True Story Tuesday

Yeah baby! It's True Story Tuesday time!

Thank you so much for joining last week with your funny stories and hilarious comments - we loved them! Hope you got a quick tour of some of some terrific bloggy friends.

While I sacrificed my reputation last week (yeah right), this week I thought it only fair to let Mr. Daddy and Itty Bit in on the fun.

And just to show how easy-peasy it is to link up an already written story, I'm pulling one from the archives, adding the next mortifying chapter and letting y'all feel ever so normal in comparison to us :) This is from last summer - this won't be news to some of you who have known us for awhile, but hey, embarrassment is always a great ice breaker, right?

So here's the original link to He Didn't Really ... and here's the extended version:

He Didn't Really
Oh, yes he did.

We finally had one of those "kids say the darndest things" moments...

While visiting a friend this evening, Itty Bit ran through the kitchen then put on the brakes. He walked right up to her and I thought he might be considering a bit of unusual hug generosity.

Turns out he was a bit fascinated (I really searched for the right word here... mesmerized, amazed by... you get the idea) by her, ahem, cleavage.

Don't get me wrong, she has a fantastic figure, and happened to be wearing a shirt that was, well... rather "enhancing" her assets.

As she bent down for the expected hug, Itty Bit just stared incredulously, then wide-eyed finally pronounced loudly, "BOOBIES".

Oh.good.Lord

I wanted to melt into the kitchen island I was leaning on.

As if that wasn't bad enough, Mr. Daddy hadn't quite caught it and wanted to know what the snorting and laughter was all about. Somehow I managed to stammer "BOOBIES" and I watched him break into a big smile.

As my friend and her boyfriend laughed uncomfortably, Mr. Daddy loudly called Itty Bit to his side.

"Come here!"

"High Five!"

"That's my boy!"

What?!? Are you kidding me??? I thought he was trained better than that. I was M.O.R.T.I.F.I.E.D.

Terrific behavior from both of my boys, no?

We quickly excused ourselves, Mr. Daddy still chuckling, Itty Bit long since interested in an un-boobie toy, and me telepathically letting Mr. Daddy know just how much trouble he was in.

He'd barely strapped Itty Bit into his car seat and fastened his own seatbelt before I lit into him.

Me: "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?"

Mr. Daddy: "What? I thought it was funny?"

Me: "Oh, you thought that was funny? You totally embarrassed me in front of both of them."

Mr. Daddy: "What? It was just a little 'footchie' (fart)...?"

Me: "Footchie? He said BOOBIE!"

Mr. Daddy: (turning various shades of crimson)

Uhh, yeah... they haven't invited us over since...

(Who says I'm the deaf one? Hearing people can get into just as much trouble ;)

Sooo... you know you want to. Find that great story that makes you laugh or gasp in amazement. Even if it's buried in your archives. We'll be glad you shared.

Not Me Monday!

It’s Not Me Monday again! Hosted by MckMama for some free therapy!

This week, please remember to keep praying for baby Stellan - for complete healing of his little heart. Please see their website for the most recent information via Twitter... I know God hears every prayer for this little boy.

On a lighter note...

I did not have to update this post after catching my son's misfortune in the bathtub tonight. He apparently was entirely too fascinated with his ability to pee in the water. So absorbed that he did not realize he was directly in the line of fire. Don't ask... the kid does not have the uncanny knack of peeing in any direction, including straight up.

Like straight up into his eye.

I did not collapse into a fit of hysterical giggles, try to tell Mr. Daddy what had happened, and completely give up because I was laughing too hard for words.

It was not a million times funnier because of Itty Bit's surprised reaction and his confusion as he rubbed his eye.

(Good Lord, he peed in the bathtub AGAIN? Of course not... and I wouldn't have blogged about Mr. Daddy texting me about it the other time either *sigh*).

~

It was not me who caught my son bonking a friend’s poor dog on the head with a wooden block yesterday. The saintly dog did not then sweetly lick the block. My germophobe son did not then turn the block around and lick exactly the same spot.
That would have been just plain GROSS.

~

My son has not taken to randomly saying “No, I’m too big, honey”… I have no clue where he got that.

~

After posting the first True Story Tuesday, I was not stricken with a sudden Junior High-ish panic of “what if no one likes me?!” I was not thoroughly relieved to see friends linking up and leaving hilarious comments. Even if it didn’t take me publishing some royally embarrassing material from my teen years ; )

~

Apparently there was not a colony of ants living in the last load of firewood brought into the house. Itty Bit has not been running around with his Handy Manny hammer smashing the ants into the floor and yelling “broke the bug, broke the bug!”

~

I certainly did not let Itty Bit simply stay up while my parents were over helping on a friend’s birthday slideshow. My folks did not leave a midnight. Itty Bit was not sound asleep at 12:04.

~

I did not walk like a cowgirl for most of the week. This was not because Cassie was throwing a hissy fit while I was riding Kona. She did not exhibit her gaming skills by cutting in front of us and launching into a bucking fit.

Of course, my lovely calm arab would not have then BOLTED, reared, crowhopped, and reared again until Cassie quit kicking at her head.

Naturally, I would have been riding with Kona all tacked out, instead of sitting on her bareback with only a hackamore over her head. I did not squeeze my poor horse with all of my might to stay on her back. This did not lead to several days of walking gingerly and joints creaking loudly. I am not old. I am not old.

~

So… go check out what everyone else didn’t do this week!


~

Hey y’all – come back tomorrow for this week’s True Story Tuesdays – where we share stories that actually happened… ya know, in real life. Super easy to find an old favorite post and link up. Join in – we’d love to hear the unedited version of a Not Me episode!

