Home of the Knob Conqueror and more

• Joey's home and he had a great time. They climbed Raven's Knob and all the first year scouts got their picture taken on the top.
• Joey's camera was acting up a bit so I'll have to get a picture from someone else.
• Gabe is so thrilled to have Joey home and this means he's being wild and crazy.
• Unfortunately since Joey's been away, Gabe's nonsense which would have driven him crazy, he now thinks is hilarious. This just encourages Gabe.
• Joey just got home and, in only 10 days, Marty leaves for a week...going to NOLA for the national Lutheran Youth Gathering.
• Gabe fell asleep leaning against Jennifer at just past 7. It was so cute.

• Did you know that today's stardate is 11207.07?
• I think I forgot to tell y'all that I won tickets to the BlogWorld New Media Expo in Las Vegas in January. I didn't think I would be able to go. I was resigned to selling my ticket. But, super secret negotiations are going on and I'll probably be able to go. And, I'll be staying at the Rio...

• I've discovered one thing that really ticks me off about my Nook. When someone (me) is stoopid and lets the battery die, those almost 300 books that are loaded on the SD card instead of the physical memory of the Nook disappear off the shelves. They are still on the card but all the categorization, all the time spent shelving them, is fucking GONE! ARRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHH
• It's almost midnight and still about 85 degrees. If I get my shit together, I'm going to bake cookies in my van tomorrow.This damned heat has got to be good for something.
• We had milkshakes for dessert tonight (thanks for the idea Joey). Here's the recipe...

Mint Chocolate Chip Milkshakes with Oreos
3 large scoops of mint chocolate chip ice cream
3 oreos
1/2 cup of milk

1. crush the oreos in blender/food processor
2. add ice cream and milk to the cookies
3. mix and enjoy

PS...this was all done with my hand powered
food processor since my blender died

Trip the Light Fantastic

Y'all, the effort to teach our kids that drugs don't pay has been dealt a serious blow and the blow was frakking hilarious! When we were down at my parents' house, we all went to see Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted together. I honestly can't tell you who liked the movie more...the kids or the adults. I think this might have been the best of all the Madagascar movies. We all laughed so much and, during more than one scene, I was convinced that they has to have been on hallucinogenics to even come up with something like that. As the credits rolled, Marty looked at me and said "They forgot to put one person in the credits...they forgot to include their drug supplier."

As the credits were rolling, Gabe decided he desperately had to go to the bathroom so my dad headed out with him while the rest of us gathered up our stuff. As we walked out of the theater, I heard shrieks of laughter coming from the bathroom...shrieks of laughter that I KNEW were coming from Gabe. I was almost afraid to find out what was going on. Turns out that the shrieks of laughter were my dad's fault this time. He cracked Gabe up when he started doing this "you have to move it, move it" dance while they were drying their hands. I think he must have had a contact high from watching the movie.

I can't even begin to explain how much fun we all had. It really was a trip. And, while the teaser trailer and the second trailer gave you an idea what the movie is like, the true insanity of Madagascar 3 is captures in this Afro Circus Remix...you have to watch it...

I forgot to breathe...

I've had an insanely busy 24 hours. Last night, at about this time, I realized that if I was going to pack for a week away, I had laundry that needed to be done. So, at about 11 pm on Saturday, I put the first of three loads of laundry in. The laundry wasn't 100% completed before I went to bed but I was down to only needing one transfered into the dryer when it was finished washing (Thanks Vic!...jealous much, my husband cooks, cleans, AND does laundry). When I stumbled back to bed at about 2:30 am, I set my alarm for 9. I figured the kids (at least the younger 2)&) would be up by then.

The one time in my life it would be helpful if they were up earlyish, they slept in. I put on a pot of coffee and sat down to read the news while it brewed. Gabe was up before the coffee was done and Joey wasn't two far behind. While they were waking up and eating breakfast, I folded 3 loads of laundry (whee fun...normally, Vic would fold it but they ha a really busy night at work) and knocked back my first cup of coffee. I started trying to wake Marty up at 10:30 so we could start packing for our trip out of town.The younger two and I got started picking out the clothes to bring with us and Marty finally dragged ass out of bed at about 11. God, I miss those teenage hours. I had the kids completely packed (clothes, electronic gadgets, chargers, Marty's school books, etc) by about 11:45. Now, I had to pack myself and get dressed. By 12:40, I was cleaned up, dressed and had my clothes and everyones toiletries and meds packed. By 1:20, I had all my work and projects I need to work on packed.

