The Early Bird

I have heard through the grapevine that if you are planning a trip to Disney it is VERY IMPORTANT to book your Princess Breakfast well in advance. Luckily..this is one smart bird!

Hop on the Crazy Train

Before Christmas Janey's pre-school class took a field trip to a local train garden. This is the first year the fire hall has offered it, and it was a pleasant surprise. It sure beats driving 35 minutes to the packed-like-sardines train garden we usually visit. It was so nice that I took both girls back to visit. Julian loved it also. They had a scavenger hunt set up for the kids, and that REALLY made you pay attention to the details. Some of which were very, very STRANGE!!
Like the alien abduction of this poor cow...

The peeing fire dog....

Cooking up some witches brew deep in the forrest.....

Removing the car crash victim. Complete with broken glass...

The mean Harley Truck guy who ran the Harley motorcycle guy right the heck off the road...

This could end badly......
I know it IS a fire house, but this is kind of scary.....Although the working water is cool.

Just when you think you can do your business in privacy......(look in the outhouse!)

Another fire on the other side of town. WITH smoke inhalation victims.......

Don't forget your haz-mat suit, boys and girls.....

These kids will NEVER go to a drive in movie, as this was the fate of a movie goer in the train garden...... (Look closely in Godzilla's mouth.....Yummy)

This one, however, is my favorite by far. Nothing will make you remember your beautiful wedding day more than the back hoe and the shirtless worker digging a GRAVE right beside you. I now pronounce you man and wife. Ashes to ashes...dust to dust.

Eye wish you a Merry Christmas

Here are some glimpses into the Christmas fun and excitement that is in our house. Gingerbread house is done. Trees are up. One in the dining room,

And one in the family room.

Stockings hung.

Fudge is made..cookies soon to come. Card are mailed, and gifts are (getting) wrapped. Christmas dresses and pjs are all ready to be worn.Isn't it FESTIVE???

What you CAN'T see is the sulking children who didn't get the tree (bush)

they wanted. Or the gingerbread house that is now half eaten. Or the PILE of ornaments that are on the floor because the damn cat won't stay out of the tree. Or the pounds of mud that are EVERYWHERE since the ground refuses to stay frozen, and dogs refuse to not LIE DOWN in it. Perhaps you would like to see the Christmas lists. Most of them have refused to make one, and the others would require a government bailout plan (for the parents!!). As of the other day ALL Janey wants is Bendaroos, and parents. Nice. Had to look up Bendaroos, and low and behold...they are a SPECIAL TV OFFER. And they cost $19.99. But WAIT. If you order in the next 30 minutes you will get the bonus set of fluorescent Bendaroos as well. In case you have a burning desire to know...Bendaroos are strings. Covered in wax. That would eventually end up in the dog's poop. Think Janey might get her first taste of Christmas disappointment. In preparing for the arrival of Santa, Janey has taken to wrapping up things she already has, having me tie them with a bow, put them under the tree, and then she unwraps them. "Oh.....paint!! I always wanted this! Thank you!" Pretty easy to please if she is happy getting things she has had for months. Maybe she won't be disappointed after all! Or maybe she will. Who knows?

And poor baby Jesus. Each day I find him in a new state of being tormented. Once I removed him from the ledge on the lamp right under the light bulb where he was getting pretty hot. As I walked by one night I saw all three wise men piled on top of him. I believe it was said, "Come let us ADORE him" not smother him. Just a few minutes ago I removed the donkey from standing on him in his manger. Poor baby Jesus. I am a little concerned over my constant worry over the plastic figure, but as most of you know, I am well on my way to the loony bin!

In this hectic holiday time, I have also managed to find some "me" time. Why just last night Dawn and I spent a wonderful evening together. In the Emergency Room. Guess you gotta take what you can get, huh? My visit was quick, and proof that I don't get out much, this was kind of a bummer. In keeping with the festive colors of the season, I decided to burst a blood vessel, and make a beautiful round blood blister in my eye. Going to get me some green eyeshadow and Christmas here we come! It has unexpectedly given me some free time, as I have already been asked by 2 children not to show my face in public until I stop looking like I have rabies. Such ingrates. This picture does not do it justice....so they may have a point.