A new cause!!! by Mr. Daddy

Now I am not one to champion a cause or support one (at least not in any radical way)….

But as I was perusing the Yahoo News this morning, I came upon a SHOCKING new study that just has me Boiling Mad.

Crustacean Lovers from around the world we must unite….(for this is what I read)

"A favored method of preparing fresh crabs is to simply boil them alive. A longstanding related question: Do they feel pain?

Yes, researchers now say. Not only do crabs suffer pain, a new study found, but they retain a memory of it (assuming they aren't already dead on your dinner plate). The scientists say its time for new laws to consider the suffering of all crustaceans.

The study involved using wires to deliver shocks to the bellies of hermit crabs, which, being hermits, often take up residence in left-behind mollusc shells. The crabs that
were shocked scampered out of their shells, "indicating that the experience is
unpleasant for them," the scientists concluded; unshocked crabs stayed put.

Another test was run to see what would happen if a mild shock was delivered, one just below the threshold that would cause the crabs to leave home. These mildly shocked crabs, along with crabs that had not been shocked, were then offered a new home. The typical reaction: They'd go inspect the new shell. Significantly, those that had been shocked were more likely to pack up and move to the new residence compared to those that hadn't been shocked.

"There has been a long debate about whether crustaceans including crabs, prawns and lobsters feel pain," said study researcher Bob Elwood of Queen's University Belfast in the UK.

"We know from previous research that they can detect harmful stimuli and withdraw from the source of the stimuli but that could be a simple reflex without the inner 'feeling' of unpleasantness that we associate with pain," Elwood explained. "This research demonstrates that it is not a simple reflex but that crabs trade-off their need for a quality shell with the need to avoid the harmful stimulus."

The findings are detailed in the journal Animal Behaviour.

Interestingly, scientist don't fully understand pain in humans. It is felt when electrical
signals are sent from nerve endings to your brain, which in turn can release painkillers called endorphins and generate physical and emotional reactions. The details remain unclear, which his why so many people suffer chronic pain with no relief.

At any rate, Elwood compared the results of the crab study to how you might react to a painful experience.

"Humans, for example, may hold on to a hot plate that contains food whereas they may drop an empty plate, showing that we take into account differing motivational requirements when responding to pain," he said. "Trade-offs of this type have not been
previously demonstrated in crustaceans. The results are consistent with the idea of pain being experienced by these animals."

A Norwegian study in 2005 concluded lobsters react to boiling water or other pain stimuli, but that they don't have the emotional capacity to experience it as pain in the way higher animals do.

But a study by Elwood and colleagues in 2007 found prawns were irritated when their
antennae were treated with acetic acid, and after a local anesthetic, they'd stop rubbing the antennae. He said this was evidence that they suffer pain, and that lobsters likely feel pain, too.

Elwood thinks its time for some crustacean empathy.

"Millions of crustacean are caught or reared in aquaculture for the food industry," he said. "There is no protection for these animals (with the possible exception of certain states in Australia) as the presumption is that they cannot experience pain. With vertebrates we are asked to err on the side of caution and I believe this is the approach to take with these crustaceans."

Now I don’t know about you, but after the first line I was totally hooked. (I couldn’t believe that some waterhead idiot would actually do these experiments let alone publish them). After collecting my stunned senses and closing my gaping mouth, I began to process what this educated Idiot actually put out there……

"A favored method of preparing fresh crabs is simply to boil them alive."

Is this as opposed to boiling them dead?????
I live the Pacific Northwest and have eaten my share of Crustaceans, and I for one, am really not sure of any other ways to cook them…

He goes on to say that they shove a prod up the poor little fellow’s butt and crank up the voltage!!!!!!

WELL…….HELLLLLLLooooooo!!!! do you really think it takes a rocket scientist to figure out the reaction to that one??? But wait there is more stellar genius at work here…(that is only after the assumption that it isn’t already dead and on your dinner plate).

He then takes the moral high ground and calls for new laws to consider the suffering of all crustaceans….(I’m really hoping no blonde Hollywood type gets a hold of this one.)

Then they go on to putting acetic acid on the poor little buggers, then hopping them up on all kinds of pain killers….

Can you believe that they call me barbaric for just throwing them in the pot and eating them??????

How many years of higher education do you think is required to reach this stunning intellect?????

The only group of people that I can think of that matches this spectacular display of higher levels of mental processing is some of our elected officials.

But that’s a Blog for another day…

SOOC = straight out of camera

Can you believe it? Melody at Slurping Life is back! And she's bringing back SOOC Saturday!

This shot is from between snow days a couple weeks ago. We went down to the park by the old brewery (Paige, Heather, and Keri - recognize this one too?)

Mr. Daddy stepped out onto a rock in the rock in the water. Itty Bit desperately wanted to join him, but was hesitant about the water (see our last post).

With a smile on his face, Mr. Daddy coaxed him to jump

"I've got you"

Flashback...

This was last summer and Itty Bit was experiencing his first time on the local boardwalk. It cracked me up to see him being so careful. I think he thought he'd fall through!

Boy do I miss those sunshiny days at the dock!

(Heather & Paige & Keri - do you recognize this?)

D.O.B.----D.O.D.(Date of Birth-Date of Death) by Mr. Daddy

I attended a classmates' funeral today.
Seems as if there are getting to be fewer and fewer of us as the years go by...

Probably doesn't help that I come from a small hick town. (pop. of about a 1,000), which means the school size is similar. If memory serves me correctly there were about 55 or 56 in my graduating class.

But that's not what I wanted to talk about......

