How's the Weather?

Somewhere

We drove through construction, over bridges, under bridges, through numerous stoplights and behind grandpa drivers because my mouth watered for some chicken tika masala and naan.



When we arrived, we got an eyeful of something akin to this:

"NNNOOOOOO!" I moaned. "NOOOO, NOOOO, NOOOOO!" for several minutes I whined and complained and I moaned.

From the back seat came the request, "Mom, stop crying, you're making me nervous." (Liv)

She only said that because she was gleeful that my favorite Indian joint had closed. The only thing she'd eat when we were there was the tandoori chicken by the plateful. hmmph.

I may never recover from this. Indian folks who cook so marvelously, who charged me for one adult and one child even though I have 4 (which is probably why you've closed your doors), wherever you are, know that I love you so. Somewhere out there, beneath the pale moonlight, someone's thinking of you and loving you tonite. We may yet be reunited. Somewhere out there, out where dreams come true.

The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

The Good:
Art City Days :) Nothing like a small town celebration, especially one as big as this one!

BBQ with friends! The most amazing pulled pork and brisket with BJ's homeade bbq sauce

Fireworks with s'mores.

The Bad:
Mae puked up her fries and was sleeping during said fireworks, so we couldn't watch with friends.

Emmeline puked (whatever she'd eaten), so Sarah and Angelo couldn't stop by to say "adios" before leaving us utterly alone again.

The Ugly:
French fry puke

Pay It Forward, Backward, Sideways, Upstairs, West, Down Under, Wherever...

WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN

1. Be one of the first three (3) bloggers to leave a comment on this post, which then entitles you to a handmade item from me. disclaimer: You may say, "Oh, you shouldn't have!"

2. Winners, you must post this challenge on your blog, meaning that you will Pay It Forward, creating a handmade gift for the first 3 bloggers who leave a comment on YOUR post about this giveaway. (or do a Facebook entry)

3. The gift that you send to your three friends can be from any price range and you have 365 days to make/ship your item. This means you should be willing to maintain your blog at least until you receive your gift and have shipped your gifts. And, remember: It’s the spirit and the thought that count.

4. When you receive your gift, please feel free to blog about it, sharing appropriate links. Unless you think it stinks. That wouldn't be nice.\

and Thank-you Lisa for the idea!

Make a Wish

Liv made a wish...

and it came true!

For me too! We both got a cruiser!

We had entertainment at the bbq...

Water fun...


Plenty to eat and drink (Chloe and Mae from the Slip n' Slide)

And a clean-up crew

Must Read

If you don't already read this blog, at least read this. It just worked out my abs for the evening.

Oh My Heaven! Nearly Seven!

Despite the fact that she already acts like she's 17 (she just went to bed crying after we spent the last 2.5 hours arguing about not arguing. Yes, I'm 32 years old), she's just about 7. Monday in fact, is the big day. Her dirtday (no type-o, that is how she's always said it).

She asked for a new mom this week. She just told me that she wanted me to act like I wanted to be her daughter (you know what she means). The fact that she's adopted may make me slightly more sensitive, but at least Sarah's son (biologically), packed his bags and headed last year too.

She's a great "little mama", she is very loving (generally speaking), and she's a magnificent artist. She has a flair for drama and an eye for decorating. She is everybody's friend.

She's the best 6.95 year old fancy dancer I've ever known. She is a self-taught biker and a movie buff.

Well little mama,

Happy Dirtday!

I love you and want to be your daughter, and will in fact, be for eternity :)

Finger Lickin' Good!

North Carolina has a famous strawberry season. We visited a farm an picked somewhere near 10 gallons of strawberries in a 10 x 3 ft. area.

My kids were overwhelmed and in the first 30 minutes Liv had 5 berries, Isaac had his bucket at one end of the row and was walking back towards us at the other end with one strawberry in his hand, and Georgia was just eating. With moi taking pictures, Naali (grandma) was the only one with a bucket of strawberries. We eventually buckled down, however.

Better Late...

