good in it too. Other than that it was the usual stuff...Because of Winn Dixie, Toy Story, and lots of cartoons while folding clothes.

So that was my big exciting weekend. What did you do?

Manic Monday
What do you feel is the biggest waste of time?
Making the bed...the dog or the kid are usually right back in it about an hour after we get up, what's the point?

If I knew then what I know now, I ....
I would have had children earlier so I could have had more.

How do you feel your life has changed over the past year?
I have moved to a different state...am starting to make new friends here...financially more stable. All in all, life is better this year than last.

I didn't really think this was a particuarly good meme this week but I didn't have anything else, sorry.

A Chic fil-a Day

We had our second outing with Mom's Club yesterday and it went very well. Jaykeb had a blast of course. We met for lunch at Chic fil-a because they have a really nice indoor playground area where the kids could go in a blow off some steam. Jaykeb wasted no time finding a couple of cute little girls to plant himself between. Every time he came down the slide he was in between the same two gils. Another mom and her two daughters sat at our table with us and when he discovered there was a girl sitting at his table he had to come off the playground and join her. They sat across from each other and ate ice cream. His first date! I'm happy to report he was a total gentleman offering his companion some of his ice cream when hers was all gone. As expected he was very upset to have to leave. I thought it was time though seeing as how we had been there for almost 2 hours and his face was beet red and his hair was soaked with sweat from playing so hard. All the other mom's were leaving too so it wasn't as hard to extract him as I was anticipating. I got to have a little bit of adult conversation and he got to play then we went shopping the rest of the afternoon. It was a perfect day even if it was raining so hard we were stuck inside the garden department at Lowe's huddled under their awnings for about 30 minutes waiting for the rain to stop so we could get our ferns and jasmine to the car. I have tried to attend other Mom's Club events before this one but they were either rained out or I hadn't gotten on the roster yet and didn't know I had too. I think we are all signed up for playgroup next week and I've talked to the person who's house it will be at so hopefully the weather will cooperate and we will get to go. If not, I will just take him back to Chic fil-a and turn him loose on that indoor playground again.

My Visual DNA

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Flying H

This week for SPF Kristine at Random and Odd asked us to show her our "letters". This could mean many things. I'm afraid I wasn't very creative this week. I fully intended on taking pictures today and coming up with something interesting but I got all caught up in whether or not my friends will be coming to visit for spring break and forgot all about this until around midnight. So in a rush to get my post up before I head off to bed I give you my letters...



Two letters on the wall in the living room. One from Ballard Design the other from Target. The first letter of our last name. I do have a little story about the letters though too. Last time my parents were here visiting my dad was sitting on the couch right below these two letters. I was going up and down the basement stairs putting things away and bringing other things up. One of my trips I slammed the basement door trying to avoid having the dog slip by into the basement which is not that clean since it is unfinished. Right as the door closed I heard a ringing noise that sounded like a tuning fork being struck. I looked into the living room to see my dad holding his head. The little silver H fell off the shelf when I slammed the door and hit him square on the top of his head causing the noise. Now I know this really had to hurt but the sound it made caused me to launch into a fit of hysterical laughter. That and the look on his face. I felt really bad about it and even worse that I found it so funny. Now I warn people who sit there to watch out for the H. I could take it down but that would mess up my grouping on the wall and you know I'm not about to mess up my decorating!

So, did ya play?

Bouncing Boy

Generally speaking I am not much of a bargain shopper. More or less if I see it and want it, I buy it. Every now and then though I am lucky enough to come across a great bargain. The best deal I've gotten lately has to be this big blow up bounce house thing I got for Jaykeb last fall at Kohl's. I think the original price on this sucker was $150 and by the time I got out of the store I only had to part with twenty-some dollars for this barrel of fun! They have CRAZY sales there and I had a return so I put that toward the purchase price and voila! Normally I wouldn't find this blog worthy but enlight of how much joy it brings my child (and the neighbor child) I thought I'd share. We finally plugged Jayke's house of bouncing fun in yesterday evening after giving it a well-deserved break over the short winter. Not only does this thing keep the kid contained in one area it thoroughly wears him out, a plus for me because then he is off to bed willingly when it is time. It also entertains The Dad because it has a basketball goal on it so he sits in his chair outside of the bouncer and shoots baskets while The Boy retrieves the ball for him. I get to laugh at both of them...it's a win, win, win, situation. I would say this rates right up there with the best twenty-something I ever spent!