What intrigued me today was something the pastor that was giving the eulogy asked.

What is the most important thing on the headstone in the cemetery? He proceeded to name off a list of things that were printed on most headstones, and then came to his point......

That being: what was between the D.O.B. and the D.O.D.
He used that as the starting point to talk about Joe's life..

That nothing on that headstone mattered more than what was done between those two dates.......

Not his name....

Not that he was a son.....

Not that he was a husband.....or a father... or a brother..

Nor any words of an epitaph, that someone else had put there......

As he went on to fill in the blanks between the Date of Birth and Date of Death, I rediscovered and old friend. Now you can't go to school in Hicksville with someone for 12 years and not know a little about them, even if you didn't remain close after graduation. Especially when aunts and uncles and siblings went to the same school, and our families grew up on the same prairie. (And no, I did not go to a family reunion to find a date for my senior prom...thankyouverymuch. I just didn't go........ *grin*)

Through the eulogy, and then the testimonies that followed, I realized that a man had grown out of the memories of the boy I knew. Joe's family can be proud of the fact that he had filled the blanks very well....

And then it happened: that still small voice in my heart, "Are you proud of the blanks?"

I don't think so!!!

I will have to work harder on them........



How about you?

True Story Tuesday

I can hardly believe it’s here! Our first True Story Tuesday!

It started as a quandary of where to put those randomly remembered stories that seemed they were too good, too funny, or too amazing to be true.

And it seemed like every Monday, I was reading friends’ blogs that often contained the punchlines to Not Me’s, but rarely the whole story.

Or on Thankful Thursdays that hinted at some miraculous moments.

So… please join along! Share a link to your post about anything amazing, outrageous, hilarious, embarrassing, or miraculous, and mostly-true that has happened to you!

I know there’s a zillion great stories already written buried in your old posts… so it would be easy-peasy to just link up and share your stuff!

I’m trying my hand at the Mr. Linky (oh please work!) down below, and diving into the deep deep waters of mortification and juvenile humor for this week…

Without further ado, I give you, “GO LONG!”

By way of explanation, there is a chunk of my teen years that I thought would be far more glamorous. A pageant would be all about evening gowns, bouquets, and waving to my adoring fans at parades, right?

Umm, not quite.

It was a scholarship pageant – giving me funds toward my future college degree. Only it required 1,728,392 hours of public service in various forms. Often I traveled to speak to large groups of schoolchildren who asked questions like:

“Do you have a dog?” (all important)

“Do you know Cinderella?”

“Does your tiara have REAL diamonds?”

And my personal favorite:
“Are you 39 years old yet?”

While I loved those times with the kids, the schedule could be overwhelming. I was taking honors courses in high school, working part time, dancing with a ballet company, and active in our church youth group. It was grueling.

I had a hardworking and sweet chaperone, C-Chick, who was to accompany me to each of these events. We traveled as far from the west coast as Tennessee and probably made over 50 stops in under a year.

Trust me, standing in taffeta and heels for hours is a tad bit overrated. So… the two of us often made our own fun.

Granted, on one such trip we were a bit stir crazy from all the time on the road. At our next stop, C-Chick's very professional brother and his wife picked us up in their new Beemer.

Beemer!?! I’d never been in one! I giggled and sat wide-eyed in the cream leather backseat.

They said they’d just purchased the car from a doctor. It was luxurious and I was afraid to touch anything. Just picture me acting a bit doofy in beautiful surroundings a’la Pretty Woman.

I said to C-Chick, “Wow, this is amazing!”, then felt something against my shoe.

I reached down and nearly recoiled at the gooey stuff, but the “thing” was half wedged under the driver’s seat.

It stretched like a rubberband and felt slightly tacky… I gave a good tug and finally looked at the freed curiosity in my hand.

It looked like some sort of squishy disc. Maybe a dog toy or ??

And glamorous, mature, professional me: I began to giggle and told C-Chick… “GO LONG BABY!” as I tossed the disc to her.

She caught it and started to laugh herself. She pulled it, bounced it, tossed it, and soon we were playing an animated game of badminton in the backseat.

I noticed that C-Chick’s Mr. Successful Brother and his wife were awfully quiet. I could see them exchanging quick looks and he seemed to be watching the mischief intently from his rearview mirror.

We were being awfully raucous in comparison to their silence, which slowly became more uncomfortable.

After several turns of “use it for a Mr. Potato Head facial feature”, a gradual realization of our plaything’s true purpose became apparent. It was too late.

C-Chick bounced it high and wide and it sailed into the front seat. Her brother’s wife quietly tucked it into the glove compartment.

“The doctor must have left it”.

How were we to know that we had been amusing ourselves for a full 30 minutes, while the poor woman watched in misery… waiting to reclaim her mastectomy prosthesis?

~

What would you have done? I mean, you probably would never have picked up the thing to begin with, but what if you were busted?

Believe me you… it was a quiet rest of the ride.

~

So… that was an old embarrassing, but true moment. What is your True Story for today?
Just link to your post, grab our button on the side, and check out some others… I promise, I have some funny and amazing friends – you won’t be disappointed.

I Heart Faces

This week's theme is NO FLASH.

That can be challenging when you're smack dab in the middle of some rainy weather and you have a kid that is actually faster than the speed of light :)

But he does slow down every now and then... to savor a first experience.

Does everyone remember their first taste of snow?

Check out the amazing natural light photography this week at I Heart Faces!

Not Me Monday!

*sorry - having to update this to close comments - we are being spammed to death...


It’s Not Me Monday again!

Come join MckMama for some free therapy!