And to make the season merry and bright the other day I got a call from our hair salon. I WON A PRIZE!!! And boy, what a prize. Party's at my house!!!

When crazy isn't crazy ENOUGH

You should add a PUPPY to the mix! And do it right before Christmas if you really want to maximize the insanity. So, yes.....we have a new puppy. A crazy, long legged border collie. In all fairness, we did NEED this dog. Our 2 working border collies, Moss and fern, are essential in keeping the geese off the golf course. Over the past several months, Moss has, for all intents and purposes, retired. This means he sits in the golf cart or the office all day with Steve rather than running the course. Fern, girly girl that she is, has taken advantage of this and has become quite...plump without Moss pushing her. Actually she isn't plump. She's just plain fat. If she stood still we could use her as the coffee table!
So we called our border collie connection, and she had the perfect pup for us. Bossy, motivated, and already a great herder. As can be attested by the nips on Janey's butt!
And with kids, dogs, cats and chaos...what more is a little crazy really?!? So, Welcome to our new pup, Algae. Yes, Algae. Moss, Fern, Algae. Aren't we clever? It beats the other suggestions of fungus and athletes foot!!!

Feeling pretty good about feeling pretty bad

Ok. Here is a newly discovered confession: I am a bad blood donor. Teddy and I were honored to be part of Jeremy's Birthday Blood Drive, and I have given as many times as I can since the first drive, so this is old hat. Ahhh...pride SO cometh before the fall!!!! All was well, and I assured my great nurse, Jennifer I wouldn't need her for anything, except perhaps a heated blanket since it was about 45 degrees in the gym!!! I started confidently filling my bag o' blood when 20 seconds later I am totally flushed, nauseous, and seeing pinpricks. It is all sounding very foggy, and the room is closing in. Simultaneous thoughts : Can you faint if you are already sitting down? Oh my, I think I have to barf. Please don't let me PULL OUT MY I.V!!!! And please, whatever happens...do NOT let anyone SEE me!!!!! Luckily right then Angel Nurse asks me how I am. I mumbled something like "I am really not feelin' so great" and BAM she flipped a switch on the chair, and up went my legs. 2 second later she was wrapping a cold cloth around my neck and telling me to cough because my line had clotted. Uh....trying not to barf. Don't really want to COUGH. (And,btw, the cold cloth came from in a bucket full of ice water and cloths, leading me to believe that I am not the only ninny out there!!)

A few hours later I saw a lady scurrying to one of the donors with a coke, and thought, "HA. I am not the only one!" But it was Teddy, and that is kind of just as bad!! He felt fine later, which is good, because there was NO WAY I could drag my lightheaded self, a four year old, a huge bag of baked goods, and a 200 lb. kid to the car!! I am so proud of him for doing this, especially knowing he is not a fan of blood or needles. He has known Amy for over 10 years (I can't believe that!!) and we babysat her son ( and the kids buddy) for two years. I didn't even have to ask twice. I didn't even have to beg, or threaten, or bribe. And anyone who knows teenagers, knows THAT is quite a feat. He was wholeheartedly willing to give blood in Jeremy's honor again.

Speaking of baked good...I think I have diabetes just from looking at all the donated items to the bake sale!! Our purchases alone were enough to put the kids into sugar shock. A day later, not much of this is left.

The girls wanted to be a part of this too, so we made Rice Krispie treats to sell.

The Morse's are using the money raised to make additions to the Johns Hopkins PICU, and the Children's House, such as CD players, digital cameras, toiletries, and other necessities. In this tough economic time I have realized that I would rather my dollar go for good. For all those who have everything this holiday season, why not consider giving to a charity that honors them instead? How may sweaters do people really need anyway??