Did I mention that Gabe had a birthday party to go to that started at 2 and I still had to get to the store and pick up some things Vic was going to need over the course of the week? Yeah, since we were going to be gone, Vic picked up some overtime shifts and knew he wouldn't have time to get to the store so I had that to fit in too. Miraculously, Gabe and I walked into the party only 15 minutes after it started and he had a blast "skating". I say skating in quotes because, well, he is 6 and has only been on skates one other time. You can imagine how graceful he was. We left the party at 4:45 and I made it home in time to kiss my husband through his vehicle window as he left for work. At this point, I had 2 hours and 15 minutes to get everything wrapped up and get out the door so I could arrive at our destination in time (btw, our destination is an hour and 10 minutes away from my house).

In one hour, the kids and I loaded the van, tied two bikes to the top of the van, loaded the dish washer, made sure the dogs had been out, and got ourselves and both dogs in the van for the drive to my parents, house. I also broke up the hundred zillionth fight in 24 hours between my kids and threatened them with a complete ban on talking for the entire drive if they didn't reform themselves. We left the house at 5:45 and pulled into the parking lot of my mom's church at 6:55...with 5 minutes to spare. See, Gabe had an ice cream social for the day camp he will be attending this week. My parents met us in the parking lot and my Dad took my van, the dogs, and the two older kids back to their house. Gabe, my mom, and I went to his ice cream social. After the ice cream social which Gabe piggy backed onto birthday party food, we headed back to my parents'  house with a quick side trip to by sunscreen. Gabe proceded to spent the remainder of the evening eating his way through a large piece of pizza, about a pound of grapes, a few pieces of chocolate, a serving size container of pringles, and a granny smith apple. Gabe and Joey went to bed late. Marty is winding down for the night. Even the dogs are asleep. The quiet is calling to me and I'm about ready to go to sleep myself.

Oh shit, I think I hear Gabe calling bellowing for me...

I guess it's time to go again.

Tune in tomorrow for pictures of Joey's new haircut. You won't believe it.

Where has the time gone?

This past weekend, the boys and I went to a graduation party for a young lady we use to live down the street from. I remember meeting Jennifer over 9 years ado when she was in the 3rd grade. Now, she is graduating and going off to college. I know it happens to everyone. I know everyone says it. Where has the time gone and how have they become so grown up?

It seems like only yesterday that we were bringing Marty home from the hospital. He was a big baby, almost 9 lbs, but he seemed so little to me. I could cradle him in one arm and he could curl up on my chest. Now, he is taller than me and I only have 3 years until it's his graduation party I'm planning and attending.

If I admit Marty is that old, I suppose I have to admit that Joey is finishing elementary school and will be starting middle school next year. It won't be too long until I have to say that he is taller than me too.

Even my baby, Gabriel, isn't a baby anymore. Gabe is wrapping up his kindergarten year and he's become so tall. He is actually taller than either of his brothers were at that age.

It's both hard and wonderful watching them grow up. If I do my job right, I have to watch them stumble and fall. It's the only way they can really learn. But, I also get to see them learn and develop. I get to watch them become compassionate, caring, hard working individuals. If I do my job right, my boys will grow into men and will make their way in the world independent of me and Vic. It makes me so proud watching them take their first steps along this road. If I'm truthful, the older two have takes more than just their first steps along this road. My boys aren't babies anymore and I just can't figure out where the time has gone.

Save Me From My Children

Y'all, I love my children. I really do. But, sometimes I really wonder about them. Tonight, we had a moment that surpassed the dancing on the toilet moment. For those of you who weren't around 3 years ago, Gabe had a night where every little bit of sense fled his mind and he started dancing on the toilet and singing "dancing on the toilet is a great idea".


Yeah, the Cruz boys, specifically Gabe, lost their shit again tonight. Gabe stayed home from school today because he had a horrible sounding cough. But, by late afternoon, he was feeling better and he started bouncing off the walls. Shortly before his bed time, Gabe decided it was time to go streaking through the house. He pulled his pants down and went running in circles. The longer he ran, the more he giggled. Then the giggling got interrupted by him shaking his butt at Joey...because he loves to make his brother shriek. Truly, that didn't really phase me. He's a 6 year old boy. They seem to have a fascination with nudity at that age. But, I finally had to call a halt to those shenanigans because he was just getting too wild. I sent him to the bathroom to get ready for bed.

I should have known better.

I heard a few bangs and crashes while he was in there. Sadly, all noises that are quite normal when Gabe heads into the bathroom. Then, he comes strolling out with a shit eating grin. He looked at me and said, "I was drinking from the toilet." Without a question, I could tell he was telling the truth.