....an action shot of The Boy!

....an action shot of The Dad(yes my garage is a little messy)!

....see, all worn out! Gotta love the bounce house!

Puppy Love

Could someone please tell me if it is normal for your child to spend more time pretending to be a puppy than a boy? Just askin'. Here is my "puppy" barking at me.

I took a bunch of pictures today but I don't feel like waiting for the friggin things to upload tonight so I will post them tomorrow. My computer and I have been fighting today and I'm not speaking to it anymore this evening...as soon as I finish writing this that is.

Sassy...yep!

Because I have nothing for you this morning you get this...

You Are Strawberry Cake

Fresh, sassy, and romantic. You're a total flirt, who never would turn down a sugary treat. Occasionally you're a bit moody - but you usually stay sweet!

What Kind of Cake Are You?

Finally Going for It!

Congratulations to AJ for finally going after what she wants. Don't forget if you need someone to practice on I am totally available...when in town. We will have to hide from The Boy though because apparently the last time you waxed my eyebrows it traumatized him since he is still talking about it. Your true test will be getting The Boy to let you cut his hair! Good luck!

"We Just Burn Stuff!"

I'm posting this for my friend Kim.


We had a fire last night where were you?

Before I moved so South Carolina my friend Kim and I would spend our weekends parked in front of their little outdoor fireplace burning anything we could get our hands on. Sometimes the kids would join us and we would make smores sometimes it would be just the grown ups with their grown up drinks sitting and talking around the fire. Last night Mike went out and set a large pile of branches on fire and it made me a little homesick. Only for a minute though.

While Mike was playing with his fire, the neighbor from the horse farm next door came over and told him that barns burn really easily and could we please put the fire out when we were finished. I couldn't help laughing at Mike being scolded and informed by a teenager so when I heard the volunteer fire department alarm go off I ran out to tell Mike they were coming for him. The neighbor, who had heard the exchange, came out to join Mike and brought him a beer. I guess he thought he might need one since he was stuck way out there minding the fire. I was busy chasing The Boy around making sure he didn't fall into any ravines.

I think he managed to inspect every inch of the ravine behind our property. I think he also found every mud hole and tripped over every branch in the yard. Now he has some nice scrapes to go with the bruises pictured below in my earlier post.

He fell asleep in my lap shortly after we got inside and slept the entire night. I'm going to make sure he plays outside every evening from now until next winter.

Tricks aren't for Kids!

Now that it is warm enough to wear shorts again I am noticing that my child is quite the clutz. He has bruises all over his legs. Someone is going to think I'm beating him. I'm not, by the way...at least not much.(JOKE!) I don't know how he manages to do this to his legs. Actually maybe I do. He plays outside on the deck a lot, I suppose he is whacking his legs on the deck furniture when he climbs in and out of it. Actually the other day he called me out to watch him. When I got to the door he was standing up on the chair and dove...yes, head first...off of the chair onto the cushion which he had thrown on the floor. He didn't hurt himself and seemed to have it under control so I let him continue. I knew he wouldn't stop if I told him too anyway. Later on that day he wanted me to come see his new "trick" in the living room. I couldn't wait. Turns out his new trick was more diving. This time from standing on the arm of the sofa onto the seat. I did make him stop doing this because the arm of the sofa was much higher than the seat of the chair outside and I could see potential broken bones in his future from performing this spectacular trick. He pleaded...

....but my answer was still no. No sofa diving for you kid! "But I have to do my tricks, Mommy!", he replied. "Then I have to tell your dad!" That was the end of the tricks for the day. He moved onto safer activities...

I'm sure he will find more tricks to amaze me with tomorrow.