In all seriousness it was a little sad going back to the church for this blood drive. It was not only the site of the first one we organized, but this would be the first time I have seen Amy since the funeral (we are both masters of phone tag). In the end it was all good. I walked in and saw nothing more than my friend. A friend who would do everything in her power to support me in rough times. A friend surrounded by so many people who love and care about her and her family. And when you think about it the blood donated will truly give people life. A second chance after an accident. A life saving transfusion. Platelets to ward off killing diseases. I would much rather have NOT spent the day here. I would much rather have the Morse's home recovering from Jeremy's first birthday party. But I do believe we did him proud.

Godspeed, little man. Sweet Dreams.

Giving Thanks

Dear Children,
It is late on Thanksgiving, and I just realized that I didn't tell you today how thankful I am for all of you. Thankful even for the masses of dirty laundry, endless meals, and the constant clean up. Thankful even when I am so mad at you I can't see straight. Thankful even when you don't appreciate me and hurt my feelings. Thankful even when you make mistakes and disappoint me. Thankful for your chatter when all I want is some peace and quiet. Because even though I may want some peace and quite, I need you. Even with the experience of loss, it is easy to take for granted all of the things in our lives. It can all change in an instant, and every mundane thing that came before will seem like an amazing miracle of a gift. So, I am truly thankful for you all. Each and every day.
Love, Mom

To anyone who reads this blog, please keep my friend Amy, her husband Scott, and their children Trevor, Meredith, and Nolan in your thoughts and prayers this holiday season. Five and a half months ago their baby Jeremy died after a brave fight. This Thanksgiving will be followed three days later by Jeremy's first birthday. I don't presume to know what they are going through, and I wish there was more I could do to ease their pain. On Monday, Teddy and I will be donating blood at a blood drive in Jeremy's honor. Holding my arm out and donating a unit of blood is all I can do to make any difference, but it will make a difference to someone in need. And Jeremy made a difference in my life, reminding me every day to never, ever, ever take anything for granted.

Leap Of Faith

Sometimes life is really tough. Decisions to be made. Paths to be chosen. No one knows what is in store. You just have to have faith, and hope things turn out for the best. And when you find yourself on the edge of doing something new, no matter how terrifying, you just have to TAKE A DEEP BREATH.....

GATHER YOUR STRENGTH AND JUMP!!!

It may be scary, but you will never know TILL YOU TRY!!!!

And then there are the times when you think, "Holy crap. I need a Valium."

Guess I will just have to take that leap of Faith!!!

Wordless Wednesday.....Have a NUTTY day!

Tricks and Treats (and lots of sweets)

As usual, the act of trick-or-treating takes far less time than figuring out what to DRESS UP as!! This is an art, I do realize, so I should not rush it. This is precisely why we start talking about Halloween costumes a year in advance!!! This year after perusing several (million) stores, Julian FINALLY settled on being a vampire. Thank goodness for our dress up bin! All we needed was a cape! Janey is still a Princess girl to the core, and after being Aurora last year, she decided on Belle for this year. A special Halloween thanks goes out to her teacher for setting the rule 'NO high heels for Trick-or-Treating'!

Teddy had a football game Halloween afternoon (WHO is responsible for such horror?!?) . Not only a football game, but one that would put Franklin in the playoffs if they won. A hefty dose of Mom guilt for not being at this game!! This was actually the only time I saw him until after the Halloween fun was over. I STILL do not know if he dressed up or not. Let's just say he was a football player this year!

In spite of the frigid temps and arctic wind the week before, Halloween was warm. We enjoyed some football, and multi-tasked by getting Julian dressed and hair- sprayed at the game!! We got some crazy looks, but not as many as the people who brought their cat to football on a leash!! After Julian was made up to be a great vampire, Janey decide SHE too wanted vampire makeup and blood too! Very nice for Princess Belle! We bribed her with blush, eyeshadow, and lipstick and after she was...well.... colorful!

We met up with some dead folks and beasts and headed off for some treats. Tucker actually asked me "How come Chloe didn't get to go Trick-or-Treating with Lily and you guys ?" Uh, hillbilly boy, WHO do you think the dead gal in purple is?????

Along the way we met some crazy hillbillies! (Otherwise known as Tucker and Zach).A good day indeed! And enough candy to cause severe sugar shock.Slash is just mad he didn't get to go to the football game OR dress up!!!