What the hell was he thinking. No one dared him. No one put the idea in his head. I guess he did it because the idea simply floated across his brain. I do have to admit I was torn between laughing my ass off and being totally repulsed. I sent him in to brush his teeth and the thought of having him gargle with hydrogen peroxide crossed my mind. Unfortunately, that tooth brushing didn't take because Joey heard what was going on, took off into the bathroom, and yelled "Do it again Gabe!" I heard the toilet seat go up and it was headdesk time.

While I was making Gabe brush his teeth for a second and a third and a fourth time, I called Vic at work to tell him. By the time I got through the story, I was laughing so hard I was crying because of the sheer absurdity of it all. I couldn't even answer Vic when he said "He did WHAT?" First, it was dancing on the toilet. Then, it is drinking from the toilet. I'm almost afraid to see what he comes up with next.

Clearly, I'm going to have to work hard to occupy his time this summer. Anyone have any suggestions?

Questions

There are so many things they don't tell you about parenting before you become one. One of the most fascinating and, at the same time, maddening things you experience are the questions you get from your kids. When they are little, the questions are fairly easy to answer but, as kids get older, the questions frequently get more challenging.

When they are little, you face the typical questions...Why is the grass green? Why is the sky blue? Why does it rain? None of those are that hard to answer and, when I didn't feel like answering, my two favorite answers would suffice. The stock answers "because God made it that way" or "so you would have a question to ask" work as answers to almost every why or what question in existence,

With my kids, you truly never know what question is going to come out of their mouths. Lately, Gabe has reentered the why phase and it's about to drive me insane. Seriously, have you heard the old saying that someone has been vaccinated with a phonograph needle? Well, that is Gabe and I 'd have to say that 90% of the words that come out of his mouth are somehow tied to why or what. But, even Gabe sometimes throws a question my way that simply can't be answered and the funny moments come when he decides he has the answers anyway. A couple of weeks ago, Gabe asked me what God's phone number was. He's really into calling people and chatting. His favorite victims people to call are Grandma, Aunt Jennifer, and Aunt Becky. I guess he decided to ass God to his list of phone buddies. Gabe was rather put out when I told him I didn't know God's phone number and I wasn't sure he had one but he was mollified a bit when I suggested he ask our Pastor about God's phone number. However, like most kids, Gabe is impatient and I guess he found the solution himself because he informed me (later that day) that he had God's number and that God and Jesus shared a phone number. When I asked him how he knew they shared a number he told me that they both called him and it was from the same number.

Marty also went through a challenging question phase. But, the challenge from him wasn't the quantity of questions. It was in the sheer complexity of the questions. For a couple of years, the arrival of summer heralded the arrival of a seriously difficult question from Marty. The three most memorable questions of the summer happened in three consecutive years. The summer before Marty entered 2nd grade, he asked me what a dimensional rift was. Can you imagine trying to explain that in terms a 7 to 8 yr old would understand? Then, the summer before 3rd grade, Marty wanted to know why some stars became black holes when they collapsed and some didn't and what would happen to our sun when it collapsed. Thank God my mom was a science teacher because I could only remember about half the answer. Then, the summer before 4th grade, Marty asked what would happen if we exploded an atom bomb inside a black hole. Hell, I never mastered theoretical physics. I didn't have a clue how to begin to explain that answer. I still can't decide whether I'm disappointed or relieved that the questions of the summer seemed to die out. I think I'm mostly relieved. Can you imagine what they would be like now, 5 yrs later, if he was talking about theoretical physics before 4th grade?


What's the weirdest, funniest, or most interesting question you've been asked by a kid?
Do you have any questions, seriously any, that you'd like to ask me? I'll come back later and answer them.

45s, 380s, 9 mms...

in other words, Bullets.

I feel like all I'm doing lately is writing posts with bullet points. It's sad but that's about all I've had the energy for lately...