I vowed to take Mae's 1st Birthday pictures in a tutu and I finally did today. Grandma would kill me if she knew I had possession of these and did not share them.

Notice the perfect curlyQ of her bellybutton :) Is there no end to the perfection of my children?

A Man Named Pearl

Just 1.2 hours south/southwest of my m-i-l's house is Bishopville, South Carolina. There, at #165 so-and-so street lives Mr. Pearl Fryer, his wife, and his garden. We stopped at the Chamber of Commerce and asked where we could find said garden. When he moved into town some folks didn't want him to buy a home in their neighborhood (shame on you), because they didn't think he'd keep up his yard.

Well, in an effort to win the Yard of the Month award he's created this...(mostly with cast-0ffs from a local nursery)

My kids thought they were in Wonderland.

You may have heard of Pearl.

It was a little strange to walk right by this gentleman's home to stroll his gardens, but it's neat to see how one person can affect the world by staying put.

My Thoughts Exactly!

This is what I was telling myself when I missed another appointment with the teacher who is over Isaac's k-12 program.

Never underestimate the ability of a child to learn anywhere doing anything! (even watching his mom get embarassed and cleaning the house around the cable guy).

The Great Flood

You were all invited over for virgin daquiris and a frolic. But...

You all missed it.

Today I did something very unusual. I prepped. Properly.

I swept and thoroughly cleared a slab and layed a pad.

For a blue pool. 10'x30".

Fixed the hole that Chloe gnawed this morning with a tire repair kit.

Filled it (for 2 hours) with 3 babies nagging, "Can we put our swimsuits on?"

Just as I was about to affirm their desire.

Woosh! The seam split.

Downtown Springville upon the splitting of the seam.

Transformations

Before

After

Before After

Before

After That...

And Finally,

And very last of all...

Ode to the Waffle House

Waffle House. Yellow sign, food divine.

The pecan filled goodness you supply

carries the hoards through their day

which could start at 8, or 1:30, you don't

judge

Seat yourself. No pretensions

forget your cloth napkins or paper menus

plastic menus

plastic cheese

oily goodness

I like the bar. I sit afront the steamy dishwasher

"scattered, chunked" only slower, sweeter

by a happy girl

Made to order over the counter.

Joe told me about his 9 year old (of 5)

looked smaller than Isaac

could have adhd

as he filled my Coke and

told Isaac he had to take care of

our bill

I once saw a cockroach at a Raleigh location

I forgive you it's been a few years.

Chuck had a fly in his sweet tea

gave it to him free.

Waffle House. My kids read your sign

and cheer

Waffle House a feast under

$30 for a family of 6

The Bad, The Ugly, And The Good

Friends! It's been a while! Feel like I dropped off the face of the earth! It felt like I was toward the edge there. No internet where we were, back in the boonies with some goats and attack shetlands.

The Bad

I'm going to have to bite my tongue. Altough it would feel great for me to lay it all out there in one post, I'll give it to you easy.

The Ugly

So, we drive to N.C. No problems unless you count the time we paused in Kansas because Mae started to cry. Jason had the biggest fit I've seen in our history. Why didn't I fly. He told me this was going to be terrible. She's miserable. It was all my fault.

The Good

Hmph. I don't know Jason. It's 6 a.m. and we've been driving 12 hours without a break. Do you think we could pull over once evey 12 and see how it goes from there? 3 minutes later the princess was asleep.

We dropped into the BoBo Drive-in in Topeka, KS. I LOVE Diners, Drive-ins and Dives on Food Network, so Grandma had to look up a location in every state we passed through. This ended up being the only one on our route (at a reasonable time). Holy dive! The food was awesome. I have pics on my point and shoot which I left in N.C. you'll have to wait.

On the way home we saw the 1st American built helicopter (a replica and what was left after the 1st attempt at flying it), and a giant replica VanGogh....I know. Ask someone in Goodland, KS.

Got my nails did. Just like the chicks in Robeson County. You know, "When in Rome!" I looked hot! (except for the bags under my eyes. After wedding prep I could have been listed in "The Ugly")