~

My kiddo did not sidle up next to me, say “owie”, and sweetly point out every blemish on my face (thankyouverymuch PCOS). He then did not take his toy hammer and proceed to gently “fix” each owie. I did not let him do it, because I was not madly giggling.

The game did not quickly end when he decided to “fix” my glasses with the same hammer.

~

We did not have a Sharpie incident in the household this week.


Mr. Daddy did not hijack the blog and post all kinds of incindiary nuisance. He is not still obnoxiously gleeful that people were amused by his comments.

To be fair... he did try to remove the Sharpie on the nightstand... but the toothpaste simply bleached the wood and left the, guess what...? You betcha... Sharpie ink would survive a nuclear blast.

~

Mr. Daddy did not have to call Sportsman’s Warehouse and ask them if Itty Bit’s John Deere hat was in the lost-and-found. He didn’t have to ask them to go look in the sleeping bag section because Itty Bit had been perfectly behaved that afternoon. He was not nap-deprived and running around like a little tornado. He did NOT light up at the sight of 60 sleeping bags hung along the wall on display… because the thought never occurred to him to run INTO the display and race from end to end. This would not have caused them to swing wildly on their hangers either.

The sleeping bags did not reach to the floor and make it impossible to see his feet through them. I did not have to locate him by watching intently for any movement of the display. If I did, you would understand why I would resort to a kiddie leash!

To fix this, I did not crawl INTO the sleeping bag display and just wait on one end to nab the little stinker. He did not howl deafeningly (ha-ha) as I hauled him upside down through the store to pay for Mr. Daddy’s boots.

And of course… I never checked to see if his hat was still on his head.

If it had happened, Itty Bit would have been happily reunited with his beloved hat, then promptly put down for a nap.


~

Ever walked around in a new shirt – and forget to take the little size sticker off? Didn’t think so. Me neither.

~

After a long and mentally taxing day – and after choosing to eat out for dinner, the following conversation did not happen at the restaurant.

Itty Bit: DOWN!
Me: No honey. You don’t have your shoes on.
(what nutty mother doesn’t put her kids' shoes on? One that doesn’t want her kid running around, I bet).Mr. Daddy: Babe, I think we left his Lightning McQueen boots in the grocery cart.
Me: Oops… sorry hon.
Itty Bit: DOWN!
Mr. Daddy: I’ll run back and get them.
Itty Bit: DOWN!
Me: Can we order first?
Itty Bit: UGH! Mommy! DOWN!
Mr. Daddy: (harried) Okay, I'll wait.

Mr. Daddy didn’t proceed to quickly order then jet.

As if on cue, Itty Bit did not promptly spill half a cup of ice water on me.

I did not pilfer napkins from vacant tables nearby to clean up the mess. I did not leave piles of silverware in the process. I was not freezing cold from my soaked jeans.

When Mr. Daddy returned, the following conversation did not ensue:

Mr. Daddy: They weren’t there.
Me: They weren’t?
(removing 14th broken crayon from Itty Bit’s grasp)Mr. Daddy: Then I went back to the car, turned the light on…
Me: Uh-oh.
(removing salt shaker from Itty Bit’s supersonic hands)Mr. Daddy: Yeah, the boots were right there, in the backseat.

(long pause)

Me: Oh man. I’m sorry. I wasn’t even thinking.
(since when would I apologize for NOT forgetting something??)
Mr. Daddy: You owe me.
Me: I know hon.

Itty Bit promptly spills the remaining ice water all over me again.

Ironic, no?

~

Hey y’all – come back tomorrow for our first ever True Story Tuesday – where we link to stories that actually happened… ya know, in real life. Join in – we’d love to hear the unedited version of a Not Me episode!

Sisters

I'm always late at this... sorry.

Elyse from Following Him, and Linny from A Place Called Simplicity both sent a Sisterhood award my way. Thank you sisters!

I have to admit... sitting down to my email after a long day and checking the comments and emails from y'all... that sure feels like sisterhood. From across the miles, I get to laugh with you, cry with you, and pray with you - and I would love to one day be able to return the favor in person.

Here's the rundown. Though you know I'm really iffy with rules, so I might not get the number right...

1. Put the logo on your blog or post.

2. Nominate at least 10 blogs which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude!

3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.

4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.

5. Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award.

Please go check these Sisters out and I bet you'll find some new favorites!

So here's to the Sisterhood of the Traveling Sharpie ;)

Pam from Life By the Creek - is a new friend who feels like an old one. I mean, a longtime one. Not that you're old Pam. Sorry. Her blog is refreshing and encouraging and I wish we lived next door.

Pam at Twenty Little Piggies - she is a HOOT! This girl can write and I love reading her comments. Serious exercise in bladder control when she's on a roll. I know she stays busy, but it's a real treat when she knocks out a post. Umm... can I have TWO Pam's for neighbors please?

Mimi at He & Me + 3 - everybody knows (and loves) Mimi right? This girl gets around to leaving such sweet comments on everyone's blogs... she must have lightning fingers! And she already got this award, but I'm sending it on again because her attitude/gratitude exactly fit it!

Melody from Slurping Life - this woman has had me in tears more times than I can count. Go read... I guarantee you'll be touched by the depth of her love for her boys. She's like my RESET button for attitude... I love you Melody and am so glad you're back to blogging.

Jenny from JennyKate's Spot - the ironic thing about Jenny is that I found her a long time ago (I think I'd saved a post about a great idea for a kid activity), but had never commented. Then out of the blue one day, she left a comment on our blog and it came full circle! She's a fun chick who also does a weekly "Thankful Thursday"... how encouraging!