• Gabe is reading now. I'm so proud of my boy. He loves that I've downloaded a few books onto my Nook for him. His favorite is the Puppies book.
• It's amazing how much better you feel after a few days of TheraFlu and a decent night of sleep.
• It's sad when you consider a night that you get woken up at 6 am by a thunderstorm a good night's sleep.
• We've had two thunderstorms in the past two days that have been powerful enough that they made the house shake...kind of scary even when you like storms.
• My dog is a total chicken when it comes to thunderstorms. She's glued to you when there is a storm raging.
• I am loving my new, properly fitting, sexy, colorful bras. It's so nice having bras that make the girls look perky.
• It is seriously scary how much bigger my boobage looks when it's being properly supported and held up. We won't even talk about what cup size I have to buy...that really is scary.
• On Sunday, Joey started to get a migraine too. Luckily, the Migranal that didn't work for Marty stopped Joey's migraine in it's tracks with only one dose. It's a really good thing because it truly felt like it would be the very last straw if I had to deal with two kids with migraines.
• I took Marty back to the neurologist today on day 23 of his migraine. Since the attempts with abortive migraine meds didn't work, we now have Marty on Topamax which is a preventative migraine med and some vitamins which have been proven to help prevent/lessen the severity of migraines. Please pray these make a difference.
• It just kills me that I can't make him feel better. It also kills me that it's something he inherited from me that is putting him in so much pain. It really makes me feel like shit. I'm suppose to be able to take care of my kid and I feel like I'm failing him in this.

I'd love it if you share something that would make me smile. It can be personal, a joke, or a silly story. I'd really appreciate it.

The Explosion Is HUUUUUUUGE

Jennifer came to my rescue and hung out with me and the boys tonight. Honestly, I was close to just losing it from exhaustion (mental and physical) and it helped incredibly to have another adult around. It especially helped because Gabriel absolutely adores his Aunt Jennifer and gloms onto her while she is here. In fact, (thank you Jennifer) Gabe insisted his Aunt Jennifer give him his bath. Now, giving Gabe a bath pretty much just means running the bath for him and keeping him company and reminding him that taking a bath doesn't mean just lying in the bath...that you really and truly have to wash your body.

Well, after his bath, Jennifer came out laughing so hard she almost couldn't catch her breath. See, Gabe climbed into the bath and stretched out on his back. Then, he started bouncing his butt up and down which, of course, bounced other things in and out of the water. At this point, he looked at Jennifer and announced, "I'm pretending my penis is a volcano. It's a really small volcano (picture him holding his fingers about an inch apart) but the explosion is HUUUUUUUGE."

Thank god everyone knows about his obsession with volcanoes or I don't know how I'd ever explain this one.

I'm going crazy why don't you come along

*I'm going crazy why don't you come along
I'm going crazy just singing this song

• Day 20 of Marty's migraine, Day 2 of a 100 degree temp for me (thanks Gabe)...'nuf said

Once I had a little dog and all it ate was cans and when those little puppies came they came them pots and pans!

My old girl is more than a little spoiled. You'd think she was
allowed on the couch all the time. BTW, she loves the blanket
Michell aka BattyNurse made me.

I'm going crazy why don't you come along
I'm going crazy just singing this song

• Why is it you can dose a sick kid (Gabriel) with meds and they rebound and have energy to spare but give an adult the same cooties and we're dragging ass and feel like death warmed over.

Once I had a little cat and all it ate was yarn and when those little kittens came they came with sweaters on!

Joey's kitty, Butterball, fits right in with the family.
He's basically healthy but has medical quirks. The
seasonal fun of giving him allergy meds has begun.

I'm going crazy why don't you come along
I'm going crazy just singing this song

• I have projects galore, including moneymakers, that are waiting for me but I feel too damned crappy to do anything. It is driving me stir crazy.

When Mary had a little Lamb the doctor was surprised, when old McDonald had a farm the doctor nearly died!

• Doctors, doctors, doctors...I've had my fill of freaking doctors. We've spent more on co-pays and prescriptions and gas too and from in the past month than we did in the previous 3 months. I am done, done, done!

I'm going crazy why don't you come along
I'm going crazy just singing this song

What's driving you crazy? What's making you climb the walls? Share with me and make me feel a little more normal.


* The words in italics are the lyrics from a song we use to sing in Girl Scouts.

PS...sorry for all the bitching and moaning about sickness. I've just been feeling a bit overwhelmed.

