I Couldn't Have Said It Better...

Charlie has a pretty stubborn cowlick toward the back center of his head.  

You can't see it here & I can't find any pics where you can.

You'll have to take my word for it...

He and Joseph had a bath this morning and Charlie's cowlick dried in a particularly upright way.

I teasingly tousled his hair and said, "Charlie, why is your hair so sticky uppy here?"

Very serious he said to me, "Because that's the way Jesus made me."

My 'Say Anything' Friend

Do you have a 'say anything' friend?  The kind of friend that you can totally cut loose with.  The kind of friend to whom you can say anything that is on your mind....and not worry about how she'll react or if she'll think less of you?


That's my friend Jamie.... (holding Joseph as a newborn at the hospital)

The truth is, those kinds of friends are hard to come by.  

Jamie and I don't agree on everything.

Jamie and I have very different upbringings.

Sometimes it seems our lives are totally different. (She's a working mom with 2 boys.  I'm a SAHM with 4 boys).

We have argued, bickered, and fought over the years.

But our friendship always stands firm.

She is my friend.  I can tell her anything.

And, I am so grateful for her.

Do you have a 'Say Anything' friend?

Video of flood damage

RAW VIDEO: Siegrist Road covered bridge is swept away

Flood!

I am completely blown away that this flood has been so devastating.  


I was trying to figure out a way to share pictures that people have been putting on Facebook, but can't seem to work it out.


So, I'll share another link that has at least 1000 different photos of the Great Flood 2011.


FLOOD PHOTOS

Go Figure

You may recall that a couple weeks ago we were bracing ourselves for the effects of Hurricane Irene.  And, while there were some places nearby that had some downed trees and power lines, we came away pretty much unscathed in our area.  The winds & rains weren't nearly as bad as we were anticipating.


Now this week we've been experiencing more rain than even comes close to what we had with Irene.  Many folks I know have basements filled with water, roads are closed, even many of our schools are closed due to flooding on the roads.  (My boys were so excited to learn this morning that they were having a 'rain day' and didn't have to go to school!)


There's been even more serious flooding in other areas and surrounding counties.  


You can see some of the pictures here....

Also, there's this sad story out of ZooAmerica (the zoo next to Hersheypark) about 2 American bison who were caught in the floodwaters.  They were unable to rescue them & they were in danger of drowning.  Rather than letting that happen, they euthanized (shot) the bison.


Go figure that you prepare for a hurricane and experience very little.  But, nobody forecasted the havoc these rainy days could bring.

That Kind of Day

It's been raining, raining, raining today.  There's a chill in the air.


It's a fuzzy sock wearing, book reading, coffee drinking,  bread baking, chicken corn soup making kind of day.


What kind of day is it for you?

Has It Really Been So Long?

Has it really been over a week since my last blog post?  I guess I can attribute that to 2 parts busy and 1 part writer's block.  


I'm still feeling a bit unsure of what to write...so I'll give you a few odds & ends.  They may be random.


1.  Today I returned some overdue kid's videos to the library.  I'm usually very good about returning library stuff on time...or remembering to renew the stuff online if I am too busy to get in to the library.  But, I goofed on this one.  3 videos x 5 days late @ $1 per video per day = $15 fine.  Yikes.  I'll consider that my contribution to the local public library.

image found here

2.  Weight loss is sloooowing dowwwn.  I have to fight for every ounce I decrease.  So, I'm especially frustrated that after our Labor Day weekend of picnics & imperfect eating I actually experienced a slight increase.  Ugh.  But, I'm not giving up.  I'm still working hard.  And, I'm going to have to add in some exercise too I think.

image found here

3.  I now have more frozen shredded zucchini in my freezer than I'll probably be able to use in a lifetime.  I guess we'll have lots of zucchini bread this winter!  I know I can use the zucchini in baked goods & sometimes I throw it in with my meatloaf mix.  Does anyone have any other suggestions of how I can use all my zucchini this winter?

image found here

4.  My husband is in busy mode again.  While work has slowed down at his job he has plenty of other stuff going on.  He'll be teaching motorcycle safety this entire weekend.  (Thurs. & Fri. night plus Sat. & Sun. during the day).  Also, we had to let a tenant go.  They were supposed to be out by Sept.1 but the tenant has had a lot of personal setbacks so he's not out yet.  My husband (with the tenant's permission) rallied some help from the tenant's neighbors yesterday & they worked most of the afternoon helping him move stuff.  The tenant still has more stuff to move, but once it's all out the real work begins.  My husband has clean up/ fix up still ahead to make the apartment ready for new tenants.

image found here

5.  This summer was supposed to be the summer I got a new kitchen floor.  My husband got as far as evening out our old floors.  He had to replace our main beam in the basement(it was cracked - how worrisome is that!) & he reinforced the joists.  This resulted in some cracked walls on our first floor (when the floors shifted it moved the walls too).  So, those need fixed.  Plus my husband cut off the bottom of the dividing wall between our kitchen & dining area to prevent it from shifting up & cracking our ceiling.  So, that wall needs fixed.  Alas, the floors have not yet been done (refer to #4).  Trying not to think too much about the movie "The Money Pit".

image found here

6.  On a positive note, I did get a new dishwasher last week.  Our old one (which we got used) was literally falling apart.  I got so frustrated one day that I called my husband at work and asked him if I could go get a new dishwasher.  He shocked me by saying, "Sure.".  I wasn't convinced he completely understood me.  I said, "Like right now!  I can go right now in my car and buy a new dishwasher." .  And he said Yes!  So I did!  I really would have preferred a stainless steel exterior.  But, I couldn't justify spending extra for it's appearance when I found a black one that was on sale.



6.  School started last week & while my children probably wouldn't admit it, I think they are enjoying it.  The first day was a little dicey.  Wyatt (my oldest!) pretty much refused to get on the bus...tears & the works.  Luckily my husband took a break at work so he could be home when the bus arrived that first day.  He pretty much had to lift Wyatt onto the bus.  But, that was the end of it and everyone seems happy.

First Day of School Pics

Edison's happy. 

Wyatt's not.

Wyatt would NOT look at me for any of the pictures.

7.  This week will be our first meeting of MOMSnext.  It's the next step after MOPS (mothers of preschoolers).  MOMSnext is geared toward mothers of schoolagers.  This is the first year for our local group.  And, I'm on hospitality.


Here are the centerpieces I came up with that will go on our brunch buffet line.

Not bad for Dollar Tree stuff I think.


Have a great week!