Elaine at Matters of the Heart - her recent "love fest" was a terrific way to break out of the winter doldrums. It was perfect for remembering all the things we're grateful for, even when life isn't easy. And talk about cute kids!

Dana from Chaos to Grace - you know how you can have emails that turn into books because you can talk about any and everything? That's Dana. Sometimes friends just fit. Want to talk gratefulness? Head over and read her posts. Oh and... (ahem) she's the one who prettied up Itty Bit's iHeartFaces shot - she's the best!

Toldya I was no good with rules. Thank you to all you Sisters!

And just for kicks... here's my In Real Life one.

Yes, she's taller than me, and will probably use that to full advantage in the beatdown I'll be getting after she sees this picture. Love you Ju.

He Likes to Move It, Move It

Mama's gonna lose it...

Can you say LAUNDRY?

What can I say? He knows how to have fun.

BEFORE

AFTER

For a good time, call 1-800- ITTY-MUD

(yes, Mama's looking forward to spring flowers!)

Are we a go? *updated*

Sorry guys... I've been messing with my blog, learning how to create buttons (headdesk), learning how to get the button to link to the correct page (headdesk), adding the button to my sidebar (headdesk), and getting the code to display underneath it (Thank you Mr. Daddy for cooking dinner tonight - I know this took a ridiculous amount of time).

So... while we're not live yet, we should be set for Tuesday... once I speak with Mr. Linky (I am optimistic my desk will survive this one!) Thanks friends!

~

I'm so excited about the positive comments and emails about True Story Tuesday!

You guys had some awesome suggestions and I thought I'd put them out here to see if they encourage more buddies to play along.

I know a bunch of you have some great stories buried in your old posts. Since the idea is to get to know eachother better by sharing the stories... it would be as easy as linking up that particular post on Tuesdays! No need to even write anything new... just send us an invitation to read something that really happened to you :)

It does not have to be a new story that just happened every week... my first few will probably be some of my favorites from years before I'd even heard of a "blog". I'm not so sure my life can handle a new CRAZY story every week! (I probably just jinxed myself by saying that).

So... does this make it easier? Sound like fun? I cannot wait to hear your great, amazing, miraculous, outrageous, hilarious stories!

(and I am totally on the hunt for a good picture to use for a button... do you think the bottom one works?)

ps: do you think a dad was in charge the day the below picture happened???

Will you join me?

So I've been mentally chewing on this for awhile...

It's not like I don't have enough to do with running after a busy 2-year old and juggling my mostly SAHM duties and my "official" job, but this idea keeps sounding more and more fun.

I know this blog tends to be a little random. "Little" might be an understatement.
But it sure feels like it represents our lives - a compilation of miracles, funny moments, hard days, and times when I go back and read all kinds of inspirational comments that I really need right then. And it's that diverse in the span of one day usually.

It feels more like a wide net of friends who help us find the humor in the mundane, offer advice on Sharpie pen adventures, emphathize with the growing pains of parenting, and lead me to their own blogs that are full of the same.

So, to bring some semblance of order to the apparent randomness... how's about a category for randomness?

Something like "True Story Tuesday"? An incentive to get the creative juices flowing and tell a superbly embellished, but mostly-true recounting of something amazing, unbelievable, or downright hilarious? It doesn't have to be long, just a fun way to remember and share those moments.

I mean, I'm even willing to put my toe in the waters of learning how to do a Mr. Linky! (Yes, I have a phobia of all things HTML-ish).

See, I keep remembering outrageous things that have happened, but those stories are kinda orphaned on this blog cuz they don't have a "place".

So whaddya say? Are you willing to join up and link back with some fantastic real-life stories? Give me a little encouragement here, some of these stories are gonna come back to bite me, I'm sure (Mr. Daddy, you be nice!)

And just for a laugh - since we've had some recent experience with permanent markers... at least it wasn't this bad!

Can you say "REVENGE"??? This, my friends, would definitely qualify for a True Story Tuesday!

Flossing and Turkey Sandwiches

Your mind goes funny places when you can't sleep.

I thought of things I was worried about. I went through the list: praying for children who are very sick, sons who are deployed overseas, families who are facing layoffs, situations at work that were maddeningly out of control... you know.

And I was struck by the simple thought that God didn't need my prayers. (Yes, this same thought hits me upside the head several times a year). He would prefer my quiet attention. My growth. My cutting out things from my schedule that aren't important.

I realized laying there... that I had often thought of my time with God like flossing. Something that is good for me, but that I kind of get to at the end of the day. If I miss it, I mumble half-asleep that I'll get to it tomorrow.

(Impressive self-discipline, no?)

This slow conclusion - that God wants to be more to me than flossing... is humbling.

I don't want to be lukewarm. God doesn't want me to be lukewarm. If I'm not growing, I'm not really alive.

It struck me again... how often do I forget to eat? (Probably not often enough). Would I go through my day, then head to bed without putting sustenance into my stomach? There's no way I'd fall asleep without that.

God wants to be my turkey sandwich.

And I want to make sure I'm there for more than mealtimes.

Mr. Daddy's Rebuttal

Ok, so I have LIMPED to the computer to defend my honor. As I remember it, that is not exactly how it went down!!

So here, as the late Paul Harvey would say is the: RRrrrreeeeessssssttt of the story.


she got the first couple of lines right.

Her: u r SO busted Mister!
me: HUH? (so much easier to text than "O.K. dear what am I in the dog house for now?")

Now here I have to explain that we Less-Than-Elite at work have a very watered down version of email. And the sending and receiving of attachments is a dubious process at best.
Now the Chosen Few, have a much more enhanced version.

I have stated all this to point out the first of many deviations from the facts.