Random Shit from My Cootie Addled Brain

• I feel like I need to apologize. When I wrote my post for the healing salon, I inadvertently left out an entire segment of the ALI community - those who are living child free after infertility. I certainly didn't mean to leave anyone out and I'm truly sorry if it made anyone feel bad.
• Someone forgot to tell the powers that be that my family's turn for illness and physical bullshit was over. Seriously, I am so done with it. Gabe is still congested. I feel like crap (thanks for sharing your cold Gabe). Marty's head still isn't better. And, I'm at my wits end.
• Gabe is totally cracking me up lately. He has taken to telling me I am his dear heart. I have this crazy urge to giggle every time he says that.
• This week, I've been researching OCR software (optical character recognition) and hand held scanners for a project I'm working on. OCR software lets you take a scan of a document and turn it into an editable PDF. Does it make me a total geek that I know and care about these things?
• Our phone is messing up and it's pissing me off. We have a VOIP line and, for some God unknown reason, people have been getting a rapid busy signal type tone when they call in. We've rebooted the VOIP modem once but it started doing it again today. Thanks to that damned modem, I missed a call back from the neurologist.
• As much as I love technology, it's also been pissing me off. I was loading books onto my Nook this week and, with 2 books left, it tells me device is full. My first response was "Bullshit. I know I don't have enough books on there to match the capacity I see talked about." Well,  I found out that on a 2 Gig Nook Simple Touch, about 1 Gig is taken up by the operating system. I can hang with that. But, what ticked me off was that out of the remaining Gig of space, 3/4 of it is reserved for books or content loaded directly from Barnes and Noble and only 1/4 is available for books from other sources. The reason it pissed me off is that they don't tell you this up front. So, yeah, my Nook space really was full. Had to go order a micro SD card to take care of that issue.
• I need to make 4 dozen plus cookies tomorrow...4 dozen for a church thing and the plus part remains here at home. Whose going to come help me? 

What's going on with you?

A little of this and a little of that

• Marty finally saw some improvement of his migraine. He is still hurting and sensitive to light but he can finally sit down in front of a computer without getting nauseous. This gives me great hope that his final IV pain treatment will give him great relief.
• Gabe has been so incredibly sweet lately. He's told me I'm beautiful, that I sing nicely, and that he wants to always keep me safe. My little boy can always make me smile.
• Gabe got sick this Sunday. He was vomiting Sunday afternoon and night and had a fever of 102.5 midday on Monday. But, his fever broke Monday evening and he swore he felt good this am and was desperate to go to school. I didn't follow my gut instinct and let Gabe go. It was a bad decision because, even though he made it through the day, his temp went back up this evening. It never fucking ends.
• Did I ever tell you that when my kids were little, there were times they ate so many fruit loops that they turned their poop crayon green?
• I feel so bad that I haven't been commenting much and I haven't managed to visit most of the healing salons but my brain is fried. I have been trying to keep Marty company but his migraine pain has sort of forced him into weird hours. So, I've been staying up really, really late with him and then getting up early with Gabe and Joey...and, I've been doing this for about 2 weeks now. My reserve is empty and my brain function is hovering just above comatose.
• I found out black jelly beans turn your poop a slightly less vibrant shade of green...especially when the individual in question consumes almost an entire bag of black jelly beans. Don't ask me how I found this out.
• Vic has his second appointment with the bariatric surgery clinic. We're hoping that he can jump through all the proper hoops and get a date with the gastric bypass surgeon by early summer. Maybe this will finally let him beat that bitch, diabetes.
• My parents totally rock. These past two days they have helped me with my sick kids so I could take Marty to the neurologist for his pain treatment.
• My mom's physical therapists think she is slightly demented because she informed them that shoulder replacement be damned, she intended to teach swimming and life guarding this summer so they better get s moving.

What random stuff is going on in your life?

Are they too much like me?

When your kids are little, you can't help but dreaming and imagining what they are going to be like when they grow up. Is he going to have my smile? Is she going to look like me? Are my sons going to get their daddy's sense of humor? Some times you wonder where they got their chin from or whose beautiful, long fingers found their way onto your baby's hand. It's like a daily discovery watching your child grow and trying to figure out where all the facets of them came from.

Even with all the things we delight in seeing in our children, there are inevitably things we hope they don't get from us.  We might hope they avoid getting the crooked teeth or the myopic eyes. We hope that some miracle lets our child inherit grandpa's mellow singing voice instead of our flat as a pancake singing voice. Sadly, and it some cases, thankfully, we don't get a vote as to what our children inherit. It's random chance what our kids get from us.

One thing I never found myself hoping for, never found myself imagining was what if my babies inherit my migraines or gee I hope they get my asthma. Luckily, none of them seem to have gotten my asthma (why do I always hear miasma when I say my asthma).  Sadly, though, 2 out of my 3 kids have inherited my weather induced migraines and this week has been a real bitch for them. I fucking hate seeing my children in pain, especially when I can't make that damned pain go away and I know they got it from me. I think knowing they got this medical issue from me bothers me more than seeing tough personality quirks they might have got from me. Personality quirks can be dealt with. You can learn to work around personality quirks or possibly even learn to exploit them and use them to your advantage. My poor sons can't avoid the migraines since their trigger is the weather, something they have NO control over, and I sure as hell don't see any way the migraines can be used to their advantage. And, it truly sucks beyond belief that I can't make this lovely inherited trait go away.


What characteristics do you hope your kids (current, future, adopted, whatever) get from you and what do you hope and pray they avoid?

Randomosity

• The cookie cartel aka the Girl Scouts have my house under their thrall. We got our cookies the other night and my children (yeah, just my children, I'll stick with that story) have been inhaling them.
• Last night, Vic and I helped chaperone Marty's first military ball. It was held at the Matthews House (be warned, embedded music on the site but it gives you a gorgeous view of the house)  in Cary, NC.
• I think that the military ball is the only place you will ever see a bunch of teens loudly cheer a clumsily executed (by their peers) waltz. What a truly fabulous group of kids.
• I think the force was at work last night or maybe it was just the repellant power of the adults in attendance. All the kids gravitated towards the dark side of the dance floor which just happened to be away from the chaperones' tables.
• Like father, like son...both of them over did it yesterday and have been paying the price with sore legs. Marty decided to try and outrun everybody during ROTC physical fitness yesterday despite the fact that he had only been off his cane since Sunday night and then he danced through the whole military ball. Vic decided to overdo the dancing, ignored his bad knee, and now he's paying for it.
• We all had a blast. It was so nice dressing up and going out with my husband and Marty looked so grown up in his uniform.
• Gabe fell asleep against Vic tonight and then Vic promptly fell asleep too. Doesn't matter how old they are, something about a child sleeping on you is the world's best sleeping pill.
• Today was a down day...a quiet day for the whole family. It was nice.
• Tomorrow, we are going out to eat for a family dinner. My parents and my sister are joining us at a restaurant so we can celebrate Marty's birthday.
• Speaking of Marty's birthday, he will be 15 on Monday. How in the hell did that happen? My baby is almost 15.
• On a less happy note, Joey's migraines seem to have gotten worse with puberty. We are definitely going to have to make a doctor's appointment for him about this.

What's going on in your life? Tell me anything...or everything.

Kiddo Catch Up

There have been a lot of little tidbits about the kids that I've been meaning to tell y'all about. First of all, Joey has earned his Arrow of Light, the highest award in Cub Scouting. The Arrow of Light is the only award that carries over and can be worn on the Boy Scout uniform.

Joey and his commemorative arrow

Joey and the other 5 Arrow of Light recipients
in Den 10, Pack 200, Cary, NC

Second, Marty had some kind of cool projects for school this weekend. For his World History class, they had to create a country and draw a map including certain geographical features. They were encouraged to pick a theme and name the country and the land features according to that them. I helped Marty execute the artistic vision but he created all the ideas and made all the decisions about it. He decided on a dragon theme and came up with all kinds of cool names for things. I think he did a fabulous job.

The other project was for his English class. They had to create a personal symbol, something that represented themselves. Marty created what he calls his Hidden Mosaic Box. He colored a mosaic design on one side of foam core board, cut it into6 squares, and glued them into a cube with the mosaic toward the inside. He also put a eight point origami star and 3 good luck stars inside the box. His explanation for how it represents him is that one the outside he seems like the average teenager and is a little rough around the edges but, that when you get to know him, there are some pretty cool and creative things about him.

And, Gabe has been Gabe. Even while he was sick this last week, he never slowed down once. Gabe is doing incredibly well in school and really seems to be thriving. I have to get him to slow down enough so I can get a good picture to share with y'all.

And, finally, I have an incredibly cute picture of Joey with his cat Butterball curled up in his lap...

What's going on with your family...with you? Share please!

Tasty Tuesday: Lemon Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

Since migraines and computers don't mix for me, I couldn't play with my computer yesterday afternoon. I decided to play in the kitchen instead. Luckily, my mom brought me a new cookbook Saturday and I found some inspiration there. The rest of my inspiration came from a Lemon Blueberry Yogurt Loaf I pinned a short time ago.

Gabe and I played around in the kitchen and created a new family masterpiece. We ended up making a Lemon Chocolate Chip Pound Cake with Lemon Glaze.

Lemon Chocolate Chip Pound Cake with Lemon Glaze

Cake Ingredients

5 eggs

3 cups flour

3 cups sugar

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup of butter

1 cup butter flavored shortening

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

Glaze Ingredients

1/4 cup of butter

2 cups of powdered sugar

4 tablespoons lemon juice

To make the cake...