Fact number 1: Her: Go ck ur email.
Her real tx was: Go ck G's email. (G is my supervisor). At this point I must admit that it was more of a real "HUH?" than a "what am I in the dog house for HUH". Why in the world would I need to be checking G's email?????????

I have not made it to the Elite status, but have gained a Quasi-elite honor, of being G's backup guy, thus allowing me Attachment Ability when needed (a dubious honor at best I must admit)

My curiosity being more than slightly piqued, I make my way to the supervisors' office. G happens to be in his cubicle and another supervisor is there also (did I mention that we have a dearth of supervisors??) I elbow my way in front of the computer and bring up the email. (He only sniveled and whined a little), found the appropriate attachment and brought it up..

OMG!!!! Both supervisors are howling! Me? I'm only slightly disappointed that my boy can have tattoos but can't sprout a mustache..... :o(

Without fully thinking it through, (obviously) I fire off a text asking that very question. In retrospect, I should have given it more thorough consideration; as her response, something about assault and great bodily harm, was probably an accurate description of her next text

In a feeble attempt at some serious damage control, and to bring a little humor to a currently very humorless gal.

Me: ???blog worthy????

Do you think my injuries qualify as an L&I claim???? I was on the job after all!!!

I don't think the Limp will be permanent, and my vision is getting better in the one eye. The other is still swelled shut! And it is a pain trying to post with one arm in a sling........

But hey: things are looking up, she says she still loves me..........

I color

So... some of you thought Mr. Daddy's text messages are funny, huh?

Well, I sent one of my own yesterday after Itty Bit woke up from his nap. Our conversation went something like this:

Me: u r SOOO busted Mister!
Him: huh?
Me: go ck ur email

He went to check his email and this is what he found:
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Oh, it's good.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Itty Bit woke up and made his own fun. When I discovered him a few minutes later, he said, "I color!"


*don't worry, his expression is not because he got in trouble, but because he didn't want to sit for pictures*


And it gets even better...
.
.
.
.
.


*Our lovely rustic bedroom furniture. The only matching set I've ever bought... we'll have to add Itty Bit's artistry to the rest of them to match now*


~


And on the lamp.

And on his Saint Patrick's Day shirt that he's only worn once.

And on the new sheets.


~


Mr. Daddy's response?


"Where's his mustache?"


Mine?

"It's not called assault if ur husband caused this by leaving the SHARPIE next to the bed, is it?"

His:
"Blogworthy, right?"


~



Yes, the ink is STILL clearly visible on our boy's arms, thanks for asking.

And Mr. Daddy is still walking with a slight limp.

God has a sense of humor

Seriously!

I posted the winner of our 300th post giveaway last night, then the next time I checked my email... there was a sweet prompt from Elaine from Matters of the Heart asking if I'd seen her Winner post?

Huh?

She had a great idea to start a Love Fest and it was terrific to see all the comments about what people loved. Some were silly, some were fun, some made me sentimental, and all were heartfelt.

Guess who won the Love Fest giveaway?

Yours truly.

What a blessing! Please, go see Elaine (and her adorable kiddos). Cuz I mentioned y'all in my Love Fest entry!

Winner time!

You guys are so cool!

You could have just said "cake and ice cream" in all your birthday tradition comments - but instead you gave us some really creative ideas that I can't wait to try!

I'm excited to share Jaime's creations with you and hope the lucky winner will enjoy them too!

After adjusting the comment numbers for actual entries, the winner is...

Alicia from My Three B's and Me!

I really loved Alicia's birthday traditions that she shared (yes, I'm actually considering taking my birthday off this year!) and am excited to "plant" a birthday lollipop for Itty Bit!

I will admit that I went to leave Alicia a comment to let her know she'd won... and I got sucked in as usual :) Her kiddos are A-DOR-ABLE, and she wrote the sweetest thing for her 11-month old. Remember those days???

Congrats Alicia, hope you love your magnets!

Thank you for playing along.
Since y'all are totally enabling my blogging addiction, it can't be too long before a 400th post giveaway! :)

Dreams

I've started this before.

And I still don't know when, or if ever I'll hit the Publish button.

I knew that our family would be different - Itty Bit being a miracle baby put us firmly in that class; but I struggled with imagining what it would be like for this much-appreciated little boy to grow up with a deaf parent.

I used to laugh when people described their pregnancy dreams. Mine was simply to become pregnant. When I finally was and dreamt of him, I woke up with a "this-is-real" feeling that shook me to my core.

In my dream, a beautiful golden-headed boy was running around the living room, peeking behind furniture with a wide smile. When he saw me, he said, "Where's Daddy?"

It wasn't so much what he said... but that he signed it. Naturally and easily as he spoke it. And somehow in my surreal dream, it seemed effortless and normal.

I woke up looking for him.
Seeing my pajama-clad big belly brought me back to reality, but I couldn't shake the sleep-robbing questions that came.

The long years of wrestling with infertility had left me with plenty of time to contemplate why this was happening to me.
If I'm honest, I'll tell you that I foolishly believed that God had already maxed out the "unfairness" meter in my life by allowing my deafness.

Yes, I said it to His face.

Then spent years looking for answers, trying to fix myself, rationalizing, begging, bargaining, and giving up.

So after that dream, a lingering question returned.

What if it's not fair to him? What if my deafness is not fair to him?

A sign-language interpreter in my 5th grade class had deaf parents. She regaled us with stories of how she and her siblings would sneak out of the house during the night, intentionally mis-interpret phone calls from the school, and otherwise take advantage of their deafness with frequent shenanigans. It was sobering to think of what it could be like to raise a child without benefit of hearing.

Babies didn't phase me. I didn't need to hear (or apparently, SLEEP) to meet their needs and shower them with affection. I eagerly anticipated my own child's appearance and cherished every newborn thing about him.

But I knew that these days would loom. Ones where he began to realize that his Mommy was just a bit different. Ones where he would learn to tap her arm instead of calling her name. Where he would turn her head toward his when he wanted to be understood. Where he would say the same words, over and over again... patiently waiting for her to guess the right one.

And saddenly, when he would figure out that he should just crawl out of bed after his nap, instead of calling for her.

I was not prepared for the melancholy of seeing him point to my whistling ear and saying "hearing aid" clearly.

That was last night.

It hit with full force that he will grow up a bit differently. He won't be able to call his mom from the nurse's office in school. Maybe he'll be embarrassed by my faint "accent". And like me, maybe he'll ask his mom not to sign to him in public.

My real struggle is in wanting what's best for him, without turning him into a mini-adult. To tell me if an alarm is going off, without feeling like he has to interpret everything. To find that balance between being a little kid, and being someone's ears.

Like my parents and sister, I hope he grows up realizing that all of us are different - and no matter what people can or cannot do, they are still worth it.

So while it may not be fair to him, I hope he doesn't waste the lesson.
And I hope he knows that I've always loved him, even in my dreams.

I Heart Faces

Hey y'all - it's iHeartFaces time again! This week with a GREEN theme!

What can I say? Itty Bit is rarely parted from his John Deere hat.

(Well, except when it gets lost at Sportsmen's Warehouse and we have to sheepishly call and ask them to look in the sleeping bag display. I wish I could say I was just kidding... :)

This particular picture makes me yearn for when our field was that green!

~

In this one, my grandmother's yard was just full of flowers and such vivid greenery! Here's my adult entry - Mr. Daddy celebrating Father's Day with his little guy.

There are some amazing green entries this week! Go check them out!

Our 300th post Giveaway ends tomorrow night - enter here!

Not Me Monday!

It’s Not Me Monday again!

Come join MckMama for some free therapy!

So... I felt kinda bad last week with only one Not Me. I know y'all have come to depend on the showcase of all my non-awesome moments to reaffirm that you are far more normal. Don't worry, this week, I did not do a buttload of dumb stuff. (Oh my gosh, I did not just type "buttload" on my blog. Sorry Linny).

~

Whoa baby! Not me who had a girly-girl moment at work this week. While washing my hands in the ladies bathroom, it was not me who barely stifled a scream when I looked down to see a GINORMOUS spider looking right back up at me.

It was not me who then did the most perfectly logical thing and threw my paper towel at it.

And it certainly was NOT me who proceeded to scream like said girly-girl anyway when the paper towel started to crawl away!

Seriously, what kind of steroids are spiders on these days???

~

So, remember back when I ran into that nurse who took me to task over the 30 pounds I gained with Itty Bit? Umm yeah… it was not me who found my online medical record and it showed I gained 42 stinking pounds!

It is not me who is TOTALLY subtracting the 8 pounds I had lost just before I found out I was pregnant. Cuz that would have been my skinny weight, not my normal weight. They can’t count that, right? And 34 pounds sounds so much better.

It is not me who is still carrying any of that around… and it has not migrated from my formerly shapely tush to my currently unshapely waist.

I did not just admit that.

~

I do not think it is hilarious that Mr. Daddy sends text messages to me at the office on Friday mornings when he stays home with Itty Bit.

I did not giggle out loud at my desk this week when the first four messages were increasingly panicked:

Hows ur AM? Wheres Bob the Builder?
Do u know where Bob the Builder is?
Laundry? Y wld Bob the Builder b in the laundry???
Ok, found Bob the Builder.

I did not chuckle over the “emergency”, then totally lose it when the next message said this:

OMG! Tris just laid down in the bathtub and peed straight up!

Cuz I’m waaay more mature than that. And I sure as heck did not show every woman in my office that text message…

~

I did not let my kid watch Madagascar four times yesterday.

~

Not me who has to buy another laundry basket, because said kid did not claim it as his Madagascar watching “chair”.

~

And it certainly was not me who was mentally giving myself a Mother of the Year Award for being such a fun mom and jumping on the bed with Itty Bit.

Three seconds later, it was not both of us sitting in shocked silence with bloody lips from smacking heads.

Bah – who needs that silly award anyway?

~

Not me who unwittingly snapped a perfect picture of Mr. Daddy's submission as Father of the Year. That's right folks... he is NOT in the act of launching a snowball at an unsuspecting Itty Bit. I did not narrowly avoid the same fate by shrieking "the camera, the camera!"

~

Before you go... check out our 300th post giveaway! You'll be supporting a really cool stay-at-home Mom with her Etsy business, and possibly winning an uber-cute gift!

So… go check out what everyone else didn’t do this week!

Don't worry little one...

You'll be big enough to go fishing with Daddy soon...

*I don't dare show you the last shot... his tears were heartbreaking

(Come join our giveaway! Enter here!)

An Open Letter

Dear Mr. Gore,

I understand you say we are in danger from global warming?

See... I have a couple of problems with that.

May I present exhibits A and B for your viewing pleasure?

See, just some pretty snow pictures.

The only remarkable thing is that they were both taken in March. Last year and this year respectively. You can see the pattern here.

You'll notice that the first picture shows the perils of this pretty white stuff... the trailer gets snowed in too so I lose my ride for awhile.

And the second picture... well, you see how Mr. Daddy gets when there's an excuse for horseplay.