1. Cream together butter, shortening, and sugar.
2. Once fully blended, continue mixing while adding eggs one at a time.
3. Continue mixing while adding flour a little at a time.
4. Add milk, lemon juice, baking soda, and salt. Mix at medium speed for at least 3 minutes once all ingredients have been added.
5. Pour into greased and floured Bundt pan and bake for 1 1/2 hours at 275°.

Take special care to completely grease and flour all the crevices of the Bundt pan because cakes stick far too easily in these (look closely at the cake picture...that's what happens when a 6 yr old greases your pan for you).

Once you've pulled the cake out of the oven, you can make the glaze while it's cooling.
To make the glaze...

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan.
2. Reduce heat to low and stir in the sugar.
3. Keep stirring until mixture is smooth.
4. Add in lemon juice and stir until fully blended.
5. Remove from heat and drizzle over cake.

There will probably be enough glaze left that you can drizzle it over the individual slices as you serve them.

Enjoy!

From Drab To Fab

Gabe, like most 6 year olds, is really rough on his clothes. These past 6 months or so, he's been especially rough on his shoes. He beat up the shoes that were bought at the beginning of the school year so badly that the soles have started peeling off. It's kind of sad because the rest of the shoe isn't in bad shape but he's messed up the toes so badly that there is no saving them. I was browsing online earlier today because I had a coupon for 30% off and then I remembered the cheap, plain jane white canvas sneakers I picked up on sale around the beginning of the school year. Well, I remembered the white canvas sneakers and my Stained by Sharpie markers - permanent markers designed specifically for fabric.

I took the sneakers from this...

to this...

My only complaint about the way they turned out was something that was entirely my fault. I found a cool technique using Sharpies and rubbing alcohol on pinterest and I tried to use it on the toes. I don't know if the thickness of the shoe canvas or the fact I was using the Stained markers made the difference but I didn't get the cool color effects this technique usually gives. I just ended up with a slightly blurry design on the toes of the sneakers. But, Gabe loves the sneakers and they were fun to make so I'm not worrying about them. In fact, I might have to get a pair of shoes in my size and decorate some for me.

Jose in Photos

my favorite picture

Things I Learned In 2011

2011 was a wild, stressful, fabulous, and wonderful year and I'm still trying to figure out how it's over.

• I learned that a crocheted penis is one of the greatest ice breakers you can have with you at a conference for women. I heard "Oh My God, is that what I think it is? Can I take a picture?" more times than you can even imagine this past summer. I wonder if a crocheted boob would have the same impact...somehow I doubt it.
• I learned I can indulge my crafting habit, make some money and embarrass my oldest son all at the same time. Yes, I've made more Beanises since then and people are actually paying me for them.
• I've learned that someone very close to me is suffering from infertility and it makes me angry that I can't just snap my fingers or wiggle my nose and make it all better for her.
• I learned that I have both more patience than I ever imagined and, at the same time, far less patience than I imagined. My dear friend Rys and her family shared our house for about 3 1/2 months after their house was totaled by the Hurricane Irene floods. I love them dearly. I would open my house again to them in a heartbeat if they needed it...but, man oh man am I glad to have my space back. Honestly, I don't know how the Sister Wives make it work so seamlessly over such a long time because it is tough having that many people from two families under the same roof.
• I had it confirmed that my husband is a truly wonderful man. He didn't even blink when I talked to him about Rys and her family coming here and was truly amazing about having them here. I don't know many men who would willingly open their house for that extended period.
• I realized again that my kids rock. Bedroom switches were put on hold, space was given up, and, for the most part, toys and possessions were shared and they welcomed Rys and her family into our house.
• I've found out I absolutely adore my Nook. Yup, the Nook hits the top of my list for coolest pesents this year.
• I've learned that while the process of filing your eBooks onto shelves or organizing them by genre, author, etc isn't that complicated, it becomes infinitely more complex when you load 330+ files/books at once and have to categorize all of them at once. It took me 3 days, use of my Nook and my computer, and I still have 9 books somewhere on my Nook that have avoided being put on a shelf.
• I've learned that many editors do a half-assed no-assed job when it comes to editing books that are put out digitally. When an otherwise good book is interrupted by paragraphs that go from normal width and appearance to a tiny column that is so narrow that only THE or A is short enough to not be hyphenated, someone has NOT done there job.
• I also learned that Calibre is a life saver for anyone who owns an eReader. When you've bought a bunch of books for your Kindle app and then you've received a Nook for Christmas, it allows you to change formats so YOUR books can continue to be used on your new eReader.
• I've also found that Calibre saves you from the previously mentioned half-assed editing. It's a problem when you have a book named The Story of XYZ and some lazy assed so and so has embeded the file with the name Microsoft word File - T. That really becomes a problem when you have multiple files with that fucked up naming issue because that fucked up Microsoft Word name is what shows up when you unknowingly load the poorly named files onto your ereader. Then you have 10+ books that you can't tell the difference between until you run them through reformatting in Calibre.
• I've really learned to love my hair this year and want to know if I should keep it purple when I dye it again or if I should pick another Manic Panic shade.
• I've found out my middle son is turning into a huge football fan and a Steelers  fan at that. He wants a Polmalu jersey...which is kind of appropriate with the hair Joey has.
• I've learned that I still know more about computers than my children and that gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling.
• I've learned that my baby sister is a bit of a hard head and have to thank her for the Christmas miracle her hard-headedness brought about.
• I've learned that I'm not quite as resigned to never having a fourth child as I thought I was. I was hit with a serious case of baby lust and caught up in a bad case of regrets and what ifs when I found out a friend who was pregnant with her youngest daughter when I was briefly pregnant with Eva just gave birth to her third child, a beautiful little boy. Feeling I thought were long behind me reared their ugly head.
• I've learned that once again my husband has fallen on the crappy end of the medical odds and he is already dealing with diabetic neuropathy in his feet. Diabetes fucking SUCKS.
• I've learned (or re-learned) that I am truly blessed to be surrounded by a fabulous family and wonderful friends. We have a roof over our heads, food in our fridge, clothes on our backs, and my husband has a steady job with great benefits. I am blessed.