While we're at it; it would be really nice to be able to take my blanket off once in awhile and run around buck naked.

So... while we recover from the freezing temps, could you please send some global warming our way?

Sincerely,

Kona and Cassie

(ps - check out Rach & Mr. Daddy's giveaway, here!)

From Mr. Daddy

(Our giveaway is open! Please go here to enter!)

From lurker to addict in one easy step.

The road to recovery takes 12 steps no less.

Admitting is the key, not so easily done.

Why not deny, it is way more fun.

From Sunday Sound Outs, to Not Me Mondays galore.

A Crafty Tuesday, to Wordless Wednesday, and more.

There’s many Thankful Thursdays, and Friday Funnies in store.

SOOC Saturday, one of my favorites, for sure.

Then back to Sunday, to start it all again,

this blogging is so addicting,

It might cause me to sin.

My Second Chance Anniversary

(The giveaway is open! Please go here to enter!)

Remember exactly a year ago?

Itty Bit woke up sick and my sister volunteered to watch him. She drove all the way out to our place and stayed with him that afternoon when I went to work for a half day.

See, normally he would have been with me. I would have driven back to the office to pick up Mr. Daddy and the three of us would have been happily on our way home for dinner.

Instead, Mr. Daddy drove himself in, which meant that we each had a car. Quitting time finally came and we both headed out the door, Mr. Daddy following Ducky in Big Red. What happened next was something neither of us expected.

Heading down a 50mph road, we both suddenly saw a truck heading into my path.

I slammed on my brakes and tried to steer around, but the other driver continued and we crashed in one deafening instant that seemed both slow-motion and impossibly fast-forwarded.

The sound was horrific as the metal made contact. The airbags deployed with stunning force and slammed into my chest and hand. My seatbelt dug into my hip and shoulder and my glasses were thrown from my face into the backseat.

The impact was dead-on at the truck's driver side, and it spun around to crush the side of Ducky as well. Both vehicles were pushed to the other side of the road, narrowly missing a power pole and electrical box.

Clouds of smoke were immediate and a strange grey powder hung in the air around the airbags. The silence was disconcerting, then interrupted by a shrill sound.

Mr. Daddy came to my door, already on the phone with 911. My head was ringing and through my fuzzy vision, I saw him ask if I was alright. My hand hurt like the dickens and the first words out of my jumbled thoughts were, "I think my hand's broke".

My next thought was immediately the worst of my life.

What if someone is dead in that truck?

That shrill sound, Mr. Daddy was afraid, was either someone screaming or a baby crying.

I was petrified.

I asked Mr. Daddy to please go check on the driver. As he walked over, he realized the sound was heavy metal music, and saw the driver trying to kick her door open. After seeing her get out of the truck, Mr. Daddy came back and said he thought she was alright.

The next thing he knew, she had left from the scene. Within moments paramedics, firefighters, and police were at the scene - strapping me to a backboard and combing the woods for the driver.

(The rest of the story is still playing out: hit-and-run charges were filed, my vehicle was determined to be totaled, and a long road to recovery was started.)

Looking back at the pictures, I was amazed at how everything had to have been perfect for us to walk away from it. It was a matter of degrees and inches. And a matter of a little boy waking up with a cough.

See, when Mr. Daddy went around the car to try to find my glasses... he discovered that Itty Bit's car seat was tipped against the door. (I am teary-eyed as I write this). My friends... that door was smashed in.

My 1-year old would have taken the brunt of both impacts... impacts that even the car seat did not handle well.

So instead of being frazzled and upset at the unfairness, inconvenience, expense, and physical pain... I cannot escape the reality that it could easily have been so very different that day.


I am grateful.

300th Post Party!

It's party time! Celebrate like a frosting-covered-sugar-hyped toddler!

Remember that thing I was hinting around about? Something about a giveaway? Well, I found a cool one! Head on over to … oh wait, we're doing this one! :)

To celebrate our 300th post, I thought I’d share one of our favorite Etsy gals with you.
Jaime from SJJR4 was one of my first Etsy purchases. Wait, that came out wrong. I didn’t buy Jaime; but I did buy one, I mean two, I mean THREE of her cool altered tins.

I blogged about it awhile back, but here’s a quick shot of what they look like. Only, in all kinds of custom patterns and themes.

But it’s actually one of her newer items that we’re giving away.

These super-cute magnets are fully customized to whatever picture you send her! With all the iHeartFaces hoopla lately… it’s been really fun to edit photos and think about creative things to do with them.

Don’t tell my mom that I ordered her a set of these magnets with pictures of her grandkids. Mom, if you’re reading this, you’d better be planning on leaving some comment love :)

We're giving away a set of four magnets as seen in Jaime’s Etsy shop. Only, with your pictures, of course. Cuz that would be kinda weird to have someone else’s pictures on your refrigerator.

This would make a great gift that is actually useful! I have to say, I smile every time I see my son’s picture on our fridge. Of course, the smile lasts even longer when it leads to some quality Ben & Jerry’s time (did I just admit that?)

So… since a certain little guy is having a birthday coming up, I’d love to hear your ideas of fun birthday traditions in your family!

Here’s the usual rundown, but hopefully it’s fun!

Leave us a birthday tradition comment for one entry.
If you’re a follower, leave another comment for another entry!
Blog about it and send us the link in another comment and it’ll be another entry.

I know there’s a few lurkers out there, we’d love to meet you!

The giveaway is open until Tuesday evening…cuz you know for sure I’m trying madly to figure out the next entry for iHeart Face’s GREEN theme… without creating any Not Me Monday’s!

Can’t wait for a bloggy friend to receive their special photo magnets!