I hope each and every one of  you who take the time to stop by and read my blog realize just how important you are to me. While I do write for myself, I'd be lying if I said it wasn't pretty damned great to know there are people out there reading my words and caring about me. Y'all are fabulous. And, to my dear friends, the savvy women I treasure, my blogging and crafting sisters, I truly love each and every one of you. I hope you all had a fabulous Christmas (or whichever holiday you recognize) and I hope 2012 brings you happiness and your heart's desire.

The Crash After The Sugar High

Oh my God am I ever tired. Today was the dual birthday party for T and Gabe. So, in the past few days we have busted ass cleaning the house and getting ready for the party. I also baked and decorated two kick ass cakes...a princess palace cake and a Draclea (Gabe speak for Dracula) cake.

We had a houseful today. Counting our children, there were 18 children here for the party. There were also 7 adults from the family and 5 (I think) guest parents. It was loud, crazy, wild, and wonderful. They bounced on the trampoline, had sword battles, beat the crap out of a pinata, and ate tons of cake. The look on T's face when all the kids were singing happy birthday to her and Gabe was just priceless. She looked thrilled beyond belief. And Gabe had a blast. Some of his favorite people from school and some of the favorite adults in his life were able to be here.

I took a bunch of pictures but haven't had a chance to edit any of them. I'll try to have them to show y'all in the next day or two. Right now, I'm going to crawl off to bed and get some much needed rest. I am tired.

Happy Birthday my Gabriel

My dearest darling Gabriel,

I can't begin to express how much joy I experience being your mommy. The simple fact that you exist, that we actually got to bring you home, is a miracle that stuns me to my very core.

You are such a sweet, funny kid with an incredibly infectious laugh. Sometimes, I see people smile just because they hear you laughing. You truly have a wicked sense of humor which, like most boys, has a tendency to veer towards gross, body humor. I think you must have learned that from your brothers.

I am also incredibly impressed by the intelligence I see you demonstrate. You may only be in kindergarten but you can already count to 100 and more. You also know that 5+5 = 10 and 6+4 = 10. I got the biggest kick tonight listening to you explain to the older kids that there is a difference between wants and needs and that electronics are a want (although I think I'm awfully dependent on the internet).

I LOVE that you seem to be developing a geeky streak and you made me so very proud when you walked into the room a month or so ago, glanced at the TV, and said "Are you watching Dr. Who?" How cool is it that you recognize one of my favorite shows already?

I am so lucky that I get to volunteer in your kindergarten class this year. It has been beyond awesome watching you learn and grow and develop socially. And, I truly love getting to eat lunch with you once a week. I know someday it won't be cool to have mom around but, right now, you seem to love it and I'm loving the time we have together.

Happy 6th Birthday my beautiful, wonderful, miracle boy! You are the love of my life.

Love, Mom